Impact Players

Posted: April 29th, 2022 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

The Eagles were a playoff team in 2021, but they weren’t good enough to beat good teams. They just didn’t have enough impact players. They needed to go find guys who weren’t just going to start, but guys who could really affect games.

Fletcher Cox vs Mike Patterson

DeVonta Smith vs Nelson Agholor

Just finding solid, talented players wasn’t going to be enough. The Eagles had to shoot higher. And boy they did.

Howie Roseman traded up from 15 to 13 to take Jordan Davis, the top DT in the draft. Then Howie Roseman pulled off the shocking move of the night, trading pick 18 and a fourth rounder to the Titans for receiver A.J. Brown.

Wow.

We’ll start with Brown since that is the more notable move. Brown is one of the top receivers in the NFL. Any time you can add a talent like that, you want to try to make it happen. The Titans didn’t want to lose him, but realized they probably weren’t going to get a long term deal done. Their loss became the Eagles gain.

Brown is an ideal fit for the Eagles. He has averaged 62 catches a year since coming to the NFL so he’s not a volume receiver. Most star receivers expect to catch 100 passes. Brown played for a team that ran the ball a lot so he had to impact the game without a ton of touches. Brown has 24 TD catches in the past three years and has averaged 16 yards per reception.

Playmaker.

Brown also is a good fit because of his style of play. He is 226 pounds. He is a tough, physical receiver. You can throw the ball downfield to him or you can  hit him with a slant and let him add RAC yards. DeVonta Smith is a technician. Quez Watkins is an explosive receiver. Brown is a good complement to them. Suddenly the Eagles have a good set of receivers.

The Eagles gave Brown a 4-year, $100M extension. You can argue about the wisdom of that, but I am completely fine with it. The Eagles have Jalen Hurts playing on a rookie contract so they can get away with paying big money to a receiver. And Brown is a sure thing…a proven veteran. The Eagles could have tried to add someone in the draft, but picks are a roll of the dice. Brown can step into the offense right away and contribute at a high level. He should make the players around him better.

This was a bold move and I love it.

Some people are pushing back by focusing on their lack of faith in Jalen Hurts. That’s fine. Hurts isn’t a sure thing. But he’s got legit weapons heading into the 2022 season. If he can’t get the job done, the Eagles will know it and can focus on finding a QB.

*****

I had a feeling Jordan Davis would end up an Eagle. They brought him to Philly for a visit. Jonathan Gannon attended his Pro Day in person. I thought Davis would go in the 10-15 range so his value would be a good fit. Howie traded ahead of Baltimore to make sure he landed the DT he wanted. Many people thought the Ravens would take Davis if he’d been there.

Davis is 6-6, 340. People assume he is a run-stuffing NT because of the size. Davis is much more than that. He is an athletic freak. The Eagles can use him at 0-tech, 1-tech and 3-tech. They could even play him at DE in 3-man lines. He’s so much more than just a big body.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4pW18Ntw3k

Some fans pushed back on this pick, which surprised me a bit. If he’s so big and so athletic, why did he get pulled off the field at UGA? Why wasn’t he more productive?

Georgia fielded one of the best defenses in college football history. Another DT went in the 1st round. A DE went #1 overall. A LB and S went in the 1st round. They have a DT coming back next year who could go Top 10. They have 2 other LBs who will be drafted on Friday night, maybe both in the 2nd round. One of the backups from 2020 transferred to Florida State and became the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. This was a deep defense over the past few years. Players got rotated. Nobody stayed on the field all game long.

You also have to understand Georgia’s scheme. They didn’t run a standard 4-3 or standard nickel and just turn the DL loose.

Football is constantly evolving. Penn State lets their DL attack up the field. UGA doesn’t. Both systems can work. You figure out what you want to do and then you run that scheme. You don’t obsess on how productive your players are if you’re winning.

Davis will be more productive in the NFL. The Eagles will give him more chances to make plays.

Fletcher Cox is in his last year here so Davis gets a season to learn before the pressure is on him to start and play at a high level. Hopefully Davis will hit the ground running and won’t need that time. If he plays well, the coaches can get real creative. You could put him at NT and Cox and Javon Hargrave at DE in a 3-man and then have Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick rush off the edge. That would be a lot of talented guys going after the QB.

The Eagles have added bigger DTs in the past year so that must be something Gannon wants. Now he gets a guy with enormous size and enormous talent. Davis has the potential to be a special player. Daniel Jeremiah compared him to Albert Haynesworth. He reminds me of Akiem Hicks. Either way, both of those guys were studs who played on elite defenses.

Great way to start the 2022 draft. I’ll gladly give Howie Roseman all the credit in the world for these moves. The Eagles are a much better team than they were on Thursday morning.

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2 Comments on “Impact Players”

  1. 1 The Linc - Titans fans describe A.J. Brown trade as “awful value” - Ultimate Raging Fans said at 8:28 AM on April 29th, 2022:

    […] Impact Players – Iggles BlitzWe’ll start with Brown since that is the more notable move. Brown is one of the top receivers in the NFL. Any time you can add a talent like that, you want to try to make it happen. The Titans didn’t want to lose him, but realized they probably weren’t going to get a long term deal done. Their loss became the Eagles gain. Brown is an ideal fit for the Eagles. He has averaged 62 catches a year since coming to the NFL so he’s not a volume receiver. Most star receivers expect to catch 100 passes. Brown played for a team that ran the ball a lot so he had to impact the game without a ton of touches. Brown has 24 TD catches in the past three years and has averaged 16 yards per reception. Playmaker. Brown also is a good fit because of his style of play. He is 226 pounds. He is a tough, physical receiver. You can throw the ball downfield to him or you can hit him with a slant and let him add RAC yards. DeVonta Smith is a technician. Quez Watkins is an explosive receiver. Brown is a good complement to them. Suddenly the Eagles have a good set of receivers. […]

  2. 2 Eagles News: Titans fans describe A.J. Brown trade as “awful value for one of the NFL’s best receivers” – Bleeding Green Nation – xxp5 grooves said at 1:39 PM on April 29th, 2022:

    […] What sets Willis apart from Hurts, however, is his pure arm talent, which gives him more upside.Impact Players – Iggles BlitzWe’ll start with Brown since that is the more notable move. Brown is one of the top receivers in […]