Going and Staying

Posted: March 15th, 2023 | Author: | Filed under: Philadelphia Eagles | 1 Comment »

The Eagles spent Tuesday adding or keeping players. Wednesday involved going and staying, as the team released Pro Bowl CB Darius Slay and re-signed long time DT Fletcher Cox.

Let’s start with Slay. There was interest in keeping him in Philly. The Eagles needed cap relief and hoped an extension could be worked out. When they couldn’t agree with Slay on numbers, they let him look for a trade. There must not have been any takers so the Eagles released him.

It isn’t that teams aren’t interested in Slay. He’s still a good CB and a valuable player. Teams must have figured why trade for him when there is a good chance the Eagles will cut him. The Eagles cap situation isn’t a secret. Teams know the Eagles aren’t in good shape.

Now Slay exits the building and will hit the market. No hard feelings.

Think of how different this is and the way the Giants handled James Bradberry a year ago. The Eagles are releasing Slay when teams still have some money left and he’ll be able to find a job. The Giants held Bradberry as long as possible. When they did cut him, most teams had made their moves so he had limited choices. That kind of stuff isn’t lost on players and agents.

Replacing Slay won’t be easy. The Eagles have Zech McPhearson and Josh Jobe in house. Jonathan Gannon liked McPhearson and was comfortable with the idea of him as a starter. The team found veteran corners each of the past two years so McPhearson only got mixed in here and there. He looked fine, but you can’t say with any real confidence that he’s the answer. Jobe was a rookie last year and played well in the summer. He will be in the mix.

The Eagles could use pick 10 or pick 30 on a CB in the upcoming draft. There will be good players available at both spots. No rookie would be handed the job. They would have to compete with McPhearson and Jobe. The Eagles could consider looking for a veteran, but it feels like this would be a good time to find a young solution for one of the corner spots. Find someone who can play CB for the next several years and bring some stability to the position.

Slay was with the Eagles for three years. He played well and really seemed to embrace the team. It was cool getting to see him named a captain last summer. You could tell that meant a lot to him. I hope he signs with an AFC team and has three more good years.

I don’t know if this means anything but…

We’ll see if anything comes of this. Trade? New deal? Just Howie messing with the beat writers and their deadlines?

*****

Mixed feelings on this. Cox is still an effective starter. He has good moments, but isn’t a consistently high-level player anymore. He’s making $4M less than last year so it isn’t like the Eagles threw huge money at him. Sheldon Rankins got $10.5M for one year and he was half as productive as Cox. I would rather have gone for a younger DT, but I think the Eagles wanted Cox back for a reason.

Javon Hargrave is gone. The projected DL starters were going to be Jordan Davis, Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipulotu. That’s a lot of youth. And the Eagles might be drafting another one or two DL. Cox returns and offers solid play along with leadership. You don’t last in the league for 12 years unless you know what you’re doing.

Jimmy Bama doesn’t like the move. He says Cox is being overpaid. I bet if Cox gave him some mac ‘n cheese Jimmy would change his tune.

https://twitter.com/Eaglesfans9/status/1597058944085950464

*****

There is one player in the upcoming draft that I covet. That is Georgia DT Jalen Carter.

Let me correct that. There is one player in the upcoming draft that I did covet.

Carter is having an awful pre-draft process. Todd McShay wrote back in December that there were character concerns with Carter. A lot of people came to Carter’s defense and said McShay was out of line with spreading generalized comments like that. Without specifics, it came across as rumors and not actual reporting.

Carter was involved in a fatal car crash of a teammate in mid-January. He told the police he wasn’t at the scene and wasn’t involved. The police conducted an investigation and found out his vehicle was at the scene and had been doing 104mph shortly before the other vehicle crashed. They believe the two vehicles were racing, which Carter denies.

He went to the Combine on March 1. He weighed in and had to leave immediately because the police filed charges in the case. It isn’t good when your first job interview is delayed because the police say you lied to them, were involved in a fatal crash and you’re arrested for that. Carter maintains his innocence, but that is purely a legal tactic. The facts tell you he was there and involved.

Georgia held their Pro Day on Wednesday, with Carter as the most anticipated workout. He came in 9 pounds overweight. He didn’t do the athletic testing, but did do positional drills. He had a bad day. Carter looked heavy, stiff and winded. When he didn’t work out at the Combine, Carter put all his eggs in one basket…his Pro Day. This was his chance to shine for coaches, scouts and GMs.

Instead, he looked completely unprepared. The question now isn’t whether he’ll fall in the draft but rather how far. I thougth the Eagles had zero chance to get him at 10. Now I’d be almost shocked if he’s gone.

Carter is a special talent. He’s 6-3, 314. He is powerful. He’s also quick and explosive. Carter’s game tape is incredibly impressive. But there are more red flags than a communist parade. He was racing against a teammate who died in a wreck as a result of the race. Carter left the scene. He lied to the police about it. We then found out police had warned him about excessive speeding in the past. Carter got arrested. He didn’t work out at the Combine. He came in overweight for his Pro Day and looked bad in positional drills.

Not good.

That’s now how you go about convincing NFL teams to spend a Top 10 pick on you. I’m not up on my moral high horse. I did dumb things as a kid. But I wasn’t trying to get an NFL team to give me tens of millions of dollars. Kids should be allowed to make mistakes. But when millions of dollars are on the line, the kids should be held to a higher standard.

Maybe Carter is having a bad reaction to the accident and everything that happened. I’m not a phsychologist, but that certainly could be possible. Unfortunately, NFL teams are making a business decision. They have to be cold and calculating as they figure out whether to invest key resources in Carter. So far he’s sending all the wrong signals to the NFL.

Carter needs to get in top shape and hold another Pro Day. He needs to be ready to be grilled by NFL teams. They are going to ask him a lot of tough questions and he better have some honest answers and not a bunch of bullshit. They’ll see through that. They talk to prospects every year. Carter needs to show contrition and to be accountable. If he tries to throw excuses at them or doesn’t acknowledge reality, he could be in a for long fall.

If someone has a great four years at Harvard, but then shows up drunk for the job interview are you going to focus on their college years or the interview? A lot of guys fail in the NFL because they don’t know how to act professional.

Whatever is going on with Carter, I hope he gets it straightened out. I love watching him play and hope he has a terrific career. But he’s got to show NFL teams that he gets it and can put this stuff behind him.

*****

Good for Miles.

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One Comment on “Going and Staying”

  1. 1 Eagles information: CJ Gardner-Johnson has stuck hobby from the Broncos - vimaxdeal said at 9:29 AM on March 16th, 2023:

    […] Cross and Keep – Eagle BlitzBlended emotions about this. Cox stays an efficient starter. He is had his just right moments, however he isn’t a constantly top-level participant anymore. He is making $4 million not up to remaining 12 months, so it is not just like the Eagles threw giant cash at him. Sheldon Rankins earned $10.5 million for 12 months and was once part as productive as Cox. I might have most popular to move for a smaller DT, however I feel the Eagles sought after Cox again for a reason why. Javon Hargrave is long past. The starters at the DL will probably be Jordan Davis, Milton Williams and Marlon Tuipoloto. That is a large number of younger other folks. And the Eagles would possibly draft one or two extra DL’s. Cox returns and delivers forged play with management. You will not remaining within the league for 12 years until you understand what you might be doing. Jimmy Bama does no longer like this transfer. He says Cox is overpaid. […]