The Philadelphia Eagles can outbid any team for D.K. Metcalf

It’s been said before, and it’ll be said again: The Philadelphia Eagles are a team in need of foundational talent.

After winning the Super Bowl with a roster headlined largely by players on second or even third contracts, the heroes of that legendary run have started to fall away from the franchise, either via free agency, trade, or retirement.

And now? Well, outside of Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox, Philly has turned its attention to the next crop of Eagles performers to take the franchise into the future.

Will the 2022 NFL Draft help to deliver onto the City of Brotherly Love some of those foundational players? You bet; if Howie Roseman plays his cards right, he could land more than a few players who will remain with the team for a generation, but recall that drafting players isn’t the only way to utilize a draft pick for immediate contributors. Rumor has it D.K. Metcalf very well could be had for the right price, and if the package Tim McManus of ESPN suggested is a solid opening bid, the Philadelphia Eagles have the firepower to get a deal done.

The Philadelphia Eagles can finally right their D.K. Metcalf blunder.

Alright, so before we get too deep into the weeds on the player born DeKaylin Zecharius Metcalf, what is the offer Mr. McManus suggested that could entice the Seattle Seahawks into trading their perennial 900-yard wide receiver?

"Tim McManus’ offer: The Eagles would trade 2022 third- and fifth-round picks (Nos. 83 and 154).Inside the offer: The modest offer here reflects that the Eagles might only be in on Metcalf at a certain risk level. They rated him as a top-15 prospect in the 2019 draft, but the neck injury that ended his final season at Ole Miss kept them from drafting him. They’re not going to give up one of their first-round picks to acquire him."

That’s… wow.

Alright, so not only has McManus let it slip that the Eagles viewed Metcalf as a top-15 prospect in the 2019 NFL Draft, but we learned that the reason they didn’t draft him in the second round was because of the neck injury he suffered during his 2018 season at Ole Miss. If nothing else comes out of this story, that is incredibly noteworthy and shows a little peek into the psyche of Howie Roseman and company a few seasons back.

What makes much less sense, however, is the final sentence suggesting that the Eagles wouldn’t give up a first-round pick to acquire Metcalf.

Why not?

I understand wanting to mitigate risk and submit a slightly depressed offer due to the eminent nature of Metcalf’s contract extension, but isn’t the whole point of drafting players to eventually extend them to long-term, big-money contracts? While there are a few players who could prove better than Metcalf in this year’s class, players that the Eagles would likely target at 15 or 18 overall, none have the same floor as Seattle’s Pro Bowl pass catcher, as he’s never recorded less than 900 yards and seven touchdowns in a single season and has proven himself one of the most unique wide receivers in NFL history.

Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 235 pounds with 4.33 speed and an 82.75-inch wingspan, Metcalf looks like a linebacker, runs like a deep threat, and has an ability to run through pretty much any cornerback the NFL has to offer. While his change of direction measurables aren’t elite – they actually rank among the worst tested numbers in combine history according to Mockdraftable – that hasn’t prevented Metcalf from running a complete run tree during his time in Seattle and from becoming one of the best X receivers in the NFL.

And if he is, in fact, available after all, the Eagles owe it to themselves to inquire. Metcalf is an ideal fit playing opposite DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins, would provide the sort of speed Howie Roseman explicitly targeted in the 2020 NFL Draft, and, at just 24, he has the potential to be very good for a very, very, very long time.

Fortunately, the Eagles have a ton of draft capital over the next few seasons and should be able to field a competitive offer for Metcalf, if not outright outbid their foes for his services.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles ultimately open up the 2022 NFL season with D.K. Metcalf under contract? … honestly, beats me. For a time, it looked like he was going to be traded by a rebuilding Seattle Seahawks squad, then that dream looked like it was dead, and now the zombie deal has inexplicably come back to life like it spent the night in a Pet Cemetary. If the Seahawks have accepted their short-term fate and are now looking to make a move, the Eagles should get in on the action, even if it costs a bit more than Tim McManus suggested. And if not? Well, there are more than a few promising options in the 2022 NFL Draft, so the team should still walk away from the month of April with a few new offensive weapons for Jalen Hurts to throw to.