Gored

Jason Kelce, gone. Fletcher Cox, gone. Today we found out another Eagles legend was walking away.

DeVante Parker is retiring. He allegedly wants to spend more time with his family. I prefer to believe that he’s intimidated by the thought of facing James Bradberry in practice and just decided to hang up his cleats.

Go ahead and put DeVante Parker in the Frank Gore wing of the Eagles Hall of Fame.

Joking aside, this isn’t a shocker. The Eagles were his third team in four years. Parker is a player on the decline and he knows that. I’m guessing the idea of playing for a title contender really appealed to him, but as offseason activities got closer he realized he didn’t want to deal with the grind of camps and practices. That is understandable.

The game of football is fun. The practice and preparation are not. Well, at least not to most people. There is always the occasional guy who enjoys all the work and the grind of the offseason.

The Eagles still potentially have good depth at receiver.

WR – AJ Brown – Johnny Wilson

WR – DeVonta Smith

Slot – Parris Campbell – Ainias Smith – Britain Covey

Campbell can play in the slot or outside. Smith might be able to play outside, but he’s better suited for the slot.

The Eagles need to add a veteran to the mix to help them get through the spring and summer. They also need someone in case, god forbid, there is an injury. The free agent market is pretty bare. You know Howie will be working the phones to see if anyone is available in a trade. He will also try to figure out who is likely to cut a WR worth claiming. There are different options. The good news is that the Eagles don’t need anyone right now. They can be patient and see how things go.

The rookies have an opportunity here. If they perform well, it will help them to not only secure roster spots, but also to make the coaches think they are worthy of a role this season.

*****

If you need to win a bar bet, Zach Berman has your trivia to pull that off.

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The Eagles have now signed all of their draft picks except first rounder Quinyon Mitchell. Cooper DeJean just signed his deal on Monday. There was some thought he could be the last to sign because second round picks can be a bit trickier these days. Howie and his staff do a great job with contracts so it isn’t a surprise to see that they figured out something that worked for both sides.

Mitchell should get done soon. The days of draft picks not signing for months is long gone.

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Jimmy Bama put out his roster prediction. Spoiler alert…he had Parker making the roster. Here is his exact quote.

I guarantee you that DeVante Parker will make the roster. Bet your mortgage on it. Bet your parents’ mortgage. And your neighbors. He is a one-million percent lock. There is zero chance Parker doesn’t make this team.

At least I assume that’s what Jimmy said. I saw Parker’s name on there and quit reading so I could come over here and point out the error, like any good friend would.

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