T.J. Edwards Highlights Eagles are too Disciplined with LBs
If the Eagles were ever going to "pay" an off-ball linebacker in the modern game, T.J. Edwards was it.
An undrafted player Philadelphia developed from No. 9 on the depth chart into the quarterback of a Super Bowl defense in four short years, Edwards is the type of success story organizations typically love, a chance to look at one's peers in Indianapolis with an 'I'm better than you' attitude.
The thought wasn't that Edwards would be back, though, with some valuations placing his second contract in the $10 million AAV range it seemed a fait accompli that the Wisconsin product would be moving on from the cap-strapped Eagles.
And Edwards was literally the first NFL pending free agent to do so in the legal-negotiating period taking all of 16 minutes to go from first to worst in the NFC, from the conference champs down to his hometown Chicago Bears, who are coming off a dismal three-win season.
Nothing was surprising until the numbers of the contract rolled in.
Three years and $19.5M with $12M of that guaranteed for the tackling machine who was graded as the sixth-best off-ball LB in the NFL and named an All-Pro by Pro Football Focus.
Ironically, Chicago, which is flush with money after a pseudo-tank, also signed Tremaine Edmunds, the No. 5 off-ball LB per PFF, to a four-year deal worth $72M with $50M of that guaranteed.
The difference?
Pedigree.
Edmunds was once the 16th overall pick in the 2018 draft while Edwards once ran a 4.87 in the 40, forever banishing him to the preconceived purgatory of the close-minded where development and remaking one's body is not permitted.
Two years from now the easiest prediction in the world is Edmunds back on the market after failing to live up to the bloated expectations of a monster contract while Edwards is framed as the value.
But that's now Ian Cunningham's and the Bears' problem.
The Eagles' issue is letting Edwards out of the building that developed him, a sacrifice to the discipline that is usually an organizational strength.
Philadelphia is right to place limited value on off-ball linebackers in the modern game and the contrast of not kicking in $22M to a good, homegrown player vs. the nearly $100M a bad organization just coughed up to the position is as extreme as it gets.
Like any polarization, however, it ignores the vast middle ground where common sense lies.
For now, Eagles fans are enamored with Nakobe Dean because of his college resume and the fact they haven't seen him play.
Even if Philadelphia's evaluation is right and Dean lives up to the Georgia hype, overcomes his size limitations, and does develop into an even better player than Edwards, his clock has already started because the 2021 Butkus Award winner would have to play like Dick himself for the Eagles to rub two nickels together for a second deal.
And as far as Dean's running mate in 2023, that will come down to who takes the next Kyzir White deal, a name more likely to end up being White himself or far worse like all the L.J. Forts, Paul Worrilows, and Corey Nelsons that came before him.
The big-name traps so many crave like Bobby Wagner or Lavonte David will be way too expensive.
In the Eagles' world, off-ball LBs are a dime a dozen and the organization is ambivalent to the point that No. 6 out of a group of 81 isn't good enough for a mid-level contract.
The advice here is that the organization should be agnostic at the position.
No one is asking for blind faith but disbelief isn't the answer either, especially after someone like Edwards provided a high level of production.
-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
