American Football

The Linc – ESPN suggests a “bold move” for the Eagles that isn’t so bold

February 23, 2024

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Philadelphia Eagles v Tampa Bay Buccaneers — Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/23/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2024 NFL offseason: Bold moves, trades in free agency, draft for all 32 teams – ESPN+
Cut S Kevin Byard and sign a young safety. Byard was an interesting midseason addition for the Eagles but ultimately wasn’t much help as Philadelphia crumbled down the stretch. He’s a good player, but he also can be used to get the Eagles some salary cap space. Cutting Byard would save the Eagles $13 million on the cap with only $1.4 million in dead money this year. How to replace Byard? Well, it’s a strong year for safeties on the free agent market, especially safeties who are still in their primes. Possible candidates for the Eagles include Antoine Winfield Jr. (26, Buccaneers); Xavier McKinney (25, Giants); and Kyle Dugger (28, Patriots). [BLG Note: Not exactly bold to say the Eagles should cut the guy who’s an obvious cap casualty candidate.]

NFL salary cap cut candidates for all 32 teams: Nick Chubb, Joe Mixon among possibilities – The Athletic
Possible cut: S Kevin Byard. The Eagles could gain just over $13 million by releasing Byard, according to Over the Cap. No other possible release saves Philadelphia more than $1.9 million. Thanks to last year’s deadline deal to patch up the secondary, GM Howie Roseman essentially gets to spend the Titans’ money in deciding whether Byard is worth a $14.4 million cap hit in 2024, third-most on the team (ahead of even QB Jalen Hurts). Byard, 31, ranked fourth among all safeties with 80 solo tackles. But he logged only one interception for just the second time in his career, and he surrendered the sixth-most passing yards among all safeties (502), according to Pro Football Focus. If released, the Eagles are immediately in the market for another safety. Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown are the only others under contract.

Looking at the creativity that Kellen Moore can bring to the Eagles – BGN
I’ll be honest, I’m not someone who is a big fan of ‘trick plays’ or whatever. Yes, the Philly Special is the greatest Super Bowl play of all time. But, let’s be real, when we are analyzing an offense and breaking down the scheme, we rarely include trick plays in our analysis. However, why not? If you watched the Eagles’ offense last year, you were probably pretty bored at times. The Eagles didn’t try anything fancy or unique, even when nothing was working. I think that will change next year, as Kellen Moore uses more creative plays to try and surprise defenses and also to set them up for a similar look later on in the game. I’ve called this section creativity, but I could have named it ‘WR Fly Sweeps’. Kellen Moore likes to use his receiver in the run game and I am going to be looking hard at wide receivers who excel with the ball in their hands in the draft this year. The Eagles absolutely need a new profile at WR3 this offseason. WR3 plays an important role in Moore’s offense because he likes to run plays like this.

On the Shane Page #19: Defensive lineman Review and Lookahead – BGN Radio
Jonny Page and Shane Haff weigh in on the Haason Reddick trade discussion and compare him to Josh Sweat.

Daniel Jeremiah talks Eagles draft ahead of the NFL Combine – PhillyVoice
Q. I think you just referred to Cooper DeJean as an intriguing prospect. What stands out to you when you are evaluating him, and which secondary spot do you see him gravitating towards in the NFL? DANIEL JEREMIAH: Yeah, I think he can play anywhere. That’s one of the things I love about him. You are drafting a big-time athlete who has just got — he has football instincts. He has ball skills. At corner there’s one — just one little thing that bothered me a little bit. I just think there’s a little bit of a pause in his transition, but I’m probably nitpicking a little bit there. To me I like the fact of having a guy that you could play — he could play nickel and be a big, physical nickel. You could play him as a high safety, let him do that. I think you kind of sort it out. I hate saying it this way, but you almost sort it out when you get him there and see who you have got. He allows you, almost like an offensive lineman that is versatile, to get your best five DBs on the field because of his versatility and athleticism to be able to play in any spot. I wouldn’t pigeon-hole him into corner or nickel or safety at this point in time. I would say, hey, get him in there. I think he is somebody that’s going to be able to learn everything and evaluate the rest of your roster and use him where you need to use him.#JimmySays: Cooper DeJean is awesome. I’d take him over Rakestraw in half a heartbeat. I’m surprised there’s even a debate, honestly.

More Tweaking – Iggles Blitz
Okwuegbunam has NFL talent. No one questions that. We just haven’t seen much of it. He was a late addition to the Eagles last summer. Okwuegbunam played in four games and didn’t catch any passes. He does have 54 career catches so he’s been a productive role player in the past. The Eagles traded for him because of his potential. Okwuegbunam is an athletic pass-catcher. He must improve as a blocker and STer if he wants to push for regular playing time with the Eagles. Dallas Goedert is the #1 TE. Things are wide open after him. Jack Stoll has 26 starts in three years, but only 20 catches. He is primarily a blocker and STer. The Eagles could use an upgrade at #2 TE. Grant Calcaterra has shown some good flashes in two years, but we haven’t seen enough to think he’s ready to be a key player. Okwuegbunam has the potential to be a good backup. He just has to show he can do the dirty work on a consistent basis. Kellen Moore used his backup TEs more than the Eagles so it will be interesting if his offense brings out the best in some of these guys. There is also the possibility of spending a pick on a TE. Goedert is getting older. I’m fine with taking a TE, but not too early.

Justin Jefferson, Stefon Diggs and Brandon Aiyuk top NFL stars who should be traded this offseason – NFL.com
HAASON REDDICK: This is a name that should surprise nobody, considering the Eagles already gave Reddick permission to seek a trade. He’s heading into the final year of his deal, and let’s be honest: The Eagles could use some retooling on their squad after this past season’s stunning winter collapse. Surely, Reddick, who has posted double-digit sacks in each of the past four seasons, could provide a significant pass-rushing boost to someone else. Thus, GM Howie Roseman should be able to receive a worthwhile trade return.

If Nick Sirianni wants to save his career as the Eagles’ coach, he needs to learn to calm down – Inquirer
That has to be the primary concern for the Eagles here: that Sirianni’s inability to regulate himself during the heat and tension of a game might be having a material effect on the team’s performance. As just one example, everyone saw Sirianni shouting at Haason Reddick and DeVonta Smith during the Eagles’ ugly victory over the Giants on Christmas, and in light of Gunn’s reporting, it’s not so easy anymore to dismiss that incident as just an ordinary player-coach interaction, though Sirianni tried after the game.

Daniel Jeremiah’s latest mock draft suggests Cowboys have need at both tackle positions – Blogging The Boys
Terence Steele has been the Cowboys’ right tackle for the most part since 2020 and has played very well outside of his rookie season. In fact, he was awarded with a contract extension just a year ago. It is fair to mention that the guaranteed money on Steele’s deal expires after this season so perhaps the thought here is that Guyton could be a long-term option at right tackle. Daniel Jeremiah often says that he builds his board with his eyes but that he assembles his mock drafts with his ears which is his way of saying that a big part of his logic in mocks is what he is hearing from teams in terms of plans around their team. Perhaps he has reason to believe that Terence Steele is not a long-term option at right tackle for Dallas. That does not have to mean that Steele is off the team, for what it is worth. Remember that less than a year ago Jerry Jones openly pontificated that Steele could be an option for the team at left guard. Maybe there is a world where from left to right the Cowboys look something like Tyler Smith, Terence Steele, TBD, Zack Martin and (in this hypothetical) Tyler Guyton.

Giants trading up from No. 6 for a QB ‘very much in play’ — Daniel Jeremiah – Big Blue View
How serious are the New York Giants about finding a potential long-term replacement for quarterback Daniel Jones in the 2024 NFL Draft? Well-connected NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah said Thursday during a draft conference call that moving from No. 6 to No. 3, which would guarantee the Giants one of the top three quarterbacks in the draft class, is “very much in play.” “I know you have one more year of Daniel Jones before they could kind of get out of that contract, but I think that would be something that would be very much in play,” Jeremiah said. The precedent for a move from No. 6 to No. 3, a pick currently held by the New England Patriots, was set in 2018. That year, the New York Jets gave the Indianapolis Colts three second-round picks — two in 2018 and one in 2019 — to move up and select Sam Darnold. As it happens, the Giants have picks 39 and 47 in Round 2 this year and a second-round pick in 2025 they could offer for a move up the board.

The Saints’ NFL salary cap doom spiral, explained – SB Nation
The New Orleans Saints started the offseason more than $80 million over the estimated 2024 NFL salary cap. With an expected hard cap of $240 to $245 million, that means the Saints are 33 percent over the cap heading into the offseason. They’re going to need to be under by the start of the new league year on March 13th, which means creating cap space. That’s just going to prolong their problem.

TGIFootball #29: answering biggest free agency questions – The SB Nation NFL Show
RJ Ochoa and Stephen Serda discuss their biggest question ahead of the 2024 NFL free agency.