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Eagles News: Marken Michel is Philadelphia’s surprise offseason standout

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 6/18/19.

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NFL: Philadelphia Eagles-Minicamp Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

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The surprise offseason standout for all 32 teams - ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles: WR Marken Michel — The brother of Patriots RB Sony Michel, Marken, a former CFL player, has managed to snag some spotlight in a talent-rich environment by coming up with a handful of impressive downfield catches. He has gotten some work with the first team and has had pretty good chemistry with quarterback Carson Wentz. It’ll be an uphill climb for Michel with the likes of DeSean Jackson, Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and JJ Arcega-Whiteside leading a deep receivers group, but he’s putting his best foot forward heading into training camp

After his younger brother’s success, Marken Michel ready to make a name for himself - NBCSP
Michel didn’t tell anyone when he signed with the Eagles. His family — Sony and Pinder, included — found out when the Eagles announced it on Twitter. Pinder said he knew Michel had a couple workouts, but he didn’t know how they went. When confronted by his brother via text, Michel simply texted back a smiling emoji. “I’m real low key,” Michel said. “I don’t like the spotlight.” But he found it this spring. Michel has emerged as a real contender to steal one of the final roster spots at receiver for the Eagles. In the absence of a few starters at OTAs and minicamp, Michel even got some first-team reps and worked well with Carson Wentz.

3 under the radar areas the Eagles can improve - BGN
Last season the top 32 running backs by carries fumbled on 0.7% of their touches, half the rate of the Eagles under Staley’s tenure. Unfortunately for Staley and the Eagles, there’s no one player skewing the results for everyone else. Five running backs have fumbled on at least 1% of touches under Staley: Jay Ajayi (1.1%), Corey Clement (2.1%), Ryan Mathews (2.0%), Wendell Smallwood (1.1%), and Darren Sproles (1.5%). There have been successes though, as LeGarrette Blount was excellent at 0.5%, and LeSean McCoy’s 0.7% in his two seasons with Staley was solid. That may be one reason why they traded for Jordan Howard. Howard has just 5 fumbles on 850 touches, a 0.6% rate. However Miles Sanders fumbled on 3.2% of his touches in college. Staley has his work cut out for him.

Eye On the Enemy Extra: Washington Redskins w/Mark Bullock - BGN Radio
Michael Kist is joined by Mark Bullock of The Athletic DC to follow up on The Kist & Solak Show #99 where the gang broke down the Washington Redskins outlook entering the 2019 NFL Season!

Eagles rookie NFL player comparisons: Andre Dillard - PhillyVoice
Though he hasn’t demonstrated that he can blast defensive linemen off the line of scrimmage against their will, he certainly has the athleticism to be a good run blocker in other ways, such as pulling all the way across the line, executing combo blocks and then getting to the next level to cut off linebackers and defensive backs at the second level, or getting out in front of the screen game, which is essentially an extension of the run game. In that respect, he reminds me of the SaintsTerron Armstead, who made his first Pro Bowl in 2018 on the strength of his pass protection abilities. In 2013, Armstead had one of the best performances ever at the NFL Combine, when he broke the record for the best 40 time by an offensive tackle, in addition to other impressive measurables.

NFL mailbag: When will teams be on the hook for their players’ bad deeds? - The Athletic
Eagles. We will see some turnover at several positions in Philly within the next couple of years (left tackle, center, safety) as longtime leaders of the current team age, but the Eagles clearly believe they are built for long-term success with Carson Wentz. Howie Roseman has proven to be one of the savviest GMs, and I believe they’ll be set up well for the next five years.

Press Pass: Ken Flajole | June 14, 2019 - PE.com
Linebackers coach Ken Flajole speaks to the media about the additions of Zach Brown and L.J. Fort, and more.

Can Nick Foles save the Jaguars in 2019? Here’s a look at why he will ... and why he won’t - CBS Sports
The fact that any reasonable NFL team would barely take any of the Jaguars’ starters over what Foles previously had isn’t the point. It’s how much of a drop-off there is between most of the lineup. We’ve seen Foles in extended action outside of Philadelphia just once, with the Rams, and while part of the QB’s incredible journey was overcoming his struggles there, that forgettable stint also gives us no choice but to hesitate when setting the bar for him alongside a so-so supporting cast. So in the event Foles isn’t an exact replica of his 2013 or Super Bowl LII self, it’s hard to suggest he has what it takes to help the Jaguars go the distance -- in large part because he simply doesn’t have the help he needs.

Philly-born Temple product Lori Locust makes history as a female NFL coach even if that wasn’t her goal - Inquirer
A former Temple student who grew up a Steelers fan in Harrisburg, Locust is one of just a handful of women working on NFL staffs. But it was no token hire when Bruce Arians asked her in March to join the Buccaneers. “This didn’t just happen,” she said. “I might look like an overnight success from the back end, but this has been a long time coming.” Locust is at the forefront of what the NFL hopes will be a pipeline of women entering coaching and front-office jobs. She is by most reckonings the NFL’s third full-time female assistant. The first was Kathryn Smith, a special-teams quality control coach with the Buffalo Bills in 2016. Last year, Katie Sowers was hired to work with the San Francisco 49ers’ offense. Arians, who as coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2015 hired a female intern, Jen Welter, to work with his linebackers, has been a pioneer in the push for women coaches.

NFL Coaches’ Power Is Increasing—and the Appeal of the GM Job Is Changing Because of It - The Ringer
With organizational flow charts restructuring throughout professional football, the GM job has lost some of its luster. But there are still a few key pieces that can make a job more attractive, and we’ve seen them in the Jets’ and Texans’ searches.

Giants’ 90-man roster: QB Kyle Lauletta waits for next shot, but will that be as a Giant? - Big Blue View
2019 outlook: Cloudy. That’s probably the best way to phrase it. The arrival of Jones as the No. 6 overall pick means no one now sees Lauletta as the Giants’ quarterback of the future. That, in fact, may never have been a realistic outcome for Lauletta. Now, the question is whether or not Lauletta can wrestle the No. 3 job away from Tanney. ESPN, in fact, lists Lauletta as the veteran Giant most likely to get cut. Offseason knee surgery slowed Lauletta in the spring, but even when he was healthy toward the end of OTAs he functioned as the No. 4 quarterback, getting only a handful of reps.

Looking Ahead to the Vikings 2020 Salary Cap - Over The Cap
So are the Vikings cap issues overblown? Probably, but they are somewhat more complicated than a team like the Eagles last year. I tend to think a lot of their decision making may hinge on how Cousins and the team performs this year but they would be better off probably deciding sooner rather than later as to how much they believe in Cousins. They probably, under any circumstance, will not be able to be a major player in free agency in 2020, though you can never rule out adding a player or two, and are likely locked into what they have on the team unless they can explore the trade market to bring in low salaried veterans or make a play for disgruntled rookies at the tail end of their contract (think the Rams with Fowler and Peters).

Which NFL team can finally win its first Super Bowl this season? - SB Nation
Remember when the Jags were one quarter away from a Super Bowl appearance? That was less than two years ago! This season, Jacksonville will blend a championship-caliber defense with Super Bowl 52 MVP Nick Foles and quite possibly the league’s least inspiring lineup of skill players. 2019 is the year Foles has to prove he can be good outside of Philadelphia — and that his mid-career slump was a function of Jeff Fisher’s soul-sucking gravity.

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