The Offseason Begins
Posted: January 6th, 2020 | Author: Tommy Lawlor | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 12 Comments »Don’t get too excited by that title. Nothing significant has happened yet, but we are seeing the beginning of offseason activity.
Here is the hottest news item.
The #Browns have requested an interview with #Eagles DC Jim Schwartz for their head coaching job, per source.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 7, 2020
I have very mixed feelings here. I think Schwartz deserves another chance to be a head coach. I also think he is the kind of no-nonsense coach that the Browns roster could use right now. He failed in Detroit due to a lack of talent. The Browns have talent. They need leadership and direction.
I would hate to lose Schwartz. I know he has plenty of critics in Eagles Nation, but he’s done a better job than many realize. He’s coached six playoff games for the Eagles and they have held all but one team to 17 points or less. For all the criticism of this year’s defense, they were 10th in yards allowed. The defense held 8 of the last 10 opponents to 17 points or less.
Is Schwartz perfect? Heck no. But don’t be so quick to dismiss a coach who helped the team win the first Super Bowl in franchise history and who has a strong track record.
Good coaches aren’t easy to find.
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Roster Move: #Eagles have signed the following players to reserve/future contracts. pic.twitter.com/Ypmx9EzCZP
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 6, 2020
This may not seem like a big deal, but one of these guys could prove to be important in the future. We learned this year just how valuable practice squad players and developmental prospects can be.
Huggins played some for the Eagles during the season and showed potential. Lauletta also is interesting now that he’ll have a full offseason with the team.
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Miles Sanders, who was on crutches today, played through an MCL sprain in the second half on Sunday, per sources.
He already had an ankle sprain. Tough performance from the #Eagles rookie. https://t.co/OgUpdgyO2H
— Dave Zangaro (@DZangaroNBCS) January 6, 2020
I love Sanders toughness. He had a sprained ankle going into Sunday, but wasn’t about to sit out a playoff game.
Then he got hurt during the game. Sanders still played and performed well overall.
RBs take a beating. They must be able to play through pain and even minor injuries. So far, so good for Sanders on that front.
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Here is your odd quote of the day.
Eagles OT Jordan Mailata on the difficulty of switching sides on the OL…
“It’s like wiping your backside with your other hand… It’s not going to be clean, but it gets the job done.”
— Jimmy Kempski (@JimmyKempski) January 6, 2020
I think that’s enough on that subject.
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The safety position is very much up in the air.
https://twitter.com/SportsRadioWIP/status/1214247749660659712
McLeod will be 30 in June. There is a case for bringing him back, but also one for moving on. That’s the problem with him. You can’t call him a bad player because that wouldn’t be accurate. At the same time, he’s got limitations.
You also have to be careful when focusing on age because safety is a spot where experience can make a big difference.
The other issue is…
“I won’t be back on the same deal. That won’t happen.” Malcolm Jenkins discusses contract situation. pic.twitter.com/Zcot1IvLPS
— Tim McManus (@Tim_McManus) January 6, 2020
The Eagles likely don’t want to lose both Jenkins and McLeod at the same time. They have basically no depth there so you’d prefer to keep one.
Jenkins is the better player, but he’s also older and more expensive. He also has coverage limitations. That said, he is good when used in a specific way and Jenkins is also a terrific leader. That has real value.
Based on how Jenkins played the last month, I think there is a decent chance the Eagles give him that raise, if only for a year.
There are some other options. I don’t want to get into all of that right now. Put simply, the Eagles have some decisions to make.
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Nelson Agholor is going to meet with a knee specialist in Pittsburgh. Hoping to avoid surgery, but needs more answers about it.
Agholor is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) January 6, 2020
More than a few people have been wondering why the Eagles didn’t just put him on IR if his knee was that bad.
We don’t know anything for sure. My guess is that they were waiting to put him on IR to clear a space for DeSean Jackson’s return.
In the interim, they kept Agholor with the idea that the swelling might go down and he might be able to play. Had they cut him and signed some other young player, chances are that the player would not have gotten on the field so nothing was really lost.
The one troubling angle is that this is another injury where the medical staff didn’t seem to have a good feel for what was going on. We’ll get more into that subject down the road.
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[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he needs to dangle taking half in. The Eagles can’t bring him back. They simply can’t attain that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty points this 365 days and affords with nagging accidents. He’s an all-time enormous Eagle, nevertheless they private to let him lope. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peterssays he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that.Petersstruggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go.Andre Dillardneeds to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles Blitz Jason Peters states he desires to keep playing. The Eagles can not bring him back. They just can refrain from doing that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had charge issues this year and handle unpleasant injuries. He is an all-time terrific Eagle, but they need to let him go. Andre Dillard requirements to be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he needs to maintain taking part in. The Eagles can’t deliver him again. They merely can’t do this. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty points this yr and offers with nagging accidents. He’s an all-time nice Eagle, however they should let him go. Andre Dillard must be the LT in 2020. […]
[…] The Morning After – Iggles BlitzJason Peters says he wants to keep playing. The Eagles cannot bring him back. They simply cannot do that. Peters struggled on Sunday. He’s had penalty issues this year and deals with nagging injuries. He is an all-time great Eagle, but they have to let him go. Andre Dillard needs to be the LT in 2020. […]