Eagles Add a WR

Posted: March 15th, 2013 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 96 Comments »

On Friday the Eagles dealt for Bucs WR Arrelious Benn.  I like this move.  Benn is a tough, physical WR.  He is a good STs player.

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I loved Benn coming out of college.  Here are my notes on him:

“Only a Junior. Big, physical receiver. Reminds me a lot of Anquan Boldin. There were times at Illinois when Benn was a man among boys. Benn is a good WR, but does need work. He has good hands. Locates the ball quickly and adjusts well to off target throws, which he saw a lot of. Runs pretty good routes, but Illinois ran a lot of WR screens to him. He does have good feet and body control. Is fluid in and out of his breaks. Benn has outstanding RAC ability. Arm tackles won’t slow him down. Anyone trying to put Benn on the ground with a hit better have some serious power. One of my favorite moments was when he ran over William Moore in the 2008 season opener. Has good speed, especially for a guy his size. Not a great athlete. One concern from a lot of people is Benn’s lack of production. In his 3-year career he only totaled 159 receptions and 7 TDs. Big 12 receivers have numbers like that as a Freshman. Benn wasn’t the problem. QB play was. Illinois QBs were very inconsistent in Benn’s career. They were awful in 2009. He offers added value as a KOR. Averaged 24 yards per KOR and took one back for a TD.”

Unfortunately Benn has not panned out so well in the NFL.  His best year was 2011, 30-441-3.  He may never become the player that I anticipated when I saw him in college.  Benn can still be good as a role player and STer.  He averaged 23.5 yards per KOR in 2012.  He also had 7 tackles in coverage (in only 8 games).

I would love for Benn to come here and suddenly turn into a top shelf WR, but that’s unlikely.  He can be part of the WRs corps and a good STs player.  I do think Chip will let Benn fight for a spot.  I’ve just not seen enough from him in the NFL to make me think he can seriously challenge DeSean Jackson or Jeremy Maclin.

The WR who I think should be most scared is Jason Avant.  He is a slot WR with no RS ability.  He hasn’t been a key STer in years.  Avant is very good at what he does (get open, catch the ball), but I think Chip Kelly is looking for more than that.  Either be a big guy (Riley Cooper, Benn) or a small guy with RAC ability and return skills (Damaris Johnson).  I’m not saying Avant should be scared of Benn specifically, but of making the roster in general.

If Kelly is going to keep 4 RBs and 4 TEs, he might only keep 5 WRs.  I think DJax, Mac, and Coop are close to sure things.  That leaves Jason, DJ, Benn, and the other guys to battle for 2 jobs.  Chip really does want competition.  He wants these players truly fighting for jobs and for playing time.  I can’t wait to see Maclin.  Either Jeremy will respond the right way and become the player we’ve been waiting for or he’s going to lose snaps to guys that are much less talented, but who play harder.

* * * * *

Let’s talk more about the pass rushers.  Dave Spadaro wrote this about Connor Barwin:

“Here, it’s likely that Barwin would play on the strong side and rush the quarterback off the edge. He’s here to add some punch to the pass rush as the Eagles meld some of the talent they used in the 4-3 scheme into Bill Davis’ new-look defense. What Barwin’s arrival means for the likes of Trent Cole, Brandon Graham and Co. remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Barwin is being counted on to bring some fury off the edge.”

Interesting.

A reader also found a month-old blurb from Howie Roseman where he referred to Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox as “building blocks”.

Interesting.

We could go with Barwin as the SAM with Graham as the Predator.  Trent Cole could be Graham’s backup and a rusher in the Nickel/Dime.  Vinny Curry could be a backup DE or possibly the backup SAM.  This might be the best way to use all the guys for maximum return.

Someone asked about simply cutting Trent Cole.  It is actually cheaper for the Eagles to keep him this year than to cut him.  He’s either getting dealt or playing.  My guess is that he stays.  The Eagles would love for him to have a bounce-back year and then to deal him next season.

It is possible that Howie’s comments about Graham being a building block are just fluff, but I tend to believe him.  I can’t really explain why.  You just have to know which comments you trust and which you don’t.  And be ready to be wrong plenty of the time.

If Barwin is the SAM, it does become a lot less likely that Dion Jordan gets taken.  You can’t say it is a slam dunk, but drafting him would put Barwin and Jordan at the same spot.

We’ll talk more about that #4 pick.

* * * * *

Spadaro indicated that most of the Eagles FA shopping is done.  I still think they could take a look at an OT if the price is right.  It is also possible they could look at a 5-tech DE.  Adam Schefter mentioned the Eagles could talk to Matt Shaughnessy.  He played with the Raiders, but is off talking to a pair of teams.  If nothing pans out, he may come here to talk.

At this point, the Eagles are purely bargain hunting.

As far as OTs go, Jake Long left St. Louis without a deal.  He is still there for the taking.  Sounds like he’s looking for mega-bucks.

Since the Eagles have been so aggressive in FA, they can wait and address OT in the draft if they choose.  This allows them to be passive with FA OTs.  That helps.  If agents know you have a need, they’re going to be more aggressive with demands.  The Eagles can just casually talk to agents and see if there is a deal out there that suits them. This isn’t about the Eagles being cheap.  This is about not overpaying for players.  The Eagles overpaid for Runyan and Kearse because they needed impact guys and couldn’t focus on value.  The team is in a much different situation now.

_

  • TommyLawlor

    I’ve mentioned the Eagles possibly replacing Dion Lewis a few times. Why? You’ll just have to trust me on this one. He has yet to show that he’s able to do everything it takes to be a successful NFL player off the field. I hope the new staff connects with him. Dion has shown NFL talent. Would love for him to pan out.

    • Iskar36

      I’d love for you to expand on this a but. What are his weaknesses? Do the coaches not believe in him? He just seems like he has been successful when given opportunities, so I don’t understand why he is already on the outside looking in.

      • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

        He always looks good in preseason, but then again, so did Na Brown.

        • xeynon

          Na Brown… there’s a name from the vaults.

      • Anders

        He did have the hotel accident last year.

        • Iskar36

          That was certainly immature, but I am not sure that’s enough to get you that badly into the dog house of not only one coach, but two. He has to be doing something (or not doing something) on the football field that has the coaches not happy.

          • Anders

            It sounds like Tommy knows something the public we dont know from one of his sources that he cant reveal (I trust Tommy, he was right about the NA thing)

          • Iskar36

            I get that. I’m just curious if he can say anything purely from a scouting standpoint rather than a source standpoint.

          • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

            “He’s Lazy”

          • Anders

            From how he worded it, it sound like its an off field issue only

          • Cliff

            Dude. read between the lines. This one can’t be explained from a “scouting” standpoint…

          • Iskar36

            Hmmm… Seems I misread read what Tommy said. I didn’t see the “off the field” part when I read it the first time. Makes a lot more sense now.

      • TommyLawlor

        I cannot expand on this at all. There are times when you guys just have to trust me.

        • Iskar36

          That’s fine. To be honest, I misread your post last night. I read it that Lewis is not a good RB and missed the blatant “off the field” comment. I certainly trust you with this type of thing and didn’t mean to put you in a tough situation. Sorry for that.

    • eagleizeit

      Tommy what do you think of Denard Robinson as a RB/QB and developing into a RB/WR/QB piece for Chip Kelly. I’m purely guessing that maybe he goes in the mid to late rounds. Maybe, in a different style of play, but a multi-threat kind of player like a Percy Harvin with QB skills.

    • EagleBob

      Hi Tommy. First post. Love your blog–actually, your info & insight–and what the Iggles have done so far. Is there any reason BG couldn’t take some snaps as ILB? He did play MLB ages ago in HS, but the attitude and perfect size are there. Slide him back and forth betw Predator & ILB. This opens a spot for Dion at SAM. Connor B evidently got his 11 sacks at weak-side OLB (Predator), so why not give him the chance to excel and provide back-up at SAM, too. Trent? Rush tackle/end, OLB on running downs. Assuming Eagles’ D wins first down over 50% of time, that puts Trent on the field for about 2/3 defensive snaps. This way, each gets plenty of snaps, but aren’t worn down when they do so. Should help the entire DL. A pass rush that included Cox, Barwin, Jordan/Ansah, Cole and Kendricks wouldn’t be too shabby. Great depth, too. God bless AR. I can hear him now saying you could never have enough “fast-balls”. He’s right about that.

    • SteveH

      He’s looked great when he’s had his opportunities, I’m very curious to know what off the field issues could possibly be limiting his playing time since whatever they are don’t appear to be impacting his game…

      • madeagle

        Fire alarm in hotel

    • SteveH

      He’s looked great when he’s had his opportunities, I’m very curious to know what off the field issues could possibly be limiting his playing time since whatever they are don’t appear to be impacting his game…

    • austinfan

      Eagles have been checking out small quick RBs, like Barner.
      I see a late in the draft pick of one of these guys, and a couple UDFA signings. Insurance if Dion doesn’t see the light.

    • http://twitter.com/ezgreene ezgreene

      Why does this matter? With Shady and Bryce BRown at most Dion Lewis is battling for 3rd RB with Polk to be inactive?

  • SleepingDuck

    Matt Shaughnessy signed with the Cardinals today

    • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

      I was just about to post that lol

      • SleepingDuck
        • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

          Quickly! There’s no time!

        • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

          If that was chasing me I would of beat you by 2 hours and needed new pants lol

  • Anders

    Tommy, you realty think Cooper is safe? Not that I disagree, Im just used to most Eagles fans been against him despite his stellar ST play, great blocking and his flashes of ability (how nice was it to see a WR catch a fade pass over the heads of a CB? not just once, but twice?)

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      The Eagles are trending towards taller players, so it seems likely that Cooper would have an edge going into camp before anything even happens.

      I don’t know if he’s a lock, but I would strongly expect him to make the team at this point.

      • Anders

        I would think his ST+blocking is the most important thing when you look and here what Kelly have said.

        • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

          Special teams and blocking don’t win jobs for wide receivers, at least not typically. So I think that will only get him so far.

          • Anders

            It does when your coach is Chip Kelly. Unless you are a weapon like Jackson, you better be able to block.
            Look at this highlight
            http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNsvYRWFuXA

          • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

            maybe so… does seem like we’re signing a lot of special teams types

          • deg0ey

            Certainly seems like there’s more emphasis on STs. Can’t say I’m too surprised. It’s an important part of the game and it’s been pretty much ignored in Philly the last few years.

          • A Roy

            Old time coaches felt you had to win two of the three aspects of the game…O, D, ST…in order to win the game. I guess that still is true. A kick butt offense and good ST will go a long way to paper over the fact we need two drafts for the defense to get well.
            On that note, I’m kinda pleased with who they’ve signed. It looks like the defense will improve to at least “they don’t suck”, and with a good draft the D might be decent by the last quarter of the season.

    • A_T_G

      Actually, the description on Benn could almost be used word for word to describe Cooper to a new fan base if the trade had been reversed. I would think Cooper has a better shot with this coach that the last one.

      • Anders

        I think Kelly likes what he have seen from Cooper on film. It really seems Kelly values blocking and ST from all of his players alot.

    • Arby1

      I think Cooper showed some improvement, when healthy, last year. Year over year, he took a decent step up. Last year, I wasn’t sure I wanted him on the team, this year I know I do.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

    Well if nothing else he’s got a great name. Sounds like a cross between Marcus Aurelius and Ben Hur.

    • TommyLawlor

      Nice.

    • http://twitter.com/DerromeDix Max Berlin

      The former IS his namesake, actually- middle name’s Markus. And signed on the Ides of March no less, I can’t decide if that’s a good omen or a really bad one.

      • austinfan

        You’ll just have to be stoic about it.

  • Iskar36

    http://eaglescap.com/Players/TrentCole.html

    I just posted this answering a question for ACViking, but I noticed that not only would it be costly to cut Cole this year ($6.4 mil dead money), but it also would be costly if we cut him next year ($4.8 mil dead money). I’m curious if that changes things at all. If the coaches don’t think he fits in to the new scheme, if they can’t trade him, he could stay as a backup, but next year he would still be very expensive to cut. In essence, the difference of cutting him now versus later is only $1.6 mil. So IF he doesn’t fit in, seems like it isn’t necessarily too expensive to cut him unless you plan in keeping him at least the next two years.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      I think he could still be valuable as a nickel rush end for us. Why are we in such a hurry to get rid of him?

      • Iskar36

        I think he could add some value, but do you pay a guy that much to be a situational rusher? If it was one year, sure, especially since you are on the hook to pay it anyway. The issue is that we would owe him that over a few years.

        Don’t get me wrong though. Cole is a guy I like and have no problem overpaying him to determine if he still has anything left in the tank. That being said, if the answer is no, or Graham and/or Curry are missing out in playing time they prove they deserve simply because Cole is a high priced vet, then I don’t think it makes sense.

        • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

          You make “situational rusher” sound much less important of a role than I believe it to be. Those are the most critical downs to defend. I’m convinced that in a reduced role, Cole still has plenty to offer.

    • Flyin

      “Someone asked about simply cutting Trent Cole. It is actually cheaper
      for the Eagles to keep him this year than to cut him. He’s either
      getting dealt or playing. My guess is that he stays. The Eagles would
      love for him to have a bounce-back year and then to deal him next
      season.”

      Seems to me, Tommy would like to trade Cole next year hoping his stock rises with a good showing in 2013.

      • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

        problem with that is that Cole’s base salary goes up too much for him to be tradeable. The almost have to cut him either now or at the end of the year, unless they can get him to accept a greatly reduced base salary.

    • deg0ey

      It’s important not to look at just the dead money, though.

      This season, he counts $5.3m against the cap, but if we cut him he’s $6.4m in dead money. I figure he’d have to be a really bad locker room presence or taking a roster spot from somebody you’re desperate to keep to have a team use extra cap space just to get rid of a guy.

      Next season he’ll count $6.6m if we keep him or $4.8m if we don’t. Cutting him at the end of this season is cheaper than keeping him; makes a lot more sense to do that.

      After next season, his cap value goes up to $11.5m, so there’s pretty much no chance he’s still around by then.

  • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

    Glad to see the Eagles Blog feed replacing the way out of date BountyBowl reading list.

    • TommyLawlor

      I fired that hack.

  • livingonapear

    If we are still keeping the WILL, SAM, and MIKE designations, can we call the PRED position the PHRED position?

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      At Alabama it’s the JACK position

    • TommyLawlor

      What happens if we ever sign a guy named Fred to play the PHRED? Chaos!!!

  • shah8

    Yup, just think of the Vikings. You *know* they absolutely had to pay more to get Jennings to come on over.

    I’m definitely wondering, since they got Cassel, whether they are interested in cutting or trading Webb. I suspect not, but if they are, and Chip thinks he can do a good job getting him to speed, he should be all over that like white on rice.

    • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

      Wondering if the Jets are going to pick up Kevin Kolb and dump Tim Tebow

      • http://twitter.com/alex_karklins Alex Karklins

        The Island of Misfit Quarterbacks? Poor Kevin Kolb.

    • A_T_G

      My interest in Webb would be characterized like you said; like Reggie White on Jerry Rice.

    • Lukekelly65

      I like Webb and the skill set he has but after seeing him in that playoff game im not sure he has what it takes..he’s still worth a look if he gets cut

    • xeynon

      In his three NFL seasons, Joe Webb has been unable to win a starting job from stiffs like Christian Ponder and Tarvaris Jackson. The last time we saw him on the field, he looked utterly incompetent in the Vikings playoff loss to the Packers – he not only couldn’t consistently move the ball, he had trouble even completing passes. He’s fast and has a strong arm, yes, but I don’t see any evidence that he’s capable of being a good NFL quarterback. No thanks.

      • shah8

        One game under the most adverse of circumstance doesn’t negate the body of work. And remember, in that worst game of his career, he was like 38% completion, 180 yards, one touchdown, one long interception, and 68 yards on the ground.

        Matt Cassel, for example, has started one playoff game, after starting throughout what was his best year as a pro. He was 50% passing, with three interceptions, for 70 yards. The only score for KC was a long TD by Charles. He was worse than useless, and had roughly the same opportunity to rack up garbage yards and points.

        When his mechanics are straight, Joe Webb is a much better passer than Cassel (and yeah, better than Ponder as well). The issue has always been about whether he can keep his mechanics straight and deal with an NFL playbook. The Viking’s aquisition of Cassel has nothing to do with any specific attempt to win games. Cassel can look like he can complete a pass without it bouncing, but Cassel can’t make plays.

        Joe Webb is >>>>>>> Dennis Dixon or Josh Johnson or any of those other people floating around as athletic QBs (or guys like Jake Locker, who can’t consistently throw anything like accurate passes). He’s basically about the most dynamic QB rusher in the league right now. Unlike Dennis Dixon, he’s capable of making passes in tight windows, and his knees are in much better shape. He’s bundles better than Nick Foles as a downfield passer–he finds people a lot faster, has a quicker trigger and release. Raw talent-wise, he’s starter grade talent, unlike Foles or Dixon, and my impression is that there is some impression throughout the league that he’s at least intriguing.

        • xeynon

          One game under the most adverse of circumstance doesn’t negate the body of work.

          The body of work is only slightly less bad. In his career Webb is 88-152 passing for 853 yards, with 3 TDs, 5 interceptions, a 5.6 Y/A average, and a 66.6 QB rating. He’s also taken 11 sacks in a quarter of a season’s worth of dropbacks. Those are numbers that range from mediocre to flat-out bad. Both Vick and Foles put up far better statistics last year. Yes, Webb can run fast and throw the ball a long way, but that’s not all there is as far as physical requirements to play quarterback in the NFL at a high level, and I don’t see any evidence that Webb has or can develop the missing elements. I haven’t heard anything about any other teams beating down the door to get him, and again, the fact that he can’t sniff playing time when he’s stuck behind one of the NFL’s worst starters is pretty damning. If the Vikings cut him and he can be brought in as a longshot camp body, fine, but I wouldn’t even give up a low round pick for him in a trade.

          • shah8

            Ponder starts because Speilman wants him to start. Percy Harvin absolutely blew up @ Seattle during one of Ponder’s sub-100 yard games, and everyone pretty much thinks he insisted on a trade *because* Ponder is so bad and *because* Ponder has no chance of being unseated no matter how bad he is. Schwartz left for KC because he had no chance of starting over a much worse Fusco. That’s just how Speilman run things.

            As far as the numbers go, they pretty much lie, given that most of his start was with no serious prep, like his last game, and the rest were in game appearance. Unlike what people think, the vast majority of backups do not have the capacity to go out there and win it for the gipper. When the backup is in there, like Kirk Cousins@ Seattle, or his first appearance, they’re only good for a couple of good plays, maybe a good drive or two. There isn’t a gameplan for him. He’s not familiar with the timing, and the defense knows that it’s basically going to be simple stuff and sandlot football.

            What isn’t a lie is that Webb is one of the very few backup QBs that *can* win a game for you. He *can* actually make plays and give you comeback wins after total FUBARs pretty much on his own efforts and not just leaning on his teammates. He *can* actually make more than one big play, and lead more than one successful drive. The number of backups that can do that, and I’ve checked, are minimal. Jason Campbell, for example, is a starter grade QB. Was he good for more than one TD a game for his offense in Cutler’s relief?

            Joe Webb is just not dissimilar enough from either Kaepernick or Newton for him not to be highly worthwhile as a gamble. No, teams aren’t beating down the door to get him, hence the gamble.

            By-the-by, TD/Turnover ratio is 8-9.

          • A_T_G

            So, you are saying:
            1. The Vikings knowingly chose not to play their best QB last year (except in that one game where they were taken apart).
            2. They signed another inferior QB, without any intention of trying to win games, to take his spot on the roster.
            3. The career stats for this foresaken would-be star are all a lie.

            If you can connect those dots into a promising QB prospect, you must be descended from the people who identified the constellations. Personally, I have trouble believing that five random points of lights look like a bull. Here though, I think I see the bull.

          • shah8

            1) Yes

            2) Yes

            3) Well, I did say why. I mean, why necessarily compare numbers where I think he has had all of two starts in 2010 where he actually had starter reps, and he won the first of those two games. He was only good enough to help the Vikings win that one. In that notable near-comeback against Detroit, he was stringing together first downs on rushes and passes, and making big plays happen. In that game against Washington, he successfully lead a comeback when the starting QB and star runningback were both knocked out of the game–making the most of just 5 passes, with three TDs altogether and helping Gerhart have a career rushing day as the Redskins focused on controlling Webb. Flat out, Webb has had periods of dominance better than anything Foles, Dixon, etc can put their names to, both passing and rushing.

            The constellations thing…I don’t think you’re making as much sense as you think you are.?

          • Neil

            Pick one, Matt Scott or Webb?

  • xlGmanlx

    Coop needs to go

    • TommyLawlor

      He might be a real good fit for Kelly. Coop is our best blocking WR. He has the size Kelly loves. I think Riley should be happy about the coaching change. Reid struggled with using big WRs.

      • austinfan

        Strange how a WCO coach managed to go a decade and never make the slant an integral part of his offense, merely got Rice the designation of GOAT, but Reid failed with Small, Thrash and everyone else not named TO. But those go routes, that’s another story.

      • mark_in_jax

        I agree about Cooper and would add that Avant is a good blocker as well as a team leader. Think that under your possible scenario of only keeping 5 wrs that D Johnson is the one in trouble not Avant. In 2014 Avant is a cap cut but a “keep” 2013.

  • deg0ey

    The way I see it, using Barwin at SAM doesn’t make it less likely they draft Dion; in fact, I think it’s even more likely now.

    Jordan’s surgery means he’s likely to miss parts of the offseason and may lose weight if he’s not able to train for a while – I don’t think he’s somebody you necessarily count on to make an impact on day 1.

    With Barwin playing at SAM, they can split snaps this season while Dion adjusts to NFL life with a view that Jordan becomes the full-time starter next year. Then next season, I think you cut/trade Cole and move Barwin across to rotate with Graham at the predator spot.

    That would mean you could have Dion and Barwin as your ‘starting’ OLBs and go to Graham and Curry as DEs in the nickel (Jordan and Kendricks as nickel LBs). Everybody gets to stick to what they’re used to whilst still being a capable backup for the other positions in the case of injury.

  • A_T_G

    Does anyone know if Dunn has blocked any kicks or punts? That seemed to be a reoccurring theme in the highlight videos I watched for many of the guys we added.

    • TommyLawlor

      Benn, you mean? No blocks.

      • A_T_G

        Stupid autocorrect. Yeah, I meant Benn.

        • Mac

          autocorrect… my irony sense is tingling.

    • Mitchell

      Have you seen T.j. McDonald blocking kicks? If Kelly wants special teams help and a developmental safety I think the Eagles should get him. It also helps he’s 6’2″.

  • dislikedisqus

    What does RS mean re a WR?

    Do the Eagles even have a playbook yet for guys like Casey to learn?

    • TommyLawlor

      Return Specialist = KOR an/or PR

  • xeynon

    Benn is still young, and is a valuable special teams player (in addition to being a kickoff returner he was also leading the Bucs in special teams tackles when he got hurt last year). At the price of moving back from the sixth to the seventh round this year and an unspecified (likely very late) pick next year, I don’t see what’s not to like about this deal.

    My guess as to why the Eagles haven’t addressed the offensive line in FA is that they’re leaning toward taking an offensive tackle in the first round. Either Joeckel or Fisher at 4, or Johnson if they move back to the 8-10 range with another team that wants to trade up for Milliner or Geno Smith. That makes more sense to me than trying to add a free agent. Jake Long, if he’s healthy, will want to play left tackle, and get paid accordingly. Jason Peters, if he’s healthy, also wants to play left tackle, and is being paid accordingly. From both a financial and team harmony standpoint it makes more sense to bring in a young guy on a rookie contract who can eventually take over at left tackle but can play the right side at a comparatively cheap salary in the meantime than to try to fit a veteran square peg into a round hole.

    • ICDogg

      There are still quite a few unsigned tackles out there, last I looked… Long, Vollmer, Winston, others. Who knows, we might wind up with one yet.

      • xeynon

        For sure. But it is pretty clear the brain trust is not willing to pay top dollar for one, which is smart. It’s a buyer’s market for OTs, particularly since it might be the strongest position in the entire draft.

  • eagleizeit

    I saw this guy Derek Carrier on the Eagles roster who looks like he’d have great potential as a big WR, but for some reason they want to change the position he’s been playing to TE. Considering his major in college I’m sure he could lose 5-10 lbs if that’s the reason they want to switch his position. He averaged a TD for every 6 1/2 catches and broke school records in reception and yards. He seems to have the mental makeup & has proven to be a player. http://legacy.philadelphiaeagles.com/eagles_files/html/carrier_1.html

    • Lukekelly65

      i agree its worth taking a look but i feel like he would have a better chance making the team as the 4th TE if we keep that many (celek, casey,harbor and carrier) then he would as a 5th receiver but i do agree he seems really talented

    • austinfan

      He’s a very small college player, what works at that level doesn’t always work at the NFL level. If he’s already up in the high 230s coming into last year’s draft, odds are as he physically matures that’s his “true” size.

      At 238 lbs, it’s easier to get him to 245 lbs and make him a very athletic H-back if he’s willing to learn to block. People wanted to pay Cook big money to be a WR/TE tweener, Carrier just costs a coach some hard work.

  • SteveH

    What about Vollmer Tommy? He’s a guy that makes a lot of sense for now and the future IMO…

  • http://www.facebook.com/bill.muller.71 Bill Muller

    Hey Tommy,

  • http://www.facebook.com/bill.muller.71 Bill Muller

    Hey Tommy,

  • austinfan

    There’s a simple explanation for Benn, he cost almost nothing, even though he was a 2nd rd pick three years ago, basically Eagles move back from the end of the 6th round Denver at #28) to the middle of the 7th round (which is where you draft the guys you’ve determined you won’t be able to sign as UDFAs) and lose a 7th next year only if Been makes the team. So moving back 25 slots at the end of the draft for what amounts to a full off season tryout is pretty reasonable.

    • Anders

      Also if Benn can stay healthy he is a very talented WR.

      • http://www.facebook.com/jakwaggoner Jack Waggoner

        Good YAC if he actually catches it.

  • http://twitter.com/ezgreene ezgreene

    I don’t think Jake Long is looking for a mega del necessarily. More to the point I think he’s looking for a physical exam he can pass.

    • Iskar36

      The rams gave him a physical and then kept him there another day. To me, that suggests that they wanted to sign him and that at least his physical was passable. I’m not sure wanting a mega deal is the only explanation why he didnt sign a deal with the Rams, but it seems like a very logical one.

      • http://twitter.com/ezgreene ezgreene

        Really? The very fact they did the Physical first speaks volumes.

        • Iskar36

          I’m not saying he has an absolutely clean bill of health by any means. Clearly there are concerns about his health. Still, the Rams gave him a physical and then it seems they continued for another 24 hours to try and sign him. That suggests to me that while there may be concerns about his health, it is not so bad that it scared off the Rams.

      • Flyin

        Seems like you are right on the money…

        “Speculation ran rampant as to why Long left town. But the logical
        explanation was the two sides are apart on money, too far to close the
        gap and get a deal done. Medically, Long checked out fine in St. Louis;
        there were no red flags.”

        http://www.stltoday.com/sports/football/professional/article_218de7fa-1c28-53c0-aa6b-b7b4dcdd3b5f.html#.UUQBB9S_tA8.twitter

  • http://twitter.com/LuvJones1987 Malcolm Jones

    Hey on BGN, someone said they had some scoop on Danario Alexander….yet no one opened their mouth, have you heard anything on us having interest or talking to him?

  • Gregory Post

    Tommy,

    Any opinion on D.J. Hayden, the CB out of Houston?