DO you see? Just like that, the Eagles are already getting better.
NOTE: I wanted to get this one in before we play the Browns today.
I wrote last week in EASILY FIXING THE EAGLES that the team’s issues stemmed from a culture without enough competition built into it. I also wrote a week prior to that, in HOW TO HELP CARSON WENTZ that he is at his best, with a hard-nosed running game, not a finesse one.
So what moves did the Eagles make?
Move The First: We signed RB Jordan Howardto the Practice Squad. For casual Eagles fans there’s a lot in that move that’s easy to miss. For someone like me, it’s all the subtle things that jump out at me. It’s all the “down the line” implications that I’m excited by. It likely won’t impact THIS game, but that’s beside the point.
Howard should have never been cut in the first place. Despite RB Miles Sanders’sobvious talent, he still could benefit from the presence of a veteran RB, to bounce things off of. RB Corey Clementfits the bill, but the Eagles spotty commitment to him, gives his voice less weight when talking to younger players.
With their treatment of Clement and cutting of Howard, the Eagles created a situation where there was no player to mentor Sanders. Thus, he’s still making small mental mistakes, that have huge impacts. Like on his blitz pick-ups, and pass route landmarks. Signing Howard, and letting Sanders see a vet do it, will help with that.
Move El Dos: Elevating RB Elijah Holyfieldfrom the Practice Squad to the Active Roster. The advertisement on Holyfield is that he will be a tough, between the Tackles runner. The film on him says different. It says that once he gets past the line of scrimmage, there’s been too much East-West running in his very short football history. At least for my taste.
That being said, he was young and playing in Carolina. The Panthers had a playbook developed for a WR small RB trying to prove a point. So coming here, may help fix some bad habits that Holyfield may have picked up there.
*****
Those two moves by themselves are solid personnel moves. Add a veteran mentor, who has a skill that you clearly lack. Then elevate a guy from the Practice Squad, so you can get enough tape to evaluate him at season’s end, to determine pressing Draft needs. Solid GM-ing.
Now for the parts that are easy to miss.
Last week the giants made forcing-feeding us the run, look like Bluto force-feeding spinach to Popeye.
Popeye (1980) starring Robin Williams. My Uncle Michael took my brother and I to see this. Then we went to the Zoo. Huge lollipop and punch balloon on a rubber band. Great day.
But how was the Eagles Defense supposed to practice stopping that kind of downhill run game, without selling out to stop it? Practicing against which RB? Sanders? Clement? RB Boston Scott? Holyfield was on the PS, but he isn’t the downhill runner that Howard has proven to be.
There is a role for a short yardage/back-up RB on this team. The elevation of Holyfield and signing of Howard (who mostly still knows the playbook), is a competitive situation. Two players making Practice Squad money, who want real contracts. Real careers. Suddenly the Eagles are going to be practicing better.Do you see?
For a RB to impress in practice, he has to embarrass defensive players. If a defensive player is embarrassed too often, he may lose starts. That means our LB’s and Safeties are officially on notice. If they don’t get it now, they will the first time one of them gets run over by a teammate. Do you see?
I wrote just four days ago that THIS was the way to fix the team, and it is already underway! I doubted that the Eagles could/would do it during the season. Yet here are two subtle moves, that will spur culture change in the team’s practice habits. On both sides of the ball! Practice habits are work habits. They become game habits.
THERE were a few names among the cuts that I was not happy with: DT Anthony Rush, CB Rasul Douglas, and DE Shareef Miller specifically. That said, I wouldn’t rule out seeing one or two of those guys added to the Practice Squad in the next couple of days.
The key to this roster is not to over-react to it. With no preseason there may be a guy or two who made the team, simply because the coaching staff felt that they needed a look at him during live fire, before shipping him out. Cutting “just a guy” in order to make sure that you don’t pass on a diamond in the rough, is a hard thing to argue against.
Here’s my take on the Eagles roster as it stands now. We’ll keep it simple: GREEN (Ready to roll) / YELLOW (Serviceable, but needs bolstering) / RED (This can’t be the best we can do)
QB: Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld, Jalen Hurts – I have no worries here. Wentz is a top ten starter, Sudfeld has never been “WOW!”, but he’s never sucked either. Hurts is a rookie with a lot of talent, but he’s 100% untested at this level. GREEN
RB: Miles Sanders,Corey Clement, Boston Scott – This is a good group. Good. Not great. Everyone here can catch the ball and is dangerous as hell in the Screen game. What’s missing is a 3rd and 2 banger. A back to wear down the defense, eat clock, and quiet the crowd for road games like Week 10 (giants), Week 11 (Browns), and Week 13 (Packers). (YES! We drew away games at Lambeau TWO years in a row! Total bullshit.) GREEN
WR: Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson,Greg Ward, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, Quez Watkins – Seven. I thought the team might keep six, but I guess with Jeffery not being back from injury yet, Watkins is getting an opportunity. Numbers aside, I’ve been an Eagles fan since 1989, and I have never seen our team assemble a receiver corps this dangerous. Jackson, Hightower and Watkins can all fly. Jeffery is open even when he’s covered. (And here’s a link for those who forgot that.) Greg Ward has a knack for uncovering early in his route, which gives the QB an almost instant place to go with the ball. Reagor and Whiteside have reportedly looked very promising in camp. This group is very fast, and diverse, so they can be schemed to exploit a new weakness every week. GREEN
TE: Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert – This is likely the best TE 1-2 punch in football. The problem is that there is no depth here. While on most teams, a second TE would be depth, our team plays them both so much, that an injury to one totally disrupts our base offensive concept. This is one of the positions that either requires and add, or for a lineman to switch position. (Now who might be athletic enough to handle such a switch…?) However, as long as these two are healthy, opposing defensive coordinators can kiss a week of sleep, goodbye. GREEN
C: Jason Kelce – Good solid player. GREEN
G: Isaac Seumalo, Jason Peters, Nate Herbig – This is a solid bunch, though I still think that if Peters is playing the position, he should be on the Left, not the Right. YELLOW
T: Lane Johnson, Matt Pryor, Jordan Mailata, Jack Driscoll – Johnson is a perennial Pro-Bowl type of player at RT. Everyone else is a a crapshoot. With the season ending injury to Andre Dillard, Jason Peters should be at LT. Instead, we’re out here holding tryouts a week before the season starts. RED
DE: Brandon Graham,Vinny Curry, Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Genard Avery,Casey Toohill – Both Graham and Curry play the run well and get plenty of heat on the QB. (Though neither is a sack machine.) Barnett has yet to put it all together, and has been average at best to this point in his career. Sweat showed flashes last year, and may be nipping at Barnett’s heels for his starting spot in 2021. Avery is an OLB/DE tweener who relies on explosive brute force to get to the passer. We saw a tiny sample of that in 2019, but there’s a lot of buzz about him from coaches this year. Toohill is still here because a 250 pound DE, who runs a 4.62 forty, is a nice thing to have on Special Teams. This isn’t a flashy position, but there are at least 4 players here who are NFL caliber starters. GREEN
DT: Fletcher Cox, Malik Jackson, Hasaan Ridgeway, Javon Hargrave– Three of these four demand frequent double-teams. That alone will to open up many, many one-on-one opportunities for edge rushers this season. And what’s scarier: All the players at this position are all finishers. GREEN
OLB: Nate Gerry, Duke Riley, Alex Singleton, Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley – Gerry is going to start. Beyond that, everything is a question or just speculation. As if to further fuel that very thing, the Eagles have taken down the depth chart section of their website. There’s a lot of speed here, but Gerry is the only one with significant experience playing NFL defense. Bradley and Taylor are both rookies. Singleton and Riley are career Special Teamers. Communication breakdowns are going to be a regular occurrence here. RED
MLB: T.J. Edwards– The Eagles don’t make a distinction between OLB and MLB. At least on paper they don’t. Fact is, with Edwards’s limited speed and range, he has to play the MIKE if he wants to play in this league. YELLOW
S: Rodney McLeod, Jalen Mills, Rudy Ford, Marcus Epps, Will Parks, K’Von Wallace – While I’m still peeved over letting Malcolm Jenkins walk, Mills will provide a little more speed. That means it won’t require McLeod to over-extend himself in deep coverage. Ford and Epps were here in 2019 and they combined for 17 games and 11 tackles. No passes defensed or nothing. Parks was brought in and moved into third on the depth chart, but he’s injured, and it remains to be seen how he bounces back. Wallace is a rookie. YELLOW
CB: Avonte Maddox, Cre’Von LeBlanc, Craig James, Darius Slay, Nickell Robey-Coleman – Slay isn’t quite “shutdown” level, but he’s the next best thing. Or at least he has been so far in his career. Maddox seems to be the second starter. He’s feisty and will gamble for the ball, but his stature (5’9”, 183) could become an issue. With Robey-Coleman being brought in to play the Nickle, it raises some serious questions about the role (and future) of LeBlanc. James just got a one year contract extension. YELLOW
K: Jake Elliott– Has been on a two year slide since 2017, and no one was brought in to challenge him. YELLOW
P: Cam Johnston – Needs to give his coverage time to get to the returner. YELLOW
LS: Rick Lovato – Must be awesome. You never hear his name. GREEN
Again, this is just the first edition of the roster. So there’s no need to freak out, and no reason to reserve Super Bowl tick- oh right. Covid.
ENVELOPE please. The award for the 2020 Stupid Football Team of the Year goes to…the Football Team! Hey Coach Ron Rivera, could we get a statement from you?
You know how other bad teams realize that they’re a shit-show, fire everyone, and start to rebuild? They get a new President of Football operations. Then that President and the Owner either hire a General Manager, or a Head Coach who doubles as the GM. In cases where a GM is separate, they help hire the new Head Coach. From there they assemble the roster. Often taking a swing at drafting a Franchise QB.
The 2020 Redskins said to their fan base: “Hold my beer and watch this.”
The Redskins exited 2018 with a 7 – 9 record, and knowing that head coach Jay Gruden was on the hot seat. So of course, in the 2019 Draft, they selected QB Dwayne Haskins seventh overall. Now that he had a rookie to groom and grow, Gruden found job securit- He was fired before the 2019 season came to a close. Haskins didn’t win Rookie of the Year.
Enter former Carolina Panther head coach, Ron Rivera. Rivera is a defensive coach, but he’ll get the young QB on the right track. All Haskins needed was a sense of stabili- Say whaaa? Rivera did what now? His first move was to bring in his back-up QB from the Panthers?
Damn. I mean, I get it. But damn. That was some cold-blooded shit, right there.
So, top ten drafted QB? CHECK! New head coach who doesn’t give a fuck about the prior regime’s draft pick? CHECK! So what else did the Football Team need? What else should they add just one month before this weird Covid-addled season kicks off?
How about a new team President? AWESOME!
And you know what? He needs to be Black. To prove that the Redskins, sorry, the “Football Team”, isn’t racist. And make him frightfully young for the position, at just 38! And woefully inexperienced, having never even been any sort of NFL executive! Now start him immediately, in a situation where he can’t put his stamp on the team, because kickoff is in 3, 2…
You realize that when President Jason Wright fails (and he will), no one will cut him any slack because he was the president when the season started. Besides, NFL fans don’t generally consider context. So when this minority hire bombs, folks will say “Well, they did give one a chance…” Even though nothing of the sort ever happened. He never had a chance.
The Redskins totally built this thing inside out, upside down, and backwards. It’s the most stupid thing ever done by a football team, or by a football team named Football Team. Pretty strong statement given that we all remember the Cleveland Browns.
TRAINING Camps are rumored to be targeting a July 28th start date. With today being July 12th, that’s a mere 16 days from now. Two weeks and two days, or “Two and two.”
In the meantime, eight of our ten 2020 Draft picks, are still unsigned. To be clear, they will not be able to participate in TC without a contract. Not being able to do so, would slow their learning curve, and limit how early they can become serious contributors. Who do we have yet to sign? Take a look:
1st – No. 21 – WR Jalen Reagor
2nd – No. 53 – QB Jalen Hurts
3rd – No. 103 – LB Davion Taylor
4th – No. 127 – S K’Von Wallace
4th – No. 145 – OT Jack Driscoll
5th – No. 168 – WR John Hightower
6th – No. 196 – LB Shaun Bradley
7th – No. 233 – LB/DE Casey Toohill
Reagor not being signed (at this point), is extremely troubling. WR Alshon Jefferyisn’t expected back anytime soon from his 2019 foot injury. On the other hand, WR DeSean Farrakhan is being made to jump through hoops just to remain an Eagle.
In the event that the Eagles release Djax, the Offense will be right back where it was when the 2019 season ended. By that I mean, leaning on WR Greg Ward, and hoping that WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside can somehow put together the concepts of “get open” and “catch ball”.
Remember this drop? If he catches this, he scores and we win. We lost 24 – 27. Good times.
The LB position remains an open wound. It would be asking a lot for 3rd round rookie LB Davion Taylor to be the upgrade that we need. However, we’re so thin on talent there, that we basically have to ask for exactly that.
All indications are that the Eagles have big plans for FS K’Von Wallace, but every day that he misses of TC, will be like a week’s worth of make-up time. Rookies who fall behind mentally, become liabilities that opponents will exploit during the season.
Not to downplay the importance of the remaining five Draft picks on the above list, but 1) None of them are signed either, and 2) The three guys that I pointed out, are the guys that the team needs big contributions from in 2020. (If there’s even a season.)
Rookie wages are subject to a wage scale, where every player earns less than the guy drafted ahead of him. So there are already valuation charts that approximate what every rookie should eventually sign for.
Usually the Eagles have the rookies signed by late April, mid May, but many sportswriters want to speculate that the delay is because of the 2020 Coronavirus pandemic. However, given that Philadelphia moved into the Yellow Phase of the re-opening on June 5th, there is no reason why these deals shouldn’t have been/ couldn’t have been, negotiated in principle over Zoom, and then road tripped to finalize and sign.
Right now, we’re thin at LB and we aren’t signing rookies or veterans. Right now, we’re shaky at Opening Day WR, but instead of signing a top threat, we’re hinting at cutting one of the NFL’s top deep threats. Right now, we have more questions than answers at S, but we aren’t signing or trading for any.
Until we address those things, we can’t even seriously entertain the idea of adding an insurance RB, or getting some help at LT, or spending big coin on an over-hyped DE, who has just 32 sacks in 6 years. GM Howie Roseman, you gotta get it together.
THE news that we’d re-signed RB Corey Clement was a breath of fresh air. Many fans may have felt that the Eagles were already fine with RB’s Miles Sanders, and Boston Scott. I on the other hand, wrote in my Pre-Draft Preview, that real depth was a big concern.
Sanders is the lead dog here. There’s no question about that. While the Eagles may include some RB-by-committee aspects, you can expect 66 to 70% of the RB carries to go to Sanders. Other RB’s will get a nibble here and two nibbles there. Which is fine. The issue before Clement signed was, what happens if Sanders goes down with an injury?
Everyone remembers Scott’s crazy three touchdown game vs the giants last year. More specifically, they seem to only remember the touchdowns. That day he had 19 carries for just 54 yards, averaged 2.8 per tote. We saw during extensive work, that while he works well in space, his body type (5’6, 203) isn’t suited to a major workload, over multiple games.
Clement (5’10, 220) has the body type, the skill set, scheme familiarity, and the explosiveness to step into that role, and be an every down RB, if needed. Honestly, if not for his injury history, the Eagles might have a hard time holding onto him. At this point he’s still 25, and a couple of healthy years could earn him at least one big contract in his career. We just have to see if he can earn the money. But Sanders, Clement and Scott sound nice, right? Not so fast.
For what it’s worth: Nobody on the team has been assigned the #25.
While I still am, and have always been, a huge Clement booster, the Eagles would be remiss not to bring in a veteran. We need a veteran presence in this young group. The veteran names I keep reading about, are RB’s LeSean McCoy, Carlos Hyde, and Devonta Freeman. I’m good with McCoy and Hyde, but I’m a lot less bullish on Freeman. A lot less.
This isn’t to count out RB’s Elijah Holyfield, and free agent rookie Mike Warren. Both are “angry” runners and we need a guy who can bang inside. In fact, my ideal depth chart has us keeping 4 RB’s: Sanders, Clement, (speculatively) McCoy, and Warren (in a coin flip). That’s four credible load carriers, all of whom are a problem when they catch a Screen pass. Yes, even the rookie. (Did you not see him on my Wish List this year?)
I’d squirrel away undrafted rookie Adrian Killins (5’8, 164), on the Practice Squad. Killins travels faster than gossip, so the idea would be to develop him more as a returner, and see if he could transition to WR. That said, he has no business picking up blitzing LB’s, or running between the Tackles. Holyfield would also find a spot here as the true RB in reserve.
But what about Boston Scott? How do we cut a guy who performed the way he did at the end of 2019? The simple answer is to keep five RB’s, which the Eagles won’t do. The other answer is to not have a real veteran presence. How key was a veteran presence at RB in 2017? Nobody can get you there, like somebody who’s been there. And of course we need someone who can bang.
In any case, the signing of Clement puts the Eagles in the driver’s seat in terms of what kind of options they wish to pursue. With the signing of one guy we just turned an area of worry into an area of strength. And you remember what happened the last time he stayed healthy, right?
DRAFTING isn’t just about who’s getting the fastest return on investment. It’s more about who’s getting the most return on investment. Success is determined by how many of the picks will pan out, thus protecting their team from needing to spend another pick on that same position, any time soon.
The Eagles have won the NFC East in 2 of the last 3 years. Thus, they felt as if they only needed to re-load. The other three teams all hired new head coaches. Given that they all have new “chefs” (so to speak), they all had to go out and get ingredients that they felt their kitchens were missing.
Understand first and foremost, these chefs aren’t all trying to produce the same thing in 2020.
Dallas is in “win now” mode, and trying to whip up a division title. Think of New York as Burger King. They got rid of an iconic figurehead, and they want to sell the image of upscale while still selling fast-food. Washington has been the subject of so many health code violations that hardly anyone will spend money there. Right now they just want to convince people that the rats don’t have rabies.
So these different goals, mean that a successful Draft will have different benchmarks for each team. This means that the players each team has picked, have to be viewed not as data, not as bench reps, or as 40 times, but through the lens of what his team needs him to be.
Let’s get a look at each of our rivals, and how their picks meet their needs. Because of course…Context.
Redskins
DE–Chase Young – He’s talented, but they already had four talented passrushers at DE and OLB. However, drafting Young may have been more about transitioning away from Ryan Kerrigan. On the one hand, that’s smart thinking. On the OTHER hand, it traps the Redskins in a 3-4 system that the Eagles have owned for the last three years.
WR – Antonio Gibson – This one stings on two levels. First, Gibson is a Swiss Army knife with good size and better speed. Second, I wanted the Eagles to draft him. I do not look forward to seeing this guy twice a year.
T – Saahdiq Charles – For a team that needs help at Tackle yesterday, this was a pretty dumb move. Charles is going to be a project. Watching him vs Alabama last year, hints that NFL DE’s will eat him alive.
WR – Antonio Gandy-Golden – Big receiver who plays like one. If he sees opportunities, he could have a nice career.
C – Keith Ismael – This was a weird pick. The ‘skins are already two C’s deep. Why add a third?
LB – Khaleke Hudson – LB/S tweener. He may have been drafted with an eye towards building Special Teams coverage units.
S – Kamren Curl – Small, slow and lacking ball skills.
DE – James Smith-Williams – You can’t make the club, in the tub! Season ending injuries in 2015 and 2016, and was hurt most of 2019.
The Redskins needed help at WR and they got it. Fortunately for Eagles fans, they ignored a number of other needs. We can officially start drawing the chalk outline around Washington’s 2020 season.
giants
T– Andrew Thomas – With Nate Solder at LT, Thomas will likely see action at RT, given that he’s no worse than what they have there already.
S – Xavier McKinney – Not big or particularly fast, this plain old cracker is a Ritz as far the giants are concerned. Their cupboard was bare at this position, and the organization needed to get a guy from a credible program, so if he fails fails, they can at least say they tried.
T – Matt Peart – He’s a project. Given that there is no room to start him, it was weird to blow a pick on him this early. In any case, that’s criticizing the pick, not the player. The player has some potential, but he will likely sit on a shelf for the forseeable future.
CB – Darnay Holmes – Not too interested in making tackles vs the run. Listed at 5’10, but looks 5’5 on tape. Will challenge routes, but doesn’t win many of those challenges. No factor in stopping a vertical attack. He has speed and some ball skills, so he may offer some value as a reserve FS. That said, if the giants insist on this kid playing CB in the NFL, he’s going to get shelled.
G – Shane Lemieux – As a former lineman, this kid’s video was fun to watch. He brings a bouncer’s mentality, shoving people violently, always looking to “throw somebody out of the club”. The guy wants to hit people. Sadly, that quality is no longer an automatic in linemen anymore. Despite him being the enemy, I found myself excitedly rooting for him. Unfortunately, he has issues with a lack of quickness, and awareness. Neither of which are aspects that can be coached up. They could however, be camouflaged if he played C.
LB – Cameron Brown – Solid tackler with a very good motor. He’s not fast, but has functional speed to be a classic scrape LB. The problem with that is in today’s NFL, a LB has to be able to cover. This guy in coverage… It’s awful. He picks up his feet like he’s wearing ankle weights, and changes direction like a glacier. Watching him almost make half a dozen plays, during one 6 and a half minute video, was excruciating.
DE – Carter Coughlin – A 240 pound DE, in the NFC East? Nope. This guy is a camp body. Watch the video vs Iowa and tell me I’m wrong. He offers nothing against the run and less in coverage, despite his 4.57 Combine speed. At best he has kick coverage value.
LB – T.J. Brunson – Has hash mark to hash mark speed, which is unacceptable for a LB weighing only 230 pounds. Watching him “run” felt like chewing tin foil.
CB – Chris Williamson – Takes entirely too many false steps at the beginning of plays, because he doesn’t trust his eyes. This is because he’s still sort of new to the position. That will get him quickly overlooked as he competes with others for a livelihood.
LB – Tae Crowder – Mr. Irrelevant 2020. Dreadfully slow. Cedes too much ground when taking an angle in pursuit, to make up for his poor speed.
The offensive linemen they picked give a rival reason to worry. Defensively the giants weren’t fast before the Draft, and did nothing to address that weakness, as their rivals (particularly Philadelphia) added speed to their offenses.
Cowboys
WR– CeeDee Lamb – Fast, strong, with good height. All traits that should make him a monster in the Slot. Didn’t see a lot of press coverage. Also benefited from defenses having to keep an eye out, for a QB who ran for over 1,000 yards in 2019. Those factors don’t matter as much in the Slot, but if he’s asked to play the outside, he may struggle more than most fans expect. Nevertheless, this is a solid pick-up.
CB – Trevon Diggs – Great physical tools. Aggressive to the ball. Likes to press, which is great if his team plays Cover Two. Has punt and kick return experience, though he hasn’t done much of either since 2018.
DT – Neville Gallimore – Swing and a miss! Most people are high on him. Not me. Has the build of a gap penetrator, but instead of knifing in, he pops straight up, and starts hand-fighting, often getting caught up in rugby scrums at the line of scrimmage. He’s 100mph on every snap, but that’s only great if he’s heading in the right direction. Often he doesn’t even see which way the play is going. He just plods forward on the snap. That won’t help him at the next level.
CB– Reggie Robinson – Couldn’t find video that wasn’t just highlights only. His pluses are that he’s got good size, and tested well at the Combine. The minuses are what multiple sources write about his ability to stay with his assignment. Still that’s no reason why he can’t play Nickel or zone. No evidence to ding him, so I have to give him the benefit of the doubt here.
C – Tyler Biadasz – Not at all flashy. Anchors fine in pass protection, but doesn’t really move people in the run game. Word is that he has trouble with power inside. That will not be helped by the jump in competition quality, and his mounting medical bills. In the spring of 2019 he had hip surgery, and immediately after the 2019 season, he skipped the Combine to have shoulder surgery. With no offseason program to help him, he’s going to be susceptible to cut-down numbers crunches.
DE – Bradlee Anae – High motor. Plays the pass before the run, which results in unset edges and running himself out of plays. Plays fast, but doesn’t know how to convert speed to power, resulting in him getting washed out of the play vs runs.
QB – Ben DiNucci – No short video, only a whole game. Move along folks. There’s nothing to see here.
Dallas was #2 in passing last season, #1 in yardage and #6 in scoring. They did not need offensive help. They spent part of last season trying to trade for a SS. They lost their best CB, and pass rusher in free agency. So of course the very first thing they did, was bring a handful of sand to the beach. They drafted a WR. True, they got a couple of promising CB’s, but given their “win now” attitude, they came out of this Draft with the same holes they went into it with, and no one who’s going to change the narrative on defense.
*****
Other writers will judge this Draft based on how talented they think the picked players are. I’m looking towards whether or not the pick helped improve the team they just went to.
The giants and Redskins don’t expect to win the East this year. So for them, there was no failing this Draft. They’re rebuilding those teams, and so they added some pieces. They even added a couple of really nice ones.
The Cowboys are a different story. More important than getting better than an opponent, a team first needs to be better version of itself. Nobody that the Cowboys added in this Draft, addresses any of 2019’s concerns, or any of the problems that the team created for itself this offseason. They added talent, but they needed it more in other places.
HEY Eagles fans, wanna see a magic trick? You know, it’s bad enough that GM Howie Roseman seems to have taken a contract out on his own team. It’s bad enough that we had to watch roster holes go unfilled, or filled with lower ranked players. But worse than all of that, is rival fans making fun of us, for selecting a QB in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
That magic trick, that I mentioned? I’m going to show you how to wipe that smile, right off of our rivals faces.
They clown us because QB Carson Wentz is “always injured” right? Well isn’t drafting QB Jalen Hurts a solid way of addressing that in a long-term fashion? QB Nate Sudfeld was just signed to a one year deal, meaning that this year Hurts gets to sit, and only do package work. For 2020 that’s likely how it goes, even if Wentz gets injured again.
Odds are that Hurts signs a three year deal in a month or so. Then he barely plays in 2020. He becomes the #2 in 2021, and even if he plays, he likely doesn’t set the world on fire. Year 2022 he enters as the #2 again, and the Eagles get to offer him an extension or trade him.
If he’s traded, we get something we value higher than him. If we re-sign him, it won’t break the bank, and is still inside of Wentz’s cap friendly deal, which runs through 2024. If Hurts is re-signed to a 4 or 5 year deal in 2022, then it gives the Eagles some negotiating leverage with Wentz in 2024. Unless Wentz has earned himself a second ring.
This means, as of today, we’re solid at QB through 2026. Can the Redskins say that? Can the Cowboys? The giants certainly hope that they can. We on the other hand, have an MVP caliber starter with a Super Bowl ring, who’s backed-up by a proven winner.
Granted, we Eagles fans may have wanted something else, but right now at QB, what we have on tap is better quality than some our rival’s top shelf. And if they’re reading this, you can bet that they’re not smiling.
WHAT the fuck was that?! This is our first round pick? Are you shitting me?!? Don’t get me wrong, I’m not knocking the player. If they use him right… Seriously. It’s not the player I’m pissed over. What irritates me is that with studs at WR, and other positions, we selected a slot receiver. Oh yes we did! Small, quick, and has problems with being pressed? That equals Slot in the NFL.
Side note, before we get into it: Remember when the local media and some fans, were trying to rumor WR Alshon Jeffery’s way out of Philadelphia? Remember about a month ago when GM Howie Roseman suddenly started talking Jeffery up, in public? Yeah, this is why. The Eagles can’t start a small WR, who has trouble being physical on the outside. So like I’ve been telling you: Get comfy with Alshon in 2020. (Unless you want to put money on WR J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, suddenly being ready to play NFL ball.)
For those of you who see links to this through social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, etc.): Over the next couple of days, you will see this same article re-posted, but there will be new content added to it each day.
Now let’s get to it.
Round 1 (#21 overall): WRJalen Reagor
He’s fast, but not really a deep threat, because he has a small catch radius, and isn’t a contested ball winner. He also has issues with press coverage. However, being fast, quick and agile, he’s a natural as an NFL Slot receiver.
Also, his blocking reminds me of Matthew McConaughey doing a French accent in a movie. You say there’s no such thing? EXACTLY. Tell me that his blocking in this video didn’t make you queasy. This guy doesn’t like to mix it up, and that ain’t a great trait for a football player.
He does have experience as a returner. That said, I’m hoping we didn’t spend a first round pick on a returner. Especially in a game where the return aspect is being legislated away, a little more every year. Seems like it would be self-defeating right? Like masturbating with a cheese grater.
Reagor has some physical tools that can be harnessed, but he’s strictly a complimentary piece, and the first round of the Draft is no time to take complimentary pieces. That first pick is supposed to be a tone setter, and there is nothing about this guy’s game that says tone setter.
DAY TWO:
I found a new way to enjoy my Pepto Bismol. I call it the Roseman. I’ve named the ulcer Howie.
Round 2 (#53 overall): QB Jalen Hurts
Where to begin? Where to begin? Oh I know! How about last night’s quote from GM Howie Roseman: “For better or worse, we’re quarterback developers. We want to be a quarterback factory.”
Note to reader: Factories make things to sell them, not to keep them. The next time you get a jersey with the name of an Eagles QB on it, you may want to make it a rental.
Enough about the pick. Let’s talk about the player.
Jalen Hurts can run and isn’t afraid to lay his body on the line. As a QB who’s (too) quick to scramble, he brings an element of spontaneity that defensive coordinators will find nearly impossible to game plan for. While he may not possess the biggest arm in this draft class, he can make every throw required of a pro.
On the other hand, his accuracy stats are eye-popping, until you watch film and see how often he throws Screens, and dump-offs. He possesses no pocket presence, and in fact, his quick-bail tendency can make an offensive line look worse, as they may not know if or where he’s scrambling from.
Remember how bad the line looked when QB Randall Cunningham played here, but how much better they looked when literally anyone else started? When you don’t scramble with a plan, your line doesn’t know how to protect your exit. Our new pick likes to scramble without a plan, and that may get Jalen, hurt.
All at once, this pick is a large middle finger to QBNate Sudfeld, and a warning shot at QB Carson Wentz. Dear Carson, Next time: With your shield or on it. As I said back on March 5th: The next time Carson voluntarily goes into a tent, there should be s’mores involved.
Round 3 (#103 overall) OLBDavion Taylor
YAY!!! Another LB ‘tweener! Because you can never have too much of something, that you already have too many of. Either he’s a LB that can’t beat blockers, or a SS that can’t cover and has no ball-skills. It’s up to the Eagles to decide which of these things they’ll give him your money for.
He’s 228, did 21 bench reps, and has 4.5 speed. He’s a test trap. You know, like Mikey Mamula. Ohhhhh, you remember that name don’tcha? DE Mike Mamula, tested off the charts, right? How’d that work out for us?
I swear, I’m not picking on Taylor. Look at the video. It’s not a highlight video, so it’s one that shows you who he is, down-in and down-out, throughout the course of a ballgame. It will show you who YOU will be watching on Sundays. Watch the video. Tell me if you want to see this guy squaring up in the hole vs a division RB.
The video makes it clear that he can read what’s in front of him, regardless of where the coaching staff decides to deploy him (Two Deep, Nickel, blitz, etc.) That said, he needs a refinement of technique throughout his game. From not getting engulfed by blockers, to initiating the action, to boxing in and forcing open-field runners to gear down.
There’s nothing here that can’t be fixed or enhanced, with the simple investment of time, and an opportunity to make a few mistakes. He has the instincts and the physical tools, as long as he’s played as a DB. Asking him to play Nickel LB in the NFL, is setting him up for failure. Give the kid a chance, and that should be all he needs.
Round 4 (#145 overall): OT Jack Driscoll
Good feet, reads stunts, works combo block well and moves with ease to the second level. The knock on him is that he’s not a people mover. Then again it’s hard to be when most of the time he’s playing out of a two-point stance. In fact, nobody on his offensive line aside from the C, routinely plays with a hand on the ground. You can’t get consistent run blocking leverage, out of a two-point stance.
Pro coaching will get more run blocking out of him. The question is will he be kicked inside to G. Better still, with his relatively short arms, it might be smart to see if he can snap a football.
Round 5 (#168 overall): WR John Hightower
I went with the highlight reel here, because his only game video, shows a guy who wasn’t a factor in a double digit comeback win.
There isn’t much to say here. He has 4.4 speed if he’s running a straight line. He may break 12 tackles if he plays a decade, and he’s not going to break a single ankle that he wasn’t born with. He adds value as a KR, but we took care of that need in the first round. He’s definitely Practice Squad material, but odds are long against him making the active roster this season.
Round 6 (#196 overall): MLB Shaun Bradley
Watches entirely too much football while he’s on the field. Lacks aggression, and doesn’t initiate or dictate the action, which is a key to success when playing inside. Waits for blocks to find him, and then he sticks to them like he’s made of velcro. Physical traits are meaningless when you leave your heart in the locker room. Even his highlight video is COMEDY . Pure FARCE!
Round 6 (#200): WR Quez Watkins
Yet again went with the highlight video, because the game video is underwhelming. So is his highlight reel, but the alternative was to post a picture of television static.
We have here, yet another fast guy who returns kicks, doesn’t block, and can’t break tackles. This one however, gets alligator arms across the middle. (That’s on the game video.) He’ll compete for a Practice Squad spot, but that seems like where he’ll max out.
Round 6 (#210): OTPrince Tega Wanogho
Note: This is the same game, but a different video than was used for 4th round pick Jack Driscoll. Driscoll was circled in the first one, Wanogho is circled here.
The guy looks good in pass protection, and he gets out nicely on Quick Screens and up to the second level. His hand placement needs some work, but that’s true of almost all offensive linemen coming out of college. Many sources had him being picked earlier, but his run blocking is probably what held him back.
As with teammate Driscoll, Wanogho’s run blocking will vastly improve if he’s taught to routinely put his hand on the ground and uncork his height, before he steps into his blocks. He also needs to sustain his run blocks to the whistle. Too often he disengages, and leaves defenders able to influence the play.
He’s drawn comparisons to (grrrr!) former Eagles LT Jason Peters, back from when Peters was switching from TE to OT. If the time is taken to coach Wanogho up, this guy could be a rose that grew from concrete.
Round 7 (#233): DE Casey Toohill
Mike Mamula’s name was invoked earlier in this Report, and will be yet again here. Like Mamula, Toohill has a great motor, but he’s underpowered. He’s not fluid enough for OLB, but not strong enough to beat blockers. He also stops his feet too often when asked to work in space. Doesn’t seem to have a “thing”. Meaning there’s no bullrush, or swim, or spin, or club or anything that he relies on. Seems to think effort alone is enough to reach the QB, which would explain why it took 5 years to amass just 14 sacks in his career.
*****
On the whole, this wasn’t a Draft that was meant to produce starters in 2020. In fact, I doubt there is a single one of these players who will start a single game, that isn’t necessitated by injury.
This is a re-stocking, so that later we don’t have to shop out of desperation, when resources may not be as plentiful. We’ve opted not to take advantage while our opponents are trying to sort out their new coaches. Instead, we’re building for the day when they’re good, so that we can meet them nose to nose, if we can’t already be better.
This was a shitty Draft for those who’s only cooking is done with a microwave. For those of us who own a pressure cooker and a couple of crock pots, good eats are a-brewin’.
Notable Free Agent signings:
RB Mike Warren
Nicknamed “Truck” by his teammates, I already had Warren on my 2020 Draft Wish List. He gives the Eagles a guy who can gain tough yards between the Tackles, and has nice hands for a 226 pound RB. Sets up blocks well on Screens, and is no fun to tackle. His pass protection needs refinement, but he’s more than wiling to stick his nose in there. He was productive despite playing in a gimmicky read-option offense. Playing in a real system, with TE’s and an offensive line that won’t allow penetration on every other handoff, should help Warren show off his skills enough to make the 55 man roster.
LB Dante Olson
Runs a 4.8 40 and looks slower when running. The issue is that he’s actually a LB, not a the modern LB/S tweener. The guy plays with thump and ballcarriers tend to stop where he meets them. Speed may keep him off most NFL rosters, but a team that only asks him to scrape and perform zone coverage from Tackle to Tackle, could get a real steal here.
OUR earliest pick is 21st this year. There is no way to guarantee which Draft prospect will and won’t be available, by the time we get to select. It is mainly for that reason, that I never attempt to predict the Draft. The other reason is BAA.
What is BAA? The Eagles don’t use a “Needs” based Draft philosophy. They instead take a “Best Athlete Available” approach. Meaning, they’ve ranked every player in the draft pool, and will take the highest ranked player on their board, REGARDLESS of his position, whenever an Eagles pick comes up. The Eagles are not alone in this. Most of NFL teams use BAA as their draft strategy these days. The Eagles have made exceptions, but this is generally our M.O.
Understand, this is NOT a mock draft. This Wish List is what the Eagles Draft would look like, if I were the GM. By the way, expect to see me reach once or twice. If a guy is a great fit, you go get him. Period. End of story. Don’t listen to media pundits try to determine where a guy “should be” picked. Just go get your guy. When he becomes a perennial All-Pro, you won’t care that some twit said he should have been drafted in later round. Get. Your. Guy.
Were I the GM, these are the playerswho would be Drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020:
Round 1 (#21 overall): LB Kenneth Murray – WR is deep, but there is a scarcity of NFL cailber LB’s in this draft. Murray is a three down MLB with enough size (6’2 240), to handle the run in this division. He has sideline to sideline speed, and is even an effective blitzer. With a defensive line in front of him that will demand a double-teamed DT on nearly every snap, Murray would be free to flow to the football, or could be used to corral scrambling QB’s.
Round 2 (#53 overall): CB Jeff Gladney – At 5’10 191 pounds, he’s not an imposing specimen, but he’s also not ankle-biter. He’s sticky in coverage and attacks the run. The video below will show him giving WR CeeDee Lamb all that he can handle. If things don’t pan out with CB Sidney Jones this year, Gladney is a great insurance policy going forward.
Round 3 (#103 overall): WR Denzel Mims – As deep as this position is, it would be foolish to run right out and get a WR. This guy has been on my (and apparently a LOT of local people’s) radar for a couple of months now. Sporting a straight-forward style that just looks like Philadelphia, he’s a 6’3, 210 pounder, who can run, will block, and make the odd circus catch here and there.
Round 4 (#127 overall): WR/RB Antonio Gibson – Yes, two receivers in a row! The Eagles badly need a kick return threat. Gibson not only fits that bill, but he can also contribute on Offense, and in all four aspects of Special Teams. Odds are slim that the Eagles would keep 6 WR’s, but at 6’ 2, 220 pounds (the NFL site has him erroneously listed at 6’0) , with his ability to effectively carry the football, he might challenge RB Boston Scottfor his roster spot. Seriously, watch the video.
Round 4 (#145 overall): DE Marlon Davidson – Huge for the position (6’3, 303 pounds). Can play both inside and outside, but is definitely a DE not a DT. Generally sets his edge well, but still can get pressure on the QB. Watching this video reminded me very much of DE Vinny Curry in 2017.
Round 4 (#146 overall): RG Damien Lewis – This guy is a bully in the run game. Honestly, watch the video (RG #68). It’s easy to score points when the defensive line is too tired, and too beat up to rush the QB, or fill gaps. Also, with RG Brandon Brooksanxiety issue, and his rehabbed arm, it’s not a bad idea to have some insurance.
Round 5 (#168 overall): RB Mike Warren – This is a reach pick. Almost everyone says that he can be had after the Draft, but why gamble? He’s a big RB who plays to his size, has good hands and can be split out wide. The Eagles need a short yardage inside runner, and this guy is one of just a couple of those in this Draft. (A.J. Dillon is big, but runs soft. Sewo Olonilua already makes questionable off the field decisions.) Pull the trigger and get the guy we need. After all it’s just gambling a 5th round pick, not a kidney.
Round 6 (#190 overall): C Zach Shackleford – This is also a reach pick. Many suggest that he can be added as a free agent after the Draft, but as I said: If the guy has what you need, go get ‘im! Shackleford is a battler inside, with intangibles like leadership and football intelligence. He isn’t the biggest or the strongest, or the fastest. Then again, people said those same things about C Jason Kelce didn’t they? In years to come, Shackleford could prove an absolute steal.
As I said, a couple of my guys here are reaches, and that’s okay. The Chargers received no consolation prize for drafting Ryan Leaf where everyone thought he should go. That’s because the idea is to get a guy who contributes. If the player picked contributes regularly, then the pick was a good one.
Adding this draft class of complimentary players to the Eagles roster, would not only patch the holes and provide depth, but also sets up the team for the 2021 Draft.
That’s our kick-ass GM Howie Roseman. This guy, is a friggin’ GENIUS!
THIS so far, has been a nightmare. So far there doesn’t seem to be a plan. When we left the 2019 season we had obvious holes to fill, and things to strengthen. So get to it, right? Instead what happened, was our GMHowie Roseman, created more holes and has so far left them empty.
Some fans may have been placated by Howie trading for 30 year old CB Darius Slay. That said, I think many will acknowledge that a week earlier, no one was talking about Slay. Everyone (except me) seemed to want CB Byron Jones. As it stands now, Nobody’s First Choice, is thus far Howie’s crowning achievement of 2020.
Six weeks ago (going by talent on rosters), the NFC East was in the bag for the Eagles. Then our GM began just ripping shit up. Got rid of our only complete LB (OLB/MLB Nigel Bradham), a future Hall or Famer (LT Jason Peters), a perennial All-Pro (SS Malcolm Jenkins), the roster’s only down hill runner (RB Jordan Howard) and our leading receiver in Super Bowl 52 (RB Corey Clement).
Howie has left us thin at all of those positions now, and he hasn’t even brought in unproven players to fill those holes. What did we add to our roster you ask? Well shit, let’s take a look!
We got the aforementioned 30 year old CB, a NT (Javon Hargrave) for our 4-3 defense, in a Wide Nine system. We also got a… a… um…
Fuck! Just fuck, man! Fuck! The fuck is he doing, man?! I just want to… All he had to do was… I’m gonna go upstairs, put my head under my pillow, and blow my fuckin’ brains out!
Wait! Better idea.
But it’s no time to panic.
It is after all, still early in the process, and with everything being pushed back a bit, due to a public health concern (WINK!), it theoretically gives the Eagles Front Office more time to weigh all the options. The problem with theoretically, is that other teams are making moves in real-time, which removes some of the options, off the board.
Raise your hand if you’d have liked a serious run at trading for WR DeAndre Hopkins.
How about QB Nick Foles for a 4th rounder (like Chicago paid)? Foles is re-doing his deal so that the Bears can afford him. So, you know. Yay. I’m happy for the Bears. Hey, if you can’t see my eye twitch, or hear the bitterness in my tone, then you might assume that I took that trade in stride.
Hey! CB A.J. Bouye for a 4th rounder (like Denver paid), would have also been nice.
How about signing free agents like MLB Joe Schobert or LB Cory Littleton?! RB Lamar Miller is still out there (coming off an ACL injury) and waiting for a committee role.
Don’t even get me started about us not re-signing Bradham (still unsigned), Peters (still unsigned) Jenkins, Howard, or DE Vinny Curry (still unsigned). Rumor has it that the Jets are interested in Vinny.
I understand the idea of getting younger. I understand the idea of leaning on the draft. What I don’t understand, is the inactivity. What I don’t understand, is what we’re waiting for. What I don’t understand, is the plan.
UGH! Look at this idiot’s face. What’s the plan?! WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO MY TEAM!?!?
EAGLEMANIACAL.com 