The Eagles' 2020 campaign is set to start in about two weeks. There is no question that this year's team is talented enough to compete for back-to-back NFC East titles. However, there are still certain positions where the team can still improve. So if the Eagles were allowed to poach one of their former players back from an opposing team, there would be a few interesting candidates if that hypothetical could come to fruition.
Now that Andre Dillard and Brandon Brooks are both out for the season, the Eagles offensive line is beginning to run thin. With only a few reliable players left, it would be great if Halapoulivaati Vaitai was still on the team. He would be able to cover for Dillard at left tackle while Jason Peters continued to fill in for Brooks at right guard. Vaitai would already be used to filling in for that position because he did so when Peters went down with a knee injury back in 2017. With his time as an Eagle, "Big V" became quite versatile as he had filled in several spots on the offensive line. He may only have 20 starts under his belt, but that versatility and patience are what ended up getting him a huge payday with the Detroit Lions.
Another good fill-in option would be Stefen Wisniewski, who recently signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Just like Vaitai, Stefen Wisniewski had the ability to play at any offensive line position in case someone went down with an injury. Having a player with the versatility to play every interior o-line position is a great asset for a team to have. Both Vaitai and Wisniewski played a huge part in defending Nick Foles during their 2017 run. Foles had the ability to drop back 108 times and was only sacked twice in the playoffs.
If it came down to choosing between Vaitai or Wisniewski to re-add to the Eagles offense, I'd say Vaitai would be the bigger add to this offense.
On the defensive side of that ball, Malcolm Jenkins is the most logical answer. It was tough for us fans to say goodbye to Jenkins after he ended up going back down to New Orleans to join the Saints. Jenkins was reliable, and at one point played all seven positions in the back-seven. He was strong enough to hold up in run support but also was capable of covering backs, tight-ends, and even wide-receivers sometimes. Don’t get me wrong, I am confident in Jalen Mills’ ability to fill those shoes, but Malcolm Jenkins was something special and the Eagles should have never let him walk away. Not only was Jenkins a great player, but he was also the voice that motivated the team during every practice and game, a role that Mills is now preparing to try to take over this season.
