The Reason for Eagles Youth Movement

The front office had to notice the energy and enthusiasm the younger players brought to the team during last year's four-game winning streak, and how Carson Wentz brought it all together. Now it's a matter of trusting the youth.

Howie Roseman said his goal was to make the Eagles’ roster younger. Just days into free agency, it would appear the team’s general manager is on the right track.

His move to release 32-year-old Malcolm Jenkins came on the heels of the decision to let 38-year-old Jason Peters reach free agency. Peters, in case anyone missed it, is still available, and the Eagles decided to keep lines of communication open in case a solid offer didn’t materialize.

Even if Peters can’t find the contract he seeks, it would go against Roseman’s planning to bring back the left tackle, even though Peters likely still has something left in the tank. Roseman would have to weigh that decision versus having last year’s draft pick Andre Dillard waiting in the wings, and the GM probably wouldn’t bite on Peters.

What’s done is done on that front.

Roseman brought in Javon Hargrave, who is 27.

The GM brought back Hassan Ridgeway, who is 25, and Jalen Mills, who turns 26 in April, and Nate Sudfeld, who is 26.

Darius Slay just tuned 29.

This isn’t to say that the Eagles will become a team of 20-somethings, because some of their best players are in their 30s, such as Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, and throw DeSean Jackson in there, too, even though he was an Eagle for only one full game last year.

Other players such as Lane Johnson, Zach Ertz and Fletcher Cox are 29.

One thing about a youth movement, though. As you get younger, you must be comfortable letting young players play. Because the Eagles have been a veteran-laden team for the past three years or so, they haven’t had to rely much on rookies.

First-round pick Dillard rode the bench last year, except for four starts born out of necessity due to injury. Fourth-round pick Shareef Miller didn’t play a single snap.

Tight end Dallas Goedert, a second-round pick in 2018, played just 50 percent of the team’s snaps as a rookie. Fourth-round pick Avonte Maddox was on the field for 52 percent of the defensive snaps two seasons ago. Josh Sweat, another fourth-round pick two years ago, played just 24 percent of the snaps. Jordan Mailata hasn’t seen the light of day and Matt Pryor only began getting snaps last year.

These are players the Eagles must learn to trust, and maybe they will after what happened late last season.

It was then, when the team was sitting at 5-7 and injuries piling up, that they had no other choice but to rely on young receivers and, to some extent, Pryor.

And look what happened, the Eagles ran off four straight wins to win the NFC East for the second time in three seasons.

Veteran players spoke in the locker room about how the youth energized them, how their enthusiasm and desire to prove that they belonged in the league ignited a spark that fueled the team.

The suddenly young receiving corps talked glowingly about Wentz. How he was “the man” and all that stuff. It was the sort of praise that was in short supply from veterans such as Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor.

The front office had to notice, and that is why they will likely spend a good amount of draft capital on receivers next month.

The front office also had to notice how that youthful enthusiasm and energy impacted the team, and could be the leading cause of Roseman’s desire to start a youth movement.

Now, it's just a matter of trusting some of those youngs players, especially the ones that come in this year's draft.