Bird Makeover

The Philadelphia Eagles will enter the offseason with more questions than answers following a 1-6 finish to the season.

On the final 2023 season edition of “Q&A” on “Inside The Birds,” former Eagles Jason Avant and Quintin Mikell discussed Philadelphia’s season-ending collapse in the playoffs as well as the state of the team going forward.

GETTY IMAGES: If Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Nick Sirianni stays, he will have to adjust the offense without six-time All-Pro center Jason Kielce

Secondary

Jason Avant: “Why don’t our defensive backs learn from their past mistakes? Why don’t they play on levels? That is why they are out there. You are taught as a defensive back that when you are covering a crossing route, either you are under it or right behind it until you can get into position. You don’t want to play over the top because that is where the guy is going to pick you from.”

Quintin Mikell: “The first thing you look at as a defender is what an offense is trying to do. If I see two guys close together, the first thing on my mind is that they are trying to pick me. You start to formulate your plan as the offense is breaking the huddle. The frustrating thing is it doesn’t feel like the mindset of this defense…There is no adjustment and to me that is coaching.”

2024 Defense

Mikell: “I want Fletch (Fletcher Cox) back. In that back seven, there is nobody that I would be clamoring to have back. I love (Darius) Slay, I think he is a phenomenal player, but he is getting older. (James) Bradberry can go. But I would bring back B.G. (Brandon Graham) and Fletch.” 

Avant: “Of course you expect Milton Williams, (Jalen) Carter, and Jordan Davis to be back, you paid Haason (Reddick), you paid (Josh) Sweat, they will be back. I would try my best for veteran minimums for Fletch, Brandon Graham, they already paid Slay, Sydney Brown, and Kelee Ringo. Everybody else can pack it up and that includes both defensive coordinators.”

Nick Sirianni

Mikell: “There are a lot of people calling for Nick Sirianni’s head. I don’t agree with it. Let’s say they do fire Sirianni, who are you going to bring in that is okay with this type of dynamic [with ownership]?”

Avant: “You need coaches with enough comprehensive understanding of the game to be able to step in, especially with your head coach…if you come into a situation like the last three ball games where teams have fired you up when it comes to blitzing, your head coach should at least have enough comprehensive knowledge to get us in better situations in playcalling and blitz pickups…That is an indictment against Nick Sirianni. I’m okay with keeping Sirianni, but you have to understand that he has weaknesses.”

Run Game

Avant: “They refused to run the ball. On the first two plays of the game, they got a first down running the ball and then they just go away from it for quarters. Then the Buccaneers knew if they stop them on first down, they are not running anymore so they had all types of creative run blitzes on first down.”

Jason Kelce

Avant: “That is a big loss. That is a Hall of Fame player, the heartbeat of the team…Kelce gone, Cam Jurgens goes to center. There are a lot of things that we are not going to be able to do and it puts the earnest on Jalen Hurts to know [more]. Jalen didn’t have to know everything because Kelce did, Cam Jurgens will not know as much as Kelce. Therefore, the older more senior player should be the one that dictates.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.