Free Agency Update
Posted: March 17th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 99 Comments »The Eagles have made a couple of moves in the past few days. They signed WR Chris Givens on Wednesday, which followed the team re-signing CB Nolan Carroll. There was some buzz about the Eagles signing DT Nick Fairley, but that situations seems to have cooled quite a bit.
Givens is a good addition. He isn’t here to catch 80 passes and score 10 TDs. That would be great if it happened, but I think it is more likely that Megan Fox and I will vacation together at Funyun’s Island this summer. The Eagles added Givens to be part of the WRs corps. He has the most experience and is the best deep threat of the group right now.
This wasn’t a panic move because the Eagles lost out on someone else. Givens said hie agent told him back at the Combine that Philly was interested in him. Givens played with Sam Bradford for 2 years so those two have some chemistry. Givens worked out with Jordan Matthews last spring so those two have a connection. Givens is a good downfield receiver, an Eagles weakness. You can see why the move made sense.
Givens also came cheap. I think the Eagles would have been willing to pay good money for a player who was worth it, but this was a very limited WR market. You only overpay if you are desperate and even then it’s not a good idea if you can help it.
I know some think the Eagles were desperate for WR help. I disagree. They do need better WR play in 2016, but the answer could already be on the team in the person of Nelson Agholor. He flashed big talent last year, but struggled with injuries and too often played like a rookie. The Eagles can’t count on Agholor being the answer this year. They hope he is and think he’ll play much better, but the team needed to add a veteran receiver in free agency to come in and compete for snaps. The Eagles can also add a WR in the draft.
Givens isn’t the answer, but he can help the group play better in 2016.
Here are some highlights from his rookie year (with some good throws from Bradford).
Nolan Carroll signed a one-year deal with the Eagles to come in and compete for a starting CB spot. Carroll was hurt late in the season and no one wanted to give him the deal he wanted.
CB is wide open right now. Eric Rowe has a chance to keep his starting job from last year. He certainly played well enough for you to be encouraged about his future. Carroll will battle with him and Leodis McKelvin to see who gets to start. We’ll also see if Denzel Rice or JaCorey Shepard can seriously challenge for starting roles.
Carroll is hard to evaluate. He’s good enough to be a starter, but hasn’t shown that he can be a good starter on a consistent basis. Maybe playing fewer snaps and behind a better pass rush will help. He does offer versatility. Carroll can play outside, slot or even Safety if needed. He is a high character guy and it’s always good to have them around when a new coaching staff takes over.
As to Nick Fairley, things don’t sound good right now. He is in New Orleans to visit the Saints. The Rams are interested in bringing him back, at the right price.
There were reports that the Eagles were talking to him or his agent, but things have gone quiet since then. I can only guess the Eagles weren’t willing to pay what he was looking for. Fairley would be a good #3 DT for the Eagles, but they don’t need to overpay him because they are set with starters. The draft is deep with DTs so the team can look for help there. And it is easier to find one-gap DTs than guys who can eat blocks and handle 2-gapping well.
I’m still hoping something works out with Fairley, but that seems like a long shot at this point. There are still some interesting players on the market. The Eagles will shop cautiously.
*****
.@ConnorBarwin98 says he'll play in both 2- & 3-point stance as an end in Jim Schwartz @Eagles 4-3 defense. @SiriusXMNFL
— Alex Marvez (@alexmarvez) March 17, 2016
Barwin can play up or down. There is no reason for the Eagles not to let Barwin mix things up. Figure out how he’s most effective and let him do that most of the time. It isn’t how you start a play, but rather where you end up.
I do think the Eagles are smart to play him at DE and not LB. This is the 4-3. DE is a primary position. Put Barwin there and let him get after the QB.
_
Where is this Funyun Island & how do I get there?
There’s a whole ring of them.
That was excellent.
There’s a tiny ship that leavs from a tropic port.
The first throw Sherman went spastic in his run coz couldnt keep up lol Cardinals guy did the oh my hammy one too haha
Isnt Jason Jones still on the market? Hes another one could look at.. 29 now i think.. Can play DT n DE.. Has played the scheme before im suuure of it..? Dunno what his price range is though
Is there some kind of law that every highlight video must be backed with some shitty rap music?
Yeah Its either rap, rock or techno lol Or you prefer Michael Bolton, Kenny G highlight reels hmmm?? haha
Rather than focusing on the adjective choice, may I suggest being open minded and allowing for the fact that Joe may think there are some rap songs that are listenable?
Also, please post some youtube highlights with Kenny G. That would be hilarious… I’m thinking Cooper would be a good candidate.
How about the actual game audio?
Some beautiful deep throws from Bradford. Hope to see some this season.
I especially like the part where the guy running fast holds onto the oblong object that is sailing through the air at the end.
I know, weird. Is this Australian rules or something?
One of the things I love about Barwin is that if he can’t get near the QB he is always leaping and has great timing to either deflect the pass or at least make the QB alter the throw. When he gets in the passing lanes like that and tips the ball that is like a QB hurry in my eyes. He definitely needs to be an end in the 4-3 and attacking the QB. With regards to the WR position I would add Tommy that it is also possible that Howie could find a trade partner for a WR that could be an upgrade on this roster at the #2 or #3 WR spot. If that opportunity presents itself it would not surprise me to see Howie pull the trigger if he felt it would improve our roster.
If you can’t get home for the sack, at least bat some balls. There is real value in this type of head’s up play style, and it creates turnovers. My favorite turnover is cherry.
I prefer apple, but I digress.
Barwin is going to beast in the 4-3 IMO.
He just has a knack at getting to the ball and I absolutely love when he bats passes as well.
You gotta appreciate a player of his size and high motor and determination he plays with.
What a steal he was from the Texans.
How bout Brandon Brooks coming over too.
I am pretty sure Donnie Jones and Bryan Braman and of course Demeco were all former Texans.
We should send them a thank you letter.
Your good players can
Come to Philadelphia
Here is a high five!
Upvote for Haiku! Don’t see that often around here. Good man.
Upvote for haiku.
Don’t see that often ’round here.
Good man gets thumbs up.
CANNOT believe I didnt think of this myself..
Very nice indeed.
Classy.
This is good advice.
In fact, you can also try to suggest this course of action in the dating scene, although there is inherent danger in doing so.
I think that was the intention by signing Givens.
Are you saying signing Givens was to upgrade our #2 or #3 WR spot? If so I would disagree. I think Givens will be given a chance to compete to earn the #4 or #5 WR spot. Nothing more in my opinion.
I don’t know about that.
I would even go as far to say Givens surpasses either Agholor or Huff at the very least.
Especially if they duplicate last years lack of production.
In a perfect world Givens is #4, but he will push hard for #3.
The difference may come down to speed and Givens has the edge.
This video made me more excited about Bradford than it did Givens..
seriously, who the hell was that guy throwing the ball? Didn’t look even remotely familiar.
I’m usually an optimistic person, and I am absolutely not writing him off, BUT…
“the answer could already be on the team in the person of Nelson Agholor. He flashed big talent last year”
When did he flash anything whatsoever? I can’t remember a single moment in time where he wasn’t clearly the worst WR on the field. I mean honestly, he was AWFUL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNKI6DrpjRo
it’s amazing how facts and evidence trump hyperbole every time.
Wasn’t that his only TD catc the entire year?
Well, regardless, I think it’s safe to say that he wasn’t clearly the worst WR on the field.
The problem with ridiculous hyperbole is that you end up saying ridiculous, non-factual things. Granted the guy didn’t light it up, but he was far from the worst WR on the field. Remember that he shared a field with Miles Austin and Riley Cooper at times.
He only has 1 career touchdown!
No, he was really the worst WR on the field. Riley Cooper had 2 TDs, and Miles Austin had 1 as well. Are we really celebrating solo TD seasons now?
Why won’t people admit that he was an absolutely terrible WR in 2015? He was. There’s really no denying it. Dude just disappeared in the games he played.
He had as many lost fumbles as he did TDs. He had 23 catches the entire year, over 13 games. He literally averages less than 2 catches per game.
Wow, you win, he’s the worst.
He was rated very poorly across the board and criticized by just about anybody I have heard spoke about him.
Doesn’t mean he is a bust but he has a lot to prove this year including that he is even a competent NFL WR.
I just won’t begin to give up on him like say Huff. Huff at this point is a lost cause. He isn’t ever going to learn how to run routes effectively or find space in zone coverage.
And how many did Cooper have, playing in 16 games?
Agholor did not meet expectations, for sure. The last game of the season, he did have a catch where he stiff-armed some dude, and accelerated quickly and got several more yards on the sideline. That was a “flash” which we had not seen all season — hopefully that was a harbinger of things to come. It’s possible that Kelly’s scheme, or injuries, had been hampering him.
If we want someone who lights it up, we should be calling Cleveland about Gordon.
Trump hyperbole? I thought we were supposed to keep politics out of here?
Ivanka, is that you?
He was a beast………….in preseason.
In workout shorts. Even in preseason games he wasn’t nearly as impressive.
I don’t think its possible for Aggie to be the worst on the field when Huff is on the field…
Barwin talking about 2- and 3-point stance? What about the head down 4-point stance?
Why stop there? Get the head all the way down and go for the 5-point stance. After all, more contact with the ground = more friction = more transfer of energy for acceleration, right?
like that they’re giving sammy someone familiar.
“shit another WR that drops my passes” – Bradford
So basically, a poor man’s DeSean Jackson… long ball receiver who will be paid for what that’s worth, which is different than what an all around work horse WR is worth (a guy that’s a legit red zone threat).
I actually prefer this in a way (despite DeSean’s talent) because we can probably pull this cat off the field in the RZ rather than hamper the offense.
That’s what he appears to be to me as well.
I think this is exactly the type of WR we needed.
A no name veteran with speed.
I was reading that in 2012 Givens and Bradford hooked up for 51 yard plus touchdown passes in five consecutive games.
The defenses they faced during that run were the Hawks, Cards, Packers, Phins and Pats.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Givens
Not saying he will play lights out, but there is potential.
That’s what this time of year is all about… potential. One 50 yrd plus pass play can change the course of a game, and the potential for a few of those this coming season out of Givens *could* help lead the team to one or two more wins (and a playoff spot) in theory.
Doing the little things right matters on the football field, and I think it matters in the front office as well. I think this is one of those kind of moves Howie makes that shows his attention to detail and filling out a roster for his coach.
The deep threat opens a lot for the other receivers underneath.
Perhaps a better analogy would be Todd Pinkston.
If Pinkston doesn’t cramp up Eagles win that Super Bowl looking away.
Ouch
Ouch? I understand what you mean, but Givens has a way to go before he reaches Todd Pinkston level.
I was nevet a fan of todd and never heard of him as an incredible worker either. So the y’ouch is for the insult only
I thought “poor man’s” was understood to be a lower priced and lower quality item that intends to mimic, in some regard, the better item. But as a head’s up comparison, I think Pinkston is fair.
Having Barwin standing & what sounds like some Joker snaps plays to his strengths. @gregtulino:disqus mentioned his timing with pass deflections, and I’m sure he’ll drop in zone blitzes a lot (allowing kendricks to flly at QBs).
Schwartz isn’t a big blitzer to begin with, but that’s ok, too. Barwin’s fantastic with the read & delay blitzes, stunts, and twists which are trademarks of Schwartz and his ability to get consistent rush from the front 4.
I would also mention his ability to spy QBs (probably best on the team; he was the one spying Cam), although oddly enough we don’t face many mobile threats in 2016. No one in NFCE is big runner, nor the AFCN. The NFCN only has Rodgers and Teddy. Our 2 “wildcard” teams are SEA and ATL. Seems the most dangerous dual-threat guys will be Wilson, Rodgers, and then Teddy? I’d say that’s a little easier than the 2015 Cam-Tyrod-Jameis trio.
https://twitter.com/BenFennell_NFL/status/648553630786813952
I love that play.
Decided to finally fire one up because it means literally nothing at all: Round 1 Pick 8: Jared Goff, QB, California (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Joe Haeg, OT, North Dakota State (C)
Round 3 Pick 16: Sebastian Tretola, OG, Arkansas (A-)
Round 4 Pick 2: Bronson Kaufusi, DE/OLB, Brigham Young (A-)
Round 5 Pick 14: Jatavis Brown, OLB/SS, Akron (B)
Round 5 Pick 25: C.J. Prosise, RB, Notre Dame (A+)
Round 6 Pick 13: James Bradberry, CB, Samford (A+)
Round 7 Pick 12: De’Runnya Wilson, WR, Mississippi State (A+)
Round 7 Pick 30: KeiVarae Russell, CB, Notre Dame (A+) Hopeful qb of the future with some meat added to the line. A tall/long DE with upside for Schwartz. A WILL/SS hybrid with a high motor and versatility. An rb. Two CB’s at the end with upside that were too hard to pass up, especially Russell in the 7th and a BIG ‘OL WR that may help in the RZ or get banished to the PS.
Where’s Max Tuerk going in mocks these days?
2nd/3rd, but before we pick at 3-14. I’d LOVE to snag a guy who could potentially upgrade us at C.
Tuerk’s value is really hard to peg. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him go just outside the top 40 and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him available on early day 3.
If would be nice if he was the guy available, with the 4th rounder, when the dust clears on the third day.
That would maximize my day.
Nice group. Haeg has been tricky to get. The game clearly doesn’t like his value in round 3, but he’s often not there for us in round 4.
Here is one I just did. Wentz fell to 8, so I took him. Tried to round out the picks with whoever presented decent enough value as I went. I got lucky enough to get Haeg with 4-2.
Round 1 Pick 8: Carson Wentz, QB, North Dakota State (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Deion Jones, OLB, LSU (B+)
Round 3 Pick 16: Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State (A)
Round 4 Pick 2: Joe Haeg, OT, North Dakota State (B)
Round 5 Pick 14: Harlan Miller, CB, Southeastern Louisiana (A)
Round 5 Pick 25: Travis Feeney, OLB, Washington (A+)
Round 6 Pick 13: Matt Ioannidis, DT, Temple (A)
Round 7 Pick 12: Daniel Braverman, WR, Western Michigan (B+)
Round 7 Pick 30: Trae Elston, SS, Ole Miss (A)
loving all this Haeg love
Funyan’s Island
lol
I am not sure Tommy would survive that 3-hour tour.
Maybe a 3 minute tour?
Outstanding.
http://media2.giphy.com/media/b9aScKLxdv0Y0/giphy.gif
Hall of Fame post.
Where do you guys rank LB in terms of our list of long term needs?
Given that I really don’t care for Kendricks’ lack of consistency given his contract, still see Hicks as an injury ?, and view Bradham as an undersized short term solution at SAM; I’d like to add a few guys.
I keep trying to draft Deion Jones from LSU and Travis Feeney from Washington in the mid rounds to address some long term help in our LB corps.
My feelings on SAM is that it is the FB of the defensive side of the ball. Yes it is still technically a starter in some schemes, but only plays for 30-40% of the snaps and really only has a significant role in the run game. With so few TE’s that can block and be effective route runners you can generally either match up with a run defender against a blocking TE, or a DB against a passing TE. Because of that i think SAM is a position you can semi platooned if needed, and can be willing to staff with late day 3 guys.
As for Kendricks and Hicks they look good on paper, but Hicks will be playing Mike for the first time at the NFL level, and has injury history (think this is overstated – Achilles and Pectoral injuries are not really linked or indicative of a long term concern), and Kendricks i think will play better at Will where he can just show off his athletic skills. But he is not the smartest player and seems to have huge swings in form.
So i think the Eagles go into the top 5 rounds not seeing a ‘need’ at LB, but if there is a guy who is ranked at the top of the board i think they grab the guy. Otherwise they do not need to force it at this point and just get some depth/special teams guys late to fill out the depth.
I do not like this day 3 class of LBs at all. If they don’t go for one early I’m not sure they won’t just wait for UDFAs and scouring the waiver wire.
Be nice if Jack slid to 8.
Don’t forget about Reynolds and Couplin.
They might thrive in this scheme, especially of we can put pressure on QB’s early.
Anyway, I like how the Eagles converted Thurmond from corner to safety and would rather they go that route with a vet, unless they get one with our second or third pick.
With all the free agent additions it’s looking more like zeka will be the pick at 8. While I don’t love the pick I’ll take it over reaching for any of the QBS who really don’t seem to have the potential to be franchise guys. Still holding out hope that it’s Hargreaves, Jack ( if he slides, doubtful ) or Stanley. Tommy loves zeke….so will see if guess
I don’t follow your logic that Zeke will be the pick based in free agency. OL and CB are a much greater need than a workhorse RB. I don’t even think Zeke is better than a healthy Ryan Mathews.
Zeke is a substantially cooler name than Ryan. That’s what a lot people care about most.
Wait until they find out Hackenberg’s middle name is Blaize.
Aww snap i am back all in on Hack. Blaize Hackenberg how can he not be a HOF QB with a name like that!
Listened to Jeff McLane on the ‘not another Philly Sports talkshow’ podcast, and he just laughed at the idea of Howie drafting a RB top 10. His feelings were even if he was the top player on the board he would never see the value in drafting a RB that high and it goes against everything he has learnt about the NFL and how to build a roster.
Now i think that is meaningful because i have always had McLane as being the guy out of all the beat reporters to have the best relationship with Howie.
I find the opposite. McLane was ragging him so hard when he got his GM position back that I think their relationship soured. Esp with the way Howie treated him at the last PC.
You are correct, Howie and McLane do not seem to get along at all. Actually, McLane seems to have the poorest relationship with the front office out of all the local scribes. McLanes articles about the Eagles front office are typically not just negative, bit condescending and scathing.
Sometimes I forget that McLane exists.
Lucky.
I hope you are wrong. I know nothing, just an amateur, but.. Watching quite a few of his games off of youtube its clear that he is a good player, especially with his outside speed, but also on just about every single highlight he appears to be running through a hole the size of a truck. Over and over again he runs through a huge hole or gets free passage to the sideline and gets to the second level before anyone is closing in on him. Does he get there fast? Sure. But you just know that kind of space will not be there for him in the NFL. Do I think he is the best RB in this draft? Yes. Do I worry that whatever it is that he does can be nearly replaced by someone taken much later in the draft? You bet. Should we bypass a blue chip player at OT, DT, QB or DB to select him? No. Just.. no. Let the Cowboys have him.
Huh, he his highlights seem just like DeMarco’s at Dallas in 2014 when he won the rushing title.
..actually I think thats a pretty apt comparison. Demarco was good too that year. But.. Not THAT good.
Anyone think we will sign or draft a full back?
It seems from what’s been put out there in Twitterverse is that Trey Burton will be given looks as an H-back/TE/fullback since he has experience as such at the University of Florida. I would also imagine a UDFA fullback will be brought to camp. Just a guess though.
I would think so too. KC has 2 on the roster.
Gronk !!!
I’d just like to take a moment to remind everyone of the first rule of Pun Club. Ah, who am I kiddin’? There are no friggin’ rules in Pun Club.
New post ladies and gents!
The interesting thing about the Eagles’ receivers last year is that they were open but unable to catch the ball. Getting open is a skill. Catching is a skill. Many teams I watched had receivers that never got open, for example. Can NFL catching be taught? Are there examples where players with high numbers of drops turned it around? Algholor himself is interesting, because anecdotally I remember him being very out of synch with Sam Bradford, and on more that one out pattern Algholor had not cut at all or in the place to which Bradford threw the ball. So either no “chemistry” or just very poor route running…or some other consistent disconnect.