Coming and Going – Updated

Posted: March 14th, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on Coming and Going – Updated

Tuesday was a wild day for the Eagles.

Just as I predicted, the Eagles weren’t going to add any big names. Oops.

One of the benefits to winning the Super Bowl is that some veterans value the chance to join a title contender. Ngata is coming to Philly to be the Eagles #3 DT. Think about that statement for a second. Ngata as your #3. Crazy.

At the same time, you have to be careful about fixating on names at this time of the year. Ngata is 34 and coming off a biceps injury that limited him to just five games in 2017. This isn’t the same guy who dominated the line of scrimmage in his prime. Still, he could thrive as a rotational player for the Eagles.

Initially I thought Nelson was coming to Philly to be the new Najee Goode. That second tweet makes me think he might be a bigger part of the defense. The Eagles might see him as a potential “starter”…in the base defense. They mostly play with just two LBs on the field, but Nelson could be the third guy when they play a true 4-3.

It is also possible that the Eagles are either going to cut or trade Mychal Kendricks and see Nelson as a younger, cheaper player at WLB. My guess is that they keep Kendricks and go with a trio of Jordan Hicks, Kendricks and Nelson. All three of them can run and cover.

Nelson signed a one-year deal because he wants to come and play and have a shot at getting a bigger deal a year from now. He’s going to be a hungry, motivated player.

Now the down side of free agency.

The Eagles loved Burton, but couldn’t compete with money like that. They already have a lot of money in an athletic, pass-catching TE. You can’t spend big on two of them. Burton was a bit upset that the Eagles didn’t try harder to keep him, but I just don’t see how they could have made that work. They loved him as a player, but he outgrew his role here and needed to leave. I’m happy he’s getting good money and going to a good situation.

Great news. That would be a pick in 2019, in case you are confused at all.

NOOOO!!!

I’m looking into the rumors that Carson Wentz forced the Eagles to move on from Beau because he was jealous of his long, flowing Thor-like hair, chiseled frame and overall sexiness. I can’t confirm anything right now, but I’m pretty sure that’s 100 percent true. Or more.

Beau Allen was a 7th round pick who developed into a good player. I think he was also a key guy for locker room chemistry. He always seemed to be having fun and seemed to connect with all kinds of teammates. I’m definitely going to miss him. I’ll be pulling for him as long as he stays out of Dallas. Let’s hope someone gives Beau good money. There was a report the Bucs were interested. That bizarre locker room could use a person like him. And that DL could use a player like him as well.

Finally…

This one hurt.

I’ve been following Brent since he was a player at the University of Cincinnati. I was happy when the Eagles took him and have enjoyed watching him for the past decade plus. A pro’s pro. A true Eagle, through and through.

Here is one of my favorite memories of Celek.

I need to write a long piece on Celek when things slow down. He had a memorable 11 years with the Eagles. He saw just about everything you could imagine. At a time when it seems like so much is wrong with the league, Celek is the kind of guy who you could enjoy watching on the field and also feel good about off it.

He will be missed.

*****

The Eagles cut Celek to save $4M in cap room.

The Eagles are now under the cap. They are under by more than a few bucks. That space could be spent adding Nelson and Ngata. The Eagles could also still be looking to add a WR or TE in free agency. And there is still the possibility of them keeping Patrick Robinson.

By getting under the cap, the Eagles can hold onto Vinny Curry and continue to try and deal him. Or…

Who knows. There are a lot of moving pieces for the Eagles (and other teams to deal with). We’ll get a better sense of things when free agency officially starts on Wednesday at 4pm.

*****

UPDATES

First, some actual news.

Interesting. Not sure exactly what to make of this, but it does tell us they don’t see Bennett as just a solid guy. They’re paying him good money. They must think he can be a difference-maker in 2018.

And now this.

I am an idiot for trusting this idiot. I had a long, crazy day at the day job and didn’t do any digging on his Brandon Brooks tweet. I’m shocked that this guy doesn’t understand what the word expected  means and somehow blames that on Eagles Nation. I guess dealing with literate people was a bit much for him.

My apologies for any confusion that my trusting this idiot caused.

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