The Super Bowl participants showed there are two different ways of building a championship-caliber roster.
That’s somewhat misleading.
Sure, the Rams, who beat the Bengals 23-20 on Sunday night, traded away their first-round picks from 2016-2024 to acquire stars like cornerback Jalen Ramsey, quarterback Matthew Stafford and rush linebacker Von Miller.
And it appears that the Bengals acquired their main stars – quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins – in the draft.
But the Rams also built through the draft. Their best players, defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Super Bowl MVP Cooper Kupp, came that way, along with several others.
The Bengals also spent lavishly on free agent defensive end Trey Hendrickson, and on key players throughout the secondary.
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The Eagles did that during their Super Bowl season in 2017, when they added free agents like wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, running back LeGarrette Blount, and defensive end Chris Long, while trading for running back Jay Ajayi.
That added to a homegrown core that included tight end Zach Ertz, offensive linemen Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce, and defensive linemen Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox.
It’s a combination of drafting the right players, signing the right free agents and making the right trades.
The Bengals did it and went from 4-11-1 in 2020 to the Super Bowl. The Rams did it and played in their second Super Bowl in four seasons.
The Eagles, who were also 4-11-1 in 2020, have not had the same success, despite making the playoffs this season, where they lost in the wildcard round to the Buccaneers.
Here are three ways the Eagles can duplicate the Rams and Bengals blueprint and reach the Super Bowl in 2022:
1. Get the franchise QB
It isn’t breaking news that the Eagles have to decide whether Jalen Hurts is capable of taking them to the Super Bowl.
Like Burrow, Hurts was drafted in 2020. Burrow was the No. 1 overall pick, while Hurts was taken in the second round, but more so as a backup for Carson Wentz, with the potential of taking over in a few years.
We all know that didn’t work out as planned. Wentz was benched late in the 2020 season and traded last February. Hurts, meanwhile, showed potential in getting the Eagles to the playoffs.
But there were questions. Hurts completed just 61.3% of his passes, threw for 3,144 yards and had a pedestrian 87.2 passer rating. Burrow completed 70.4% of his passes, threw for 4,611 yards and had a rating of 108.3.
You can take into account Hurts’ 784 rushing yards, the most among NFL quarterbacks, and 10 TDs. That’s still not comparable to Burrow.
Does Hurts become the franchise QB if he can improve his completion percentage to 65% or more, while still running for 800 to 1,000 yards?
All indications are that the Eagles believe that can happen, or at least they’re willing to give Hurts that chance in 2022.
If they decide Hurts can’t, then they can try to do what the Rams did last offseason. The Rams traded Jared Goff, the No. 1 pick in 2016 (Wentz was No. 2), plus two first-round picks to the Lions for Matthew Stafford.
Stafford threw for 4,886 yards and 41 TDs this season, and of course, led the Rams to the Super Bowl-winning touchdown with 1:25 remaining.
The Eagles have the trade capital with three first-round picks. They can certainly package Hurts and two of those first-rounders for someone like Seattle’s Russell Wilson.
But the Eagles should be skeptical.
Wilson, who is 33, threw for 3,113 yards in 14 games last season, or 31 yards fewer than what Hurts threw for in 15 games.
And if you’re using the argument that Wilson was limited by finger surgery after he returned, then you have do the same for Hurts playing the final month with an ankle injury that ultimately required surgery.
In that scenario, it’s not worth giving up Hurts and picks for Wilson, who might have hit his ceiling as a quarterback.
Remember, Hurts is still on his rookie contract, counting $1.6 million against the cap. Wilson counts $37 million against the cap.
Both the Rams and Bengals have better skill players around Stafford and Burrow. The Eagles need to add those players around Hurts.
2. Spend what it takes
The Eagles have spent the past few seasons in salary cap purgatory by adding and keeping veterans and restructuring contracts. But that’s changing. They are no longer financially tied to Wentz, who alone counted for $34 million in dead money last season. That was one-sixth of the Eagles’ 2021 salary cap.
According to overthecap.com, the Eagles are $21 million under the projected salary cap for 2022, about the middle of the pack among NFL teams. But they can create a fair amount of additional space by not re-signing defensive end Derek Barnett and when Brandon Brooks’ retirement becomes official.
That’s just for starters. They can restructure other contracts, such as Jason Kelce’s, to create more space. All of which should enable the Eagles to sign at least two impact free agents.
And looking at both the Rams and the Bengals, wide receiver would be an ideal place to start.
The Bengals got their two star receivers through the draft with Higgins in the first round in 2020 and Chase (NFL rookie record 1,455 yards) in the first round in 2021. The Rams have Kupp, who led the NFL in receptions (145), yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16) and Van Jefferson (802 yards), while adding Odell Beckham Jr. in free agency.
The Eagles have two legitimate receiving stars in 2021 first-round pick DeVonta Smith (916 yards) and tight end Dallas Goedert (830 yards).
The Eagles need another go-to wide receiver since Jalen Reagor, their first-round pick in 2020, has been a disappointment so far.
They can do this in free agency, whether it’s Delaware native Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, or Mike Williams, or even trading for Atlanta’s Calvin Ridley.
If the Eagles can add someone like that, then Hurts will have as many targets to throw to as Stafford and Burrow.
3. Draft, draft, draft
Look closer at the Rams’ success. In addition to Donald and Kupp, key players such as Jefferson, safeties Taylor Rapp and Nick Scott (7th round), cornerback David Long and linebacker Ernest Jones came through the draft.
Delaware’s Troy Reeder, a starting linebacker, was an undrafted free agent.
The Eagles will have as many as 10 picks this year, including five in the top 100. They’ll need at least three starters from that group, especially on defense.
We’ve already started seeing major contributions from last year’s class in Smith, guard Landon Dickerson and defensive tackle Milton Williams. From 2020, there’s Hurts and linebacker Davion Taylor (2020), who became a starter before a season-ending knee injury. Safety K’Von Wallace might have to become a starter next season if Rodney McLeod and/or Anthony Harris don’t return.
As the Bengals and Rams showed, that could be all it takes to reach the Super Bowl.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
