The Second Wave
Posted: March 14th, 2016 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 288 Comments »Free agency started last week. That almost seems hard to believe. So much went on that it seems crazy to think that it just started last Monday. That’s when word of the Miami and Tennessee trades got out to the public and we realized things were going to be pretty wild.
The dust has now settled. Millions and millions of dollars have been spent. The top players have new homes. We’re now ready for the second wave of free agency.
This is a different period. Some players are stunned that they are still on the market. They watched friends and teammates get deals while they didn’t even get phone calls. Other players knew they would be second tier choices and they’re glad it is now time for them to come into play.
Teams scooped up the players they coveted. They gave out the big contracts and filled key holes in their rosters. You can think of last week as Black Friday, with all the shoppers rushing into Wal-Mart to fight over a $199 big screen TV. From here on out, it is time for more serious shoppers to take over. These people have tight budgets and want to spend money carefully and thoughtfully.
The Eagles have plenty of cap space. They still have needs. Let’s look at some potential targets.
QB – Nothing will happen here. The team is set with veterans. Unless Doug Pederson decides to pursue a former teammate like Dan Marino, Brett Favre or Donovan McNabb.
RB – Trading DeMarco Murray opened a key spot in the lineup. It sounds like Ryan Mathews will be the projected starter for now. Durability is an issue with him so the Eagles need to add a key player here. I don’t like the choices left in free agency. The Eagles need a starter type, not a role player. Arian Foster is a player I’ve loved for years, but he’s got age and durability questions. Alfred Morris is a productive runner, but isn’t an ideal fit for the WCO. The smart move here would be to wait for the draft and see what happens. If the Eagles don’t get their guy in the draft, then add a veteran RB. There will be some left on the market.
WR – This is a spot where the Eagles seem likely to make a move. They want a veteran who can help the young guys. They want someone with speed. It shouldn’t be a player that needs the ball fed to him.
Percy Harvin – Scares me because of character issues. You don’t want him on a team with a new coach.
Mike Wallace – Meeting with the Ravens today. Fast, but not a great team guy.
Andre Holmes – Big receiver who can contribute on offense and STs. Limited starting experience.
Rueben Randle – Talented young WR, but inconsistent player. Giants letting him walk makes you nervous.
Chris Givens – Odd player. Averages 17 yards per catch for career, but only 31 catches in past 2 yrs. Has potential.
Obviously those aren’t great choices. The team could wait for the draft, like at RB. If they don’t get the right guy, check the market at that point. Holmes is the most intriguing player. Givens showed a lot of potential for 2 years, but did nothing the last 2.
TE – I don’t anticipate the Eagles adding anyone of note here.
OL – Brandon Brooks gave the team its impact addition. I don’t think they’ll add anyone else for now. The Eagles have plenty of bodies. Even some guys with potential. They will wait for the draft, where they want to add young talent. One interesting note…I’m surprised the team hasn’t cut Allen Barbre. I thought he’d be gone, but maybe he’ll be allowed to compete for the LG spot. I much prefer Andrew Gardner to him. Barbre was a good backup in the past. Maybe that’s the way the team will value him.
DE – I thought the Eagles might go for a veteran DE. They have Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin as the top 3 guys. Marcus Smith, Bryan Braman and Travis Long would compete for the #4 spot as of now. If Jason Jones doesn’t get any offers, I wonder if he would be a target. He can play inside or outside and played for Schwartz in TEN and DET. George Selvie has more effort than talent these days, but would be a cheap addition. Recently cut 1st round bust Bjoern Werner would be a good scheme fit and might be a worth a roll of the dice.
DT – The team needs help here. Nick Fairley is the guy everyone points to. He would be a terrific addition. I think Fairley just has to make sure no other team could offer a starting gig or more money. The Eagles could wait for the draft. There is a very deep group of DTs. Billy Winn is a versatile, young DL who could make some sense.
LB – This is a spot where the Eagles need bodies. The Eagles have projected starters in Kendricks, Bradham and Hicks. Najee Goode is a STer and backup. There are a lot of guys of interest.
Zach Brown
Stephen Tulloch
Mason Foster
Sean Spence
Bruce Carter
Dekoda Watson
Curtis Lofton
Travis Lewis
Phillip Wheeler
That is a mixture of MLBs and OLBs. The Eagles could use help at both spots. Several of those guys are starters so getting them to transition to backups would be a challenge. Spence fascinates me. His best football is ahead of him. Carter and Brown are really good athletes that just haven’t worked out as projected.
Jordan Hicks has some durability issues so I think it is critical the Eagles have a good backup MLB, whether that is a veteran or a rookie they think highly of. Tulloch has a lot of experience with Schwartz. That would be a terrific addition.
S – After spending big bucks on Rodney McLeod, could the Eagles add another Safety? I don’t think so. I think they will go for a young guy in the draft. If they did want to add a veteran, Louis Delmas and Rahim Moore would be possible names of interest. David Bruton has been a STer and S for Denver. He might have hoped he could get a starting job at S after winning the Super Bowl. If that doesn’t happen, maybe he would want to reunite with his old position coach in Philly.
CB – I’ve had a few people ask me what’s going on at CB. Howie Roseman got rid of Byron Maxwell mainly because of the contract. The Eagles didn’t value him that much. They signed Leodis McKelvin to replace him. For now. McKelvin was signed cheap because the Eagles wanted to keep their options open. McKelvin knows the scheme and is a veteran starter so he can hold that job if the Eagles go that way. The team is still talking to Nolan Carroll. My guess is that they want him back but only at the right price. Carroll was an effective starter, but nothing beyond that. He brings value because he is versatile and a high character player. Ron Brooks is here to replace E.J. Biggers. Brooks is really good on STs, but can also play CB if needed. And he knows the scheme.
There are free agents the Eagles could go after. They were linked to Patrick Robinson last week. He is still on the market and could be of interest at the right price.
This is another position where the team could focus on the draft. They could spend pick 8 on Vernon Heargraves from Florida. He would come in and challenge for a starting gig right away. I would love for Jalen Ramsey to be a target, but I don’t see him getting out of the Top 5. I know some people like Mackensie Alexander quite a bit, but I don’t see him as a Top 10 pick. Heargraves is clearly the better prospect.
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As we enter this period of free agency, it is possible for the team to make an unexpected move. You never know when a player will hit the panic button and accept a deal that wouldn’t have made sense 2 weeks ago.
If the Eagles are seen as a good team or a team on the rise, players might want to come here. That’s all about outside perception.
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Looks like the general consensus is that Stanley and Hargreaves will be there at 8. I think it’s going to be a tough call as both could be impact players. For now I think you go stud CB…but I would be happy with either pick. From what I’m hearing Hargreaves could be really special while Stanley may be just a guy.
I’d go Hargreaves but either way hopefully the Eagles would get a very solid starter for the next several years.
Also addresses a real need to without being forced to specifically draft for a need position either.
So what happened to Nick Fairly? First round pick, big name free agent, now not even a top tier guy? Was he just that overhyped because of playing next to Suh or did he drop off for a reason?
I think he had weight problems.
Bit of a knucklehead. Never really became the player he was in college.
I really don’t want to see the 8th round pick wasted on a RB! Very good RBs can be found in the mid-rounds. We need to get an impact player at LB and/or CB or a 15-year starter on the OL with that #8. I don’t watch enough college ball to know who that should be, but those are what I see as our biggest needs in the 1st round. Maybe if one of the “top-tier” QBs fall to #8.
A mid round OL can be found in the mid rounds too so what? If they think Zeke is the best player available and he fills a need then take him…I don’t get the whole don’t take him just cuz he’s an RB thing, now if you think the player himself isn’t worth the pick that’s a different story
I’d rather be drafting someone who can excel for 10 years in the first round, rather than a RB who can excel for 5.
The kid can block and catch. If that is the key player to getting a Super Bowl, then I’m for it!
My analogy is car shopping. You go into the process knowing that you need a practical, versatile vehicle that will allow you to do all the things you want to do.
Then, you start looking at brochures and driving by lots and looking around and that 2-seater coupe looks really fun. “Maybe I could just get a used pickup truck to get by for a couple years.” “Maybe the old van has a few more years left in it.” “Ramses at work bought one and seems really happy with it,”
You ignore the fact that Ramses already owns a panel truck and a SUV and having a garaged sports car is a big part of his identity. You ignore the fact that you will be left without a great option for transporting the expensive Waterford crystal you just committed to buying.
In the end, you make the smart purchase, and you are glad you did. You have that one friend that always points out how much fun the sports car would have been, but deep down you both know you made the right call.
Agree! This is a century old issue. Isn’t it really the second coming of the McNabb vs. Williams question. Avoiding the RB provided years of good performance at a position that is hard to fill.
Not the same, if there was a McNabb level QB compared to Elliot I would get it. To be honest I still see the Daniel signing and them moving up that they want one of the two QBs and will trade Bradford for a late first (Denver?) or a 2nd (Kelly?).
I disagree… You don’t go into the top 8 looking at what you need… It’s more like going to a Car auction and having to be open mind to whatever happens to best available… Factoring NEED in to #8 is just dumb, and this comes from a Zeke fan of a team that Needs RB…. You can’t find Another yeàr of my fandom where I have ever argued for Drafting a RB in round 1, NEVER!..
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But I dont think what I want, or what I think we Need should ever factor into what we do with a top 10 pick. Every draft class is different..not every class will provide a worthy top 10 talent at positipns I want or need.. You go into each top 10 with an open mind, pushing your ideas of short term needs and wants out of your mind, you do a fair and thorough evaluation of the prospects, and the 10 kids that end up with the highest grades need to be your top 10..
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free agency is like going into a car lot with needs in mind, letting Needs factor into draft evaluatipn is how you end up making epic mistakes.Free Agency is to fill what you view as an immediate need… The Draft is to simply add as much talent as we possibly can…. Drafting Jordan Hicks should have this lesson fresh in our heads, 365 days ago we view our LB as we view our TE position today, it was not considered a NEED, the Eagles were smart enough to take the best player regardless, and we learned the hard way that what we view as a stacked position today, overnight can become a major Need..
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I know it’s boring and it requires Discapline but the best way is to fairly evaluate each kid, and take the kid with the highest grade available when we pick. And ONLY łet NEEDS and VALUE enter the equation to break a tie between prospects with the same way… It’s best way to approach the 8th pick especially for a team that lacks gamechanging Talent…. This isn’t a pro Zeke argument, if Stanley, Jack or whoever have a hire grade when we pick, don’t take Zeke.. If he is the player available graded above the rest I hope we take him.. But that’s far from a lock..
It isn’t about need. It is about what will help you. Buying a sports car is always a frivolous use of money. Drafting a running back top-10 is always a frivolous use of resources.
Moreover, it is hard to accept a lecture on not letting need factor into the evaluation from the guy pushing hard for a position of need, and the person who made these comments recently:
Feb 28: All 3 RBs need to be replaced in the next two offseasons, so I hope we consider Zeke Elliot
Feb 28: I also doubt ZEKE would be BPA at #13… Probably see a DT rated higher than him
Mar 4: We have to get younger at RB. In the next two years I hope we get rid of all the RBs….If we have to get rid of Ryan instead of Murray, drafting ZEKE would sure soften the blow. Of course he may not even last Til #13, a lot of RB needy teams ahead of us, two from our own division.,. on paper we have 3 quality backs. But I don’t feel comfortable not having any youth at that position.
Mar 4: But I NEED ZEKE in return if we are giving away our best RB
That’s so Ramses.
I was initially against it for all those reasons, but I’m coming around to the idea of Zeke at #8 if he is BPA.
I think Elliot would be an exception to the rule. Something about him that I think can be special.
What’s the current beat on where Kendall Fuller might end up? I know before this time last year he was considered a Top-15 guy but with a senior year injury he’s dropped. Having watched him for 4 years, I could really see him being a difference maker, especially if he can be had in the 2nd round. I get a bad feeling Hargreaves is being overvalued. I’m not a tape expert but 4.5 at 5’10” doesn’t sound so good at pick #8.
I have Hargreaves as my number 10 prospect and the last of the “elite 10” prospects, I don’t want to put TOO much stock into the numbers, but they can’t be ignored
Who are the other 9, out of curiosity? And which positions do you think are deep enough such that we can find quality players in later rounds?
Both Online and Dline
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Right now Tunsil, Ramsey, Jack, Wentz , Buck, Goff , Stanley, Zeke, Bosa
I need to watch more Goff, and Bosa tape though….Darron Lee catches my eye whenever I watch Bosa though
Buckner does not fit what we do. He does not have a role on this defense.
These were overall rankings not team specific, Buck is not a fit in our D
Yes, all well and good. But what about cap room for 2017. They will have this years rookie class and next years added on and they can cut Peters and cut or restructure Bradford next year depending on his performance. Next year it seems like the Eagles won’t be able to do much in free agency especially if they sign any two year contracts this year. Things look pretty tight to me. I guess Howie knows what he is doing but I wish someone could explain it to me.
PS: I liked your piece “What a Day”. But I would have titled it “Howie Wowie”. I think just about all of us thought we were stuck with Maxwell and Murray for another year.
Rookies will cost $2.5 million. They are a negligible line item on the cap. You do not need to worry about saving space for them.
Right, and half of that space will come from cutting the guys to make room for the rookies.
No it’s like 2.5 after they take spots on the 51.
Ah, thanks.
Yes, some space will come from cutting bottom of the roster players. But Marcus Smith has a $2.1 million cap figure this year and he was what – 26. Well, I guess we can cut him too.
Percy Harvin – Scares me because of character issues. — b4 character issues — I’d tag him as one sneeze away from an injury. Dude has a history of injuries. He was outperforming Watkins prior to injury….
Without regard to cap space I like the idea of signing a deep threat at WR. I just can’t forget Kelly’s first year when defenses were torn between putting 8 in the box to stop LeSean or keep two deep to prevent DeSean from getting over the top. The next year without DeSean the running game suffered because defenses concentrated on the run. You will forgive me if I say nothing more about 2015. But if we get a WR with deep speed and can cobble together a run game the offense could be pretty interesting.
Another anti-RB article, bonus Chip Kelly slams: http://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2015/10/73763
I would agree that drafting a RB in the 1st round would not be a chance I would take. I would rather throw the dice on QB, DB, or BPA.
I do see where people are coming from, though. Our skill positions have a very low floor. Our starting QB is injury prone and probably not that good anyway. Our starting RB is very good, but is just as injury prone. Our WRs are just bad. Imagine an injured or slumping Sammy, Matthews going down, and the WRs playing according to their past. Now that’s a bad offense!
Base on talent level, our skill positions do not have a low floor. Based on injury concern, half the leagues’ elite starters are low floor players (Adrian Peterson & all other RBs, Dez, Romo, Brees, etc.).
You think Algholar, Mathews and Ertz are low floor receivers based on drops during one season playing in a high-tempo offense?
Eagles have emphasized ‘character’ (or supposedly) the last 2 years while eschewing talent if it was perceived to be troublesome. Irony was a ton of the ‘character’ guys brought in last year including Alonso, Maxwell, Murray, and Austin either gave questionable effort on the field at times and/or were problems off of it.
Never forget how nonchalant and indifferent Austin was when he was asked about his effort on the Sanchez’ INT to end the Dolphins’ game. Kelly didn’t immediately discipline him the following week which stunned me. I’d bet other coaches including a Belicheck or Parcells would have cut him either that night/Monday morning after getting wind of that post-game comment.
I wouldn’t mind seeing the Eagles taking the risk on a talented yet troublesome role player at WR. They desperately need to upgrade their talent level at their position overall for next season with a few guys in FA potentially fitting the bill.
FLASH gordon..?? is he still under contract w the brownies??
Yep
LOOONG leash.
I wish! Don’t Tease me… Give them our 3rd in a heartbeat for Flash..
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Hue is a veteran playërs coach, you would think that he tries to make it work with the Bengals top Talent before giving up on him…. I do think Roseman will try and trade for a WR.
The dream since like 2014.
Right lol he has almost been suspended ever since
The best argument for not drafting an RB at #8 is that Bill Belichick would never draft an RB at #8. The Patriots have been one of the most successful, consistent franchises in NFL history, and never allocate a lot of resources to the position.
I would counter that with he Patriots have had one of the most successful, consistent franchise quarterback in NFL history, and never had to allocate a lot of resources to the position.
With that said, I agree that a RB at #8 doesn’t seem logical. A QB, elite pash rusher, left tackle, or shut-down CB are much harder to find than a serviceable RB.
Exactly. They have had arguably the best QB ever who with the exception of one year has avoided serious injury & has seemingly defied age so far.
Early on including the SB vs. Rams, the defense and game plan were what carried the Pats. Living in Boston at the time though and seeing Brady mature, I argued it has been Brady that has made Belicheck and not the other way around.
Brady is going to be 39 this year and Pats are still seemingly poised to be Super Bowl contenders this year again in large part because no one is predicting a fail off for Brady. I want to see where he is storing his ‘Dorian Grey’ portrait.
I agree on your assessment. We’ll find out in a year or two how good of a coach Belicheck is when Brady is done (although his arm looked done on quite a few occasions this season).
Yeah they harped all year in NE on Brady’s inability to make accurate throws deep especially on balls 20+ yards.
I wonder how much of that was due to their injuries problems at WR and some of the stiffs they had at WR last year.
Also only natural that a guy his age is going to have some issues throwing the ball downfield or even on intermediate routes with a lot of zip.
Jaromir Jágr 😀
Of course… no one with the best QB of all time will dump crazy assets into a RB.. Stupid argument,.. It’s not a secret that if you DONT have one of the elite passing QBs, your next best option is to go with the Defense and Run game blue print..
hold on…
if we had tom brady of course you don’t draft a rb.
My Gut says roseman has one more surprise left up his sleeve, a Trade for a WR..
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Think going into Free Agency it was obvious that Safety and Guard would be our Key investments, and things according to plan.
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Where we stand today entering the next tier of Free Agency, I think CB will be our biggest financial investment. I assume the eagles are in close contract with Nolans agent, most likely telling him to go establish his worth, but make sure they give us a chance to match before he signs anything.. Hopefully it works out and Nolan will return to the Nest by the end of this week at a Fair price… I Hate the idea of losing ascending playërs who’s best ball is Clearly still ahead of them, especially kids like Nolan who have an elite work ethic, and who are basically just coming off their first year getting extended experiemce at outside Cb… It’s not like Nolan had been starting on the outside for yeàrs going into this past season. His inexperience still makes him an ascending young player and I hate losing someone like that, especially when he brings all kinds of versatility with his ability to play ST, Nickel, Dime, Outside…. If we lose Nolan, they have to bring in another veteran… Even if we sign Nolan we still have to draft a corner, so drafting a corner SHOULDNT be enough to let Nolan walk… But clearly the price has to be right and we won’t bring him back at any cost, so hopefully it works out…
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After CB, our biggest needs are a 4th DT (who will get playing time every week) and a veteran WR.. We only have 3 NFL WRs under contract, so even if we sigń a veteran we will still have to draft a WR, so I don’t see How we can NOT sign a WR even if he isn’t going to be a significant WR signing…
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i Like Fairley the player, but signing him DOESNT make much sense to me, we have Cox, Logan and Beau who all play the run well, yet we seriously lack a second interior pass rusher. logan will be better than typical NT at rushiñg the passer, probably better than Thornton was, but I think it’s important that the DT we add is a better interior pass rusher than Logan, and Beau Allen. The DT has to be a backüp 3technique who will also see time rushiñg the passer next to Cox on 3rd down…. That’s not Nick Fairly to me,,I don’t see any more room to pay for a run stuffing DT with little pass rush ability, but I guess that’s just me..
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If we can’t trade for a WR, our options in FA won’t be sexy..maybe a guy like HOLMES, but probaably a Miles Austin type of veteran voice someone like Nate Washington, Greg Jennings who has experience in the Packers west coast offense…. Crazy as it sounds,I don’t rule out Pederson having to end up settling for bringing Jason Avant back to philly as a player/mentor and let Avant finish his career as an eagle..
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Doubt we have any interest in adding MIKE Wallace or Percy Harvin to our Locker room
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If we sign a RB, it will be a cheap backüp, Chris Polk type.. But I do think it’s important that we sign a RB in FA because if we draft a RB with one of our 4 top 100 picks, I expect them to turn around and flip Ryan Mathews for an extra 5th, leaving us with a rookie RB, Sproles and a young veteran backüp like Polk.
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I don’t believe that the Eagles will pay for a DT or DE, unless it’s a #5 dirt cheap fringe roster type for camp… The DE and DTs added will have to be on rookie contracts. Doubt we didn’t even try to work out a deal with Thornton so that we could pay Fairly. Knowing they have to pay Cox and logan, I think it’s important to Roseman that our backüp DTs are on cheap rookie contracts… Certainly not investing anytning signifcant in a DE while paying Barwin, Curry, BG and a first round pick on MS2… That just ain’t happening THIS offseason
Investing anything meaningful in Carroll is a mistake. He fit a need last year & was a nice fit on his deal. Sure he is looking to get paid decent starter money on a multi-year deal which I would be really reluctant to give him.
I’m a fan to resign Carroll to play in the nickel or dime, just not as a starter.
Never said anything about having to pay Nolan at all costs… If he ends up signing a fair but modest deal, I would hope it’s with us… He has already gone on visits and turned down their offers like Dallas, which says that he isn’t being showered with crazy money, and as long as that remains the case, we should bring him back.. Im not foolish enough to see a young player on a new team, playing a new role for one season and think I have seen the best it will ever get for a kid.. Just like im not foolish to want to dump a player as soon as he has a down year…
No LB depth?
Absolutely…we only have Najee Backing Kendricks on a one year deal.. I don’t know if they will pay for LB depth in Free Agency, or just address it in the Draft… That answer probably has something to do with how they view Acho, if they think Acho can be a solid backup to Hicks for a year, they can save money in FA and just draft a SAM to backup Bradham…
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If they don’t think Acho can be an adequate back up in a 4-3 for a year, they will have to sign FA depth since they probably won’t want to draft two Linebackers this year
Good write-up, Tommy. Thanks. No mention of Sproles in the RB discussion? Even if they add another RB through FA or the draft, I’m doubtful Matthews can carry the full load of the running game. I would anticipate more touches for Darren. Could be running plays, but I’d like to see screen plays and/or short passes out of the backfield.
Think we won’t see Sproles run as much as chip handed the ball off to him, but that Pederson will maximize and weaponize him in the Recieving game much better than Chip ever did… By week 4, every Defense was waiting for the wheel route and it seemed like chip DIDNT know how else to use him.
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Doug Pederson should have a ton of great plays throwing to Sproles, just from all the Great ways Andy got the ball to westbrook and Jamal Charles in the passing game.. I think by far, Sproles will have his most significant year in the passing game than he has ever had as an Eagle… We were used to seeing Playërs have career years in chips offense, I think chip did a terrible job not maximizing SPROLES in the passing game and he will have a huge year in Pedersons offense especially while we aren’t stacked at outside WRs..
bring Polk Home!!! I miss Baby Huey, I miss him cracking dudes on Soecial teams too
“Expecting Sproles biggest year to date as an Eagle on offense.”
Now you’re talking.
At least in the passing game, and Part of that is because of how poorly chip used him….. When KC didn’t have Maclin, throwing to Jamaal Charles and Travis Kelce carried their passing game…
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I hope that the first Eagle TD of The season to start the Pederson era, is the old school Andy Reid shovel pass to Sproles from the goaline
I’d like to see Pederson use Sproles the way Reid used Westbrook, as a multi-faceted threat lining up in different positions.
i saw sproles on those choice routes where he dropped or missed a few passes quite a few times
thats really the extend of how Sproles was used, either hand it off in zone read, or we threw to him on wheel route, option routes and stale screens that rarely ever fooled anyone… Like PPK said below, I want to see Sproles lined up all over the place in the passing game like westbrook…. Be interesting if they end up with Zeke, he reminds me a bit of Jamal Charles potential in passing game, we could have a Jamaal Charles type and use Sproles in a westbrook role, with Ertz and Jordan… Not a terrible group of weapons to get us by until Agholar developes and we get the proper help on the outside..
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Fortunately at #8 we should have a few different enticing options,.
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I suspect that the Cowboys are drafting Bosa, and planning on taking Henry as their RB at the top of round 2
that’s what im saying, zeke is not just a rb, he can catch, he’d be one of our best wr right away, and he can block.
how much more value do you want ?
Why do the Eagles need help at DT? They have Bennie Logan and Fletcher Cox. They just lack depth. Or do you not think that Logan is a good fit for Shwartz’ defense?
I am not even sure how our “starting DL” even really shakes out at this point.
RDE- Graham
1tech- Bennie
3tech- Cox
LDE- Vinny
They could also look to use Bennie and Cox as just left and right DT as they can both play 1 and 3 tech.
barwin?
1st player off the bench I would assume. He is still going to play a ton of snaps. With the way Schwartz’s d-lineman attack downfield almost every play, fatigue sets in quickly. You need quality depth along his d-line.
Barwin would rotate with Graham and Vinny but those two will likely be the nominal starters.
Ideally the snap breakdown would be something like:
60% Graham
60% Vinny
50% Barwin
30% DE4
It’ll be interesting to see how Schwartz plays it. If he keeps it simple and just sends his linemen, rotating them by # of plays, those 3 will see a pretty even amount of time. But if he does some situational stuff that might change. He might want Curry in for a higher percentage of passing downs.
Cox = LeBron James of DL, he can play anywhere.
Bennie is now a relatively good sized 4-3 DT (vs. being a 3-4 NT)
Vinny/Graham = Best served on the edges.
Barwin = I have a lot of respect for the guy, but he is now a tweener that doesn’t project well as either a 4-3 DE or OLB, it sucks that Barwin is lining up to be a 4-3 rotational DE.
MSII = Haven’t given up, but don’t see even less of a fit in a 4-3 for him.
I guess it comes down to how comfortable everyone is with MSII and Barwin becoming rotational pieces. Unless you start to shuffle Vinny/Cox/Bennie/Graham around to get a decent rotation…. Vinny slides inside when cox goes off and Barwin/MSII come on? Weird.
You don’t want Cox as a DE in this scheme more than situationally/emergency.
Barwin will be fine he was a DE in a 43 in both Houston and in college. He’ll get plenty of snaps especially if they don’t love DE 4.
Vinny can play some nascar DT in passsing sets but ideally you’d like a backup 3tech who is actually a DT.
Worth noting that in an attacking 4-3, the 5-6 guys can be almost as important as the starters.
Depth at all positions is important due to the inevitable injuries playing football causes. This is especially true on the OL and DL since they control the line of scrimmage and thus have a huge impact on who wins the game. Plus I would guess Schwartz, like most DC, likes to rotate players.
With attacking DL’s that are the focal point of the defense you want to be able to come in waves. They’re probably a backup 3 tech and another DE from where they want to be.
Great breakdown, Tommy. I value CB highly and hope they get more talent there with some experience. I agree though that there are still needs at many positions.
Daniel worries me as the backup. He’ll turn 30 during this coming season and has done really nothing at the NFL level. He had a total of 9 pass attempts in 3 seasons in NO.
Since he arrived in KC in 2013, he has played more – he started 1 regular season game in each of 2013 and 2014. Both were the last game of the season vs the Chargers interestingly enough. He had a decent game in 2013, 21-30 for 200 yds, 1 TD and a 99 rating. In 2014, he went 16 for 27 for 157 yds, 0 TD and a 75.7 rating.
However, he’s only been active for 10 games in 3 seasons and only threw 2 passes in the 2015 regular season at the end of the 45-10 blowout of the Broncos.
Why did we give him so much money? Was it based on his preseason and practice work? I get he knows Pederson’s system, but there is very little production to base him being a legit replacement if/when Btradford goes down. Eagles are engaging in a leap of faith here.
I think sometimes we as fans get a little carried away with the financial side of football (myself included). From Joe Banner to Howie Roseman, the Eagles have never been in financial perils and had to rework contracts just to sign draft picks or let go of veterans still performing at a high level (I’m looking at you Cowboys and Redskins). Honestly, if Howie says we can afford to pay a player a certain salary, I think he has earned the trust to that it will not financially impact the team in a negative manner.
Asking a legit question does not somehow mean I do not trust Roseman’s contract acumen. I do trust his skill in that area, but the amount of money given to Daniel was alarming for a backup QB with no track record.
Many in the media actually reacted to the large money given to Daniel and started speculating Bradford might be getting traded since allocating that much money to the QB position seemed strange for a team with so many other needs.
This question has been raised by many local and national media people since Daniel was signed and I’ve not heard a logical answer to it. I thought Tommy and the smart folks on here could shed some light.
media makes wild ass guesses based on very little info. howie ties his shoes with yellow laces and a journalist will claim it PROVES we’re trading with the steelers or drafting from LSU. the answer is probably that we’re overspending a bit because it’s the one place you have to overspend to get results. beyond that, neither dude is making blockbuster money and it really sucks when your backup qb can’t win a game for you. maybe the lesson is that being a cheapskate on backup qb can ruin a season?
cough Mark Sanchez was the highest paid backup in the league last year cough
Exactly, which establishes a pattern for overpaying for a backup QB. Why that pattern exists is the question and why overpay a journeyman with zero track record at this level is another.
I agree. My theory is the Eagles have had a recent history of QBs going down with injuries…Kolb, Vick, Foles, Bradford so they overvalue the position of backup QB. In Daniel’s case, there may have been a bidding war. They also can devote more practice time and resources to Bradford and a rookie.
Coaches are not allowed to even speak to players from January to April so there’s a very limited time to teach your system. There’s added value there also.
It’s a different shot caller so I’m not sure it’s fair to call it a pattern.
It’s absolutely the outlier of the off season and not particularly Howieesque.
It’s been almost a week and I’m still not sure what to make of it.
Theories:
1. Howie went out to grab a sandwich from the caf and Doug got all drunk with power pulled a Chip and faxed over the offer sheet before Howie got back.
2. They’ve got something cooking to get a young QB.
3. It was an expensive insurance policy. It gives Doug a familiar face in the QB room, a fall back option when Sam gets snapped in half, and doesn’t leave us in a Denver we better trade for Mark Sanchez oh crap situation if Bradford is blah and we’re staring a $24 million dollar cap hit in the face next year.
Think Doug came in and said i need that guy to come in, as a bridge to the new system and because i think he can be a starting QB in the league. Howie said sure i will get your guy (like he got schwartz some of his guys), and price got more expensive than he would like.
I guess in the end $3mil a year over pay for the next 2 years is hardly a burdensome amount and it gives Doug is guy who knows his system and obviously has bought into him as a coach… Doug does not have a huge rep around the league so having someone to sell him as a coach to the rest of the roster has some value.
LOL…#2 crossed my mind too and #3 makes sense since the position is clearly still in flux even after these allocations.
i think it’s #3 with #2 as a possible surprise
yeah he didn’t pan out but i thought the reasoning was solid then, too. they all seem overpaid until one saves your season
I agree the media can go haywire on the stupidest tangents imaginable at times, but the reaction to this makes sense to me.
If Daniel was an experienced backup who had started more than 2 games or used to be a legit NFL starter or had shown talent as an injury replacement QB at this level, the money allocated would make more sense.
But Daniel is none of those things. The only value elements I can discern are he is healthy, played for Pederson in KC and knows the system to be used here.
Were there other teams bidding for Daniel? Was KC bidding hard to retain him? Was Roseman convinced by Pederson to get him at any cost? Was Daniel’s value higher since he was groomed by Reid who has had success developing young QB?
My response was not to make light of your question. If you haven’t done so, I would highly recommend watching Pederson’s introductory press conference for Chase and then watch Chase’s press conference. To say those two have a bromance would be an understatement (it’s seriously crazy how giddy Chase seems to be toward Doug in the press conference). It’s pretty obvious Pederson wanted Chase, and Chase wanted to play under Doug.
As to your question “Why did we give him so much money?”, I imagine Doug told Howie to get him at all costs and Howie I believe was bidding against 5 or 6 other teams which drove the price up for Chase. I could see a situation where Buffalo, the Jets, and maybe the Rams would be offering him $6 to 7M per year with suspect starters on their roster.
Couple that with Bradford’s injury history, and high likelihood of drafting a QB to develop, Chase’s value to the team as a backup, mentor and pseudo coach, seem to justify his price tag.
Thank you, most logical answer I’ve seen yet. Appreciate it.
My cousin texted ‘Mike McMahon’ and it is pretty had to not be a bit dubious on his signing.
I understand Pederson’s interest because he has a seen a lot of Daniel in practice but he strikes me as guy who wins 4-5 games next year if he starts 14 or 15 GS.
I think he’s clearly an insurance policy in case Bradford flops or gets injured. And while he may be expensive, in insurance terms, it’s as if the Eagles have a “pre-existing condition”, so naturally you’re going to have to pay more for insurance…
I get that; its just usually for insurance you want to have a reliable option. Daniel has started 2 games and thrown 77 passes in 6 seasons at this level. He was active on game day only 10 times over 3 seasons in KC. How confident could one be in such insurance? Not very IMO. Hopefully, we never have to find out, but I think we all know Bradford will go down again. We better get that defense and running game/OL fixed!
And I get that concern. But what were the other choices? To continue the analogy, you know you need the insurance, but only Blue Shield offers coverage in your area for your pre-existing condition, and they’re really pricey.
Agreed, which is another reason Daniel’s price tag was high. I probably would have kept Sanchez with the prices that high or kicked the tires on RGIII who should be cheap. Not great options, but I value experience and some proven production in that role more than most probably.
I would have left a flaming bag of shit at the entrance to the Novacare facility if Sanchez was still on the roster on opening day.
Bronco’s
Another free agent not getting much coverage is Jahri Evans. I could see a situation where he might sign a 1 or 2 year deal to shore up the left side of the line and play in front of his hometown crowd. That could really change the dynamic of the draft taking out the likelihood of drafting an OL with pick #8.
He is definitely worth taking a shot on.
As long as he’s not expensive.
Agree, worth kicking the tires on for sure. I’m just not sure how much he has left in the tank, but NO made mistakes in letting go Jenkins and Sproles so who knows.
It would definitely change the dynamic at #8 and likely in the 3rd rd too. We still need depth at C and OT, but it would allow Stoutland more time with Gardner, Barbre and Tobin to see what they have to offer.
I don’t see how signing a 30 yr old Guard has any effect on what we do at #8. There areny Guards worthy of a top 10 pick to begin with.. Jahri Evans should have no bearing on our evaluation of Ronney Stanley… If he is the highest graded player, we take the Tackle and let him sit on the bench and learn for a year and even thats assuming Jason Peters will play every snap of all 16 games…. I would love to sign a veteran stop gap Guard like Evans, and I don’t Love Stanley at all, but even if we sign Evans, I would still hope that we draft Stanley if he is the highest rated player available at #8
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gardner and Barbie are what they are, they are no spring chickens… I have Gadner above both Barbie and Tobin, Gardner can start at Guard short term if need be, but None of them should still be starting a year from now… Ideally they become solid Backups.. No need to sign anymore lineman, but if the price is right on a short term upgrade like Evans, Id be all for it,,,, but what we do in Free agency shouldnt have any bearing on drafting the best talent
I’m likely in the minority, but I believe BPA is a fantasy and that 100% of the teams in the NFL draft with need firmly in mind. I think an examination of the draft pick history would support that along with the tons of examples of teams reaching and making terrible mistakes.
I love the concept of BPA, but I do not believe any team actually does it regularly or without the pick also being a fit need-wise.
A common example Eagles fans like to use is the drafting of Lito and Brown in 2002 when we already had Vincent and Taylor as starters. They were supposedly BPA selections and signs of how wise the Eagles were in recognizing the talent. The second part was true, but the reality was the Eagles knew they were gearing up to replace Vincent and Taylor and needed good talent as they valued CB highly.
As we know from history, Vincent and Taylor both were gone from the team soon after and Lito and Brown were ready to step in.
I agree. For your same reasoning is why I would imagine we would not take a defensive end BPA at #8, with Graham, Curry and Barwin already a position of strength at DE. You don’t draft at #8 and then sit the guy on the bench, unless he is a QB.
Although I’m probably in the minority here, I also don’t see QB as a realistic pick when CB and OL are a position of need with at least on of those positions being available at #8 with a high draft grade. The only exception I see is if Myles Jack somehow falls to #8.
I used to say the same thing..don’t believe that any more ..BPA ISNT a fantasy, but Not all the top prospects are on every teams board… Two teams can look for different things in a DT, thus lead to very different grades for the same process…
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In later parts of the draft BPA can matter less when there is a handful of similarly graded prospects available, so you are able to be more picky about néed and value.
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But you have to go BPA with the 8th pick, especially in this drat because the reality of our current situation is that we have the 8th pick in a draft class that has like 8-11 top Tier prospects, so we won’t have enough optuons to be picky, we will be chosing from the one, two, maybe three top tier prospects left on the Board, and if one of them don’t play a position we deem as an immediate Need tough shit, you aremt going to pass on the left over top tier talent so that you can overdrafts position of néed from the second tier of prospects, THATS ain’t happening.. If anything they trade out of 8… But since we desperately lack elite talent, I assume they will stay at 8, and take the top tier player that the first 7 teams didn’t draft..
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if you pick at the beginning of another tier of players, then you have more options and THATS when need and value can factor into your pick… We won’t have much to choose from at #8… Lucky for us we can use Top Talent just about anywhere..
Even if you are picking at need, the Birds are still not going G.
I think BPA is very real, but quite often teams will have several players ranked similarly and within that group yes you will draft for need. So most of the time you will see teams draft that way. I think the main idea is to not overdraft for need — I.e. If there was a run on players at your targeted position you don’t just draft the next best one because that was your need position and miss out on a much more talented player . Of course that can get you into a situation where you don’t draft OL two years in a row 😉
Makes no sense, I highly doubt the Eagles have even thought about drafting a G at 8 in the first place.
Don’t see how signing him would change the outcome of pick 8. If we are going OL at 8 or even 13 it would be a T not a G.
If Denver cant get Kaep and ends up going into the draft with only Mark Sanchez at QB, wonder if Roseman can bend Elway over the barrell and negotiate an expensive trade to have in place in case Wentz or Goff are available at #8, letting The Broncos move all tbe way up to #8,… Everything has a price,..young starter on a rookie contract like Robey and multiple draft picks..
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Denver could be in trouble. You can only sell a guy like Sanchz as a bridge if you invest in a young QB, but at the end of round 1 Lynch, Wentz and Goff could all be gone,., after the beating denver roster took in free agency, can ELWAY really go into the season with Sanchez and Hackernberg?
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What are Elways options?
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1) Fitzpatrik who teams are laughing at because he wants Bradford money… Further complicating Matters he is represented by the same Agent that screwed ELWAY and moved Osweier to The Texans…
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2) Sanchez and a rookie QB like Hackenberg, Cook or Cardale..
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3) Kaepernick, reports are that Denver has already offered San Fran their 3rd round pick for Kaep, but to trade for him, they have to agree on a contract and it doesn’t sound like Kaepernick is in a discount giving mood… If The Browns trade for Kaepernick, They may pass on a QB at #2 which means Wentz or Goff would Probabky be available at #8…. Wonder what ELWAY would be willing to save his disasterous offseason by getting his franchise a top 2 QB in this draft? ROBEY, their 1st round pick, 3rd round pick and a 3rd next year? Get a WR in return? Gonna cost you to get us to pass on drafting in the top 10
Didn’t Elway screw Elway? He could have paid for Osweiler, no?
According to Peter King in his MMQB article today, the Texans offered $72 million with about $37 million guaranteed while Elway came in at $65 million with about $29 million guaranteed. Both contracts were for 4 years.
The media makes is seem like Elway didn’t believe in Brock, but based on the contract he offered, I think just he underestimated the changing QB contract market price. He wanted to pay Brock according to contracts signed by players like Dalton and Carson Palmer. With Cousins being franchised at $20 million and then Bradford signing for $18 million, Houston stepped up and said, “if that’s the going rate for a QB, we’d rather pay up based on potential then lose with Hoyer”.
elway saw brock for 4 years up close. elway decided he wasn’t worth the money = not a franchise guy.
$65 million with about $29 million guaranteed and a $16M per year average says otherwise.
Right.. People act like ELWAY offered him Chase Daniel Money…. The JETS decided Fitzpatrim ks t worth the Money,, that narrative doesn’t fit in Denver
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Sounds like he wanted to Keep Brock, but chose the Wrong positipn to penny pinch from
one time I actually agreed with Cowherd, He said Brock wasnt happy with all the stuff that went down. Manning not letting him play that one game early on in a losing effort, getting pulled for Peyton. Barely being thanked for beating the Pats and Pitt (?I think) in comeback wins to allow that team to make the run. Remember the Broncos were at one point either going to win the division or miss the playoffs, it was nuts.
Oh and all that money, thats right, silly me
If i was Elway:
1) Von Miller is #1 priority, get re-signed hell or highwater
2) Franchise Tag Osweiler
3) Tell Ware to restructure or retire.
f Elway was going to lose all these free agents, he easily could have just paid VON Miller a boatload and been able to Tag Brock… That’s better than having a defense that has had a few guys poached and also be left with no QB but Sachez
Elway just won a superbowl, he doesnt care what anyone thinks right now, always puts “screw” into context
4. trade for Bradford
Stop it
5. Bring himself out of retirement.
6. Direct snaps and Wildcats, eliminate the position.
If I am Fitzpatrick I am waiting as long as possible.
you always come up with crafty offseason trade scenarios involving good young players coming to the Eagles. Thats like Chip trying to get Mariotta last season, now try to get to top 10 from 32, yikes. Thatll cost him
He is running out of options (Elway). He already lost some talemt on defense, is he really going to go into next season with Sanchez and HACKenberg?
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Heck last yeàr I had to sit thru all the absurd rumors wanting to trade Cox, Kendricks and every first round pick we have til 2020 for Mariota, I sure wouldn’t mind being on the other end of one of those trades getting a kings Ransom for allowiing a team to go up for a QB… Can be a little more imaginative knowing Roseman is in charge of trades… Curious to see how many trades he manages to pull off in one offseason? Ryan Mathews? Hart? Sturgis? Trade for a WR?
I am still shocked they lost Osweiler.
Ravens Sign Weddle
Weddle is 31(?), it would be silly to let him impact draft plans.
pfft
Not if you have other Glaring needs.
https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/709433334204477440
cheaper than rodney
He’s also 6 years older and on the decline.
https://twitter.com/dandalyonsports/status/709437181232865280
I always think of him as the guy the Eagles passed up on to draft Kevin Kolb
Ah, I remember that brief phase between the McNabb era and the Vick experiment.
I read 3 years of scouting reports and player/coaches interviews on him only to see his Eagles career last for less than 1 half of a game.
That pick was the beginning of the end of AR…
I would tend to think the honor of having that privilege would go to Danny Watkins.
I wonder if the Ravens miss Ed Reed?
I think that deal will backfire on the Ravens. I like Weddle, but while being a solid player he is not close to what he used to be.
long shot sure, but anybody know what birds get back if say sanchez starts 5, 10,12,16 games??
Tebow lol
ha. he might be the starter!
Tebow and Sanchez are NFL Eskimo Brothers. The Jets, The Eagles, The Broncos….
Sanchez: “It’s good to get a change of scenery…..”
Elway: “Whats wrong Mark?”
Sanchez: “It says “Tebow was here” on my locker”
Elway: “Uh,Yeah. Tim was………..”
Sanchez: “……yeah he’s a good guy i know……”
..
I think it would be hilarious to have Sanchez starting for them, but I really want Fitzpatrick in Denver. My friend is a big Jets fan, and if they lost Fitzpatrick it would kill him.
“The post you are trying to reply to has been removed by a moderator.”
We have moderators?
Well, they’re more like guidelines…
No. You can delete your own posts. If someone tries to reply after you delete it but before they refresh, they get that message.
Correct
I was trying to say FUDGE Dallass and it told me that.
i had a similar reply…
Anybody see the ESP article on how we are gonna pick Conklin at 8? What a tool. I’m not posting a link because the article is as horrible as you would think and the less page views he gets the better.
remember how he kept tweeting we were close on a deal w/ f. cox? he’s seemingly never right
His sources are about as good as mine.
wait so are you saying that he is his own source?!
Eckle and NJ.com are reporting the Interest in Fairley, I don’t believe a word from anyone at that site unless someone else confirms it
Yeah, can’t beleive it coming from solely them, but it makes a hell of a lot of sense.
I still resent him for the LeCharles Bentley fail. I remember going to bed that night so happy only to wake up to find out he signed w/ Cleveland.
ESP is the kid on the playground with the awesome toy that he won’t let anyone else play with, but can’t figure out how it works.
ESP is a tool but Conklin at 8 wouldn’t shock me. OL is a value position and tends to get overdrafted. Teams that stick religiously to their grades and pick BPA tend to lose out on linemen as we have the past 2 years. While I do think Conklin would be a slight reach at 8, where was Lane Johnson rated six weeks before the draft? A player’s draft stock is fluid.
I had Lane Johnson in my top 5, and I’m pretty sure I wasn’t alone…Conklin is a guy who may not go top 15 at all. That’s a huge reach, if Stanley is gone, VH3, Elliot, Jack, even trade down would all be better options than massively reaching….if you wanted to reach for Conklin should have stayed at 13
You were not alone. Johnson was my #1 target for the Eagles that year (even if Dion was on the board… thanks Dolphins!).
At this point, he was your #1? Lane Johnson was considered a fringe 1st round pick before the combine that year. His stock jumped after that but I don’t think he was considered a potential top 10 pick around this time that year.
Yes. Mainly because I’ve seen the research over at Eagles Rewind about the probability of a bust at pass rusher in round 1, and I believe you shouldn’t gamble on a top 10 pick. I assumed Joeckel/Fisher getting picked before Johnson, and really prayed it would break that way because I loved the upside potential of a smart mobile OT.
*specifically OLBs… I think DE is a bit easier to project into the NFL.
In March? I’m pretty sure by this time most people considered him a top 10 pick, hell i was mocking him to the Chargers at 11 around the combine
That would flabergast me. No national guy has him top 15. He’s a low upside player. He’s not a LT. He’s not as powerful as a Scherff, Warmack, Decastro, or Cooper. he’s not as technically proficient as a Zak Martin.
I would immediately become team fireHowie.
Defense as currently projected based off PFF’s rating system (I don’t put too much into their analytics but though this was a decent barometer)..As is stands this should be a solid defense. Would be nice to have a better starting quality corner opposite Rowe but this should be a good defense.
Not a very good grade on bradham there. No stock in the performance under Schwartz factor I guess.
These ratings are purely based off of last year’s performances from each player. If they had the ratings for the 3 ex Bills for when they played under Schwartz then I am sure they’d be much higher.
Oh so it’s retrospective then. Thought maybe they were doing some projecting to next year, but if it’s just last years grade I guess no argument
The advantage of having 2 lousy corners is that sometimes the QB can’t decide where to throw the ball because there’s too many good options, which gives the D-line more time to get the sack.
so if you read this you would think Jenkins is as good as Cox? something is wrong with this rating system.
I disagree with your statement to an extent. Being that Jenkins and Cox play 2 different positions its hard to say whether one is better then the other. Jenkins was one of the top 5 safeties in the NFL while Cox was one of the top 5 3-4 DEs in the NFL last year. I think the way those ratings look is very fair. Both players played at an extremely high level last year. What I do agree with is that Cox is the best player on this defense followed by Jenkins.
I would think Logan and Bradham would be rated much higher.
Logan’s level of play dropped off a cliff after his injury and in regards to Bradham everyone on that Bills defense underachieved under Rex Ryan so I won’t put too much stock in that until I see him play here.
Cox is the X factor in this defense next year. If he plays anywhere near what he did this year and the Eagles sign/draft a CB high who is a decent contributor to start opposite Rowe, this might be there best defense in several years (more of a second-handed compliment though given what they have done the last 5 years).
Recent mocks for the eagles
1) Daniel jeremiah has the Eagles draft Clemson DE Kevin Dodd……passing on stanley, Hargreaves, Zeke
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2) Charles Davis has us taking Hagreaves passing on….. Goff, Stanley
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3) Bucky Brooks: Eli Apple…. passing on Buckner, Zeke and Wentz
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4) Lance Zierlein: Zeke….passing on Bosa, Hargreaves
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5)) Chad Rueter: Zeke…..passing on Stanley, Hargreaves
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Eli Apple and Kevin Dodd are The interesting names we don’t often hear connected to us at #8
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8 is way too high for either Apple or Dodd. Hargreaves & Zeke make a lot more sense.
Apple scares me… A corner playing on a defense with a boatload of talent worries me… I don’t like Hargreaves in the top 10 either, but at least he had to hold up with much less pass rush than what Eli got to play with..
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I really don’t love any of the round 1 DBs after Ramsey,,, I only liked a few of them in the last few drafts,
Florida had a boat load of talent also.
Hargreaves. RBs that high always scare me. You can still get a very good one later in the draft. Hell, sometimes you get really good ones that go undrafted.
if Ramsey, Stanley, and Buckner are there at 8 i rather trade back and get Apple then get Hargreaves.or get Alexander even later.
If Ramsey, Stanley, Buckner, Apple, Hargraves, and Alexander are all options at 8, ther must be a sniper taking out GMs walking the pick to the podium.
Lol, best comment I have seen today.
Dodd? Really? Most mocks have him at like 25-30, or not in the first at all. I dont know much about the guy but I would be shocked if howie reached that far off consensus after Marcus smith.
Sorry to reply to myself, but the guy is not even supposed to be the first player at his position from his school off the board.
I don’t want to fixate, but we supposedly interviewed Jeremiah, hopefully this isn’t based on anything from that meeting.
It’s probably based on HR and Lurie giving Daniel real info during the meeting and asking which finger he likes least just in case he leaks anything.
This is an awesome statement:
“…not even supposed to be the first player at his position from his school…”
Jeremiah was a west coast scout for the Eagles from 2010 through 2012. He was most-likely interviewed due to his ties to Lurie and Howie. I doubt he was offered the job or given any insight into the Eagles draft plans.
Who are you ?
If Davis’s scenario played out, I might throw something through the TV.
Davis is mocking that Lurie loses his mind and hires Drunk Uncle from SNL to run the draft this year.
Dodd one was old, it was for Miami and when we switched picks theocks were not updated
Jeremiah’s mock today had the Eagles taking Elliott.
kinda wish we stayed at 13 in a weird way… i want a WR 1st round
Anyone who thinks this team is going to take Zeke at #8 with Roseman calling the shots is borderline nuts.
I’m sure it drove Roseman nearly insane to see that much money invested in RBs last year.
Sorry this only mildly pertains your post but this is where I pound the table. No VH3! Below average tackler who subscribes to the Asante school of tackling. Dive at their knees or grab them and try to throw them down. Gets burnt a lot. Guesses too much. Short arms. Plays smaller than his measurements. Fast but not elite. Seldom wins on jump balls. Not the best CB on his team. Jalen Tabor is better. Can’t cover big receivers.
I didn’t see this posted.
https://twitter.com/BWilliamsonNFL/status/709429139535585281
Wow. Martavis Bryant got banned for a year because he failed SIX drug tests.
Really hope this kid gets the help he needs now.
6? wow, that deserves suspension, not the drugs, just blowing 6 times is really bad.
It takes 4 failed suspensions to get the 4-game ban, the 5th is a 10 game ban and the 6th is at least a year. He jumped over the 10-game step by missing one test before failing the next one he took.
Maybe he failed the first two and was like eh, they can’t suspend me for more than a year at this point…
I’d laugh if he failed all 6 for weed.
He reportedly is going to rehab so I think he has a problem more then screw it I’m caught anyway.
I think Bernie said that drugs are cheaper in Canada. Maybe this kid has a future in the CFL.
2 were no shows
I think he just needs a new brain
i think its time for the world, NFL included, to recognize weed for what it is… the safest drug on the planet!!
Replace all the prescription drugs the NFL gives these guys with weed should be a no brainer
I’m not arguing how ridiculous the law/rule is. But if your jobs says you cant smoke and they test you for it; then don’t smoke it.
The Chronic to alleviate chronic conccussion syndrome
and hamstring pulls and any pain. so many things
the chronic ironic
In the process of teaching my son how to play chess this thought occurred to me: people used to say that Chip Kelly was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers.
As it turns out Chip isn’t playing chess, he’s playing that game from Braveheart where kids throw rocks at each other.
We all know what Chip was playing
http://www.drinkinggames.co.uk/images/games/bullshit.jpg
Chip’s favorite game is “Go Fish”
Do you have a gameplan? “Go Fish”
Did you make adjustments to your opponents? “Go Fish”
Who do you want to draft? “Go Fish”
Where’s my big people beat up little people quotes?
Comon’ guys!
I think a more accurate assessment would be that Chip Kelly was playing chess while everyone else was playing checkers…at a checkers tournament.
Brilliant .
I think chip was playing chess
..chesterthemolesterwithlittleboys
chip was playing chess, but he traded for a rb that was a queen with none of the moves.
For anyone that didn’t get the details to the Bradham contract, they are as follows.
Nigel Bradham, LB (Eagles): Two years, $7MM. $4.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. $500K base escalator for 2017
thank you! i was looking everywhere
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/709497951689822208
Sounds so weird to hear LA Rams.
I grew up with them being LA, so I was never good with St. Louis to be honest.
Ditto. I was ok with either the Raider or Rams coming back to Cali
To which state did the Raiders move?
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198912310phi.htm
I still remember this game vividly including the vaunted Eagles’ defense (which still had Brown) giving up nearly ~150 yds to the spectacularly mediocre Greg Bell & a few big players to Ellard and Anderson.
Yet another playoff game where teams didn’t let Randall run wild to the outside (taking a page from the Giants’ playbook), double-teamed Jackson, and the Eagles’ mediocre offense did very little.
Rams went up 14-0, went ball control with Bell, and the Eagles never really got in the game even though they scored late to make it 14-7.
Lol too young to remember.
Has anyone thrown out the idea of trading Darren Sproles for Stephen Tulloch? (“No, because uhhh it’s stupid.” -likely response from someone, I’m sure.)
Looking at Sportrac, each are in the last season of their contracts. If I’m correct, Sproles has a cap hit of $4.5mil, and Tulloch has a $7.3mil cap hit. We’d want to convince Tulloch to agree to spread the cap hit out over 2 years in exchange for some guaranteed money, and I think that would be doable.
Benefits for The Lions: They just elected to pay an extra $500k by not cutting Tulloch this weekend, so I’m guessing they want to try to find a trade. They could use a complementary RB as well as another receiving option, and not to mention a good punt returner. (I know they were using their #1 WR Golden Tate last year, which is a risky situation.) Sproles could help with all of that.
Benefits for the Eagles: We haven’t figured out how to get Sproles more involved in the offense, he didn’t have great chemistry with Bradford (or the Sanchize, for that matter), and I haven’t heard that Pederson’s offense is projected to make better use of him, so we might as get his $4.5mil off the books. (Hopefully, Tulloch’s restructured contract would involve a cap hit of under $4.5mil for 2016, leaving us with a net savings.) Tulloch has played {and played well) under Schwartz, and could a valuable mentor and backup to Jordan Hicks. After all, the reason Jordan Hicks was projected so low in the draft despite his athleticism and talent was because of durability concerns, and sure enough, he only played 6 games his rookie year. We should probably not feel so confident about penciling him in as our MLB of the future just yet. Tulloch would give us more insurance than Najee Goode, our sole decent LB backup as of now. (And remember: Kendricks also misses games every season.) Also, in case you’re worried the cupboard will be too bare for us at RB, I’d say the draft will have a lot of promising RB’s, and guys like Chris Polk are still on the market, and I’ve even liked what I’ve seen from Barner in limited snaps. I’m willing to roll the dice on RB to get our LB situation more shored up, but maybe I’m undervaluing the RB corps a little too much.
Anyway, just throwing this out there. Please forward it to Howie, gang. Thx.
Hey guys, let’s trade a RB for LB!
I mean RBs aren’t important anyway… Should call up KC for a Tobin-Charles swap
This is Howie do it.
It always works out.
That is a truism if I ever read one!
Mike drop.
Winner.
Looks like he’ll be a free agent soon.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/02
Edit: update on him here…
http://www.prideofdetroit.com/2016/3/14/11221380/debate-whats-going-on-with-stephen-tulloch-trade-retirement-release
On an offense that was devoid of playmakers and aside from Sproles has just an injury prone Mathews approaching 30 and Barber at RB this year. I’m not excited to trade away our best offensive weapon and playmaker for an even more expensive back up LB.
I think Sproles was criminally misused by Kelly and am looking forward to seeing what Pedeeson can do with him, even if it’s just for a year, maybe 2 if he looks like he hasn’t lost a step.
I hear you. People say what a great weapon he is, but then he was under-utilized, which might be because Chip Kelly, or Sproles isn’t quite as dynamic as he once was, and it’s just hard to see that during the games. I remember him having 2 or 3 bad drops last year (at least 1 or 2 were on perfectly-thrown wheel routes by Bradford). If there’s anything out there that says Pederson’s system is great for a Sproles type of player, I’ve missed it.
That said, I’m probably undervaluing RB’s, and I do love Sproles. If there IS anything that suggests Pederson/Reich’s offense will make particularly good use of him, then I definitely hope we keep him. I’m still a little worried about dedicating all that money to RB when I know the wide-9 puts pressure on the LB’s, and two of our LB’s are injury-prone.
sproles is a complete RB, he can do anything asked, how would he NOT be a perfect fit for pedersons offense?
Pederson has shown that he loves RBs that can catch, which Sproles is great at. I think that goes to show Sproles will be good in this O.
Furthermore Pederson runs a run heavy O. Most of the time Sproles touches the ball good things happen. I would imagine more touches by him will increase production.
Coming out of the backfield, Sproles is a matchup nightmare, just like Westy was. You can’t cover him with a LB, a S will struggle.
trading sproles for LB depth? hell no!!! unless tulloch can return punts as well as the best eagles PR of all time… and he cant
Couldn’t agree more. Sproles may not be our #1, but he is definitely a starter. You design plays to get the ball in his hands. Never trade that for a backup.
Plus his value at PR.
Absolutely. We don’t want to go back to the Reno Mahe days, do we?
oh good no
I’ve heard that when the other team punts the ball, this Sproles cat is pretty fierce with the ball in his hands.
leodis mcelvin does that. not sure why everyone things sproles will be the one. he dropped a lot of balls last year and there’s no scat back in KC assuming we’d have the same offense — DAT was wildly underused.
sproles is more than a scat back, hes a complete RB.
meh he had a couple bad drops he still has good hands.
plus ryan mathews had more drops, and more bad drops.
I’m ok with moving on from Sproles if it is to save Cap or sign another player. Let Agholor, Huff or Leodis fight for return duties
Ummmm NO!! Nelson isnt an NFL return man, Huff cant handle punts.
Sproles is already one of the best eagles PRs of all time.. in two seasons!!! Plus a damn good complete RB, at a fair salary!! you dont let guys like that go.
How do you know Nelson cant handle punts? Sorry Im just not in love with Sproles anymore as a 3rd RB
because i know. just lie maclin did all that stuff in college, but just wasnt NFL quality at it.
you should be in love with sproles, he could be a hall of famer
Was Maclin ever asked to return punts?
Nelson is just one year removed from being a really good return man. I think he would be fine in the role.
If the Eagles need that 5M that Sproles is making and decide to let him go; I’m not crying about it.
Maclin was asked to when a rookie i preseason.. didnt do well he isnt natural at it. same thing with nelson. he can be a back up to sproles tho
ima be pissed if they let sproles go. you should be too. hes our best RB and worth every penny he is making
I think Sproles is still to important of a weapon for us. He has the ability to singlehandedly turn the tide of a game. We don’t have another player like that. It’s also possible his touches may go up this year in a a very run oriented O. Pederson loves RBs who can catch, and as we all know Sproles is very dynamic in that department.
Add to the fact our only other truly proven RB has serious durability issues. I like Barner but he is not the weapon Sproles is.
Trading Sproles will create depth at one position with durability issues only to create a lack of depth at another position with durability issues.
You mention Polk, and while I like him he is not the playmaker Sproles is. His ability is needed on an O that greatly lacks play makers.
Yes of course we could draft a RB, but if we trade him now it is not a garuntee we will get a play maker like him at RB in the draft.
I think it’s best for the team that he stays. Again, maybe if we had other play makers on the team he could be expendable, but we simply dont.
To add, Tulloch is showing decline in which Sproles is not.
Good points.
Let’s say all of the following RBs would declare for this year’s draft:
McCaffrey, Fournette, Freeman, Cook, Rose, Hood, Mack, Perine, Butler.
Where would Zeke rank?!
Zeke n Fournette then the rest lol
mccaffery is better than both of them
I get the feeling McCaffery wont be that good in the NFL
why? because hes WHITE!!! YOURE RACIST!!! lol
His genes though, his genes!!!
Brooks likes him. I just struggle finding a good comp for him.
http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000613608/article/mccaffrey-has-promising-future-as-multipurpose-threat
Certainly not higher than Fournette. If you count the ability to be a prime time return man and weapon in the pass game, McCaffrey might outrank Zeke as well.
I would love to get McCaffrey!!
After Fournette but well above the rest IMO
id take mccaffrey over them all. but next player would be zeke than fournette
But would McCaffrey be as successful in the NFL as he is in college?..I love watching him but to me he screams Reggie Bush 2.0 and may not translate into NFL success. Fournette has the most upside based on the physical tools he possesses. Zeke is Zeke, a very talented RB. Fournette followed by Zeke above all else.
I mean you can ask that question about any player in draft
And how about Gurley? Where would he fall in the list, as a reference point.
Good question.
I’d go:
Tier 1 (Bellcow)
Fournette, Elliot, Cook, Gurley, Gordon, Chubb
Tier 2: (Leading back in stable)
McCaffery, Abdullah, Freeman, Perine, Dixon, Booker, Conner
Tier 3: (1B back)
Coleman, TJ Yeldon, Prosise, Henry, Perkins,
And for reference I’d call Mathews a 1B.
Interesting. So, while Elliot is the unanimous top back this year, there are just as talented backs before and after? He isn’t AP, Bo Jackson, sure-fire rushing champ?
There is no such thing as a sure fire pick, even RBs. Fournette is the guy who has been billed as next AP since he was 16 years old. Thus far he’s on pace. If Fournette continues to get better next year he’ll grade out higher than Elliot. Elliot may be more well rounded but Fournette is a better runner. Hell Dalvin Cook may very well be as well but he’s such a shitty human being that I don’t like saying nice things about him.
Figured I’d fire up another mock. And yes, I know Henry isn’t going to be there in the 3rd. Tre Burton might also be going to H-back
Round 1 Pick 8: Ronnie Stanley, OT, Notre Dame (A+)
Round 3 Pick 14: Hunter Henry, TE, Arkansas (A+)
Round 3 Pick 16: Christian Westerman, OG, Arizona State (A)
Round 4 Pick 2: Deion Jones, OLB, LSU (A)
Round 5 Pick 14: Ben Braunecker, TE, Harvard (B+)
Round 5 Pick 25: Tyler Ervin, RB, San Jose State (A+)
Round 6 Pick 13: Jared Norris, ILB, Utah (B-)
Round 7 Pick 12: Yannick Ngakoue, OLB, Maryland (A)
Round 7 Pick 30: LeShaun Sims, CB, Southern Utah (B-)
What website are you using?
First-Pick.com
Now you’re just getting exotic/showboating.
Round 1 Pick 13 (MIA): Eli Apple, CB, Ohio State (B+)
Round 2 Pick 11 (MIA): Cody Whitehair, OG, Kansas State (A)
Round 3 Pick 14: Will Fuller, WR, Notre Dame (A+)
Round 3 Pick 16: Kyle Murphy, OT, Stanford (B)
Round 4 Pick 2: Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA (B)
Round 5 Pick 14: Charone Peake, WR, Clemson (A)
Round 5 Pick 25: Glenn Gronkowski, FB, Kansas State (A+)
Round 6 Pick 13: Jacoby Brissett, QB, NC State (A+)
Round 7 Pick 12: Antwaun Woods, DT, Southern California (B)
Round 7 Pick 30: Andrew Ness, C, Northern Illinois (D)
I tired…
Generally dig it except for Brissett.
Also, I’ve stopped trading down because I’m not sure they traded up to trade down again.
If this team turns out to have a decent defense next year but a pedestrian offense which is bottom 1/3 of the league, how many Eagles’ fans are going to bitch and complain about how they lack Reid’s/Kelly’s explosiveness on offense?
You mean that explosive 2015 offense? Reid/Kelly are gone, no need for people to keep holding onto them.
McNsbb offense snd deseanJsckson offenses yes sireee
I would prefer Marques Colston as veteran WR