Moffitt Officially Signed

The Eagles added OG John Moffitt to the roster on Monday. He signed a minimum deal, but apparently there is an interesting angle to this.

Moffitt signed a 1yr, league minimum deal w/#Eagles. No guaranteed $$. Had offers from others (HOU) with guaranteed $$, but picked Philly

— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) June 29, 2015

So Moffitt wants to be in Philly. He must see the RG spot as wide open and possibly his best shot at becoming a starter in 2015.

I would also think his lifestyle changes would fit well with how the Eagles handle players. All the nutrition stuff will be good for him. Being in a locker room with high character guys puts him in a positive environment. And Moffitt is bound to be rusty so the best thing for him is lots of practice reps. No team gets as many practice reps as the Eagles.

Seems like a pretty smart move by Moffitt.

But let’s be careful before we turn him into something he’s not.

Moffitt is, honestly, "just a guy" trying to make team. Story very interesting and unusual, though https://t.co/8VruuFsU8R

— Dave Spadaro (@davespadaro) June 30, 2015

If this signing happened in early March, it wouldn’t have been much of a story. Because this is happening at a time when nothing is going on, it seems huge. Moffitt might be able to come in and win a starting job, but he also might struggle and get cut.

Moffitt is not the answer at RG. He’s part of the puzzle. Maybe he turns out to be the right piece. Just don’t think of him as the guy who will definitely win the job.

One thing I am curious about is his size. Moffitt was 6-4, 319 in the past. After being out of football and then going through Jay Glazer’s intense workouts, I would imagine he’s closer to 305 pounds, maybe less. If he’s around 300 pounds, that actually helps him in this offense. The Eagles aren’t a team that needs straight-ahead maulers. They run a zone scheme and Chip Kelly likes his OL to be able to move. Getting rid of some excess weight could help Moffitt to better fit this scheme.

I wrote a piece on his background last week.

This is a good move by the Eagles. They add a player with upside, but have no real investment in him. If Moffitt works out, great. If he fails, you just move on. I hope for the sake of Moffitt and the Eagles that he does work out.

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If you want to watch Moffitt from his days at Wisconsin, he is the LG (#74) in this video.

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To make room for Moffitt, the Eagles let go of Cole Manhart.

NO!!!!

I actually thought Manhart had the ability to challenge for a spot on the practice squad or even roster. Solid athlete with size and skill. Outstanding small school player who had a good showing in one pre-draft all-star game.

The Jared Wheeler era continues.

The John Moffitt era begins.

And alas, Cole Manhart is no more (as an Eagle…I’m assuming they didn’t kill him.).

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Fun Exercise

This is the time of year when the mind drifts a bit. You can only imagine Walter Thurmond playing Safety or Allen Barbre at LG for so long. Your mind is going to wander.

Mine did that this weekend and it led me to this week’s PE.com column…which former Eagle would you add to the current roster if you could?

I listed the candidates and made the case for/against each of them. There were some usual suspects (Dawk, Reggie, etc.) but I also mixed in some less well-known names. The player who really got me intrigued was Bob Brown, the former OL who played 5 years for the Eagles before moving on to the Rams and Raiders. Ray Didinger wrote a terrific piece on him.  Check out these quotes.

“Bob was the most aggressive offensive lineman that ever played,” said John Madden, who coached him in Oakland. “Bob used to say that if he could get the right hit on a defensive end, hit him in the right place like the solar plexus,  he could take a quarter out of him. And he would do it. He’d hit a guy in the first quarter and say, ‘I won’t see him again until the third quarter.’”

“Bob Brown had a cold-blooded mentality,” said Rams defensive end Deacon Jones. “He’d kill a mosquito with an ax.”

“I dislike every man I play,” Brown once said. “I may not even know the guy, but I dislike him because he is standing between me and All-Pro, between me and my paycheck.”

Wow. I would love to watch some extended video of him.

Back to the overall topic. Take a look at my list and who I chose. Let me know what you think and why. I’ll write a follow-up post explaining my thoughts in more detail.

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