An Important Tradition

Posted: August 10th, 2020 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | Comments Off on An Important Tradition

Life has changed in a lot of ways during the pandemic so it is important whenever we can keep some semblance of normalcy. The Eagles have not let us down, continuing an annual tradition.

Another year, another free agent LB that didn’t work out.

2020 Jatavis Brown
2019 L.J. Fort, Zach Brown
2018 Corey Nelson, Paul Worrilow
2017 Steven Daniels
2015 Brad Jones
2014 Jason Phillips

To be fair, the Eagles didn’t pay big money to any of these guys. Still, you would expect a diverse group of players playing in different schemes for different coaches to fare better than this.

The Eagles did pay good money to Nigel Bradham and he did work out. They spent cheap on Duke Riley and he appears to have worked out. We’ll see.

This isn’t all about scouting or coaching. Some of these players had injury issues. Some just had bad luck. There isn’t really one common denominator. Some were athletic, some more physical. Some ILBs, some OLBs. Some veterans on the downside of their careers and some young guys with upside. In the end, they didn’t work out.

Brown wasn’t a lock to make the team. I would have projected him at this point, but I would have written his name in pencil. I don’t think anyone expected him to be a starter.

SLB Nate Gerry
MLB T.J. Edwards
WLB Duke Riley

Alex Singleton is the only veteran backup, and we have to use that term lightly. He did play in 10 games last year, but mostly on special teams.

The Eagles have a trio of rookies in the mix. Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley and Dante Olson all have NFL potential. Taylor is a gifted athlete with big upside. I think he will get on the field this year, even if only as a role player.

Bradley is a solid athlete and could push for a roster spot. He’s more likely to make his impact on STs. Olson was a highly productive small-school player. He has solid size and might surprise some this summer. The big question with Olson is speed. He ran 4.88 in his workout. He would need great instincts to make it in the league with that speed.

There is no question that the Eagles need to bring in a veteran at some point. I would let the young guys get as many reps as possible for now. There are not good LB options available. Teams will make cuts in the next month and the Eagles should have better options at that point.

Brandon Lee Gowton posted a list of potential options. I will admit that Darron Lee fascinates me, but the fact he’s still on the street doesn’t say good things about the former first round pick.

The Eagles will make a depth move, sooner or later.

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It is kinda cool to watch the young guys in action. There isn’t anything to take from the video, but seeing any semblance of football right now is a good thing.

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https://twitter.com/WordOnTheBirds/status/1292964623164080128

File this under Summer Hyperbole (most likely), but boy would it be nice if Clement was healthy and back to his old form. Miles Sanders, Boston Scott and Clement would give the team a good, young trio of RBs. All athletic. All versatile.

The first order of business is for Clement to stay healthy. Maybe the short offseason will be a benefit to him.

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