Eagles News: Under the radar players to watch in 2017

Let's get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

10 Players To Keep An Eye On In 2017 - PE.com
DWAYNE GRATZ, cornerback: A position that has lost 2016 starters (Nolan Carroll, signed with Dallas as an unrestricted free agent) and Leodis McKelvin (released) is expected to be addressed in the draft. Maybe even a lot. The Eagles return second-year man Jalen Mills, who played 65 percent of the snaps last season, along with nickel corner Ron Brooks, who is recovering from a 2016-ending quad injury, and not much more than that. Dwayne Gratz was a third-round draft pick by Jacksonville in 2013 and after four seasons there, split 2016 between Los Angeles and Philadelphia. He needs to learn the defense and then he needs to go out and win a job at a position that has openings. At 5-11, 199 pounds, Gratz has good size. Does he has the speed and the knowledge of the defense to make it here?

Eagles Film Study: Is Chance Warmack a starter? - BGN
In case you missed Jonny’s film breakdown.

Here are all of Alshon Jeffery's targets in 2016, with analysis - PhillyVoice
In 2016, Jeffery only had two touchdown receptions, which is a common thing pointed out by his detractors. However, after watching his targets, Jeffery was open for a touchdown reception six times, but the quarterback made an inaccurate throw. That does not include the times Jeffery may have been open in the end zone but the ball did not come his way. Additionally, he drew two pass interference calls either inside or right outside the end zone. Jeffery's red zone numbers are unimpressive, but he most certainly has a skill set that should translate to red zone effectiveness with the Eagles.

The Complexity of Character - Iggles Blitz
Are the Eagles ready to handle a troubled player? Carson Wentz is a young QB, but has already proven to be a good leader. Darren Sproles, Brent Celek, Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins are big time team leaders. Doug Pederson is only in his second year as coach, but he learned under Reid and seems to have a good feel for the locker room. I don’t think Pederson would bring in a questionable player if he thought his players couldn’t handle the situation.

Stacking NFL's highest-paid players by position after free agency - ESPN
Brown set the market by re-signing with the Steelers, but the only free agent to sign a top-10 deal with a new team was Jackson. That's a rarity for a player of Jackson's age -- he will turn 31 during the 2017 season -- but NFL player tracking last season revealed he hasn't lost much, if any, of his high-end speed. The next-highest paid free agent to change teams was Alshon Jeffery, whose one-year deal with the Eagles is worth $9.5 million for this season (ranking him at No. 17 overall).

2017 NFL Prospect Preview: Louisiana Tech WR Carlos Henderson - EaglesWire
Henderson is a tough receiver that thrives on catching the ball across the middle and breaking tackles to gain yards after the catch. He does an excellent job of immediately turning into a running back once the ball gets in his hands.

The case for and against running back with Eagles first draft pick - CSN Philly
Quite honestly, these are all valid points to a degree. The case has been made against taking running backs early for years, and people are conditioned to treat it as a rule. In 2017, the Eagles might be able make an exception. This is not necessarily to say the Eagles should go running back in the first round. It's impossible to predict what options the front office will be presented with on draft day, let alone over the course of the next five weeks, so it's not black and white. That being said, it wouldn’t hurt for the anti-running back crowd to keep an open mind, because there are a number of reasons that direction might make sense.

Report: Jets Sign Josh McCown - Gang Green Nation
Welp, looks like the Jets passed on Chase Daniel.

Bears Re-Sign a Few of Their Own - Windy City Gridiron
On Monday, the Chicago Bears inked two of their own players to new contracts. Chris Prosinski (29) is a DB who has played across the NFL and will now spend a third year with the Beloved. While he is not a ball hawk and has not logged many starts for Chicago, the coaching staff must have liked what they have seen out of the Wyoming product.

Chargers Have Signed Kenjon Barner - Bolts From The Blue
The Chargers signed a former Eagle.

Ryan Ramczyk isn't a 1st-round NFL left tackle - SB Nation
Ramczyk is projected to be the first offensive lineman taken in the draft, but he might be better off pulling a Jack Conklin and switching to right tackle.

The Phillies look shockingly different than they did five years ago - The Good Phight
As the 2017 season is about to begin, let’s look back at what the team looked like in 2012, and how far we’ve all come.

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