Eagles News: Nigel Bradham talks about why he went missing

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Nigel Bradham explains absence: ‘I wasn’t really concerned with the phone’ - NBCSP
“I was actually supposed to travel but after walkthroughs and stuff I guess I ate something that didn’t settle well in my stomach,” he said after practice Thursday. “So it just wasn’t going to work to take that ride.” Bradham acknowledged he should have contacted Pederson or someone with the Eagles before they had to check with him to see where he was. “Just communicate better, obviously,” he said. “But I wasn’t feeling well, so obviously I wasn’t really concerned with the phone and trying to reach out. That’s all it was.”

Eagles vs. Washington Game Preview: Five questions and answers with the enemy - BGN
I’ll guess that the Eagles win 13 - 10. I imagine it’ll be a very defensive game with a lot of punting and potentially turnovers, and I imagine some of that scoring will be off of turnovers. If not, it probably won’t go well for the Skins. Like I said before, a game script that favors each team’s passing attack favors the Eagles. Week 1 games are always the hardest to predict though, because we have no idea who these teams are. That’s one of the fun things about the NFL, every year teams surprise us. In terms of the season, I’d say we go 8-8, but we could easily go way over or under that projection. With Case Keenum at QB, I don’t expect the offense to be much worse than with Alex Smith, but not a whole lot better either. Case will probably turn the ball over more, but he’ll also probably take more 50-50 shots and throw receivers open. I think under him, we’ll mostly follow last year’s pattern of winning games where the defense can keep the score low and the run game can dominate, but we will get blown out in games that become shootouts and we get behind early. However, the big X factor is the development of Dwayne Haskins, because he looks like he has the potential (if he can clean up his mistakes and get more consistent) to win shootouts and put games on his back.

Eye On the Enemy #1: Mark Bullock Previews Week 1 - BGN Radio
NEW SERIES!... kind of.. in an extension of the offseason Eye On the Enemy series, this iteration will provide an outside perspective each week to continue to break down the Eagles’ upcoming opponent! This week it’s Mark Bullock of The Athletic Washington giving his side of the story was Washington comes to town to play the Eagles in Week 1! Hosted by Michael Kist. Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

2019 NFL season predictions: Playoffs, Super Bowl, draft order, and individual awards - PhillyVoice
Carson Wentz, MVP: Wentz will be working with an elite offensive line, a talented set of receivers with varying skill sets, vastly improved running backs, and the best tight end duo in the league. Oh, and he’s also pretty good, too. It’s all there for Wentz to put up big numbers and do great things in 2019.

Culture and Character Matter - Iggles Blitz
The Eagles have a strong locker room and team culture. They keep that in mind when making offseason moves. The Eagles are willing to take a chance on someone with a big personality, but they make sure they believe things can work out. Michael Bennett was an outspoken player in Seattle. The Eagles felt he was worth the risk and Bennett played at a high level last year. The Eagles did not want to give him more money so they dealt him this offseason. DeSean Jackson has had awkward moments with each of his three teams. Again, the Eagles felt the move made sense. The Eagles wisely have limited their investment in these players. No one gets a mega-deal that the team can’t walk away from. They aren’t using key resources to get these players. As much as the Eagles want talent, they believe in the team first and foremost. They also don’t want to undermine the coach. This philosophy has served the team well. Culture and character matter.

DeSean Jackson is out for redemption, and that’s bad news for the NFL - ESPN
But Pederson has a good feel for Jackson and has watched as he has taken on a leadership role. Rookie receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside says Jackson checks in on him every day and stays after practice with him for 20 minutes or so to give him extra work or offer tips. “Anything I need, he’s there for,” he said. Veteran teammates have found Jackson to be fully engaged and easy to work with. ”He’s an awesome guy, and just him coming in here, he’s had a great attitude with learning and picked up on things really quickly,” quarterback Carson Wentz said. “And then off the field, obviously, we might have different hobbies and interests and those types of things -- he’s not coming into the woods to hunt with me or anything like that -- but we can just talk life. He’s got a couple kids and everything, and we can talk about real life and everything and him as a dad. So it’s been cool to get to know him on a deeper level, more than just football.”

NFL Preseason Power Rankings, Part 4: Philly Special Is Back and Ready for Round 2 - The Ringer
1) Best-case scenario: The Eagles won the Super Bowl two seasons ago thanks to the NFL’s best roster. And guess what? This roster is better. As teams around the league struggle to find functional starters, Philly goes two deep at nearly every position on the depth chart. General manager Howie Roseman drafted offensive tackle Andre Dillard in the first round this April, which gives the Eagles a contingency plan should left tackle Jason Peters, 37, miss time. Second-round pick Miles Sanders should emerge as the team’s best running back, even through a crowded backfield that includes Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, and Darren Sproles. Rookie receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside is an Alshon Jeffery clone—and Alshon Jefffery is still on the roster. Roseman also signed Malik Jackson and DeSean Jackson to relatively cheap deals this offseason to further elevate two crucial position groups. The amount of talent on this roster is absolutely ridiculous.

How a Notebook Has Helped Cam Newton Overhaul His Learning Strategy - MMQB
Put stock in Jordan Howard early, and Miles Sanders late. The Eagles like what they’ve gotten from the ex-Bear through the summer, and my guess is he’s the mail carrier while the coaches get Sanders up to speed. And I think once Sanders, a guy the staff views as a true three-down back, get there, it’ll be his show. Worth mentioning that Philly’s backfield is pretty deep beyond those two, too, with Corey Clement and Darren Sproles in reserve. And yes, as we reported Wednesday, they kicked the tires of Melvin Gordon. But that was the Eagles looking for a potential discount deal – and part of who they are philosophically, a team that dips its toe into the pool on just about everything (they did with Jadeveon Clowney, too.) Bottom line, they’re really happy with their backs.

Rankings: Top-10 run-blocking offensive lines in the NFL - PFF
1. Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles took home the top spot in PFF Senior Analyst Mike Renner’s offensive line rankings following the preseason, and they are able to pair that with a first-place ranking on the top run-blocking units in the league heading into 2019. The line is anchored by Jason Kelce at center and his league-leading 92.9 run-blocking grade over the past three seasons. Kelce’s teammate, Lane Johnson, has been one of the league’s best run-blockers at tackle as well, posting a run-blocking grade of 84.7 since 2016 which ranks fourth among tackles with 1,000 or more offensive snaps. That group up front should open plenty of lanes for the new additions to the backfield – Miles Sanders and Jordan Howard.

2019 Staff Predictions - Football Outsiders
Derrik Klassen: Philadelphia Eagles over New England Patriots. Sure, we’ve seen this movie before, but some great movies deserve a sequel. The Eagles are primed to get back to their 2017 form, while the Patriots are, well, the Patriots. Philadelphia’s plethora of pass-catchers and elite offensive strategy just might be enough to topple Tom Brady and Bill Belichick once more. [...] Vincent Verhei: Philadelphia Eagles over Los Angeles Chargers. I was in Vegas last month and put money on the Eagles and Chargers to win their respective conferences. A few days later Derwin James got hurt, because of course he did. But I’ll stick with the same two teams anyway -- James injury aside, they seem like the deepest, most complete rosters in the league.

2019 Eagles predictions from Bo Wulf and Zach Berman - The Athletic
Most likely to get his first Pro Bowl nod — In Derek Barnett’s first two NFL seasons, he recorded a sack every 87.7 snaps — a better rate than Brandon Graham (105.1 snaps) and Fletcher Cox (89.9 snaps). Part of this is situational — as a rookie, Barnett wasn’t playing running downs as often as the others, so he’d naturally have more sack-per-snap opportunities — but he showed positive signs last season as a starter, posting 2.5 sacks in the first four games before the shoulder injury first became a problem. The Eagles are bullish about Barnett and they’re expecting him to be a difference-maker as an edge rusher, especially with sack production. (You may have heard he broke Reggie White’s record at Tennessee in three seasons. …) Barnett doesn’t have much competition for playing time, and he plays a position for which statistics matter in the Pro Bowl voting. If he’s one of the league leaders in sacks in the first three months of the seasons, he’s going to be a legitimate contender for the Pro Bowl. Last season, there were 22 players with double-digit sack production, and 15 of those were invited to the Pro Bowl. In 2017, 14 of the 18 players who recorded double-digit sacks made it. And I’d gamble on Barnett reaching double-digit sacks before Graham, who in nine seasons has never been voted to a Pro Bowl nor reached double-digit sacks. The other players I considered for this list, such as Nigel Bradham, Ronald Darby or Rodney McLeod, likely won’t have a stat that screams Pro Bowl. On offense, I don’t think players such as Dallas Goedert, Miles Sanders or Nelson Agholor will have the necessary production. So give me Barnett. (My sleeper pick is Cameron Johnston.)

Who really knows how good anyone is early in the regular season? - PE.com
And, the truth is, the Eagles don’t really know who they are just yet. That’s going to take some time. “I think every team, they might say they know what they have and I’m just speaking for the Philadelphia Eagles, you spend the first couple of weeks possibly figuring out who you are,” head coach Doug Pederson said. “I’ve heard Tom Brady talk about that. I’ve heard Drew Brees talk about that. I’ve heard other coaches talk about just trying to see what the identity is going to be. In Training Camp, even if starters play (in preseason games), they don’t play long enough to really find an identity.

The 5 O’Clock Club: Redskin players for Eagles - would you make the trade? - Hogs Haven
I thought I’d offer a few HYPOTHETICAL player-for-player trade scenarios to see what y’all think about them. These are not intended to be taken as serious trade proposals, but as conversation starters — simple “what ifs” to get us thinking about the Philly and Washington rosters ahead of this week’s game. I’m offering up 4 pretend-trades.

Philadelphia Eagles cheerleader Kyle Tanguay is getting all the feels from fans - Outsports
He wasn’t “the dude with the cheerleaders,” he was just a “cheerleader.” He was there to celebrate their favorite team, and that’s been enough for the fans so far leading up to the season. “One thing the Eagles fans are doing a good job of is they’re not making it about me being a man or being gay,” Tanguay told Outsports. “They’re just excited about me being part of the team.”

2019 Fantasy Football Rankings: Tight ends for Week 1 - FakeTeams
3) Zach Ertz vs. WAS - He set a tight end record with 156 targets a year ago, and though that number is destined to come down, I can’t drop him any lower in the rankings.

DK Nation is LIVE — just in time for football season! - DraftKings Nation
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Vox Media CEO Jim Bankoff on media and sports betting - CNBC
Vox Media chairman and CEO Jim Bankoff joins “Squawk Alley” to discuss SB Nation’s new partnership with Draft Kings.

Brett Toth “very grateful” to United States Army for allowing him to play - PFT
Toth had been set to do work with the ROTC at Temple University in Philadelphia, but the roster moves “started a whole new process” that forced the Army JAG Corps to brush up on NFL personnel moves in light of the change of address. Toth is thankful that everything worked out for him.

100 percent correct predictions for the 2019 NFL season that we definitely won’t regret later - SB Nation
The Chiefs were a penalty away from making the last Super Bowl. Their Madden-like offense is more or less the same, and the defense will be better (not that it has much choice to go anywhere but up). The Eagles have one of the most complete rosters in the NFL and a majority of their players have already been on this stage before. If you think the Chiefs are cursed, well, a lot of people said the same thing about the Eagles until two seasons ago. This is the year, Kansas City. This is the year!

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