Eagles Can't Pave Paths Toward Leadership

When it comes to leadership, the cliche is that it's earned not given, and it's certainly not demanded.

As for assigned, well that's how some in Philadelphia believe the Eagles are going about things in the wake of Malcolm Jenkins' return to New Orleans.

Jenkins was one of the leaders in the Philadelphia locker room over the past six years and the veteran safety was certainly the most visible and accountable of Doug Pederson's leadership council when it came to dealing with the NFL's largest and often toughest media contingent.

There are a few obvious reasons Jenkins is returning to the Saints instead of finishing out his career with the Eagles and it starts where it always does in such situations - money.

General manager Howie Roseman is also on record and is cognizant of his recent past in which the Philadelphia general manager got a little too sentimental when it came to aging players who have produced for him.

Call it a point of emphasis for Roseman this offseason to go back to the "it's better to give up on a player a year early than a year late" sentiment that dates back to the days of Branch Rickey and Major League Baseball. Roseman has also been hammering the point that the Eagles need to get younger.

Jenkins likely could have still helped the Eagles defense in 2020 so Philadelphia offered to tweak his scheduled team option, according to an NFL source, but that wasn't enough for the three-time Pro Bowl selection, who wanted security through 2021, something he got on the open market with a legitimate Super Bowl contender in the Saints.

By that 2021 season, Jenkins, already a descending player, would be 34 and almost certainly on fumes compared to his halcyon days as the Eagles' most valuable and versatile back-seven defender.

No matter the pros and cons, however, the Jenkins dismissal was a difficult decision for the Eagles.

NBC Sports Philadelphia's John Clark threw another possible explanation into the mix when it comes to Jenkins' departure - clearing the way for Carson Wentz to be the unquestioned leader of the team.

In many ways, the quarterback position comes with leadership expectations baked in. For example, as the on-field leader and face of the franchise, Wentz is the only Eagles player who gets the bully pulpit once a week to address the media as a whole.

His performance as a star player is also part of everything as is his contract, which has now moved from cost-effective rookie deal into the top of the market and the knowledge that he was the highest-paid player in the history football, at least until the next big name QB cashes in.

The supposition of leadership does not necessarily indicate leadership exits, though. Call that an offshoot of the traditional aphorism, "Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence," a nod toward affirmed evidence is distinct from either a lack of evidence or ignorance to evidence that should be uncovered.

Many have questioned Wentz's leadership dating back to his torn ACL and LCL and the subsequent Super Bowl run in which Nick Foles became the belle of Philadelphia's ball.

Those on the outside can only see that Wentz is certainly not as vocal as someone like Jenkins or even some of the other team leaders like Brandon Graham, Lane Johnson and Zach Ertz.

Volume, however, is not in the Thesaurus next to leadership, which brings us full circle to the pithy thought about absence of evidence and supposition of leadership.

Paving the path for Wentz to break down huddles, give locker-room speeches or address societal ills that extend far beyond football by removing Jenkins isn't a plan unless you're trying to turn perception into reality. The Eagles already know what kind of leader Wentz is and whatever the organization thinks that is, it's always going to be different from Jenkins' stylistically.

The "team" was Wentz's before Jenkins left and it will remain so moving forward until the organization shifts gears down the road.

Whatever the optics turn into in the 2020 season is about perception to others, not a change in Wentz's role.

John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com. You can listen to John every day at 4 ET on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey and reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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