Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Cleared

Posted June 17th, 2024 | Comments Off on Cleared

One of the more ridiculous subplots of the offseason was the Eagles being investigated for tampering. Penn State coach James Franklin made an off-hand comment about Howie Roseman talking to Saquon Barkley before the signing. That mole hill never became a mountain, but it certainly got bigger.

The NFL investigated and determined there was no conversation between the Eagles GM and the free agent. There will be no punishment.

Actually, there was punishment. Hearing about this non-story for three months was pretty annoying. The Eagles love loopholes. That means they know the rules and try to exploit them, not cheat. Howie Roseman wouldn’t risk getting punished so he could talk to a free agent he felt good about signing. It makes no sense.

The Falcons got investigated and ended up losing a 5th round pick. They basically admitted to tampering. There wasn’t much question of their guilt.

The Eagles have plenty of picks for the 2025 draft. They will need those as they look for replacements for some veteran players. Jimmy Bama actually wrote a piece on the team’s succession plan for guys over the age of 30. Thankfully he didn’t go Logan’s Run on anyone.

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The Eagles…are 30th out of 32 teams. Linebacker is a mystery for the second year in a row, but this year does feel a bit different. Maybe they overestimated Nakobe Dean last year. Maybe they thought the DL was going to be so dominant that they could get by with lesser LBs. No matter what the reason, LB was a major weakness in 2023.

There aren’t any sure things as we head into 2024, but I do think the group is more talented and more likely to pan out. Devin White is a talented LB. He didn’t play well last year and that’s one of the reasons he was available. The Eagles are hoping to fix him. Last year the Eagles were looking for talented LBs, hoping they could find a hidden gem.

Dean is back for his third year and will do everything he can to get on the field. He wants to show what he can do. The player we’re all curious about is Zack Baun, the free agent brought over from the Saints. He is a talented young player who is hoping for a starting role. Baun has 62 games of experience. He has a versatile skill set. He might prove to be an effective role player. Or Baun could turn out to be a good starter.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr is a promising rookie. Ben VanSumeren showed potential last year and is a gifted athlete. Oren Burks is a proven STer and has some starting experience. Brandon Smith is a talented athlete.

That’s still a lot of unproven players, but the group feels so much better than last year’s LB corps. Let’s hope they play better.

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Very cool news.

Merrill is a great broadcaster. Eagles fans are lucky to have him.

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