Eagles Add DL Cullen Jenkins

On Saturday afternoon the Eagles announced that they’d agreed to terms with DT/DE Cullen Jenkins.  He racked up 29 sacks in his 7 years with the Green Bay Packers.  Jenkins has played in a 4-3 and 3-4.  Crazy enough, he was the RDE when the Eagles played the Packers in the 2007 season opener.  Jenkins beat Tra Thomas with a speed rush and created a sack for someone else.  He used a couple of spin moves to beat Tra and get pressure.

The Packers switched to the 3-4 in 2009.  Jenkins played DE in that system, but also slid into DT in some passing situations.  Jenkins played a lot of LDT against us in the playoff game.  Sometimes he was used to rush, other times as a decoy.  A few times it looked like the Packers had him spying on Vick.  That should tell you that he’s pretty athletic.

The concern with Jenkins is durability.  Here is something former Packers beat writer Greg Bedard said on Twitter:  “Absolutely love Cullen Jenkins, but he gets hurt. A lot. Constant knee and ankle dings that sap him of his pass rush at times.”

I certainly like the move, but I’m curious about what it means for the current group of DTs.  Mike Patterson and Antonio Dixon have been the starters so far.  Patt reported slimmer than last year, but I’m not sure exactly what his weight is.  Dixon is still big, but has the frame Jim Washburn likes in DTs.  He’s tall at 6’3.  Trevor Laws should thrive in the new scheme.  Brodrick Bunkley is a guy people are down on, but Juan Castillo had legitimate high hopes for him.  No idea how Bunk has looked so far.  He’s the guy I think should be most concerned.

UPDATED:  Eagles trade Bunk to Cleveland for 5th round pick.

Will Jenkins start?  His deal is 5 years for $25M, but Mike Lombardi reports that it is a one-year deal for $4M that the Eagles can walk away from at the end of 2011.

Greg Cosell from NFL Films wrote this on Twitter:  ” Jenkins great fit for DL coach Washburn. Versatility to play DE + DT; an excellent pass rusher from DT, which the Eagles lacked. Great move.”

Jenkins at NFL.com

Jenkins at Espn.com

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NFL Network is reporting that Ike Reese says the Eagles will sign Plaxico Burress.  At this point, nothing surprises me.

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Eagles re-signed LB Akeem Jordan.  Add him to the mix at WLB, I’m guessing.

Opening Presents

Getting a bunch of new players is like opening presents on your birthday or Christmas…or whatever other occasion you might get them. You’ve got something new and shiny. It’s exciting. Life is good. With that in mind, Happy Free Agency Day!  Let’s talk about the presents we got.

Nnamdi Asomugha – 6’2, 210

Most people consider Nnamdi the second best CB in the NFL (Darrelle Revis is top dog). Asomugha is a physical press corner. This means that he likes to line up right over the receiver and get physical with him right from the snap. Nnamdi uses his long arms to jam the receiver and keep him from getting a clean release. Plenty of big CBs do this, but Nnamdi has some skills that make him special. He runs well for a big guy. He also has great body control and change of direction ability.

A CB doesn’t know where he’ll be going on the average play. He has to react to the WR. This is where most big CBs get in trouble. They can run in a straight line, but receivers can separate from them with sharp cuts or quick moves. Nnamdi is able to turn, bend, and cut with the receiver. Nnamdi is quick and fast. He also has good coverage instincts.

Nnamdi will be the Eagles CB on the right side of the defense (Sheldon Brown/Bobby Taylor’s old side). He will lock down receivers over there. Last year poor RCB play cost the Eagles the Titans game. It almost cost us the Giants game (miracle comeback changed that). Nnamdi’s presence at RCB will force teams to look elsewhere. He’ll get challenged on occasion, but Hakeem Nicks won’t be doing to him what he did to Dimitri Patterson.

Nnamdi is an effective tackler. He’s much better than Asante, but won’t be mistaken for Antoine Winfield any time soon. He occasionally will hit. It is hard to rate his ball skills. Nnamdi only has 3 picks in the last 4 years, but he’s also one of the least targeted corners in the NFL. He did have 8 INTs back in 2006 so that shows you he can make plays when given regular chances.

Nnamdi is a great signing by the Eagles because he came at a reasonable rate. $12M per season is cheap compared to the $19M we heard about at one point a few weeks back. While $12M is still a lot, you’re paying a fair salary to a blue chip player and one of the 10 or 15 best defensive players in the whole league.

As for whether the Eagles should keep all 3 CBs…real tough question. I would be willing to trade Asante Samuel, but the price has to be right. I think a fantasy deal would be dealing him to the Jets for CB Kyle Wilson and a pick. Wilson is a player the Eagles liked very much in the 2010 draft. The Jets took him 29th overall. Wilson struggled some as a rookie, but has the potential to be a good starting CB in the NFL.

I would not give Asante away. You can keep him for 2011 and trade him next March. The question then becomes whether you can manage the egos. The Eagles did a good job of that with Bobby Taylor, Troy Vincent, and Al Harris from 1999-2002, but the circumstances were very different. Nnamdi, Asante, and DRC have no relationship. Mixing them together and keeping everyone happy would be tricky (if not impossible). The Eagles got burned by trying this in 2008 with Sheldon Brown, Lito Sheppard, and Asante Samuel. Lito acted like a turd and his career has been in a downward spiral ever since.

Howie Roseman can sit back and field offers for Asante. If the right one comes in, take it. If no one is offering anything decent, keep the 3 Amigos together.

Good chart from PE.com on how tough it is to throw on Nnamdi.

RS/WR Johnnie Lee Higgins – 5’11, 185

The Eagles signed Higgins to a one-year deal on Friday. I love this move. We have Chad Hall and Sinorice Moss as #5 WR/RS candidates. Higgins is here to fight for that same role. Higgins hasn’t done much as a WR for the Raiders in his 4-year career. He’s got just 57 catches. He has been a solid KOR and good PR. He had 3 PR touchdowns back in 2008.

I was a big fan of Johnnie Lee’s when he was at UTEP. Here’s part of what I wrote about him prior to the draft: “Also a RS. Returns both punts and KOs. Averaged 15 yds a PR for his career. Had 2 TDs. Catches the ball smoothly. Has good vision. Can make the first guy miss. Solid KOR. Averaged 20 yds a KOR for his career, but never had a TD. ” I also noted that he was deceptively tough as a WR. Johnnie Lee isn’t all that big, but he was willing to work the middle of the field and could break some tackles.

Higgins is here in Philly as competition. He will push Moss and Hall. We need someone to emerge for the #5 WR spot. Higgins does have a chance to make the roster if he plays well.

TE Donald Lee – 6’4, 248

Veteran TE has 198 career catches. Good athlete and receiver. Had some very productive years with the Packers. He started 6 games for them last year. Lee’s only a limited blocker.

Lee is here to provide competition at TE. We have Brent Celek and Clay Harbor as the top two guys. We have Martell Webb as a blocking type TE prospect. John Nalbone and Cornelius Ingram are young guys trying to show they belong in the league. Lee can step in right away and practice at a high level. He knows how to run routes and catch the ball. There was no player to strongly push Celek and Harbor prior to Lee’s arrival. The other guys have talent, but are more projects than finished products. Lee gives us a good veteran camp body. Could make the roster if injuries happen.

UDFA – WR Gerald Jones – 5’10, 195 – Tennessee

Back in 2008 I watched Tennessee play and this young WR really caught my eye. He was the Wildcat QB and showed real good running skills. Over the next 2 years I kept waiting for that guy to emerge as a great college player. Never happened. That was Gerald Jones. He is still talented, but only developed into a so-so player at UT. He didn’t always have great QB play to help him out, but Jones never became the playmaker he should have. He does have potential. Jones is a very elusive runner. He’s athletic. Solid receiver, but not great. Has some PR experience. Realistically, he’s pushing for a Practice Squad spot. I am curious to see if the light ever goes on for him and he’s plays up to the potential I saw back in ’08.

UDFA – RB Derrick Locke – 5’9, 190 – Kentucky 

Here are some pre-draft notes I wrote on Locke: “Talented, athletic RB. Rating goes down because of durability concerns. Only played in 41 of 52 career games. Productive when he did play. Had 6 games with more than 97 yards in 2010. Ran for more than 2,000 career yards. Real good burst. Hits the hole hard. Had a real good showing at the Senior Bowl. Caught 95 career passes. Good KOR. ”

Locke was terrific in the Senior Bowl game. Here are my notes from that: “DERRICK LOCKE — Had a nice gain to the right side on early run. Defense gave him a hole and he didn’t hesitate. Good burst. Made an really nice cut on the next play. Started up the middle. Pressed the hole, then bounced a gap to the left and got upfield. Got 9 yds on the play. Made another real impressive cut a couple of plays later. Started to the right, off tackle. The defense was all over that area so Locke made a quick move and then bounced the run way out wide. Used a quick burst to turn a simple draw play into a gain of 15.”

I’m a little confused by the fact we have so many RBs and they’re all sorta similar. I do like the fact that Locke can run, catch, and be a KOR. That gives him added value. Very good college player who could challenge for a roster spot or place on the P-Squad.