Eagles News: PFF names one free agent that Philadelphia needs to pursue

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One free agent each NFL team needs to pursue in the 2020 offseason - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: S Anthony Harris. Malcolm Jenkins helped improve the Eagles’ secondary this year, playing exceptionally well in his box safety/slot role. Everywhere else wasn’t terrible, but there is certainly room for improvement, and adding Anthony Harris would elevate the most important unit on the defensive side of the ball. Harris has been one of the NFL’s best free safeties these past couple of years, recording the highest two-year PFF overall grade at that alignment. He also had seven interceptions as a free safety in that timespan while allowing six catches.

NFL Free Agency Rumors: Eagles linked to Byron Jones and Chris Harris - BGN
I know signing NFC East players — and specifically former Cowboys — hasn’t worked out so well for the Eagles in recent history but there’s reason to believe Jones could buck the trend. Jones checks a lot of boxes. The 2015 first-round pick doesn’t turn 28 until September. He’s only missed one game in his five-year career. He has experience at safety in addition to cornerback. He boasts an elite athletic profile; just look at this beautiful spider graph. Jones ranked 15 out of 134 cornerbacks graded by PFF in 2019 and 7th in 2018, when he made the Pro Bowl.

2020 BGN Draft #1: Senior Bowl - Day 1 Practice Recap - BGN Radio
Michael Kist is joined by Russell Brown of Cover 1 to break down the winners and losers of the first day of the Senior Bowl practices! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Senior Bowl practice notes, Day 1 - PhillyVoice
I came to Mobile looking forward to watching the wide receivers on hand here, and so far, I have been underwhelmed. As we noted in our Senior Bowl preview, the receivers projected to go Round 1 (or early in Round 2) are underclassmen, and won’t be competing in Mobile. That group includes guys like Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs of Alabama, CeeDee Lamb of Oklahoma, Tee Higgins of Clemson, Justin Jefferson of LSU, and Leviska Shenault of Colorado. The Eagles better get a wide receiver early, because there is a significant drop in talent from those guys to the seniors competing here. In my view, waiting to select one at some point later in the draft because it is deep and talented would be a bad strategy. Get one early, and if there’s another one you like later, then great, get another one.

Senior Bowl Day 1 - Iggles Blitz
I’m honestly not sure what to say about the Eagles and receivers. Nelson Agholor is almost certainly gone. Alshon Jeffery could also be gone. You might be bringing back DeSean Jackson, J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, Greg Ward, Robert Davis and Deontay Burnett. DeSean is the only sure thing in that group and he’s coming off injury. Will the Eagles want speed? Size? Slot guys? There aren’t a lot of burners in Mobile. There are some good big guys and several good slot guys. [...] One possible target at 21 is DT Javon Kinlaw. That dude is a stud. Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson aren’t getting any younger (unless Sports Science has gone big time) and the Eagles could use a young, talented DT. Kinlaw is really good.

Eagles receivers DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery: Stay or go? - ESPN
But Jeffery, who turns 30 in February, was limited to 10 games in 2019 and finished with his lowest totals of catches (43) and yards (490) since his rookie season. Given the dip in availability/production and the chemistry issues between Jeffery and Wentz, the decision to lock in the receiver for 2020 now seems regrettable. His injury complicates matters further. Jeffery had Lis Franc surgery in December and faces a lengthy rehab. It’s too early to say how long he’ll be sidelined (some estimates say nine months) or how effective he’ll be upon return. Trading Jeffery would be ideal, as it would limit the cap hit, but it’s hard to envision a scenario in which a team would be willing to deal for him until he proves he’s back to full health. That might take a while. Given all the factors in play, this situation will take some time to sort itself out, but a clean break is called for once the opportunity presents itself, even if that means eating a big serving of dead money. Verdict: Go.

Hands, shoulders, hips and toes: The week-by-week physical toll of an NFL season on Eagles center Jason Kelce - The Athletic
On Monday, he undergoes another MRI, this one on the hip that’s been bothering him down the stretch. Again, there’s nothing new, but the results ease Kelce’s mind. He still thinks the hip and back pain are probably related to the three-day stretch he went without anti-inflammatories, but he acknowledges that’s only one idea. It’s also possible he strained his core some other way or there’s a hit he can’t remember taking or it was just the cost of another season’s worth of football. Sometimes, there are no answers. This offseason, he’ll fully cycle off the anti-inflammatories to really assess the state of his body. That should also help him determine whether surgery to remove the fabella is necessary since Kelce acknowledges there’s probably not any one thing causing his chronic knee pain. He and the training staff have developed a routine that allows Kelce to feel good during practice and games, so it might not be worth it to mess with what’s working. He’ll probably end up getting a few more MRIs across his body just in case, but he doesn’t expect any other surgeries. Despite all that, Kelce says he feels “pretty good.”

Eagles Stay or Go 2020: Big decision looming at LB - NBCSP
Kulp: Midway through 2018, Bradham’s release looked inevitable. Then he had a monster second half, and the Eagles let Jordan Hicks walk instead. That appears to have been a pretty big mistake. At 27, Hicks finished third in the NFL with 150 tackles, plus 1.5 sacks, 3 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles in 16 games for the Cardinals. Bradham turned 30 and meandered through 12 games with 61 tackles, no sacks, 1 interception and no forced fumbles. Sure, he was hurt from the get go, but he just had no impact, and on balance, his last seasons have been a disappointment overall. It won’t bring Hicks back, but moving Bradham will save close to $5 million while giving a chance to a younger player. Verdict: Goes.

2020 NFL Free Agency rumors: Philadelphia Eagles could target Cowboys cornerback Byron Jones - Blogging The Boys
Byron Jones has played very well for the Cowboys since transitioning to cornerback full time ahead of the 2018 season. It remains to be seen just how highly the Cowboys will value their former first-round pick. Jones didn’t put forth the stellar campaign of 2018 during this most recent season, but he was still very good. What’s more is that he is a free agent and in situations like these players are generally overpaid (this is said with no disrespect for Jones). If the Eagles are intending to be aggressive, with the Cowboys having to focus so much attention and money on Prescott and Cooper, it stands to reason that they could lose their cornerback to Philadelphia or someone else.

Browns interview George Paton a second time for GM role - Dawgs By Nature
Paton is one of three candidates that the Browns have interviewed for the general manager position, joining New England Patriots director of college scouting Monti Ossenfort and Philadelphia Eagles vice president of football operations Andrew Berry, but Paton is the only one to be granted a second interview for the moment. According to Cabot, Paton did not originally want to take an interview with the Browns because he believed that Berry had the job in the bag. But Paton is interested in working with head coach Kevin Stefanski after the two spent the past 13 seasons working together with the Minnesota Vikings.

New York Giants’ Eli Manning announces retirement - Big Blue View
New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning will hold a press conference to announce his retirement on Friday. It has pretty much been a foregone conclusion that the Giants would be moving on from Manning after this season, and now that has come to pass. “For 16 seasons, Eli Manning defined what it is to be a New York Giant both on and off the field,” said John Mara, the Giants’ president and chief executive officer. “Eli is our only two-time Super Bowl MVP and one of the very best players in our franchise’s history. He represented our franchise as a consummate professional with dignity and accountability. It meant something to Eli to be the Giants quarterback, and it meant even more to us. We are beyond grateful for his contributions to our organization and look forward to celebrating his induction into the Giants Ring of Honor in the near future.”

The Ringer’s 2020 NFL Draft Guide - The Ringer
19 - Henry Ruggs III. Ruggs is an explosive pass catcher with track speed (he broke the Alabama high school state record for the 100-meter dash with a 10.58-second time in 2017) and natural instincts for eluding defenders after the catch. If he gets some green, he’ll take advantage of it; the Crimson Tide standout has excellent acceleration and uses long strides to weave through defenses, annihilate pursuit angles, and pull away from the crowd. The dynamic playmaker followed up a 46-catch, 741-yard, 11-touchdown performance in 2018 with 40 catches for 746 yards and seven touchdowns this season, adding one rushing score to again prove that he’s a high-level touchdown-maker. Ruggs finished at Alabama with 24 of his 98 career receptions ending up in the end zone. Because of that home-run potential, defensive backs and deep defenders always need to know where Ruggs is lined up―but he’s more than just a straight-line deep threat. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound pass catcher takes advantage of typical cornerback cushions on hitch and stop routes and is a back-shoulder master near the sideline. He’s also a major pain in the ass on crossing routes, where defenders struggle to match his easy speed across the field. While he was durable at Alabama, playing in 40 games, he has a slender, wiry frame that could make him susceptible to big hits at the next level. And he’s consistently a beat late getting out of his stance, with a hitch that slows him up before he can get into his route.

Senior Bowl Day 2 - Scouts Notebook
WR Denzel Mims from Baylor was the offensive standout on Wednesday. Mims, 6-3, 206, was very productive in college with 168 career catches and 28 TD receptions. He made plays all over the field today. Mims started off by catching short passes. He showed good strength and was able to play through contact. That is important for a receiver with his size. It wasn’t all small ball. Mims was able to get deep multiple times and haul in long passes.

Black NFL executives and coaches sound off at town hall: ‘We just want a fair shot’ - The Undefeated
“It’s hard to justify [Cincinnati Bengals head coach] Zac Taylor, and not Eric Bieniemy. It’s hard to justify how [Miami Dolphins assistant head coach] Jim Caldwell didn’t get an interview this time. It’s hard to justify Leslie Frazier not getting an interview. Look at the job he did in Buffalo with that defense. Look at the job he did as a playcaller, getting the most out of that defense.” To hear Frazier tell it, finally clearing the obstacles that still block the path for coaches of color is much more important than what occurs individually with him and Bieniemy.

The XFL is Back: Complete 2020 XFL Schedule and Rules - Radio.com
Football does not have to end with the Super Bowl. Nineteen years after Vince McMahon debuted the original XFL in 2001, the WWE CEO is giving it a second try as the league prepares to debut the week following Super Bowl LIV. This time things will be a little different in the XFL, though. Instead of using sex appeal and violence like last time, McMahon and commissioner Oliver Luck aim to cater the new XFL to families and plans to complement the NFL, rather than be a sideshow. The new XFL will certainly still be a unique football experience.

The 49ers and Chiefs did *just* enough for first-round byes, and it proved crucial - SB Nation
The San Francisco 49ers finished the regular season with a 13-3 record — good enough for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It came right down to the wire, though. Their last four games of 2019 (three of which they won), were decided in the final seconds. San Francisco’s Week 17 finale against Seattle was literally an inch away from being a loss. Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister was tackled right next to the goal line on a fourth-down play with nine seconds left. Had it been a touchdown, the 49ers would’ve lost the NFC West and entered the postseason as the No. 5 seed. Instead, they landed at the very top of the NFC, thanks to tiebreakers over the Packers and Saints.

Watch a gigantic bald eagle take flight from a Melrose street, in slow motion - Boston.com
A bald eagle stunned onlookers in Melrose on Monday when it took off from a city street, after apparently feasting on something in the roadway. The huge bird of prey was spotted near the Wyoming Hill MBTA commuter rail train station, according to Matt Karolian, Boston.com’s general manager, who shared a video of the moment.

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