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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
The NFL’s best interior defender tandems ahead of the 2019 NFL season - PFF
Philadelphia made a splash on Day 1 of free agency by signing Malik Jackson to a three-year contract, giving them a feared pass-rushing defensive front as he joins forces with All-Pro Fletcher Cox. It’s no secret that Cox has been elite along the Eagles’ defensive front. Since 2015, he’s generated the second-most pressures among interior defenders (302) and has finished inside the top three in terms of pass-rush grade at the position in each season. Cox’s pass-rush win rate in 2018 (20.9%) was the fourth-best single-season mark of any interior defensive lineman in the PFF era, and his career-high 91.2 pass-rush grade ranked inside the top 10 among qualifiers since 2006. Jackson comes to the Eagles where he’ll immediately provide a viable pass-rushing option to the middle of the defensive line that will free up much-needed space for Cox to continue to rush the passer at an elite level. He recorded 51 total pressures with the Jaguars last season, ranking him ninth at the position. Jackson was a stud from 2013 to 2017, never posting a grade below 70.0 and frequently placing in the top 10 in quarterback pressures among interior defenders. His signing in Philadelphia is a perfect fit for Jackson and gives him a clear shot at returning to his past form while competing alongside the NFL’s best.
Eagles salary cap expert discusses planning process of Carson Wentz extension - BGN
Rosenberg described the amount of work that goes into something like Wentz’s mega-deal as incredible, and the Eagles’ staff started some time in early-2018 to prepare for it. He also noted that it was a little tricky to extend past the current CBA, knowing that some of the contract rules are likely to change.
The Kist & Solak Show #101: Eye On the Enemy - Dallas Cowboys - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak continue their Eye On the Enemy series with their third installment! It’s the last stop in the NFC East with the Dallas Cowboys on the menu. What is Dak? Can Kellen Moore revitalize his career? Is Jason Garrett hitting the over or under on 9 wins? And much more! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.
10 reasons the Washington team will be a dumpster fire this season - PhillyVoice
In 2019, unless McCoy starts all 16 games, first-round pick Dwayne Haskins or free agent acquisition Case Keenum will start at least one game this season, making it a nice round number of QB No. 20. My guess would be that both of them will get a start at some point, if I know this team like I think I do. All three of those quarterbacks are screwed. Why? Well, McCoy and Keenum are career backups, or at least they should be, while Haskins is, you know, a rookie, and one with only one college season as his team’s starter. In fact, as the following tweet from Jordan Reid shows, Haskins will join Mark Sanchez, Cam Newton, and Mitchell Trubisky as the only quarterbacks drafted in the first round with 15 or fewer collegiate starts.
Young OL - Iggles Blitz
Big V moved to OG this spring so I’m sure Stoutland has paid very close attention to him. If Brandon Brooks is delayed in coming back from his injury, Big V could be in line to start. Stefen Wisniewski could also start. The coaches would likely let them battle for the job. Big V is bigger and stronger so don’t rule him out. He could win the job. Vaitai has started 17 regular season games, but none of them at OG. He has plenty to learn. The spring practices were critical for him, giving V a chance to adjust to his new position and get constant feedback on the spot.
Cardinals on Murray’s Progress, Why Bush Is Crucial for Steelers, More NFL Notes - MMQB
A few weeks ago, when Jets GM Joe Douglas was explaining to me how hard it was to leave Philadelphia, he said this of the 2019 Eagles: “It’s as deep of a team as I’ve ever seen there. And that’s including the ’17 team.” A big piece of that—the brass is very encouraged with the spring they saw from their skill players (and that’s even without Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor, who are rehabbing injuries). Both DeSean Jackson and Jordan Howard flashed as veteran additions, and Dallas Goedert’s work through OTAs has the team confident he’ll break out along side Zach Ertz. Add that to a leaner Carson Wentz ripping it, and there’s a lot of reason for optimism on offense in Philly.
Healthy Brandon Graham is in line for a big 2019 season - PE.com
The first thing Brandon Graham wants you to know is that he’s healthy. And that, in and of itself, means the world for an edge rusher who relies on his burst off the line of scrimmage to gain an advantage against offensive linemen. One year ago, in the post-Super Bowl euphoria, Graham was recovering from an ankle injury he suffered in the Christmas Night victory over Oakland and that he played through the rest of the glorious season. Graham admitted late in the 2018 campaign that the injury lingered in the post-surgery months and that he never really came all the way back until December. Now, the skies are blue. And when the Eagles return from this break to report to the NovaCare Complex for 2019 Training Camp, Graham is going to be ready for success.
Answering biggest NFL division questions - ESPN
Having suffered season-ending injuries each of the past two years (torn ACL/LCL, stress fracture in back), Wentz spent part of the offseason studying how to take better care of his body. He improved his diet and tweaked his training regimen in hopes it will lead to better health and greater career longevity. The Eagles are banking on Wentz staying upright. They moved on from Nick Foles and handed Wentz a four-year, $128 million contract extension. Only time will tell whether that investment will prove a wise one. What we know for now is Wentz looked like his old self this spring and has full intentions of returning to MVP-caliber form. This Eagles team is stacked from top to bottom. If Wentz can stay on the field, Philadelphia has a legit chance of going the distance.
Are 2019 Eagles better or worse at defensive end? - NBCSP
Why they could be better: Derek Barnett’s potential. Barnett had a nice rookie season with 6.0 sacks, including playoffs, and finished fourth on the club with eight tackles for loss and 16 quarterback hits, all while playing only 41 percent of the snaps. It was looking like he could take the next step in 2018, too, with 2.5 sacks four games into the campaign — until a shoulder injury struck. Then it was a matter of weeks before he wound up on the injured reserve list. Up to that point, it looked like the former 14th-overall draft pick was very much on the verge of a breakout season. There’s really no reason that can’t still be the case. At least, nobody ever expects a shoulder injury to derail a defensive end’s career. The Eagles are likely penciling him in for the starting job on the opposite end from Brandon Graham, and why not? As long as he’s healthy, Barnett’s body of work thus far suggests he’s on his way to enjoying a successful NFL career.
For Penn State’s DeAndre Thompkins, it’s more about ‘why’ than ‘how’ with Philadelphia Eagles - PennLive
But that might be small potatoes compared with what Thompkins wants to accomplish when he returns to the team for training camp next month: He wants to have the best handle on the offense of anyone — including quarterback Carson Wentz. “My biggest thing is just to play faster. Higher my IQ, be the smartest guy in the room. It’s going to be hard with Carson in there,” Thompkins said with a slight smile earlier this month, “but just knowing why we do things, getting a really big IQ and just playing faster because I know that’s what they brought me here to do.”
NFL 2019: Here are a dozen storylines to keep an eye on, both on and off the field - CBS Sports
There isn’t a question of whether Jerry Jones could keep all his skill players who want new deals – Dax Prescott, Zeke Elliott and Amari Cooper. The question is, will he? And at what price? After years of being near the bottom of the NFL in player payroll, Dallas must keep stepping up as it did for Demarcus Lawrence (oh, and Bryon Jones is in the last year of his deal, too). Paying Cooper $18M a year and Prescott, gulp, $30M a year might quickly come back to bite the Cowboys, and one would expect a player or two to soften Jones’ stance once the risk of injury comes around again this summer.
Looks Like Someone Has a Sixpack of the Mondays - Hogs Haven
Besides the physical pain and anguish of the spiral fracture, to me the real ass-kicker of Alex Smith’s injury is the manner in which it completely prevents the Redskins from taking full advantage of having a rookie quarterback playing on a rookie salary. I have a hard time thinking of anything that makes a bigger impact on an NFL team than having a starting quarterback playing on his rookie deal. Given middle-of-the-road veterans can make as much as $20 million a year, you can pretty easily see the value in having a starter making $4 or $5 million a year. Teams like the Cowboys, Chiefs and Rams have all benefited greatly in recent seasons being able to spend big chunks of money at other key positions while their young starter was working on that first contract. The Redskins may still be able to net a season or two of that benefit, but not this year or next year thanks to the amount of dough owed to Alex Smith. The injury is nobody’s fault, and the Redskins and their fans should all feel good about getting a strong rookie prospect. There is still value to be extracted from the situation with Haskins playing on that rookie deal, but it is just worth noting that it won’t be the same as what we have seen elsewhere in the league. On the bright side, our salary cap space dedicated to the quarterback spot will be kind of locked in, preventing us from having to carve out space later.
Giants’ 90-man roster: Brian Mihalik in fight to remain on roster - Big Blue View
Mihalik was a seventh-round pick by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. Before joining the Giants last season, he had been with the Eagles, Pittsburgh Steelers and Detroit Lions, and had played in two games with Detroit in 2017. Mihalik played in five games for the Giants last season, totaling 52 snaps. Mihalik did not play enough snaps to qualify for PFF’s tackle listings, but in those 52 snaps he had a 39.7 score. For what it’s worth, that would have been worst in the NFL among scored tackles.
An early look at the candidates for the 2019 Jets opening day 53 man roster (offense and special teams) - Gang Green Nation
Jon Toth - 25% Toth has never played in an NFL game. He was a UDFA and signed by the Eagles back in 2017. He is not very athletic but has NFL size. He will need to show something in camp and have a extended good play in the preseason to have a shot at a roster spot.
6 Hall of Famers who would still kick butt in today’s NFL - SB Nation
Old folks love talking about how the athletes they watched growing up were better than the ones we see today. They’re generally wrong, but there are at least a handful of players from the 1980s and ‘90s who could be dropped into a current NFL game without missing a beat. For some players, today’s NFL is even better suited for their skillsets than the style of football that made them famous. Now the game is spread out and heavily favors passing the ball. The greatness certain Hall of Fame-caliber players exhibited 20-30 years ago wouldn’t just translate, but they’d thrive. Specifically, here are six players from the past who would still kick ass in 2019.
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