Why Matt Patricia Was Hired and Jalen Hurts’ Deal Was a Win: 8 Eagles Pre-Draft Takeaways – The Athletic

Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni met with the media on Thursday afternoon for the annual pre-draft press conference. As in most years, it is important to read between the lines when the goal of the people on the podium is to reveal as little truth as possible. Unlike most years, given Jalen Hurt’s recent long-term renewal, there was important news to discuss outside of the draft.

Our Eagles writers Bo Wulf and Zach Berman feature eight takeaways.

Welcome to the staff, Matt Patricia

Just before the press conference, the Eagles announced a few Change in coaching staff. Internal promotions include DK McDonald (now defensive backs coach), Kevin Patullo (now passing game coordinator/assistant head coach), and Tyler Scudder (now assistant linebackers coach). New to the staff are Nickels coach Ronell Williams, assistant defensive backs coach Taver Johnson, defensive back quality control coach Mike DiAngelo and assistant head coach Tyler Yelk. Former Patriots employee Matt Patricia was missing from that list of official announcements, though apparently not by long.

“Nothing is final yet,” Sirianni said when asked about Patricia’s hiring. “We’re headed in that direction.

“Obviously his resume speaks for itself. It gives you a great mind that has done it at the highest level and so it gives you a great ability to ricochet off ideas with the defense staff. Also, it gives me another former head coach that I can also bounce ideas off of things that I think will be very helpful.”

This is what this resume looks like.

Matt Patricia’s DVOA ranks HC/Coord.

Who knows exactly what the scope of Patricia’s job will be, but if your first instinct in learning about Patricia’s attitude is to shake your head at the rampant nepotism in NFL coaching circles, that would be understandable. Philadelphia also employs a defensive captain in Darius Slay, who has been open about his lack of respect for Patricia. The two clashed during their time together in Detroit.

“Of course,” Sirianni said when asked if he’d spoken to Slay about the upcoming hiring. “As you do with everything, you go through and talk to the guys and make sure everyone is comfortable with it. I had talks with Slay, of course I had talks with Coach Patricia. I know it will be a good working relationship for us when that happens.” – Wulf

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A “win-win” situation with the Hurts contract

The Jalen Hurts contract was mutually beneficial, at least for now. Hurts signed a record-breaking contract that earned him the highest average annual salary in the NFL, and the Eagles were able to be first to market by proactively signing Hurts without waiting for deals like many other quarterbacks were eligible – and with a structure that doesn’t stop them from surrounding Hurts with talent.

“I think you really have to give as much credit to Jalen, (agent) Nicole Lynn, the internal staff (vice president of football administration) Jake Rosenberg and (vice president of football transactions and strategic planning) Bryce Johnston, as all of them have somehow made an effort to make this happen in a way that’s truly a win-win,” Roseman said. “I think it’s a hell of a deal for Jalen. I think it’s a hell of a deal for the Eagles. I think these are really the best deals.”

Roseman nodded to his boss, owner Jeffrey Lurie, for his willingness to invest that kind of money early on, rather than waiting until after the fourth year or one franchise day. (On the other hand, such a strategy would have ended up costing the Eagles more.) And because of the bonus money structure, Philadelphia was able to keep cap numbers low early in the deal. This cap cunning was developed by Rosenberg and Johnston.

Beyond the mechanics of the contract, the deal is important because it allows the Eagles to know that quarterback position is solid and they can use their draft picks and cap space accordingly.

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“We kind of planned it,” Roseman said. “We had picks, we went into some sort of free agency schedule to get comp picks. We’re going to be getting four comp picks next year, so it’s already a bit unusual. Sure, since I’ve been here, I can’t recall being in a situation where prior to this year’s draft we had 12 picks for next year’s draft. … Obviously we have the ability to plan and we have the ability to work around it and build around him and some of the guys that we have on long-term contracts and that’s exciting. But we have to keep doing the right thing.”

There’s also confidence that the big contract won’t affect hurts, which the Eagles don’t see as a gamble at all. Roseman said the first conversation with Hurts after reaching an agreement was about returning to work and internal discussions about how the money would affect Hurts were brief.

“It’s like, ‘It’s not going to affect Jalen,'” Roseman said. “But we’re discussing it. We have no doubt.” — Bermann

Don’t expect cautious hurts

For all his accomplishments, Hurts has never gone through a season as a full-time starting quarterback without missing games through injury. Given the franchise’s long-term investment in him, one wonders how much of the offseason planning for Sirianni and the rest of the attacking coaching staff is finding ways to lighten his load. Maybe that means bringing in a bell cow running back like Bijan Robinson. Maybe training him to take fewer hits means training him. Maybe it means dialing in better-designed commits at the expense of read options.

Regardless of the changes to the fringes, Sirianni said not to expect another player to lead the team.

“We didn’t pay him more to do less,” Sirianni said. “Are we still going to think about how to protect him? Yes, because that’s our job, protecting our quarterback. But Jalen does a lot of things really well and we want to use his skills so he can keep playing at a high level.

“Of course we will get new wrinkles this year. We will find ways to do better the things we have done. How can we coach them better? How can we position our guys to make plays better? We will grow from the plan we had to maximize Jalen’s abilities. … The reason Jalen is in this position, where he signed this big contract, is the fact that, I’ve said that a million times, nobody knows what the cap of Jalen hurts is. Why? Because he loves soccer. He Is hard. He has a high football IQ. – Wulf

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Draft for now or later?

The Eagles reached the Super Bowl last season with the fewest snaps played among rookies, showing they had a strong enough roster for rookies to use the year to develop. The three top picks from 2022 will be relied on in key roles in 2023.

But Sirianni suggested last year was unique and he didn’t necessarily think it would be a model for how the team will work this season or how they will approach the draft. In fact, he went so far as to say the Eagles have nearly two draft classes this season because last year’s rookies will be starting for the first time — a stretch but a rationalization likely to be repeated this summer.

Roseman identified a key reason why it would be ambitious for Philadelphia to expect the same kind of playing time for this year’s rookie class: The Eagles were remarkably healthy last season, and they’re more likely to have to turn to backups in 2023. So even if they don’t specifically call up a player to start, that player could quickly become a starter (a la Landon Dickerson in 2021).

“I think it would be at least naïve to expect the same results as last year,” Roseman said. …”When we drafted those guys last year, we certainly didn’t feel like those three guys weren’t going to have an opportunity to get on the field just because the history of all those positions is that we needed guys. I think if we look at the last year we don’t have to look at it as a trend but as like we have to make sure we have enough players that are available to play at a high level to get where we are want to play the kind of football we want to play in December, January and hopefully February.”

However, don’t be fooled by the idea that the Eagles are viewing the draft with short-term interest because they’re a competitive team. You see it as the opposite. The team doesn’t have big gaps, can think long-term and see immediate contributions as an advantage. This isn’t like when the Eagles drafted Jalen Reagor for not addressing the wide receiver.

“That doesn’t mean we can’t get better because we can definitely get better and our goal is to keep improving our football team and that won’t end next weekend,” Roseman said. “Creating rosters is a year-round job for us, and so this is a big part of it. But I see it like we have to make sure we get the right players and that we don’t force anything, and the mistakes are made when you force something and try to make something out of nothing.” — Bermann

Grain of Salt Thoughts on Bijan Robinson, Jalen Carter

Before you get to Roseman’s answers about the two most interesting options for the Eagles at the top of the draft, consider this comment: “Am I going to give you any answers today? No, not even a little.”

Roseman knows other teams will be listening to his preliminary press conference for signs of their intentions, and he’s not in the business of revealing anything. So there’s probably some distance between what he said on Thursday’s record and his true thoughts. Still, he addressed the notion that he would not consider drafting a running back with the No. 10 because of his low ranking in the hierarchy of key positions.

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“I think the most important thing when you pick in the first round, especially when you pick 10, is that you get a unique player,” Roseman said. “I think there are so few unique players in each draft that if you start picking by position and not quality of talent…if you pick by position and you pick a player who’s not good, then that’s it not select well anyway.

“I think when you start saying, ‘Hey, we can only get one unique player, but it has to be that position,’ you narrow your options right there. So try to be as open as possible about how that looks and make sure whoever we choose is someone who we think can really impact the game.

However, Roseman’s comprehensive draft of the track record would tell us a different story. With premium picks, the Eagles value premium positions. As general manager, Roseman drafted 11 players in the first round. The positional breakdown for these 11 players tells the story of his stats: five defensive linemen/edge rushers, three offensive linemen, two wide receivers, and one quarterback. Given the emphasis on the defensive line, it seems intuitive that Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter is a player the Eagles have done a lot of homework on. As with Robinson, they had Carter in Philadelphia for an official pre-design visit.

“There’s nobody we rely on more than (Senior Adviser to the General Manager/Chief Security Officer) Dom DiSandro, and we rely on him for things like this,” Roseman said. “At the end of the day, he does an excellent job of giving us all the information and empowering us to make decisions. I think every decision is unique to the player and the situation, so we have all the information available and are ready to make a decision for anyone who is in a situation that might be a little bit out of the norm.

“I think we’re going to do everything we can to make sure we know everything we can about each of these players and to be able, if the opportunity arises, to make a decision that we really feel good at it.” – Wulf

Weighing features vs. technology

A question that’s often asked this time of year is how much does a team weigh physical attributes versus skill or technique. It may vary depending on the position. Roseman made an interesting comment on Jason Kelce’s podcast last month when discussing the presence of offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, explaining, “I know if they have the right mentality, if they have the right qualities in their body and they have technical problems, she will be fine. You know they are being developed.”

In other words, poor technique can be overcome if the right tools are in place. What is left unsaid is that a player cannot necessarily improve some deficiencies in characteristics.

“We’ve been trying to find people who have unique qualities that can make a difference in the game, and I think if you look at the best players on our team, they all have unique abilities,” Roseman said. “They all have tools in their bodies that allow them to compete at the highest level and play at a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level to change the game. I think obviously what you’re trying to balance is that you value the tape and you want to be really good, but you want guys who have tools in their bodies to grow into elite players. So when those things don’t add up, you have to go back a bit and find out why.”

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The Eagles’ offensive line of Jordan Mailata, Dickerson, Kelce, Cam Jurgens and Lane Johnson has “truly unique physical attributes.” Each of them, except Kelce, were tracked down and drafted during Stoutland’s time in Philadelphia.

Of course, no player with character traits without the necessary mentality will help. Mailata wanted to improve. He was blessed with qualities, but he spent three years learning how to play the position before becoming the full-time starter.

“They also combine that with an incredible character, love of the game, passion for the game and coaching ability,” Roseman said. “I know at the end of the day some of these offensive linemen are so much better than some of these college players that they don’t have to be technically healthy, and we have phenomenal coaches on the team. Stout is certainly one of them. If you give our coaches guys with high football character and unique physical attributes, they will be developed. That’s one of the things I tell every player who’s been in this building. If you’re expecting a 21, 22 in this design, 23, 24, 25 unique to this design to come in and be finished products on day one, brace yourself for disappointment.”

So what’s an example of how that plays out? Perhaps because of their characteristics, the Eagles would gravitate towards Paris Johnson Jr. or Broderick Jones as an offensive line rather than Peter Skoronski. — Berman

A stash of picks for 2024 could come into play

With four compensatory picks likely on the way in next year’s draft as a result of this offseason’s spate of departing free agents, the Eagles are positioned to potentially trade future draft assets for current draft capital. That could come into play at the top of the draft if they’re interested in moving up from No. 10, with two second-round picks on next year’s agenda. It could also be a way for them to add mid-round capital as they are currently expected to wait a long time between their #94 pick at the end of Round 3 and their #219 pick near the top of Round 7 .

“I think the most important thing is the value of the player that you want to trade for with the future choice,” Roseman said. “By that I mean if we were in the third round and we had a first-round grade on a guy and we had concluded that we were going to act (a second-round pick in 2024) it would be based on the grade of the player and the caliber of the player.

“I’m not saying we’re going to do that, but I think it’s more about each unique situation that you put yourself in and that you look at. There’s not going to be a situation where we’re sitting there on Day 3 if we’re kind of stuck and just like, ‘Hey, we have to make a choice this year, so let’s trade our (future fourth-round pick) for one (fifth-round pick). It’s based on the value of the board and the value of the positions and players we have available.” – Wulf

Should Eagles be age ghosts?

Be aware of the age of those interested in the Eagles draft. Roseman alluded to the older prospects in the class, and browsing Dane Brugler’s The Beast reveals how many players are over 23. An extra year of eligibility due to COVID-19 combined with transfer rule changes results in players staying in college longer. The median age of the players featured by Brugler this year is 23.02 and the median age is 23.06. In 2019, the mean age was 22.57 and the median was 22.59.

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“You kind of have to balance the fact that you’re more physically developed at 23, 24 than you are at 18 or 19, so when you’re playing against guys who are four or five years older at that time in their life, I mean, you’re talking of a probably 20 percent increase in strength and power, and so you’re not necessarily judging the same level of competition,” Roseman said. “You have to take that into account when drafting guys and understand what the upper limit of those guys is. … It’s definitely a factor.”

Roseman, of course, learned that from Danny Watkins’ experience. In college, Watkins competed against players five years his junior. That wasn’t the case in the NFL.

Of course Watkins was an outlier. But a prospect’s college performance and age curve in the NFL are worth considering. How will a 21-year-old develop compared to a 23-year-old? A first-round pick who is 21 will be 26 when his contract expires, compared to 28. Look at edge rushers who are likely to be picked late first round/early second round. BJ Ojulari turned 21 this month. Keion White turned 24 in January. How do these three years affect the ratings? — Berman

(Photo: Michael Reaves/Getty Images)