It's a new day for the Philadelphia Eagles. Not GM/GM Howie Roseman made sure of that when he pulled off some of the biggest deals of the still-young NFL season, trading names like Kiko Alonso, Byron Maxwell and DeMarco Murray in exchange for draft positioning, signing a handful of major free agents likely to start the season atop the Philly depth chart at their respective positions, and locking up a number of important young pieces like Zach Ertz, Vinny Curry and Lane Johnson to deal that will likely keep them in midnight green for the majority of their professional careers.
But there remains work to be done for one of the NFL's busiest franchises. And with the second and third waves of free agency looming and the 2016 NFL Draft still to come, there will be plenty of opportunities for Roseman to take care of business.
First on the docket these days - sneaking in just ahead of that long-awaited contract extension for Fletcher Cox - is finding a wide receiver with "deep speed."
At the outset of last season, the Eagles looked to have a talented young receiving corps with ample room for development. Unfortunately, not a one of Jordan Matthews, Josh Huff or 2015 first-round draft pick, Nelson Agholor, did much in the way of developing. And while much of that was due to Chip Kelly's broken offense, it also leaves Roseman and Co. with little in the way of established talent, especially after Miles Austin and Riley Cooper were jettisoned.
There are young guys with potential, like Jonathan Krause and Freddie Martino, along with special teams ace Seyi Ajirotutu down on the Eagles' pass-catching depth chart, but almost nothing that resembles a guy with what you could rightly term "deep speed."
With guys like Marvin Jones, Rishard Matthews and Mohamed Sanu having been snapped up quickly - and in nearly all instances, for far more money than they're worth - Roseman's best opportunity to upgrade the Eagles wide receiver corps with an explosive pass-catcher may well come in April at the draft.
But it's never a good idea to enter the draft with a hole to fill. So, as unpalatable as the options seem at this point, Roseman may have to bite the bullet on a mediocre veteran and hope that they'll be able to squeeze one or two more productive seasons out of whoever they land.
Unfortunately, Roseman's options on the open market at this point are limited. Really, beyond guys like Jones and Matthews, the entire wide receiver free agency market has been nearly non-existent to this point.
Big names who are inching ever closer to the end of their career like Anquan Boldin, Marques Colston and Mike Wallace remain available, but only Wallace represents the kind of speed that Roseman and Co. are said to be seeking. Former Viking, Jet, Seahawk and Bill Percy Harvin is just 27 and brings a unique skillset, but he's also probably not the best personality to bring aboard a team transitioning to new leadership.
Jeremy Kerley, cut last week by the Jets, is available, but again - his speed is anything but deep. And a guy like Andre Holmes, who the Eagles are said to be interested in, has size at 6-too-4 and some decent speed, but he's managed just 88 catches for 1,336 yards and 9 touchdowns during his career. His best season, 2014, saw him collect all of 47 receptions for 693 yards and 4 touchdowns.
He'd be a nice addition, but with the Eagles' cap space dwindling and that Cox extension expected sometime in the not-too-distant future, Holmes' addition would have to be at Philly's price.
In the end, there isn't a lot about which to get excited on the open market, but expect Roseman to come to terms with at least one veteran wide receiver before the draft rolls around next month.
