Plus: Would the Eagles trade up in the draft?

YO!

I’ve been getting some mailbag questions, so I’m going to this bad boy going during Super Bowl week. If you have a question for a future mailbag, you can tweet at me or email bleedinggreeninfo(at)gmail(dot)com.

Marc DuBois (via email): I can only imagine that you have been taking in these thrilling playoffs. Another great weekend. So, what lessons do you take away from these playoffs in terms of the Eagles? What would you hope Nick Sirianni & co. are learning?

There are a couple of things that spring to mind and they’re related to the quarterback position. It’s clear that signal-callers like Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen had their respective teams offenses operating on another level given the elite quarterback play they’re getting. The path to consistent playoff success is a top-tier passing offense. Jalen Hurts isn’t close to that right now and, no matter how much fun I had watching him and the Eagles’ killer run game in 2021, Hurts needs to take big steps as a passer in Year 3 in order to become the type of quarterback who can elevate a roster, the golden goose of the NFL.

I also look at the discrepancy between the AFC and NFC with the former being a much stronger conference. The NFC may even be weaker in 2022 given Tom Brady’s retirement and the fact that Aaron Rodgers could be playing somewhere other than Green Bay next season. I’m okay with rolling with Hurts this fall, but I can’t help thinking that the conference is for the taking and, somehow, landing Russell Wilson in a trade puts the Eagles on a quick path to serious contention. Wilson would be the best quarterback in the conference if both Brady and Rodgers are gone, right? Having the best QB and offensive line pairing in the NFC is an opportunity that rarely comes around and it’s such a tantalizing opportunity that I’ve been increasingly into parting with multiple first-round picks for Wilson over the last couple of weeks.

I did a whole podcast for BGN Radio about a potential Wilson trade last week:

ChiefRedBeard (via email): Thanks for the mailbags, always enjoy them. My question is, for all this talk about Howie trading a 2022 pick for an extra 2023 pick, what’s the chance Howie moves up in 2022? And if so, who would he be most tempted by with a potential top-ten pick?

I appreciate the kind words! I think it’s unlikely the Eagles consolidate and move up for in the draft right now. They’re in a weird situation where they simultaneously have many holes, but still have a chance to make back-to-back playoff appearances in 2022. Getting multiple first-round talents feels like the move for me. One scenario that might pique general manager Howie Roseman’s interest, I will say, is if a player like Kayvon Thibodeaux starts to slide to the back half of the top 10 amidst character concerns, however unsubstantiated as they may be.

David Cohen (via email): After the Super Bowl, someone asked in the mailbag which 3 players BGN could envision being with the team 5 years from now and the answer, I think, was Carson Wentz, Rick Lovato and either Derek Barnett or Sidney Jones. … The 2022 season will be 5 years, Barnett is presumably a goner, and Brandon Brooks has just retired. That leaves Lovato, Jake Elliott, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, and Rodney McLeod. Which of these guys do you now expect to be around for the 5th anniversary of the Super Bowl win?

So, what guys do I expect from the Super Bowl squad to be here this upcoming season? I’m assuming everyone you mentioned is still around. Jason Kelce could retire, sure, but I have a feeling that he will be back for at least another year. Rodney McLeod is getting up there in age and has battled injuries. He’s a free agent. I do think, however, the Eagles will come to an agreement to bring him back on a small contract amidst uncertainty on the Eagles defense’s back end.

Ask me again in two or three years and it might just be the special teamers at that point though.