free agency

All posts tagged free agency

EAGLES FREE AGENT ADDITIONS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/02/19
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Rivals, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

WITH ten draft picks this year, the smart move is to use them to further the Eagles youth movement. There is no sense in signing bunch of, or trading early picks for, older and more expensive players this year. Judiciously signing a few however, can add immediate bounce throughout a roster. Here are the three that we should add.

DE: Emmanuel Ogbah from Miami would be the centerpiece of my free agency mission. Getting a bigger, and more physical LDE, will allow Josh Sweat to go back to using his speed at RDE, making our Defensive Line a lot more effective. Understand though, Miami comes into free agency with more cap space than anyone, and they’ll want to keep their proven pass rusher.

Of course, while Miami has tons of cash, they’re going to have a new head coach in 2022. Also, the NFL may be trying to take the team away from owner Stephen Ross, due to allegations that he attempted to pay his last head coach, to throw games.

Vegas (and I don’t mean the Raiders), won’t look too kindly on that, with legalized gambling being a cash cow. So if Ross “dies” in 2022, don’t be shocked. I mean the guy is 81, but if saaaay, he blows his own head off (wink), and afterwards cleans his fingerprints off the shotgun, we’ll all know what’s what.

The upcoming circus that’s about to surround a 9 – 8 Dolphins team which missed the playoffs, should be enough to encourage Ogbah to move to greener pastures. While many teams can offer him a boatload of cash, no other team can offer him a chance to play with two DT’s that demand as much double-team attention. That means a ton of one-on-one opportunities for Ogbah.

Imagine it: DE Emmanuel Ogbah , DT Fletcher Cox, DT Javon Hargrave, and DE Josh Sweat. A physically stronger left side, with Sweat bringing the explosiveness that Derek Barnett always lacked from the blindside. Improved play on the back-end would make this Defense monstrous.

TE: While Jack Stoll is a good blocker, he’s no threat as a receiver. That makes Richard Rogers our go-to, behind Dallas Goedert. Rodgers is credible, but we have to do better here. (Ironically, Zach Ertz is a free agent, but I’m pretty sure we won’t be seeing him back here.)

As of today, the Cowboys, (according to Over The Cap) find themselves (-21M$) in salary cap hell, for 2022. That means 25 year old Dalton Schultz could be an easy steal, which would help us, while at the same time, harming a rival. If we can’t get him to come here, at least we should be able to bid, and drive up the price that Dallas re-signs him to.

WR: HEAR ME OUT! I know this is gonna sound crazy at first, but it makes all the sense in the world. We should bring back DeSean Jackson. (I’ll give you a minute to shake your head, and call me nuts.)

Are you done? Alright, Fine. Take another minute.

Now the explanation. Devonta Smith thinks that he would benefit from having a veteran in the locker room. That being the case, if we add a seasoned veteran, we don’t want them to hinder the Eagles youth development, by playing too many downs. Quez Watkins won’t get better from not playing. (Same with the rookie WR we should draft.)

DJax has a ton of wisdom to impart to a WR room. Especially to Smith. DJax has been a #1 threat. He’s seen double coverage, bracket coverage, shaded coverage meant to contain him, and he’s produced anyway. He’s seen ups and downs off the field. He’s taken care of his body, well enough to still be a deep threat at 87 years old. This is even more important when you realize how slender DJax is. A trait that Smith shares.

Though DJax still has an ability to be dangerous (2021: 20rec, 454yards, 22.7*ypc, 2TD), his hamstrings won’t let him play a ton of downs. Which is GREAT! He shouldn’t be a starter. He should be a role player. Which also means he shouldn’t be too expensive.

(*Led NFL)

Wise, cheap, still lethal, and he won’t try to overshadow the young men we’re trying to develop. Go ahead. Find someone else who ticks all of those boxes, in this year’s free agency. I’ll wait… In fact, I’ll spot you the list so you don’t have to look for it.

Emmanuel Sanders?! Last year he was a starter in Buffalo. No way he gives up chasing a ring with QB Josh Allen, to play for a QB who can’t read defenses. NEXT! AJ. Green? He’s going back to Arizona. Next! Mohamed Sanu? He was never Batman. He wasn’t even Robin! He was Batgirl for most of his career. I don’t want Devonta learning how to be Batman, from Batgirl. Do you?

So there it is. Those are the primary three players I would target in this year’s first round of free agency. We’ll take a look at the post-Draft cuts, with an eye towards KR’s, and big RB’s. Then we’ll look for veteran defenders after the June 1st cuts.

RETURNING 2022 EAGLES FREE AGENTS

Posted by The BEAST on 2022/02/16
Posted in: breakdown, Conversations, Defense, Fans, free agents, Front Office (F.O.), Offense, Players, playoffs, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

IMPROVE the roster. That’s the mission of this, and every offseason. The first step (as always), is not to do anything stupid, which either leaves a hole, or depletes depth. Teams sometimes do that when they have plans to add X-free agent, and/or Y-draft pick. Problem is, when they land neither player X nor Y, they get left with a hole. Often gaping. So let’s not do something stupid.

If we’re smart, here are six holes we’ll avoid creating, just by re-signing guys:

G – Nate Herbig: He’s been solid everywhere we’ve put him (LG – C – RG). He has inside versatility, is more reliable than Sua Opeta, and may be a better starter than Isaac Seumalo.

RB – Jordan Howard: His neck is a bit of a concern, but the Eagles need a bruiser, and unless the Front Office plans to trade for one, free agency is loaded with guys who either won’t come here (John Conner, Melvin Gordon, Leonard Fournette); guys who don’t run as big as their size (Peyton Barber, Kalen Ballage, Damien Williams); and the 30+ club (Latavius Murray, Brandon Bolden).

CB – Steven Nelson: Though he didn’t have the monster season that Darius Slay had, Nelson only surrendered an average of 33.9 yards per game. (Slay averaged 31.) Whether the plan is to develop Zech MacPhearson or draft another kid, keeping Nelson around is the smart play. If we let him walk, who starts in his place?….Exactly.

OLB – Alex Singleton: The Eagles need to upgrade our pool of LB talent. No argument there. However, if the Eagles don’t re-sign Singleton, that would leave us with promising, but still raw Davion Taylor and our fingers crossed. Singleton isn’t flashy, but he hustles, and doesn’t quit on plays. His attitude is exactly what incoming rookies needs to see.

FS – Rod McLeod: We aren’t even close to having an answer at this position if we let him walk. Eagles fans want FA Tyrann Mathieu, but he’s going to have plenty of suitors. So Mathieu coming here, is far from a slam dunk. McLeod is already here and wants to come back. Why be difficult? Just take ‘Yes’ for an answer.

WR – Greg Ward: He is the most veteran player at his position, in a room full of pups. He’s also one of just TWO decent Punt Returners under contract with this team. And that’s counting Active roster, Practice Squad, and even guys on Injured Reserve.

*****

Keep in mind, any of the players that we re-sign, we can still cut later. Re-signing these guys just means that moves made subsequently, can be done with far less risk. As for the remaining eight, I like some of them, but many of them don’t fit the Eagles big picture.

DE Derek Barnett will never produce more than 7 sacks, in a system which plays it’s CB’s off so much.

DT Hassan Ridgeway is a solid rotation guy, and I’ve been big on him for years. Unfortunately for him, he’s in Milton Williams’s way. Williams was a third round pick and unlike Ridgeway, he can be flexed out to DE.

RB Boston Scott is a gamer, but A) Someone is going to throw him more than 3 million a year, B) It shouldn’t be us, since we’ll soon have to pay RB Miles Sanders; C) Three small RB’s in Scott, Kenneth Gainwell and Jason Huntley is two too many.

CB Andre Chachere makes you notice him, but the numbers game at his position might run him out of town. Even more so, I think his style of play would be better suited to FS, but the Eagles FO is still hoping that K’Von Wallace pans out there, since they spent a draft pick on him.

The Eagles have already re-signed TE Richard Rodgers. As much as the Front Office raves about TE Tyree Jackson, his ACL tear in Week 18 means that he’ll miss OTA’s, mini-camp, and some, or all of Training Camp. Rodgers represents depth and starter insurance.

And now for some bad news. We can’t claim to be rebuilding. We did that last year, and we made the playoffs. Making the playoffs is now expected for this team. Playoffs is the floor, not the ceiling in 2022. We will not sneak up on anyone this year. Everything that this team does now, is not to build a winner, but to go further this year. This year.

We want to open Training Camp with the Eagles being more talented, and more dangerous, than when our season ended. That process begins with the start of Free Agency on March 16th. We’ll take care of our in-house business, then chase the outside. Remember, the first step (as always), is not to do anything stupid.

CUTTING BRADHAM WAS STUPID

Posted by The BEAST on 2020/02/19
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), Players, Rants, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

nigel bradham

ASIDE from letting him test Free Agency, then trying to bring him back for less than 9 million, cutting OLB Nigel Bradham was a stupid thing to do. The move is billed as a cost cutting move, that will save the Eagles 4.4 million in 2020. That number is gravely inaccurate on a few levels, but it’s reporting was meant to get fans buzzing about what we’d do with the “extra” 4.4 million.

For the most part the trick worked. Many fans are speculating that the money will be applied to a free agent CB. The very notion is hilarious, and further proof that most Eagles fans don’t get the money side of this. Let me explain.

First. Money aside, Bradham was our best LB. He was our only complete LB, in that he could play the run or the pass. He has the size and speed to play inside or outside. He called defensive assignments. He has a nose for the ball, and has been on the scoring end of a few big plays for us. Nate Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill, T. J. Edwards, Alex Singleton and Duke Reilly, are what we have left now that he’s gone.

Second. Let’s talk savings. The Eagles didn’t save 4.4 million. Bradham made that last year. In 2020 had the Eagles picked up his option, he’d have made 9.75. Among current OLB salaries, here’s where he’d have sat:

olb pay

If you want to argue that we saved 9.75 million, I’ll spot you that. Now let me ask you: What do we spend to replace him with similar or better production? Quality free agents don’t work cheap. And the list up there tells you what the market looks like.

Third. Let’s talk about where to apply that fictional 4.4 million in savings, or that temporary 9.75 million in savings. All the buzz is about either CB’s Chris Harris, Byron Jones, and Darius Slay. None of whom will touch Earth in Philly, without a sniff at 15 million per year. And that’s just to open the bidding. Last time I checked 15 was still more than 9.75. Again, no savings.

card.nigel.bradham

But WOO-HOOO! We still would have that hole at OLB! Isn’t this neat? Wait, what am I talking about about “would have”? They already cut him! We have that hole right now! Such a massive hole. Isn’t it GLORIOUS? You can see straight through to the Chinese lock-down, due to Coronavirus. Oh what an age we live in!

And for those who think we’re going to spend it on a 20 million dollar WR, after we cut/trade/murder WR Alshon Jeffery, you all are my absolute favorite. Why confine yourself to reality, when you can put your head under a pillow, and scream until you pass out and dream of a world that suits you? I agree, Trump is the smartest President we’ve ever had!

So yeah. Cutting Bradham? Hey Howie. Way to go, Ace!

FREE AGENCY 2018: DAY 3 – 4

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/03/17
Posted in: Conversations, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

 

Almighty Dollar.jpg

ASIDE from cutting DE Vinny Curry, we were pretty silent on Days 3 and 4. While I hate the loss of Curry setting a hard edge vs the run, it has to be said that there was no other logical move to be made, besides cutting him. He was going to be too expensive in both 2018 and 2019. So let’s talk about what comes next.

Stepping back and looking at the roster overall, I can see my Draft Wishlist starting to take shape. We have 66 players under contract, with no empty positions. We have depth everywhere, but not all of it is quality depth. There’s a few things we could use from free agency to help stabilize our roster, and set the tone for the arriving rookie class of Eagles.

SHOPPING LIST:

A blocking TE. Behind Zach Ertz we have three players who weren’t drafted, or even invited to a Combine. Only one has played a down of regular season NFL ball, and he’s a 223 pound receiver type. Did I mention that we’re trying to convert one TE from Rugby player to NFL player. Martellus Bennett would be a great fit here.

A back-up OT. When Jason Peters went down, we compensated by giving Halapoulivaati Vaitai help on some plays, and rolling the QB away from him on other plays. We did this up to and through the Super Bowl. In the event that we suffer another injury at OT, I don’t think we can rely on rolling QB Carson Wentz out on half the snaps. Former Patriot LaAdrian Waddle could be worth a looong look here. He’s a RT, but he allows us to flip Lane Johnson if Waddle can’t be taught/trusted to play on the left.

laad.jpg

A KR/PR. So far nothing about RB Donnel Pumphrey indicates that he should be in the NFL. (Again, that’s so far.) RB Wendell Smallwood has had some success as a KR, but none as PR. A player who could do both would help us conserve a roster spot, which will matter greatly in September. No such animal exists on the free agent market, but WR Michael Campanaro is close.

A short yardage RB. While our RB’s are strong enough to break arm tackles, we no longer have a human bulldozer. Having a 250 pound RB meet a 240 pound LB in the hole, was an advantage that Eagles fans weren’t used to, and will miss dearly. This would be a nice role-player spot, for a guy like 32 year old Mike Tolbert.

miketolbert.jpg

None of these guys would be very pricey, and they’d all be veterans who added a dimension that we don’t possess at the moment.

Here’s hoping for a busier Day 5.

FREE AGENCY 2018: DAY 1

Posted by The BEAST on 2018/03/15
Posted in: Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, trade. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

.

 

the big bird.png

THE object of the game is to get better than we were. The question is: Did we?

With the expiration of some contracts, we lost players like RB’s Darren Sproles and LeGarrette Blount; DT Beau Allen; TE Trey Burton, LB Nigel Bradham and CB Patrick Robinson. An additional hole was created with the release of TE Brent Celek.

As for those holes, the Eagles replaced Allen with DT Haloti Ngata, in a move that could actually be seen as an upgrade. Bradham was brought back on a new deal. The loss of Robinson was offset by the trade of WR Torrey Smith for CB Daryl Worley. We also added DE Michael Bennett in case we have to cut DE Vinny Curry for cap space. We also added a back-up LB in Corey Nelson. 

Remaining holes going into Day 2 of Free Agency? TE and uh… well nothing. At least as far as players are concerned. However, we still need to make a ton of space to get under the salary cap. Technically we don’t actually have to be compliant until Week One, but the sooner we are, the easier everyone will sleep.

All and all though, it wasn’t a bad Day 1. It was pretty green actually. 

()ruby rhod gif

EAGLES REBUILD 2017

Posted by The BEAST on 2017/03/05
Posted in: Conversations, Defense, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Special Teams. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

vet-construction-my-edit

SLIGHTLY retooling the Eagles won’t get us out of the basement. We need a CB, a bell-cow RB, a 1# WR, and an OLB. Those are just the Starters we need. We need depth at QB, C, OT, DT, MLB, FS, and CB. Not to mention eyeing possible replacements for our aging LS and P. I also said earlier this year, that while our K’s accuracy is good, his ability to hit from distance in cold weather playoff games, is a serious concern once we qualify.

Every year the Eagles tell you that everything is on the table. This year that’s more true than most. Generally you can forecast 18-20 of next season’s 22 Starters, but this year, the list of sacred cows is much shorter than normal and it looks like this:

QB – Carson Wentz

RG – Brandon Brooks

OT – Lane Johnson

TE – Zach Ertz

DT – Fletcher Cox

LB – Jordan Hicks

LB – Nigel Bradham

SS – Malcolm Jenkins

FS – Rodney McLeod

Lots of “if” surrounding the rest of those starting spots isn’t there? You probably didn’t realize that until you just went through it in your head. Freaky right? You can include DE Vinny Curry as a guaranteed Starter if you like, but that would only be due to the remaining guaranteed money (20M) on his contract and the 9M$ cap hit he represents this year.

Our team is trapped against the salary cap, due to paying large bank on contracts to players from another coaching regime. Those same players, under two different head coaches, produced back-to-back 7-9 seasons. Everything about that situation screams “rebuild”. Anyone telling you different, thinks you’re a moron. You’re here reading this, so it’s clear to me that you can’t be one.

This is a rebuild. Only instead of the typical purge and Free Agent spending spree, the Eagles are going back to the 1999 formula where we held onto veterans and gradually replaced them through the Draft. This is Doug Pederson following Andy Reid again, and trust me, I have absolutely no problems with that. I never understood why we got away from it, to begin with. Drafting in waves is a more stable approach. It allows veteran players to help train their replacements, instead of having a bunch of people shrugging at each other, since too many people would be new. It also allows you carry forth a culture.

Winning a Super Bowl can’t even be discussed when you aren’t good enough to even make the playoffs. Two straight 7-9 seasons where we failed to make the playoffs suggest that we need more than a retool. That’s why the Eagles are in rebuild mode. Anyone telling you different is also telling you (in the same breath), why you shouldn’t listen to them.

FOUR THINGS: EAGLES/RAVENS

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/12/16
Posted in: Coaching, Defense, Draft, Four Things, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , . 2 Comments

THERE are no more big plans for the 2016 season. Since most sports pundits and Eagles fans didn’t have many to begin with, no one should be disappointed at where the team is right now. The time has come for us to shift focus. Instead of trying to win 3 more meaningless games in 2016, or we should the table for 2017, 2018, 2019 and so forth and so on. Our 2017 season should start this Sunday.

we-rise-9-26-15

Billboard down the street from my house, at the Girard street on-ramp to 95

Since this game is meaningless, this game shouldn’t be about this game. This game should be about the 2017 offseason. It should be an evaluation tool that includes a high number of young players starting and playing in critical situations. We should get a deep look at our youth during “live fire”. Not just during “garbage time”, but while the game is on the line, to see how they handle the pressure and if they can respond well to it.

The smart play here is to get a long look at the back end of our roster, to be sure that we A) don’t release any youth that has real potential, and B) that we don’t waste a Draft pick on something that we already have, but don’t realize that we do. This way we get to focus laser-like on what we truly need, and can build on strengths.

This game shouldn’t be about beating the Ravens, but if we can do that with a bunch of young players and deep bench guys, it portends greatness and is a hell of confidence builder for the young guys.

So let’s talk about the Four Things Players we need to look for, Week 15 versus Baltimore :

1) WR Bryce Treggs: I’ve been screaming for more of him for weeks now. Rumors of possibly signing Free Agent DeSean Jackson next season, only make getting a DEEP look at Treggs so much more important. Why pay more for DJax’s balky, old hammies, when Treggs can already stretch a defense? If he can effectively snag deep balls against a team fighting for a playoff spot, then there’s no need to overpay for a FA, or spend a high Draft pick at the WR position.

2) WR Paul Turner: He should start over WR Nelson Agholor for two reasons. 1) it keeps the fire lit under Agholor’s ass, and 2) we get to see Turner vs starting NFL CB’s, and not just second and third string units. Everyone is screaming that we need to grab a WR early, and maybe we do. However, we should first take a long look to make sure.

3) G Dillon Gordon: G Stefen Wisniewski is a FA after this year, but he played well enough to be brought back. However, given the contract of G Brandon Brooks, and the commitment to developing rookie G Isaac Seumalo, giving Wisniewski an inflated contract to be a back-up, seems unlikely. That makes it imperative to determine if Gordon can be relied upon at all. If he can’t play, at least we know where we stand. If Gordon can play, then we can either improve our leverage with Wisniewski, or move on from him altogether with less doubt.

4) DT Destiny Vaeao: With DT Bennie Logan becoming a FA after the season, it would help to know how Vaeao looks when paired with DT Fletcher Cox. DC Jim Schwartz likes to sub his Defensive Line, 4 guys at a time, so we haven’t gotten to see much of a Cox/Vaeao interior. Even when Logan missed games with a calf injury, DT Beau Allen simply sucked up more playing time. Vaeao isn’t the run-stuffer that Logan is, but he’s a more dynamic pass rusher. Given the fall-off we’ve had in that area, seeing a Cox/Vaeao interior might be the shot in the arm this team has been needing.

At this point, looking ahead to the future isn’t tanking. Tanking is quitting early while there is still something on the table worth winning. We’re past that at this point. To paint you a realistic picture: We’d have to win out and go 8-8, while Tampa Bay and Atlanta (8-5), Washington (7-5-1) and Green Bay (7-6) would ALL have to drop their remaining games. Actually given Tampa and Atlanta’s 6-3 conference records with 3 conference games remaining, I don’t see how we (5-7 conference, 2 conference games remaining) overtake them. When you add in our inability to win road games and that we’d be exclusively on the road, it only makes sense to give real consideration to our Draft position (round Two and on), and determine the depth of our needs pertaining to free agency. It’s just smart football and good business.

yeah-bitch

EZEKIEL ELLIOT IN PHILLY

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/12
Posted in: Conspiracy Corner, Draft, Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . 5 Comments

1eb

PICTURE [Ezekiel Elliot] making a career out of running over Cowboys, leaving countless Redskins grasping for air, and making giant after giant realize that the only thing about him they can remember is the way his last name looks on his jersey. Can you see that? Fellow fans, that may be mere weeks away from happening.

ezeelli

Elliot being targeted by the Eagles would make complete sense of their recent moves at the Running Back position. Trading RB DeMarco Murray away to the Titans, and not replacing him with a top Free Agent was a bit of a head-scratcher. Considering the track record for RB Ryan Mathews, there is no way the Eagles could be serious about making a run at the playoffs with Mathews as the bell-cow. Compounding that, is the fact that behind Mathews we don’t have a player who could step in and start 3 to 5 games reliably.

Trading up from 13th to 8th could be an interesting move, if the Birds do in fact draft Elliot. Taking Elliot 8th overall would be a statement by this team, and there are no two ways about it. The Eagles have a handful of promising Wide Receivers, but we lack a true deep threat that we can use to warp coverages. We could get that player if we were willing to reach and take a guy like WR [Will Fuller] early. However, if we left that kind of speed on the board and grabbed Elliot instead, it would be sending a distinct message about who the Eagles Offense wants to be under new Head Coach Doug Pederson. Probably a little something like this:

war hulk.jpg

So far aside from a mock Draft or two there is no solid indicator that the Eagles favor Elliot over another position. On the other hand, this time last week we had a 1-2 punch at RB, that has now been cut in half with no move to shore it up whatsoever. Not even for depth purposes. They have subtly declared that we aren’t even going to fuck with a FA RB. From a pure common sense standpoint, it looks like the Eagles have settled on the idea of drafting a RB and going with that guy and Mathews.

While it’s far from a sure thing, I have to say, all signs right now point to Elliot wearing silver and green. And I for one wouldn’t mind that at all.

HOWIE’S DOING SO FAR

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/10
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , . 10 Comments

no ragrets

ALMOST a month ago I nearly put out an article saying how much I was looking forward to Howie Roseman returning to the role of General Manager. But it was early and so I didn’t want to jump the gun. I’m glad I waited, because right now, I have some seriously mixed feelings about the job he’s done so far. Before I get into giving the world my two cents, I think it’s important that we go over the facts to make sure we’re all on the same page.

THE CUTS:

It’s important to get rid of players that are bad apples, players who don’t fit your scheme, or players who are no longer productive. We started off by shedding WR Riley Cooper who’s productivity has always been questionable at best, and who was clearly not worth the weight of his contract. Soon after followed ILB DeMeco Ryans who was not only a bad fit for the 4-3 system we’re implementing, but who would have also been in the way of budding star Jordan Hicks. Ryans contract was simply too heavy to sit him at that price. These moves made sense. If anyone can find the fault in them, I’d be interested to hear it. Logic however says these cuts deserve a top grade. (A)

RETAINED FREE AGENTS:

Before you reward a stranger for things he hasn’t done for you, it’s pretty smart to reward the guys you drafted who have performed well. RT Lane Johnson‘s durability and consistency were worth rewarding. TE Zach Ertz has improved his production every year of his career so far. You reward that. DE Vinny Curry‘s production has consistently out-paced starters on this team. TE Brent Celek has been a good soldier for this city since the day he got here. SS Malcolm Jenkins is a leader on and off the field. You reward those things. QB Sam Bradford had half of a good year. You rew- Wait. Hold on. The guy puts up pedestrian numbers in a high powered offensive system and it makes him worth bring back? Especially now that he’ll be back to running a more traditional system, which he’s been mediocre at over his whole career. 5 out of 6 equals an 83. (B)

TRADED PLAYERS:

We gave away ILB Kiko Alonso and CB Byron Maxwell to move up five spots in the 1st round of this Draft. Yes that move clears cap space, but it also widened our hole at LB without getting much in overall return. The move up is to get what? A QB? There is no franchise QB in this Draft. Granted, some of these guys look better than the other guys, but you wouldn’t put any of them against Andrew Luck the year he came out. You wouldn’t put them against Cam Newton, or Eli Manning the year they came out either. This years QB crop is far from great, so moving up to get one would be stupid. Oh yeah! We also gave away RB DeMarco Murray to swap 4th round picks with the Titans. So instead of a depth and a 1-2 punch at RB, we now have to cross our fingers that when RB Ryan Mathews gets injured again (and he always does), it won’t be for too many games. We got hosed twice. (F)

SIGNED FREE AGENTS:

At the time that this is being written (4:28am 3/10/16) the Eagles have so far added FS Rodney McLeod, CB Ron Brooks, OLB Nigel Bradham, QB Chase Daniels, and G Brandon Brooks. This is largely a shrug inducing list. (Though I’ve been big on Bradham for years now. In fact I was hoping that we’d get to draft him.) Bradham’s experience with the system run by Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz should help the team right from the get-go. From what I hear McLeod is pretty good too. Ron Brooks and Daniels are career back-ups, and finesse blocker Brandon Brooks offers us nothing that Allen Barbre wasn’t already giving us. Which was clearly not enough. Given that by the time you read this, we could have signed two more guys, I won’t put a grade on this section. But let me tell you, it wouldn’t be a high grade if I did put one on it. (-)

On the whole, we’re no stronger than we were the day Chip Kelly came to work and saw Jeff Lurie throwing his shit out of a second story window. I mean just look at the talent we added or lost, position by position.

QB – We’re no better

RB – We’re less talented

WR – No better

TE – No better

OT – No better

G – No better

C – No better

(Defensive grades are not adjusted for the new system. This is just about player talent.)

DE – No better

DT – No better

OLB – Clearly better

MLB – No better (We had Hicks last year)

SS – No better

FS – Questionable (Thurmond was very good for us last year)

CB – Less talented

So far our 7-9 team has gone backwards in terms of talent. For that we can (SO FAR) only blame Roseman. That being said, this is a highly fluid situation and a couple of moves one way or the other could stand the whole thing on it’s ear. Still, I’m glad I waited on that article.

EAGLES TO GO ON THE OFFENSIVE FOR LINE HELP

Posted by The BEAST on 2016/03/07
Posted in: Front Office (F.O.), NFL, Offense, Players, Roster, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , . 3 Comments

1eb

THUS far I’ve seen a couple of reports linking the Eagles to Chiefs FA Guard Jeff Allen. That wouldn’t be a bad signing, but I’d at least like to see the Eagles make a serious offer to Ravens G Kelechi Osemele.

Osemele is a young Pro Bowl caliber G and so is worth a big investment on those points alone. The sticking point is that due to another player being injured this year, Osemele filled in at LT and did a good job. With as valuable as LT’s are in this game, Osemele may be thinking that if he can switch from G to LT, that he’ll get the significant jump in pay that goes with it.

At the very least he has to be thinking that he needs to ensure that some team doesn’t sign him as a G and then “suddenly decide” to play him at LT. For him, signing a big deal now ensures that things are already on the up and up, regardless of whatever might happen down the line.

Richie Incognito is another guy I’m big on. He has the reputation of being a bully, but then again he’s made millions of dollars as a man who physically imposes his will on alpha males. An NFL Offensive Linemen is more or less a top-shelf professional bully. Every time they beat a Defensive Lineman, they’re making it harder for him to negotiate more money on his next contract. They are literally taking those guy’s lunch money. If they could twist nipples and give wedgies, they damned well might!

So no, I have no problem with an O-Lineman who’s a bit of a bully. In fact I have more of an issue with the ones who aren’t. The knock on Incognito is that he’s 33. That same knock is shared by Jahri Evans formerly of the Saints, who I also like.

The Steelers Ramon Foster and Vikings Mike Harris are also two names I’ve heard good things about, but I can’t say that I know/remember how they look in a game. What I will say for them is that they’re NFL veterans and they’re huge Guards at 328 and 338 respectively. Harris is only 27, and just the other day was offered a 2 year deal of 3.5M, so he can probably be lured away from Minnesota.

In any case these are a few Free Agent names I’d like to see in an Eagles jersey in 2016. If I didn’t mention this or that name, then you know how I feel about them coming here.

(I’m on the fence about Alex Boone.)