UDFA Update

Posted: July 26th, 2011 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 36 Comments »

UPDATED:  The Eagles this morning announced they signed 9 UDFAs.

We’ve already discussed:

TE Martell Webb – Michigan
WR Terrance Turner – Indiana
RB Graig Cooper – Miami
DT Cedric Thornton – Southern Arkansas

Here are the new names:

LB Brandon Peguese – Hampton
WR Perry Baker -Fairmont State
P Chas Henry – Florida
WR DeAndre Brown – Southern Mississippi
QB Jerrod Johnson – Texas A&M

Here is a link to PE.com’s bios on the players.   (fixed)

Henry has definite NFL ability.  He was a great Punter at Florida.  Sav Rocca is a free agent, but I expect him to return.  Henry is a good insurance policy and player to develop for the future.  College Punters can take time to adjust to the NFL.  You’d think that is something that would translate immediately, but it doesn’t for some reason.

Brown is another real interesting player.  Coming out of HS he was a big time recruit.  He stayed local and went to So Miss.  Brown did some great things as a Freshman.  He put up big numbers, going 67-1117-12.  Unfortunately, he suffered a real nasty broken leg in the bowl game and that affected him even into the following year.  Brown had some character issues as well in his time at USM.  He definitely has NFL potential.  Brown must take to pro coaching and embrace the challenge of the NFL.  He was able to physically dominate a lot of the guys he played against in C-USA.  That won’t be the case in the NFL.

Jerrod Johnson is also a talented player whose career went sideways.  I watched tape of him prior to the 2009 season and was real excited to see what he could do as the full time starter for the Aggies.  He had a very good year, throwing for 3,579 yards and 30 TDs.  Expectations were very high for 2010.  Oops.  Things fell apart early and Johnson never recovered.  He lost his job and was a backup for half the year.  To his credit, Johnson was a man about the whole situation.  He didn’t complain.  He didn’t quit on the team.  He did what he could to help out, even though he wasn’t starting.

Johnson played in a spread offense, but his coach was Mike Sherman, who formerly was the Packers head coach.  Johnson should benefit from that.  He’s used to being around guys with NFL backgrounds who do things different than purely college coaches.

Johnson is a big guy and good athlete.  He has a strong arm.  He has the physical talent to be a starting NFL QB.  He’s got to work on the skills and mental side of the game.  He must make better decisions.  He needs to learn how to read defenses.  Johnson, like 90% of college guys, must develop footwork and better mechanics.

He is the kind of prospect you don’t mind spending time on because he has such high upside and is a good young man.  He’ll work hard to make it in the league.  Good signing by the Eagles.  Going after a Pat Devlin type QB didn’t make sense with Mike Kafka in place.  Go get a boom or bust player with a high ceiling.

I’ll need to watch some Hampton tape to offer a detailed opinion on Brandon Peguese.  He’s built sorta like Akeem Jordan.  Had an extremely productive career.  In the last 3 years he had 46 TFLs.  Obviously they blitzed him quite a bit and let him rush the passer.  Had 18 career sacks.

* * * * *

The Eagles were linked with LB Mark Herzlich.  I didn’t see the fit.  He ended up signing with the Giants.

The team has also been linked with former Iowa WR Derrell Johnson-Koulianos.  I don’t know what to make of that rumor.  DJK was a very good WR for the Hawkeyes, but was arrested on multiple drug charges back in December.  I didn’t think an NFL team would touch him.  Maybe he’s gotten the charges dropped and I’ve just not heard.  Real good player.  Shame he got in such trouble.  Good size.  Athletic.  Fast.  Has good hands.  Also has return skills.  Definite NFL talent.  Just doesn’t seem like the kind of guy the Eagles would go after.

* * * * *

Today’s PE.com column is my To Do List for the Eagles.  You guys have seen most of the stuff covered already, but there might be a nugget or two of interest.

36 Comments on “UDFA Update”

  1. 1 coldtaxi said at 11:16 AM on July 26th, 2011:

    The deal with DJK is that he ended up getting most of the charges dropped and plead guilty to marijuana possession.

    I’ve seen a lot of Iowa fans claim that the charges were mostly bogus because his roommate was a drug dealer and Johnson-Koulianos didn’t have much to do with it, but who knows.

  2. 2 Tommy Lawlor said at 11:20 AM on July 26th, 2011:

    Thanks for the update.

    That would still bug me that the prospect had a roommate who was a drug dealer. Not wise.

  3. 3 MannaFromKevin said at 11:43 AM on July 26th, 2011:

    It seems the Eagles have taken that article down. I saw it on my RSS feed this morning but when I clicked on it it said the article had been deleted. Interesting…

  4. 4 ian no 2 said at 11:48 AM on July 26th, 2011:

    These are good pickups! I had low expectations for this. They have the best kicker of the draft and probably now have the best punter. Rocca is a FA and you can’t take his resigning for granted, is getting old as this is his Aussie Rules retirement job, and has a real fight on his hands if he returns. Henry is both a boomer and accurate.

    After ‘staying local’ Brown must have gotten real sick of Hattiesburg, SC, because he made what appears to be a boneheaded decision to declare early. He could be the red zone guy the Eagles are looking for.

    Baker runs a 4.4. I missed him in the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference so maybe I can get caught up next month.

    In a year that teams reached for college QBs to quiet their local media, Johnson is right up there as a developmental guy with tools, character, experience against top college Ds. Could be a PSer, has a better arm than Kafka but needs much more work.

    Thornton you mentioned, may be the best of the bunch.

  5. 5 Baloophi said at 11:48 AM on July 26th, 2011:

    Wait. So there’s a chance our special teams could consist of Henery and Henry?

    Oh… Henry?

    Yikes. I had to do it.

    (Also, Travis Henry gets out of prison next year. Maybe he’s learned to long snap by then… I’m sure he’s learned to hold in there. Double yikes! I’m sorry, everyone.)

  6. 6 MannaFromKevin said at 11:52 AM on July 26th, 2011:

    @Tommy,

    You can update your PE.com link with this one:

    http://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/news/article-1/Eagles-Agree-To-Terms-With-Nine-RFAs/46bcd0cf-85b2-4c09-bf0d-512bd62ab44f

  7. 7 GermanEagle said at 12:18 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Tommy

    any chance that some other teams, e.g. the Dolphins, screw up Kevin Kolb’s value when giving less for a player like Kyle Orton?

    I am a little bit worried that other teams will refer to the Dolphins who – let’s say – only gave up a 4th round pick to the Broncos.

    That’s why I think it is really important for the Eagles to trade Kevin Kolb better NOW!

  8. 8 CVD said at 12:19 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Could the interest in plax be cuz the eagles aren’t sure if they want to give djax a big contract? Vick was asked about desean and he said, he has some things to think about. If we decide we aren’t going to pay him then we have to trade him now I would think. I say pay him as long as it is reasonable, but if u aren’t going to do it then u gotta trade him now. Has anyone heard about the eagles wanting to extend desean?

  9. 9 wellhelloitsdan said at 12:23 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    I don’t understand why the Eagles didn’t make a stronger push for Mark Herzlich – or why they didn’t draft him in one of the later rounds.

    Would he have been a bad fit at LB in the new system? Or were teams scared that his illness will return?

    I think in a few years we’re going to regret letting him go to Big Blue instead of inviting him to wear Eagles green…

  10. 10 wellhelloitsdan said at 12:34 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Also, regarding DeSean Jackson…I really hope the birds give him a nice contract extension and keep him happy.

    I know there are lots of good players on this team, but let’s face it, Jackson in unique. His ability to score from ANYWHERE on the field is unrivaled, which provides the birds with an unparalleled deep threat that defenses are forced to account for…thereby opening up opportunities for other players to make big plays.

    He may not be the most “stereotypical” WR in the league, but I do think he’s the most valuable because of the opportunities that other players have to make big plays due to his presence. In other words, he makes the whole offense/team better. That’s pretty rare, I think.

  11. 11 Tommy Lawlor said at 12:34 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    RE: Herzlich

    I don’t think he fits the new system well. We don’t need big LBs. We need guys that run. In old system, Herzlich would have been ideal size. Still not sure he’ll run well enough to become NFL starter. I sure hope he does. That would be a great story.

  12. 12 Tommy Lawlor said at 12:37 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Geoff Mosher just tweeted that Mike Patterson did show up looking slimmer than last year. (insert joke)

    This is important. Mike needed to be in the 315 range (or less) to be effective in this system. Great sign that he’s ready to go.

  13. 13 T_S_O_P said at 12:57 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    I was going to suggest this morning that we look at Chas Henry just because of the poetry of it all. Homophonically, we now have two Henry’s. Henery the First and and Henry the Second. 🙂

  14. 14 Gerald said at 12:59 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Can somEone rehash the offseason schedule for me? When are we allowed to make trades? When are we allowed to resign our own free agents? When are we allowed to negotiate contracts with veteran free agents?

  15. 15 Steag209 said at 1:01 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Tommy,

    A little off topic but do you think now that the CBA is all done and settled DeSean is going to get resigned before the season or preseason starts?

  16. 16 Mac said at 1:14 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Trades can be done today, but sounds like the Kolb trade will take a few days 🙁 I was hoping the frenzy ESPN was hyping up would start today, though it seems more and more like that won’t pick up until contracts can become official on Friday.

  17. 17 Stephen said at 1:25 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    This might be a silly question but I haven’t actually heard anything about it. I know one of the issues for the new CBA was doing something about the rookie contracts. Did they actually agree to slot the rookie deals or is it still the way it used to be? I’m only curious because with so little time to work on the new deals I can imagine there being a TON of holdouts from TC if the system is still the same as it used to be.

  18. 18 Cliff said at 1:27 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    I think the hype surrounding Herzlich is more about his story than his actual ability in the NFL. I’m rooting for the guy, but there’s a reason all teams passed on him

  19. 19 Stephen said at 1:36 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Also I’m sure the Eagles aren’t in a hurry to get the Kolb trade done because they want to see if they can get max value for him. If the Seahawks and Cardinals both want him badly, why not see if you can get a bidding war going? Even if we get an extra late round pick or something it would be worth the extra effort.

  20. 20 CVD said at 1:44 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    cliff, i couldnt agree more.

  21. 21 ian no 2 said at 1:44 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    The Eagles’ were the only team’s UDFAs that Rob Rang at CBS complimented as a group “Cooper is one of several nice signings by Philadelphia. ”

    I read that some bloggers/columnists like Rang are ‘reading in’ to UDFA decisions. You don’t read into these decisions.. they get 90 guys.. you have to sign someone. The Eagles had no choice but to bring a punter into camp, for instance. Johnson doesn’t impact a replacement for Kolb, Brown doesn’t impact Burress. Hopefully DeSean won’t be doing push-ups in front of his Moorestown house despite retaining Drew R.

  22. 22 Shawn said at 1:46 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    What about Eric Wright as a FA?

  23. 23 Cliff said at 1:54 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Schefter says Marion Barber being cut. Any interest for Eagles? Could Barber help on the red zone?

  24. 24 ian no 2 said at 1:54 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Everything Adam Caplan writes now seems to be planted for effect by the Eagles FO. ‘The Seahawks are really interested in Kolb.’ Does he have Seattle contacts that the Seattle writers don’t have? On his FA list, he listed the Eagles as interested in every FA CB (presumably to get leverage against the Cards) and not interested in any FA DEs (pres. to not drive the price up). But he comes up with that special scoop when he has no reason to do this.

  25. 25 Mr. Hand said at 2:07 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Just caught the breaking news story on ESPN about the Kolb trade! DRC and 2nd rounder in 2012

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oHg5SJYRHA0

  26. 26 Stephen said at 2:09 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    I saw the youtube link and knew I was going to be rickroll’d, but I clicked anyway… :*(.

  27. 27 Mac said at 2:12 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Yeah, Kolb trade isn’t happening today the media may have jumped the gun on how close the deal is/was.

  28. 28 Stephen said at 2:18 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    In other news, following some FA stuff on Jimmy’s blog and I see the Giants and Cowboys are taking a buzz saw to their rosters in order to get under the cap. Always good to see our fellow NFC East teams struggling ;). Marion Barber would be an interesting sign but he doesn’t strike me as an AR kind of player.

  29. 29 CVD said at 2:19 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Is it possible that the team that is trading for kolb wants to negotiate a new deal with him b4 they pull the trigger? Would the eagles allow that?

    that would obviously hold it up for a few days if it were true

  30. 30 Tommy Lawlor said at 2:23 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    @ ian no 2…

    DeAndre Brown went to HS in Ocean Springs, MS. Might have been born in SC, but grew up in MS.

    http://southernmiss.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/brown_deandre00.html

  31. 31 Tommy Lawlor said at 2:23 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Guys,

    I’m going to put up a new post with some thoughts on Kolb and DeSean and today’s events. I’ll cover Barber in there.

    Also will go over timeline.

  32. 32 Brian said at 2:25 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Could be that the Kolb “delay” is as much Ariz trying to work out a long term deal with Kolb as it is compensation for the Eagles. But as Ian says, Caplan’s updates seem planted by the Eagles to drive Kolb value, so unfortunately it seems more likely that Ariz is balking at the Eagles price. And the fact that both sides may have one or two other things to work on today.

    The Eagles best chip might still be that Ariz has to do something to keep Fitzgerald happy. Maybe Orton would do it, but don’t see any other available QB filling Fitz’ desire for a longer term fix.

  33. 33 Mac said at 2:30 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    I think the delay is all about getting the most possible value. The Eagles can live without moving Kolb right away. It doesn’t really for them if it’s today or any time this week.Heck he may not even be traded.

  34. 34 Mac said at 2:31 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Though eventually I think it will happen.

  35. 35 CVD said at 2:42 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    not to mention Osi says he is gonna hold out

  36. 36 ian no 2 said at 2:45 PM on July 26th, 2011:

    Tommy, I got Brown and Johnson confused when I was typing that.. Johnson stayed locally where his dad played. Thanks for taking time to clarify that..

    A DJax holdout seems unlikely because it’s his walk year. The smart thing to do is have a good year and go to the open market if the Eagles don’t have the right package. Any theatrics means he really wants to stay here, which confirms other things he’s said. He gets angry tho with his 2nd round pay, putting himself in harm’s way on PRs and catches down the middle.