Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/7/24.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Cowboys could target Panthers RB Miles Sanders for a trade – Blogging The Boys
Granted, trading for Sanders would be a significant shift from Dallas’ handling of the position so far this year. But think back to 2018 when the Cowboys were content to dump Dez Bryant and didn’t really replace him that offseason. They carried Cole Beasley and Terrance Williams from the previous roster, spent a third-round pick on Michael Gallup, and added some lower-tier veterans like Allen Hurns and Tavon Austin. About halfway through the season, after realizing they’d burned themselves with this strategy, Dallas made a big move to trade for Amari Cooper. Sound familiar? This offseason, Dallas let Tony Pollard walk and their biggest moves so far have been re-signing Dowdle, reuniting with Elliott, and pulling Freeman out of the NFL’s bargain bin. RB1 is still very much open and Sanders, while not being a star, could make more sense in that role than any of the current options. And thanks to the Gallup money coming available in June, the ability to spend a little money on a potential starter will be better than it’s been so far. Having observed Miles Sanders’ work for four years with the Eagles, and again in last year’s victory over the Panthers, who knows if the Cowboys are even interested. But if Dallas does want to add at least one more consequential running back to their 2024 mix, Sanders may be one of their best remaining opportunities. Ironically, his availability may come from Jonathan Brooks, who many wished the Cowboys would’ve added last week. But perhaps in a trickle-down way, Brooks will still help improve Dallas’ RB room this season. [BLG Note: This article was written before the Panthers signed Rashaad Penny, which could make a Sanders trade even more likely.]
Projecting first-year roles for each of the Eagles’ nine rookie draft picks – PhillyVoice
Round 3: EDGE Jalyx Hunt. The Eagles have plenty of short-term depth on the edges in Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, Nolan Smith, Brandon Graham, and Zack Baun. Hunt is developmental prospect and likely won’t get much playing time as a rookie. The Eagles will hope that they can get the most out of his raw athletic ability long-term. In the short-term, Hunt could potentially carve out a role as a special teams regular, given his size and athleticism, but that is not a given. There’s a chance that he could be a healthy scratch on gamedays early in his career.
The Class of 2023 – Iggles Blitz
1 – Nolan Smith. Howie Roseman talked this offseason about the need to get young guys on the field more. Nolan Smith played in all 17 games, but only finished with 18 tackles and one sack. He didn’t get nearly enough time on defense. I think Howie and Nick Sirianni realize they should have played him more. That isn’t to say Smith was going to fix the defense and lead the team to the Super Bowl, but feeding extra reps to older pass rushers and having Smith watch wasn’t ideal. Smith will have a chance to play more this year and show what he can do. Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff will start. Smith and BG will be situational rushers and should get mixed in a lot. If he shows enough, he could earn a starting role in the future. If he doesn’t, Smith could be stuck as a role player.
Remaining questions for all 32 teams after the 2024 NFL Draft – PFF
Can the rookie defensive backs make an immediate impact? A struggling secondary caused many issues for the Eagles in 2023, and it was one of the main reasons they could not replicate their 2022 success. Darius Slay and Garrett Bradbury remain on the roster, and the team brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency, but that did not stop general manager Howie Roseman from addressing the position during the draft. They made Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell the first cornerback selected in the draft and double-dipped by picking Iowa’s Cooper DeJean with the 40th overall selection. While some teams can be patient with rookies, due to this team’s potential and the issues at the position in 2023, the Eagles need the rookies to fit in immediately.
Key intel on all 32 teams after the 2024 NFL draft: Buzz, fits – ESPN+
Howie Roseman, the NFL’s most aggressive general manager, parlayed eight trades into an impressive-on-paper draft. One AFC scout lauded Roseman’s haul, which reflected restraint. A team that typically prefers 300-pounders in the first round had high grades on at least eight offensive linemen yet took the first corner off the board in Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell. And to get defensive back Cooper DeJean at No. 40, before the Day 2 corner run ignited — DeJean was the first of four straight corners selected in the second round — was peak forecasting. The Eagles found additional defensive value beyond DeJean. They will likely start him on the outside and see what he can handle from there, and are cognizant of giving him too many responsibilities too early, despite his versatility. “[DeJean] is good at everything — not sure he’s elite in one area but his bust factor is really low,” an AFC scout said. Of Philadelphia’s other defensive picks, the scout said, “[Defensive coordinator] Vic Fangio loves [third-round edge rusher] Jalyx Hunt. He’s got some high-end traits. And even [sixth-rounder] Johnny Wilson is [physically gifted]. He’s got major ability.”
Eagles rookie WR explains the advantage of unusual size – NBCSP
Yeah, Wilson really is unusual. At the Combine, he measured in at 6-6 3/8 and 231 pounds, putting him in the 99th percentile in height among receivers and the 97th percentile in weight. But the measurement that really stands out is his 84 1/2-inch wingspan. That’s the largest wingspan ever for a receiver at the Combine, according to ProFootballFocus. “Being this size and being able to do some of the things I can do with my body, getting in and out of my breaks and having super long arms, sometimes it’s an advantage, especially against a lot of smaller corners and smaller defenders,” Wilson said. “Over the years, I’ve tried to do a lot of training and just use my body to my advantage.” In his two seasons at Florida State, Wilson averaged 18.0 yards per catch. But after a five-touchdown season in 2022, Wilson caught just two touchdown passes in 2023 and they came in the same game. So he was surprisingly kept out of the end zone in nine of 10 games last season. That’s such a surprise because you’d imagine that a receiver that’s 6-foot-6 would be a weapon in the red zone. And Wilson clearly thinks of himself as a red zone weapon.
Panthers to Sign Rashaad Penny – Cat Scratch Reader
Penny played with Panthers head coach Dave Canales in Seattle when Canales was the passing game coordinator. Penny’s familiarity with the Pete Carroll run scheme should help him when transitioning to the very similar wide zone scheme Canales likes to run. Penny has often been a depth piece at running back, never starting more than six games in a season, but his limited touches saw explosive results. During his time with Seattle, he averaged 5.7 yards per carry and 8.2 yards per reception. Penny struggled with Philadelphia last season, playing in only three games and being a healthy scratch in most contests. While he may just be a camp body, this could have potential upside as a signing due to his familiarity with this offense.
Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones still feels confident in Prescott as QB: ‘Dak can lead us to a championship’ – NFL.com
“Absolutely. I mean, I totally think Dak can lead us to a championship,” Jones said. “He does everything the right way. He’s certainly the leader of this football team. He keeps everybody motivated in the offseason. He’s got everybody working out and doing all the things that it takes to put in the work to give yourself every opportunity to win a championship. It just so happens that sometimes, you know, that old oblong football doesn’t bounce your way. And we’ve had some tough breaks and tough games there in the postseason. But, you know, we’ve won 12 games three years in a row. I think that’s right at the top in terms of what teams have done over a three-year period. And, you know, we’re hanging around the rim. We’ve just gotta go up there and grab it, to use a basketball term, and dunk it in. We’re hanging around the rim. We just gotta get the job done.”
The Giants could get a 4th round comp pick in 2025, per OverTheCap – Big Blue View
Korte notes that the Giants getting a fourth round pick and not a 7th round pick is a “close call”. The Giants’ pick could be contingent on Ben Bredeson winning a starting job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. […] Fans will likely wonder why the Giants aren’t getting compensation for losing Saquon Barkley in free agency. However, OverTheCap projects that his contract will be canceled out in the formula by the signing of guard Jon Runyan Jr. If fans are looking for a reason to criticize the Giants’ front office, the decisions regarding Barkley would be their opportunity to do so. The team traded iDL Leonard Williams at the trade deadline, netting the second round pick that they used to draft S Tyler Nubin, but refrained from trading Saquon Barkley. We’ve heard a couple times now that the Giants didn’t make Barkley an offer after the season and freely let him depart. The Giants might not have been able to find the value they wanted for Barkley, but moving him during the season would have allowed them to get something for him. It could also have prevented him from going to the Philadelphia Eagles, though there’s no guarantee of that.
Predicting the Commanders 2024 Stats – Quarterback – Hogs Haven
I am predicting that rookie number two overall pick Jayden Daniels wins the starting job this summer and enters the season as “The Guy.” Daniels possesses a unique skillset for the modern-day NFL – one that can give defensive coordinators nightmares. Here’s a video to get the hair on your neck standing up!
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