Posted: February 24th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 433 Comments »Senior Bowl…over. Combine…done. The focus now is on the Eagles and business. Who gets cut? Who gets an extension? Who gets re-signed? And so on.
PE.com has a good interview with Adam Caplan where he discusses a lot of the issues.
That’s definitely worth checking out.
Les Bowen had some Eagles nuggets in a recent article. He talked about who would be dealing with agents.
An agent who dealt with the Eagles recently on a player contract matter said yesterday he spoke exclusively with Howie Roseman, did not hear from Chip Kelly. There was a report at the Senior Bowl that Kelly was giving agents his cellphone number, but this agent said he sees no difference in the team’s contract setup, from his perspective.
Another agent who met with the Eagles in Indianapolis said he sat down with a triumvirate – new personnel vice president Ed Marynowitz, Roseman and director of football administration Jake Rosenberg.
It has been unclear, since the front-office restructuring announced Jan. 2, exactly how this dynamic will work. Will Roseman control every aspect of contract negotiations, make decisions on what the team can afford, or will he work within parameters established by Kelly? No one from the team has been made available to speak to this.
This isn’t ideal, but Roseman and Rosenberg are good negotiators and generally get deals done. Players/agents don’t seem to mind dealing with them. Things could get adversarial at times when Joe Banner was in charge of contracts.
Still no word on Cary Williams contract. Can the Eagles really pay him $8M this year? I find that hard to believe.
It will be interesting to see how Chip Kelly handles the business decisions. Letting go of James Casey certainly wasn’t fun for him, but that shows he can do what’s got to be done.
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Someone recently asked about Nate Allen coming back as a backup. I doubt it.
I’d have no problem with Nate as a backup, but there is one flaw. Backup Safeties need to shine on STs. Nate isn’t exactly a warrior on STs and doesn’t fit that role all that well.
If no one else is interested…maybe he comes back to compete for a job.
I am glad he got his name cleared in the recent situation. Nate might be a frustrating player, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about him as a person.
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I am mixing in some NFL game watching with draft prep. I’ll have a post up on Brandon Graham soon.
I also watched a bit of Jaylen Watkins recently. I came away feeling better about him than I expected.
And I’ll be writing about Byron Maxwell. Sure feels like the Eagles have to go all-in on him. That makes this good news.
Honestly, the move just makes too much sense. Maxwell needs a big deal. The Eagles need a big corner. Match made in free agent heaven.
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Want to support a good Eagles fan? Check out the show “Fresh Off the Boat” tonight on ABC at 8pm (EST). One of the writers is a die-hard Eagles fan and a friend of mine.
Gotta support each other so we can continue our move toward world domination.
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Posted: February 24th, 2015 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 272 Comments »The Eagles have a good front seven. The problem is the secondary. Still, that doesn’t mean the Eagles won’t take a DL or LB if the right guy is on the board. Those guys can take over games and offer huge impact. Plus, there is some uncertainty at OLB and ILB.
Let’s talk about some guys of interest. I’m not looking for DL specifically because the Eagles would seem to be set with Thornton-Logan-Cox up front. Still, you can’t help but be interested in some guys.
* If Arik Armstead is on the board at pick 20, do you pass on him? He measured in at 6-7, 292 and showed good agility for such a high-cut guy. He’s only 20. Armstead didn’t wow with numbers, but looked good. Really intriguing guy because of just how good he can be if he puts it all together.
* Henry Anderson continues to have a good postseason. He would be an interesting player to throw into the DE mix. He is 6-6, 294 and has long arms. Anderson showed good movement skills in Indy after impressing at the Senior Bowl.
* Mario Edwards is similar in size to Vinny Curry. Beyond that, they’re different. Curry had a relentless motor and was highly productive. Edwards was too heavy and didn’t really get in good shape until the middle of 2014. He did play well once he got into shape. Edwards posted solid numbers, but didn’t stand out in Indy. I don’t think he has the attitude to fit the Eagles culture.
* If the Eagles want a NT to add to the mix late, JT Surratt of South Carolina looked interesting. I have not watched game tape of him. He’s only 6-1, 304, but the Eagles seem flexible with it comes to NTs and size. Leterrius Walton of CMU is another guy I don’t know, but he’s 6-5, 319 and has a background playing baseball and basketball. Sounds like someone Kelly could be interested in.
Now for the edge rushers…the OLBs.
* Bud Dupree could be a guy that falls to pick 20. He measured in at 6-4, 267 and ran very well. He wasn’t able to do the on-field workout. You know the Eagles love that size/speed combo in an OLB.
* I was disappointed in Trey Flowers. He looked more like a DE than LB.
* Danielle Hunter is fascinating. He is 6-5, 252 and ran 4.57. He has 34 1/4 inch arms and 10 1/2 inch hands. This sounds like the body Chip Kelly would mold for OLB. Hunter isn’t instinctive or productive, though, and that makes him a bit of a risk.
* Nate Orchard was a sack machine during the season and looked great at the Senior Bowl, but had issues in Indy. He didn’t test well and I thought he looked stiff in the drills. More DE than LB.
* Owamagbe Odighizuwa tested lights out. He’s 6-3, 267. He showed speed, strength, explosion. He has long arms and 11-inch hands. This is another guy Kelly will love based on numbers. The tape isn’t as good as the numbers. The Eagles have to figure out how he would look as an OLB.
* I didn’t come away feeling strongly about Preston Smith. I like him quite a bit, but I’m not sure if he’s right for the Eagles. Smith is huge at 6-5, 271. He could be a DE or OLB. Smith tested well, but I thought he looked a bit stiff in the drills. Very interesting guy.
* Zach Wagenmann of Montana looked agile and athletic. He’s only 6-3, 247, though. Marcus Smith was 6-3, 251 when the Eagles picked him. They felt he had the frame to add weight. I don’t have a good feel for whether Wagenmann could bulk up or if he’s maxed out his frame.
* One player I’ve liked for a while is Eli Harold of Virginia. He tested well and looked good in the drills. Harold is 6-3, 247. Has he maxed out that frame or can he get bigger? One issue…small hands. Kelly prefers his players to have big hands.
* Lorenzo Mauldin didn’t impress me. He has a great frame at 6-4, 259, but he didn’t run well and he looked stiff.
Finally, the ILBs.
* Coach Rick Minter was on the field and watching the drills up close. That doesn’t mean anything specifically, but it does show interest.
* We don’t know if the Eagles want an athlete or a thumper so we’ll talk about both types.
* Paul Dawson is the headliner. He had a great Senior season and was talked about as a potential 1st round pick at WLB for 4-3 teams or ILB for 3-4 teams. Dawson had a disastrous Combine. He weighed in at 235 pounds and then ran 4.93. He only had a 28-inch vertical jump. He didn’t look good at all. This doesn’t mean that he can’t play, but you have to really figure out what you think of him.
* One player who had a strong showing is Stephone Anthony from Clemson. He’s bigger at 6-3, 243 and ran/jumped well. Anthony had a good showing in Mobile as well. I would think the Eagles have to be interested in him.
* If the Eagles want a late round player to add to the mic, Bryce Hager from Baylor could be of interest. He looks solid on tape and showed good athletic ability in Indy. He lacks ideal size at 6-1, 234, but Hager moves well and could be a good backup/STer.
* UCLA star Eric Kendricks turned out to be smaller than I anticipated. He’s only 6-0. 232. Kendricks has good instincts and showed good athleticism in Indy. He could eventually bulk up to 240 and still carry it well. Would you want him playing along side his brother, Mychal Kendricks?
* Denzel Perryman measured in at 5-11, 236. I was hoping he’d be over 240. He ran okay, at 4.78, but that’s not good. Perryman didn’t impress me in the drills. You could see his athletic limitations. I still like him very much and think he could be a 2nd round consideration.
* Jake Ryan from Michgan could be interesting in the late rounds. He is 6-2, 240. That’s a good frame. Ryan ran well, 4.65. He posted solid numbers all around. I thought he looked pretty good in the drills. Ryan would need time to develop, but should help on STs right away.
* Shaq Thompson deserves his own post and a discussion on whether he is a S or LB.
* I was disappointed in Tony Washington. He looked good at Oregon and I thought he might be a late round steal for the Eagles. Washington did not test well and looked awkward in the drills.
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