With four selections in the top 77 of this April's NFL draft, the Patriots can beef up a relatively thin foundation and inject youthful energy and promise into this mismatched roster.
The Pats roster doesn't compare the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Hell, I'd argue that Philly has the best 53 from top to bottom in the entire league. But I look at how GM Howie Roseman approached last year's draft and his ability to transform a secondary with two selections and think, why can't the Pats do the same along the offensive line or front seven (they aren't fixing everything that ails them)? I know Eliot Wolf doesn't have that on his resume; neither does Ryan Cowden (he's never had that responsibility). But if there was ever a year...
After dipping into the University of Georgia pipeline in previous drafts to grab Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith, Roseman realized his aging secondary - they surrendered 35 TD passes in 2024-25 - needed some life. He gave it that, tabbing Toledo's Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean of Iowa in the draft's first two rounds.
“We never thought that Quinyon Mitchell would be a possibility where we were drafting,” said Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie Monday night from New Orleans. “And the irony of it all is that we had another player have an equal grade, which has almost never happened in our - in my history, where it’s literally a tie. And so when we chose Quinyon, we made a commitment that we would do everything possible to get Cooper. And we never thought it would be possible. We went to bed that night and thought, there’s just no way.”
Well, it did happen, and the results are evident. Mitchell became a starter on day one (he was my DROY), while DeJean worked his way back from a fractured fibula suffered during his final season as a Hawkeye before emerging in week 5.
"Coop had had a tough offseason," said Roseman. "His ability to make a difference after the bye week is probably one of the stories we don't talk about. The bye week was a huge turning point for our football team, and one of the reasons was Coop getting on the field."
The Eagles allowed just 22 TD passes, and Mitchell forced more incompletions (a PFF stat) than all but teammate Darius Slay and Cleveland's Denzel Ward. DeJean has been a force working out of the slot, with a number of critical plays in critical victories over Cincinnati, Jacksonville, and Baltimore.
If Philly is to take that final step and unseat the two-time defending champs, Kansas City, on Sunday night, it would only stand to reason that the two rookies will play a significant role.
"It's going to be a challenge," said DeJean of defending the Chiefs' offense. "Anytime you get this late in the season, it's always going to be a challenge. Their receivers know how to get open and work with their quarterback, so it's going to be a challenge for us."
"They play together," added Mitchell. "Everyone has a different skill set. They have a great quarterback, so I see great things."
SCHOEN FEEL SHAME?
I watched Giants GM Joe Schoen leave the press box at the end of Wednesday's practice at the Senior Bowl. I turned to Bedard and said, "I feel bad for the dude." When it came to the decision to let Saquon Barkley walk, Schoen chose poorly. Oh sure, his team had so many holes that spending $12+ million a year on a running back seemed unwise. Still, I'll always go back to the off-season 'Hard Knocks' series when another member of their front office wondered what the team's offensive identity would be without Barkley. The answer was evident for anyone who had to watch the Giants play this season: they had none.
Now, owner John Mara — who was leery about that decision from the start — Schoen and NY fans will watch Barkley play for rival Philadelphia in the Super Bowl, a place the Eagles might not have gotten without the league's best running back.
“My message to Giants fans would be there is nothing but love,” said Barkley earlier this week. “I’d be naive to think they weren’t supportive to me over the last six years. Obviously, a few of them were disappointed with my decision, but the way I look at it, all the things that happened over there and the love I have for them is the reason I am able to have the success I am having now. Just thankful for all those people over there.”
Barkley has played 19 of Philly's 20 games this season (he rested in the regular-season finale, bypassing a shot at the single-season rushing record). To this point, the former Penn State star has amassed 2,447 yards on the ground and another 300 as a receiver. To think, he reportedly turned down two larger offers (One believed from the Bears) to go to Philadelphia.
“We've always actually valued the running back position..." said Lurie. " What would happen if you were ever able to get Saquon with this offensive line and this triple-threat quarterback and the skill position players we had? It was a no-brainer because (of) where we were at as a franchise. If we didn't have that offensive line or that triple-threat quarterback, I don't know that we would have projected it the way we did, but it was like huge upside there. We're not risk-averse. The downside was it wouldn't work out quite that great, and we could deal with that.”
It's worked out better than expected, especially considering how explosive Barkley has looked this season. He was good in New York but hasn't had this burst since he was a rookie. The Eagles contributed to that by wisely scaling back the veteran's practice workload on Wednesdays and Thursdays as the season continued. They're now reaping the benefits of that decision.
"It's very obvious how good of a player he is when you watch the tape," said Nick Sirianni. "The things that he has that he brings to our football team, as far as his leadership, his work ethic - he's an awesome teammate. Those are the things that make him very special. ... I can't say enough good things. I could spend the rest of this press conference talking about what Saquon's meant to this football team and not talk about anything on the football field."
Somewhere in his office, Schoen is probably looking out the window, knowing that if he can't save his job this season, one of the very first things on his epitaph will be the decision to let Saquon walk. It will look even worse if Barkley and the Eagles hoist the Lombardi Trophy late Sunday night.
AS FOR THE BIG GAME
There's Chiefs fatigue, just like the Patriots' fatigue earlier in the century. And unless you're from Philly, it feels like no one is all that psyched about the Eagles being in their third Super Bowl since the 2017-18 season. But KC has won 17 straight one-possession games dating back to 2023, including 12 this year, to give itself a shot at a three-peat, which has never happened in NFL History.
Meanwhile, the Eagles have won 15 of their last 16 games since their week 5 bye, and that one defeat came after quarterback Jalen Hurts was injured and had to leave the game in the first quarter. So yeah, the two best teams (despite my hopes otherwise) are playing Sunday, and it should be a 4th quarter-game. What more could we ask for in the finale?
When the Chiefs have the ball: They'll need to protect Patrick Mahomes. Period. The Eagles don't blitz often under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, instead relying on their front four to get home. They've done just that. Jalen Carter (who was sick on Wednesday and Thursday) is the best defensive player on the field Sunday. If they choose to move him around, they could take advantage of undrafted free agent Mike Calliendo, who has been inserted at left guard since Joe Thuney was kicked out to the left tackle. Calliendo allows a pressure rate of over 11%, which is dangerously high. And even if it's not Carter across from him, Milton Williams (he's about to get paid in free agency) is almost as capable of chewing Calliendo up. Trey Smith, who's also looking at a bag this off-season, has been so-so at the right guard spot, and we know right tackle Jawaan Taylor hasn't lived up to his billing. Nolan Smith has made a jump in year two for Philly, and his speed could pose all sorts of problems on the outside.
In previous meetings against Fangio, Mahomes worked the middle of the field like a boss, knowing that pushing the ball against 2-high safety looks is generally unwise. Does that mean Travis Kelce comes back from the dead? JuJu Smith-Schuster? Noah Gray? Or will Andy Reid scheme up crossers featuring Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown? Worthy, in particular, has come on. I'd also expect Mahomes to do what he always does in these games - use his legs. As the games grow in importance, that's his past track record.
When the Eagles have the ball: It starts with Barkley. Four yards per carry is one thing, but eliminating the explosive will be critical. Barkley has changed games all year long with his home run-hitting ability.
Steve Spagnuolo will likely use three defensive tackle looks to slow the running back down. To KC's credit, they've been relatively stingy about allowing those explosives on the ground, which will need to continue.
The other challenge for offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will be ensuring AJ Brown is a factor. He had just 10 targets and three catches in the first two rounds of the playoffs, and he's reading books on the sidelines. Then, in the NFC Championship game, Brown had eight targets, six grabs, and just shy of 100 yards and a TD. He is a bully, weighing nearly 230 pounds. No one on the Chiefs matches up with him; then again, no cornerback in the league can match his size and strength. Will Spagnuolo look to double Brown? Or will he trust Trent McDuffie (5'11", 193 lbs) and Jaylen Watson (6'2", 193) to handle business one-on-one?
It's not just Brown, however. DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert are high-level players, and Goedert, in particular, has been beastly in the postseason. The Chiefs have had issues dealing with tight ends, so that's another area Spagnuolo will have to plan around and for. Ideally, he'll be able to muddy the picture for Jalen Hurts and force him to process, which is still not his strength.
What Hurts' strength is the big boys in front of him. That Eagles offensive line is as good as there is in the league (and they're constantly addressing it in the draft...). If they can protect and keep creasing the Chiefs front seven, the three-peat ain't happening. But if KC keeps it close, and it becomes a fourth-quarter game, how can you bet against Mahomes in those moments?
AND ANOTHER ONE?
First, it was Myles Garrett. Then Cooper Kupp. Might Trey Hendrickson be the next?
The Bengals' outstanding defensive end has wanted a new contract, and when he didn't get one last off-season, he conducted a hold-in for a bit during training camp. When Hendrickson got on the field, he put the hard feelings aside and had an All-Pro season, recording 17.5 sacks. Now, he wants that new deal - he has one year remaining - or to be traded.
"If it's something we can agree on in terms, that would be great. Ideally, my wife and I would love to stay in Cincinnati," Hendrickson told 'The Pat McAfee Show' Wednesday. "If it's something that helps the Bengals win the Super Bowl, if they get picks or anything like that, I want to help win a Super Bowl for Cincinnati, whether I'm there or not."
Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin went on the record with reporters at the Senior Bowl and insisted he wants Hendrickson back, but not at all costs.
"We would like to get Trey extended? Yes, he's an important part that played well for us, right? We can't have guys at the top of the payroll in every position, right? We'll do what we can. We'll do what we what we feel is right, and we will try to get Trey re-signed."
Tobin and the Bengals have to manage Hendrickson, Ja'Marr Chase (entering the final year of his rookie contract), and Tee Higgins (set to be a free agent, although he could be franchise-tagged again). Quarterback Joe Burrow had been adamant that Cincinnati needs to and can keep all its stars.
"Yeah, we can make it happen. We can make it happen," Burrow said to Sirius XM radio. "It just has to be right for everybody involved. I know the players wanna make it work; we all wanna be together. I don't see it not working out, but we'll see."