The Reed Option

Posted: April 1st, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 2 Comments »

For the Eagles defense to get better, an infusion of talent was needed. The team added Bryce Huff, Zach Baun, Devin White, Oren Burks, CJGJ and Tyler Hall. That’s a mixture of starters and role players. This can’t all be about new guys, though. The defense also needs returning players to play better in 2024.

Arguably the key player for that is Reed Blankenship. He started four games as a rookie and showed a lot of promise, helping the Eagles reach the Super Bowl. Blankenship started 15 games last year, leading the team in tackles (113) and INTs (3). There were times when he looked very good. But there were also more than a few plays that he would like to have back, as Nick Sirianni likes to say.

Blankenship is a work in progress. Safety is a position where it can take a few years to get going. You need a good knowledge of what the offense is trying to do. You need to know your scheme and what all the guys in the back seven are doing. Then just go execute at a high level. Sounds easy, right?

I think Blankenship getting a new position coach and new defensive coordinator will help. His mistakes were more mental than physical. Blankenship is a good tackler. He can hit and is a physical player. He has good ball skills and has shown the ability to jump routes.

The Eagles certainly believe in him.

This basically eliminates the RFA season. It gives Blankenship some money and a sense of security. The Eagles will see how Blankenship plays over the next year or two and decide if he’s a long term solution or is better suited as a third safety. I think he’ll end up being a long term starter, but he does need to play better.

Safety could go from a weak spot to a strength this year. If Blankenship improves and CJGJ plays as expected, that’s a good duo. Sydney Brown would be a terrific #3 safety, but he’s injured and will miss half the season, give or take. That leaves Tristin McCollum and Mekhi Garner as the other backups. Garner has size, speed and athleticism. He’s still learning the position and only played in three games last year.

The Eagles have not spent a lot of time on safeties in the pre-draft process. I don’t think they are targeting anyone who would be an early pick. They would probably like to add someone on Day 3 or as a priority UDFA. At this point, they are looking for depth, not a starter.

*****

The Eagles are looking at a lot of CBs. They will take one. They might use pick 22 on a corner. They are looking at guys with different values to make sure there is someone they like in different rounds.

There are a lot of CBs I like. There should be someone left at 22 if they want to go for one that early.

My favorite non-1st rounder is Max Melton from Rutgers. I think he’s the kind of scrappy, competitive player the Eagles need in their secondary.

_

Reddick Traded

Posted: March 30th, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

Haason Reddick should be a player the Eagles are building around. Instead, he’s gone. This has been a strange situation for the past couple of months. Reddick is clearly a good player. He seems like a good guy. But now he’s headed to the green team up north.

There are a few different angles to this. Let’s start with the compensation. Getting a conditional 2nd round pick is fine. In 2026? Not so much. That is an eternity in sports time. Howie Roseman is arguably the best trader in the league. He generally gets good compensation and pays fair prices. He knows value and is a good negotiator. If this is what he got, this is what was available.

Not ideal.

That brings us back to the subject of Reddick himself. He’s 29, but has four consecutive seasons of double-digit sacks. Reddick had 16 sacks and 5 FF in 2022 and was a huge part of the Eagles making it to the Super Bowl. So why were the Eagles willing to trade him and why was there such a poor market for him?

While Reddick is a productive pass rusher, he is erratic as a run defender. He loves to freelance. There were more than a few times last year when he failed to set the edge and RBs got out wide. Reddick would get into the wrong gap, hoping to make a play. Coaches need players to focus on the right gap so the other defenders know what to do.

Age is a factor. Reddick will turn 30 in September. He is still a gifted player, but teams do prefer younger players.

Most of all, this is about money. Reddick signed a 3-year, $45M deal with the Eagles in the 2022 offseason. He posted 27 sacks over the past two years and thinks he’s being underpaid. Reddick saw other guys getting more money and that obviously bothered him. Nick Bosa got $122.5M guaranteed in his new deal with SF. Reddick wanted more money and the Eagles weren’t going to give that to him.

Apparently, the Jets are willing to give him a new deal. That’s in the works so we’ll have to wait and see what he does get.

The Eagles could have refused to deal Reddick. They could have told him to play out his deal and then hit free agency next March. I’m guessing Reddick made it clear to the Eagles that he wasn’t going to be a happy camper. Howie and Nick Sirianni saw the problems the team had last year. There were times when players had personal agendas and that led to problems. The 2022 team was more close-knit and that helped them to win.

If the Eagles are going to get back to winning, they need everyone rowing in the same motion. Having a 30-year old star pass rusher who is disgruntled or frustrated wasn’t a good idea. That situation would get worse over time, not better.

There is also something odd about Reddick. The Cardinals let him leave after a 12.5 sack season in 2020. He signed a one-year deal with Carolina and had 11 sacks for them. That led to his signing with the Eagles. Three straight teams saw him post double-digit sacks and then let him walk. Teams see a good pass rusher. Reddick sees himself as a star, a special player. That puts a chip on his shoulder. That’s good when it fuels Reddick, but becomes an issue when it means he’s always going struggle to be happy.

The Eagles felt they had to make a move. They do have a good group of pass rushers in place.

RE – Josh Sweat – Nolan Smith

LE – Bryce Huff – Brandon Graham – Zach Baun

The Eagles are also checking out a lot of Edge prospects. Laiatu Latu, Chop Robinson and Marshawn Kneeland are all coming to Philly for Top 30 visits. Those guys will go in the 1st and 2nd rounds. Sweat and Graham will probably be gone after this year so the Eagles could invest in another young pass rusher.

It is funny that the Eagles and Jets essentially swapped Huff and Reddick. The Eagles got younger, the Jets older. I don’t understand why the Jets just didn’t pay Huff. They obviously see Reddick as more of a sure thing, but it still feels odd to me.

There is risk in this move to be sure. The Eagles are counting on Huff to become a good starter. They need Nolan Smith to take a big leap forward. They also need a bounce-back year from Sweat. Howie didn’t want to trade his star pass rusher, but he felt this was the best way to handle the situation. Reddick has a chance at a new deal and the Eagles move forward with younger pass rushers. And an extra pick…in 2026.

*****

With new players, a new offense and a new defense, the Eagles need more practice time. I’m glad to hear about this.

_

« Older Entries
Newer Entries »