Once the Eagles find their head coach of the future, they'll have little time to waste in coming up with a plan to fix what was a very bad football team this past season.
General manager Howie Roseman is somehow still in charge. If he's going to fix the roster through draft picks, cap management, and free agency, let's hope he's willing to listen to some outside suggestions.
One such suggestion comes this week from Pro Football Focus, where Sam Monson looked at one ideal free agent target for all 32 teams. The Eagles have plenty of holes around the roster, from wide receiver to cornerback, from safety to maybe even quarterback. So who does Monson think the Eagles should go after?
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SIGN UP HERE Bills linebacker Matt Milano. Hmm.
Here's what Monson said about Milano and his fit with the Eagles:
"The Eagles' linebacker group this season was one of the worst units in all of football, regularly responsible for major coverage busts and big plays where they were overmatched in their assignments.
"Matt Milano has been solid for Buffalo, particularly in coverage. For his career, he has allowed just an 83.9 passer rating, some 20 points lower than the average target into a linebacker’s coverage. His play against the run has been more inconsistent, but we saw this past week in the playoffs that he can make impact plays in this area, as well."
NFL
It's hard to argue against the logic here.
Roseman has consistently avoided spending resources at the linebacker position, and this year it cost the Eagles in a big way. Alex Singleton flashed some potential in the second half of the season, but by and large the Birds desperately need to add a starter-caliber linebacker this offseason.
Milano doesn't turn 27 until July, racked up five interceptions, two forced fumbles, and six sacks across 38 starts with the Bills, and (according to PFF's tracking and grading) is a very useful coverage linebacker. He's not the biggest name on the Bills' excellent defense, so he shouldn't break the bank, and coming from the Sean McDermott school of defense is a plus in the pedigree department.
I'd like the Eagles to also look at the linebacker position in the draft - and ideally not a long-shot, ultra-raw prospect like Davion Taylor - but Milano would certainly be a step in the right direction.
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