Johnson, Curry could be next to get deals from Eagles
Now that the Eagles have their tight end locked up to 2021, what's next for the Eagles in a very important offseason?
After signing Zach Ertz to a five-year extension, the Eagles appear to have a plan in place.
A deal with tackle Lane Johnson could be done by the end of the week, according to Mark Eckel of NJ.com. In the same report, defensive end Vinny Curry is debating whether to accept an offer from the Eagles or test the free agent market. Eckel also cites defensive players Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and Malcolm Jenkins as players the team will likely try to extend, if not now, then definitely in the near future.
Johnson is the Eagles only stable piece on the offensive line. The Eagles will have to make a decision on Jason Peters, who at 34 is still regarded as one of the top linemen in the game, but struggled this season. Jason Kelce joins Ertz as a player locked up through the 2021 season.
Curry is part of a plethora of linemen on the defensive side of the ball, that includes Cox and Logan. The Eagles have build one of the more daunting front sevens in the game, mainly because of their depth on the line. Now that the Eagles will run a 4-3, wide-9 style of defense under Jim Schwartz, having as many catalysts up front as possible will only benefit the Eagles. Curry would certainly be a welcome presence for Schwartz as he develops a defense to the strength of his players.
What this also does is continue the saga of Sam Bradford. Ertz expressed a desire to have Bradford return at his press conference and said that Bradford wants to play in Philadelphia. Ertz and Jordan Matthews had started to form a good chemistry with Bradford toward the end of the season.
Signing Ertz was only the beginning of a long checklist for the Eagles this offseason. In the near future, they could lock up two more key members moving forward in Curry and Johnson.
Their work would hardly be done, but the Eagles certainly seem hard at work to build a team that they think can contend. With a new coach only in place for one week and the offseason just barely underway for some teams, the Eagles are well on their way to starting the long haul of work to be done in preparation for the 2016 season.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
