Posted August 11th, 2023 | Comments Off on The RB MysteryWhen Miles Sanders left for Carolina in free agency, it opened up the Eagles running back situation. Holdovers Kenny Gainwell and Boston Scott hoped this would mean more touches for them. Rashaad Penny signed as a free agent, hoping for a breakout season. The Eagles traded for D’Andre Swift during the draft. His ability as a runner and receiver was too good to pass up for a reasonable price.
So who is the lead back?
We don’t know.
Some say Gainwell will be the guy. He’s been getting the most touches in camp. They see that as the coaches trusting him and wanting him on the field. Gainwell is a solid runner and talented receiver. I can see the argument for him.
There is also an argument against him.
Nick Sirianni has said repeatedly how critical explosive plays are. He wants a RB who can get 20 yards, not just 4. To be fair, Sirianni used a different standard than Joe for explosive runs. Sirianni considers runs of 10 or more yards to be explosive. Gainwell does have some of those. But not much beyond that. Gainwell has 177 regular season touches in his career. The longest play is a 20-yard catch. That’s just not ideal. It is fair to wonder if this is a weird anomaly and the big plays will come with more touches, but 177 isn’t nothing. That’s a decent amount of opportunities. And Gainwell is running behind a good OL and playing with a star QB.
In Rashaad Penny’s last 176 carries (2021 & 2022), he has runs of 62 and 41 yards. He averaged more than 6 yards per carry. And he sure looks like a great fit for the Eagles offense.
https://twitter.com/UnderdogFantasy/status/1690091716517462018
Penny sure sounds like the guy that Sirianni will want to get the ball to. He can deliver chunk plays on a regular basis.
D’Andre Swift has a run of 50 or more yards in each of his three NFL seasons. He had a 50-yard run against the Eagles last year so Sirianni saw up close and personal just how explosive Swift can be. Swift also is the best pass catching RB the Eagles have. That is something that helps his case to be The Guy.
All of this is based on past performance, of course. Sirianni has to figure out who will be the best RB in 2023. Gainwell is having the best camp from what we hear. That could mean Sirianni is going to give him a chance to show what he can do.
We’ll have to wait and see what happens. All of these guys could get snaps in the preseason. That won’t give us any definitive answers, but every bit of info will help Sirianni to make his decision.
I don’t see anyone getting a ton of carries in the regular season. I think Sirianni will mix it up and go with the hot hand. RBBC. RB by committee. That’s how you can get the most out of this group.
Unless Trey Sermon beats them all out and dominates.
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Reason #655321 to appreciate Jalen Hurts.
https://twitter.com/anotherFTBacct/status/1689045740180697088
Manziel had an amazing college career. He was Johnny Football. He was so good that Nick Saban and Kirby Smart adjusted their defensive strategies to deal with him.
Complete flop in the NFL.
The NFL is professional football. It requires hard work and dedication. Guys who don’t put in the work don’t last, unless they are freaks. Manziel wasn’t good enough to get by on pure talent. That worked at Texas A&M, but not with the Browns.
Hurts is talented, but his most special quality might just be how driven he is. He will not fail due to lack of effort. Manziel did.
You hate to see young guys who don’t understand what a special opportunity they have. They have dominated in football since Pop Warner days and develop an arrogance that makes them think they’ll always be better. The NFL is humbling. You learn very quickly how good everyone is and what you have to do to succeed.
Or you’re gone.
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Posted August 10th, 2023 | Comments Off on Another Camp UpdateDallas Goedert is one of the best tight ends in the league. He is one of the best Eagles. Despite that, there are times when he feels overlooked.
Jimmy Bama had a good nugget on Goedert.
Dallas Goedert catches everything that comes his way. Early in practice, Terrell Edmunds had good positioning on Goedert (a rarity for any defensive player this camp when trying to cover Goedert), but it didn’t matter. Goedert reached in front of Edmunds and made the catch. Later, he beat Christian Elliss, which is nothing new. Linebackers simply haven’t had a chance against him.
I’ve seen reports out of Giants camp marveling at how Darren Waller has been uncoverable, and I think that Goedert hasn’t gotten that same level of attention in Philly (a) because the Eagles have two star receivers also regularly making plays, while the Giants don’t, and (b) Goedert isn’t new here. In other words, saying that Goedert is good isn’t exactly breaking news. But just to be clear, Goedert has had an outstanding camp.
Several other beat writers have pointed out Goedert’s strong showing this summer. Jalen Hurts should take another step forward as a passer this year and that could mean more production for Goedert.
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I’ve been happy to read about Sean Desai mixing up looks in camp. Here are some of the variations I’ve read about.
- 4 safeties at the same time
- A 4-man DL with Fletcher Cox at DE
- Stand up LBs in the A-gaps
- Using Terrell Edmunds as a LB in a nickel package
As fun as it was to see the Eagles pile up 70 sacks, the defense needs to be able to be creative when going against elite QBs. You can’t count on pressure. Defenses must slow them down with different looks and coverages.
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Your daily LB update. This is from Zach Berman.
Nakobe Dean was back from his ankle injury as a full participant and took work with the first-team defense. The injury cost him about a week, but he still has more than enough time this summer to cement himself as the top linebacker. I’m expecting Dean to remain in that role even after Philadelphia added Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham on Sunday.
“They added competition to the room,” Dean said. “They bring a lot of insight. A lot of questions we can ask them.”
Jack and Cunningham were second-team linebackers Thursday. Nicholas Morrow and Christian Elliss rotated with the top unit.
Glad to hear Dean is back. He needs all the work he can get as he prepares for his first season as a starter. The Eagles have high hopes for Dean. They brought in Jack and Cunningham for depth and competition, but the Eagles LBs will succeed or fail this year based largely on how Dean plays. There is a lot of reason for optimism, but it is fair to point out he isn’t guaranteed to be the player we all want him to be.
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Another good nugget from Jimmy Bama (don’t tell him I said that).
Josh Jobe has had a good summer after making the team as an undrafted rookie free agent a year ago. On Thursday he stuck with Joseph Ngata after a double move and caused an incomplete pass, and he had a nice pass breakup while working against Tyrie Cleveland. Jobe has had some good battles so far with A.J. Brown as well. In my view he is the team’s fourth corner right now, comfortably ahead of guys like Zech McPhearson, Kelee Ringo, Greedy Williams, or anyone else not named Darius Slay, James Bradberry, or Avonte Maddox.
Jobe impressed me last summer and I thought he had a shot to be a key backup this year. Sometimes young guys will flash as a rookie and then lose their edge. This is especially an issue for UDFAs. Thankfully Jobe is as locked in as ever. He’s had a strong showing in camp and has made you wonder if he could develop into a future starter.
Zech McPhearson was the top backup last summer. This year he’s been playing as the #2 slot. That’s good. He fits that role and the team needed an upgrade over Josiah Scott.
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Here is Zach on the backup WRs.
Olamide Zaccheaus has stood out more for highlight-worthy plays than consistent production this summer, although he was one of the top performers in the short session Thursday. He made an impressive catch along the sideline with Avonte Maddox in tight coverage during seven-on-sevens. Nice pass from Hurts, too. (Zaccheaus’ high school teammate, D’Andre Swift, also showed good quickness in the passing game when he took a screen pass to the second level.)
And
It was interesting to see undrafted rookie receiver Joseph Ngata get some work with the first-team offense. It was a series with DeVonta Smith and Quez Watkins on the sideline, so this doesn’t suggest Ngata will be a first-teamer. But it’s validation for what I’ve thought throughout camp: He’s the best of the down-the-depth-chart receivers and will make a compelling case for the 53-man roster. Ngata was a top recruit at Clemson who was hindered by injuries in college. He’s 6 feet 3 and 217 pounds, giving him good size on the outside. Pay attention to him in the preseason.
AJ, DeVonta and Quez are the top 3 receivers. Things are open after that. Zaccheaus is more experienced and more athletic so he’s likely to be #4. Ngata has played better than I anticipated and could be pushing for a roster spot.
The thing I like is that they’ve got different builds and skill sets. The Eagles are looking for good players, not a defined size or type of receiver. Go find good players and figure out how they fit your scheme.
Britain Covey has had good moments, but he feels like more of a returner than a receiver. We’ll see.
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Another good DL note from Fran Duffy.
Kentavius Street got a finger tip on a throw late in the day to help force an incompletion. Street has (maybe not SO) quietly had a really solid camp, showing the ability to play inside and outside and be a disruptor against both the run and pass. I’m excited to see how he figures into the line rotation.
I’m really interested to see how Street plays in the preseason games and how he’s used this season. He is athletic, but has tweener size. Street was a key backup for the Saints last year. He could prove to be a good role player for the Eagles. With Javon Hargrave now in SF, the team needs interior rushers. That’s where Street is at his best.
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