Three 'splash' moves for Eagles to make in 2024
After a terrible ending to the 2023 season, the Eagles could use a little juice. These moves would move the needle for Philadelphia in 2024.
1. Sign Saquon Barkley
This isn’t the first time the Giants’ running back has been linked to the Eagles and given the city’s affinity for the running game, it won’t be the last. D’Andre Swift made his first Pro Bowl with the team, finishing 2023 as the NFL’s fifth-leading rusher, but trailed off at the end of the season and remains unsigned for 2024.
Swift should expect to receive a multi-year contract worth around $6M per year, just not from Philadelphia. The team isn’t necessarily averse to paying running backs, but a four-year deal is asking a bit much from the Eagles’ front office
Already 27 years old, Barkley likely warrants a shorter contract, albeit for more money than Swift. With 25 games missed in five years including three with a high ankle sprain last season, the Giants are unlikely to re-sign their former No. 1 pick.
If he's up for a one-year “prove it” type of deal with a former division rival, Barkley would look good running RPOs behind Philadelphia’s offensive line.
2. Draft Bo Nix
The Oregon QB may not be on Eagles fans' radar, but neither was Jalen Hurts when the team drafted him in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Already considered a second-round pick by most scouts, Nix failed to impress during Senior Bowl practice, prompting ESPN’s Jeff Legwold to hand him a third-round grade.
Often compared to Hurts as a dual-threat athlete, Nix rebounded from three subpar years with Auburn by throwing for 8,101 yards and 74 touchdowns with 20 more on the ground in two years at Oregon.
After carrying his team to Super Bowl LVII, Hurts looked overwhelmed at times in 2023. He carries a $104M cap hit for 2024 but if the Eagles see Nix as a project like the Packers’ Jordan Love, getting Hurts’ successor at third-round money would be a smart move.
3. Trade up for Brock Bowers
When Philadelphia drafted Dallas Goedert in 2018, the team already had Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz on the roster. Goedert has two years left on his deal but the Eagles have an out clause at the end of the 2024 season.
At 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds, Bowers is widely considered the best tight end in this year’s draft. He had 2,731 yards and 31 touchdowns with Georgia and would fit perfectly in new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore’s system. He may not last until the 22nd pick, but the Eagles could easily trade up like they did for Goedert in 2018.
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