Eagles News: Zach Ertz among NFL tight ends expected to receive new, lucrative contracts

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Sources: George Kittle, other TEs expected to land lucrative deals this offseason - ESPN
George Kittle is one of a handful of tight ends in line to land a new deal. Others include Falcons tight end Austin Hooper, who is scheduled to be a free agent, and Eagles tight end Zach Ertz, who is headed into the final year of his deal next season while being scheduled to make $6.4 million. Multiple sources around the league believe that Kittle, Hooper and Ertz will redefine the value of NFL tight ends, and the position is about to see a major bump in the salaries paid to them. This offseason’s class of free-agent tight ends also includes the Chargers’ Hunter Henry and Indianapolis’ Eric Ebron.

Eagles v. Redskins: 16 winners, losers, and I dunnos - BGN
It wasn’t a dominant day for Greg Ward, but it was a dominant drive: he grabbed 4 receptions on 4 targets, for 40 yards and of course, the penultimate touchdown. That final push buttressed an effort that was originally just average: 5 targets, 3 receptions, 21 yards. But what’s important about Ward is what he has from Carson Wentz: a budding trust, a willingness to target in key situations. Ward had 9 targets on 58 snaps: rookie J.J. Arcega-Whiteside had 2 targets on 71 snaps, and quasi-WR Josh Perkins and practice-squader Robert Davis both had 0 targets on 16 snaps. The Eagles wanted to get the ball to Ward, and even if that’s the desperation of dire straits, he’s the least of all the evils. Expect Ward to be a big part of each game plan the Eagles execute for the remainder of the season.

At the Podium: Hungry Dogs Something Something - BGN Radio
John Stolnis recaps the Eagles win over Washington w/thoughts on Wentz’s clutch gene, trust in the offense vs. defense, and an old mantra that has served the Eagles well PLUS three new pressers (Doug Pederson & Carson Wentz post-game & Doug from Monday)! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

’Foles this, Foles that:’ Brandon Brooks’ passionate defense of Carson Wentz - NBCSP
“I just told him, ‘Don’t ever think that any loss we ever have as a team is solely on you,’ because it’s not,” Brooks said. “The world makes it seem that way because he’s the franchise guy and he’s got all this money and he’s supposed to be X, Y and Z and Foles this, Foles that. But don’t think for a second any loss is all you. Because it’s not. And I just wanted to let him know what he’s been able to do with what he has? He’s been playing well. He’s been balling all season. So it’s really just hat’s off to you. His resilience. His toughness. His mental toughness. You name it.”

Beat Dallas - Iggles Blitz
Offense is about timing and execution. If you don’t have elite talent, you can still succeed if you have the right schemes for the right guys. The Eagles have figured some things out in the last couple of weeks. It also helps that Carson Wentz is a special QB. He can make a few plays a game that are the difference between winning and losing. Just think about the TD pass to Miles Sanders. Not many QBs make that play. I think the Eagles will move the ball and score points on Sunday. I can’t promise they’ll put up 31, but I feel good about the offense right now. The defense is another story. The Eagles have basically played two good quarters in the last three games (the second half vs the Giants). That’s not ideal. Dallas has given the Eagles fits in the last three meetings, scoring 27, 29 and 37 points. To be fair, the Eagles did not have a healthy secondary for those games.

So What if Nobody Has a Winning Record? Thanks to Wins by Dallas and Philly, the NFC East Just Got Very Interesting - MMQB
Love how Carson Wentz has come alive for the Eagles. Hate how it is on him to win games for them right now. But thanks to a rash of injuries, and age in some spots, that’s where we are.

Doug Pederson’s unsung role in the best rivalry in sports - PE.com
That win in 1999 won’t make any “top 10” lists this week – and you will see plenty of them – and there aren’t going to be many fans who talk about that game as an “all-time great” in a series between rivals that has been played 121 times since 1960. But we all know the truth: Every game against Dallas is something special. Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field just happens to have an NFC East title on the line, for all intents and purposes. The Eagles need to beat Dallas to stay alive. Them’s the facts, ma’am. “It’s obviously an important game for both teams and I have understood from the time I came to the Eagles as a player how much it means to beat the Dallas Cowboys,” Pederson said. “It’s a division game and it’s a great rivalry.”

Welcome to Dallas Week, Eagles fans - Inquirer
The two that the Eagles have largely played this season have been 11-personnel, which is one running back, one tight end (hence, the 11) and three wide receivers, and 12-personnel, which is one back, two tight ends, and two wideouts. Their third most used personnel grouping has been 13, which is one back, three tight ends, and one wide receiver. They had typically used that in goal line and short-yardage situations. But they used it more frequently the last two weeks — 11 times Sunday and 10 times against the Giants — because of injuries at the wide-receiver position, and the fact that their third tight end, Josh Perkins, formerly was a wide receiver. The last two games, they also began using more 21- and 22-personnel, which are two-back sets with either one or two tight ends. In their first 12 games, they had used 21/22-personnel just nine times. On Sunday, they used 21-personnel seven times and 22-personnel once. They even used 23-personnel — two backs, three tight ends, and no wide receivers — on one play. They ran a couple of successful screens with two-back personnel. Miles Sanders gained 18 yards on a screen with 21-personnel, and Boston Scott gained 12 on a screen on the only play the Eagles ran with 23-personnel.

Sando’s Pick Six: Who in the AFC has the best shot at stopping Baltimore from reaching the Super Bowl? - The Athletic
The Cowboys should be excited, because unlike the Eagles, they possess the offensive weaponry to score. Beating the Rams 44-21 Sunday marked the fourth time in Dallas’ past eight games that the Cowboys have scored at least 35 points. The Eagles needed a last-play touchdown return against Washington on Sunday to reach 35 points for the first time this season. They prevailed 37-27 after Washington led twice in the fourth quarter and even though Redskins rookie Dwayne Haskins averaged 9.3 yards per pass attempt. The way this season has gone for the NFC East, and for the Cowboys, wouldn’t it be about right for the Eagles to somehow secure a home playoff game after struggling to hold off the Giants and Redskins with their season on the line in December?

Week 15 Quick Reads - Football Outsiders
11. Wentz’s DYAR take a hit because he fumbled on two of his sacks, losing one. With the Eagles’ wide receiver corps in disarray, Wentz leaned heavily on his running backs, completing each of his 13 passes to Miles Sanders and Boston Scott for 89 yards and a touchdown.

The Morning After - Rotoworld
Miles Sanders has career day in Washington. Upstaged by Boston Scott in Week 14, Sanders made sure to keep the Eagles’ backfield to himself against the Redskins, clearing 100 yards on the ground for the first time while setting an Eagles rookie record for running back yards from scrimmage (172). Sanders scored via both land and air and contributed a 56-yard run. It was an effort both the Eagles and fantasy owners had been waiting for. Whether Sanders gets to repeat it for Week 16’s all-important divisional showdown with the Cowboys will depend on whether Jordan Howard (shoulder) is finally ready to return. Even if Howard plays, Sanders will be firmly ahead of him in the championship week rankings.

Josh Gordon suspended indefinitely for violating NFL’s substance abuse policy - Field Gulls
The NFL announced on Monday that Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Josh Gordon, who has repeatedly violated the league’s substance abuse policy, has violated it again. Gordon has been suspended indefinitely without pay. “Josh Gordon of the Seattle Seahawks has been suspended indefinitely without pay for violating the NFL policies on performance-enhancing substances and substances of abuse,” an official statement from the Seahawks read. It’s since been confirmed that Gordon tested positive for both a substance of abuse and PEDs. [BLG Note: Still would’ve preferred adding him to spending snaps on Mack Hollins or Jordan Matthews. But clearly not a long-term answer.]

Saints Claim CB Janoris Jenkins Off Waviers - Canal Street Chronicles
The Saints have claimed Janoris Jenkins off waivers however the cornerback will not officially join the team until Tuesday.

Reports: Chiefs claim Terrell Suggs, send Alex Okafor to injured reserve - Arrowhead Pride
The Kansas City Chiefs have claimed outside linebacker Terrell Suggs, according to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. [...] Terrell Suggs is likely to report to the Chiefs, reports Yahoo! Sports’ Terez Paylor.

NFL power rankings for 14 teams in the playoff picture after Week 15 - SB Nation
7. Philadelphia Eagles. They needed all 60 minutes to beat lowly Washington. That’s the summary of their game. They are just an average team. But since the Cowboys are also average, the Eagles are alive for the playoffs. If the Eagles do win on Sunday and take the division, they aren’t winning a playoff game. Sorry, Eagles fans. Just get healthy and ready for next season.

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