The Linc: Could the Eagles target Patriots CB Logan Ryan?

Eagles news and notes for 2/9

Eagles mailbag: Chase Daniel, free agency, OL changes - Inquirer

Any opportunity of restructuring Chase Daniel’s rich contract this coming year, assuming it provides some salary and cap space help? – Bruce

As much as it might be benefit the Eagles to restructure Daniel’s contract, they have no leverage. A player adjusts his contract when there’s a threat of being released, but it’s not in Daniel’s interest to change his deal. He counts $8 million against the salary cap, and the Eagles would save only $1 million if they released him. So that means 87.5 percent of his contract would be dead money. Daniel doesn’t need my advice – he has a good agent – but if it were me, unless I was feeling charitable, I’d say no.

The Eagles signed Daniel to a three-year contract that basically had two years of cap obligations. It seemed at the time that he would be a bridge quarterback in 2017 to the Eagles’ quarterback of the future. They just found that quarterback one year earlier than it seemed.

Would Logan Ryan make sense as a potential starter/depth signing or is taking a former Pats player a risky move? - Jordan

In short: Yes, he would make sense as a starter. But he’s far from a depth signing – Logan Ryan is a starting cornerback.

He started parts of four seasons with the Patriots. He won two Super Bowls, has played in four AFC championship games, and has 13 career interceptions. Ryan can play inside and outside, has good enough size (5-foot-11, 195 pounds), and will only be 26 next season. So he’s someone who will command attention on the open market. Ryan is also a local product – he grew up in South Jersey, went to Eastern Regional High School, and he trusts the process.

Report: Ex-Eagles QB Mike Kafka joins Andy Reid's Chiefs staff - Philly.com

Former Eagles quarterback Mike Kafka reportedly is reuniting with Andy Reid, the coach who drafted him into the NFL.

Kafka was a fourth-round pick by Reid's Eagles in 2010 out of Northwestern. He spent most of that year inactive, then was called to action in 2011 when Vince Young and Michael Vick were hurt. In four games, he completed 11 of 16 passes for 107 yards and was intercepted twice.

His contract expired at the end of that season. In 2012, he was invited to Eagles training camp, but didn't make the roster. He ended up not signing anywhere that year. Kafka returned to the league in 2013, first with New England and then Jacksonville. In 2014, he was in Tampa Bay; in 2015, he bounced from Minnesota to Tennessee to Cincinnati.

That was it for Kafka's playing career. In 2016, he returned to his alma mater as a graduate assistant coach, working with Northwestern's wide receivers. The Chiefs job is his first on the coaching side in the NFL.

Rumors Start - Iggles Blitz

The Eagles were linked to WR Torrey Smith prior to the trade deadline. Jason La Canfora makes it sound like they could still be interested:

“It’s all about receivers for the Eagles as well. Yeah, the offensive line needs retooling, too, but getting Carson Wentz someone who can line up outside the hash marks and make a play is a required starting point for the 2017 offseason. They might land Torrey Smith in a trade, but they need to draft a receiver high as well.”

Trade? No. Smith is due $9.5M this year and has high figures after that. No thank you.

The Niners are almost a lock to cut Smith so they can get out of that deal. When he hits the street, the Eagles could very well be interested.

Smith struggled in SF, but had poor QB play. In 28 games over the last 2 years, he was 53-930-7. That’s not good for a veteran receiver with a big deal. If you go back to his Baltimore days, Smith was a much better player. He had a lot more stability and that showed in his numbers. From 2011-2014, Smith averaged 53-898-7. He helped them win a Super Bowl. That’s a WR you actually want. Those numbers helped him get the big deal from SF.

To be sure, Smith isn’t a great WR. But if you got him for a fair price and teamed him up with another free agent and a mid-round pick, you would have a good group to put around Jordan Matthews.

Ranking the Eagles’ draft classes since 1999, Part II - Philly Voice

12) 2010

So many picks, so little value.

Brandon Graham has become a good NFL starter, but the reality is that the majority of the Eagles' fan base expected the pick to be Earl Thomas once the Eagles traded up, and they were right that he should have been. I mean, not to beat that to death or anything, but it should be noted. As for Nate Allen, he is arguably the best defensive back the Eagles drafted since 2002, which is mind-blowingly sad.

Otherwise, there is so much about this draft that brings back weird memories, such as:

Remember when Ricky Sapp used to tweet "Family Guy!" like 30 times per week?

Remember when the Eagles traded Charles Scott for Jorrick Calvin, the guy who unintentionally/hilariously ran around in the end zone trying to kill time on a kickoff even though the clock doesn't start until you come out?

Remember when Keenan Clayton was going to be the safety/linebacker hybrid before it was en vogue, but he stunk?

Remember when Daniel Te'o-Nesheim tested really well on that dumb "SackSEER" metric, and then proceeded to have five career sacks?

Remember Mike Kafka's rag arm?

Remember when Brian Baldinger said Jamar Chaney was "already one of the best linebackers in the NFL after his first start?" Lol.

Quick: Chemistry Key To Passing Game - PE.com

Establishing a consistent passing game at the NFL level is like creating a work of art. It’s a mix of different ingredients coming together in the right way to create something special.

In the Eagles’ offense, timing is key when it comes to the passing game. Some have called Doug Pederson and Frank Reich’s offense a “West Coast hybrid,” and one of the fundamental features of that offense is timing. It needs to be just right, or the finished product doesn’t come out the way it was drawn up and mapped out.

How is that timing developed? According to Mike Quick, who played nine seasons with the Eagles and is in the team's Hall of Fame, it all comes down to a quarterback being able to build and improve upon a relationship with his wide receiver. That’s not something that typically happens overnight.

“They’ve got to spend time together,” Quick said on a recent episode of the Eagle Eye in the Sky podcast with Fran Duffy. “To me, that’s the bottom line because (Wentz) has to know them. ... Once he has the time to spend with those guys, then the passing game is going to be completely different. That back-shoulder throw is such a big tool now in the NFL. When a guy is taking away from you getting to the up-field shoulder and you have to make the back-shoulder throw, it comes from a lot of repetition and it comes from timing of knowing where to place the ball so your receiver can stop, adjust to the football, and make a play on it. ... All of these things come in time.”