Eagles News: DeSean Jackson vows he’ll be back stronger than ever in 2020

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‘I think I’ll be back stronger than ever’: Why Eagles’ DeSean Jackson is confident he will bounce back from season-ending injury - NJ.com
Jackson is now fully recovered from surgery and excited to get back onto the turf at Lincoln Financial Field. The veteran wide receiver recently spoke with Thai Floyd of Bar None Media about his recovery from sports hernia surgery. “Been able to have like three months to train and build and do rehab,” Jackson said. “Now, I feel like I’m back 100 percent. I’ve been just trying to train and take it day-by-day.” With that outlook, Jackson feels confident that his return to the field will go well. “I think I’ll be back stronger than ever,” Jackson told Floyd.

NFL Draft Mailbag: Finding an heir to Jason Kelce’s throne - BGN
The more likely avenue is drafting someone in the mid or late rounds to groom behind the perennial All-Pro. Oregon’s Jake Hanson and Temple’s Matt Hennessy both come to mind as athletic, technically skilled centers who could grow into very solid starters under the Eagles’ tutelage. Hennessy in particular had a very nice combine and might end up going in the first 75 picks.

Eye On the Enemy #12: NFC East Off-Season Sagas - BGN Radio
John Stolnis sets the table for the New York Giants off-season PLUS updates/analysis on the Trent Williams/Amari Cooper/Dak Prescott/Andre Dillard sagas, the return of Marty Mornhinweg to the Eagles, and more! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Eagles mailbag: What five changes would you make to get back to the Super Bowl? - PhillyVoice
1) Cut Alshonymous: Alshon Jeffery isn’t some bad locker room guy, or anything like that, as far as I can see. He’s quiet, and seems to get along with most of his teammates. He’s not a sideshow, like Odell Beckham, asking opponents to trade for him during games. He’s not an ego maniac like Antonio Brown. He’s not doing situps in his driveway like Terrell Owens. But he did criticize Carson Wentz anonymously in each of the last two years, and for that, he simply can’t stay on the roster. If he were OBJ, or Brown, or Owens, in terms of ability, maybe you just live with the possibility that he causes a major in-season distraction for the third year in a row. But he’s not. He looked cooked for most of the 2019, and that was before he underwent surgery for a Lisfranc injury. He has to go. I’d just take the huge cap hit and get him out. So that’d be change No. 1.

Adding Marty Mornhinweg’s creative mind to the coaching room can only help the Eagles - Inquirer
Of those seven, Mornhinweg might be the most interesting. No one else in that room has gone to the philosophical extremes that he has. For all the years he spent as a fool for the pass, remember: He was the Baltimore Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2018 when they benched Joe Flacco for Lamar Jackson and, in doing so, unleashed a zone-rushing system that turned their offense into one of the NFL’s most dynamic and productive units. Yes, the Ravens were even better last season under Greg Roman and with a more-experienced Jackson, but the turnaround began under Mornhinweg, and it was obvious and stark. Once Jackson became their starting quarterback, the Ravens, who were 4-5 at the time, won six of their final seven regular-season games, averaging 45 rushing attempts, 230 rushing yards, and 25.1 points a game. None of this means that Mornhinweg changed his philosophies and burned his binders and metamorphosed into the coach Rex Ryan always wanted him to be, though it would be understandable if he had. (Mornhinweg lasted just two seasons as the Jets’ offensive coordinator. The quarterback who started the most games for the team over that period was Geno Smith, and if those circumstances don’t persuade a play-caller to run the ball more, nothing will.) It does mean that he remains creative, even a little … out there … at times. You’re definitely a little out there if you have Andy Reid, of all people, wondering if you throw the ball too much.

Byron Jones vs. James Bradberry and more in Roob’s 10 Random Points! - NBCSP
I like bringing Marty Mornhinweg onto the coaching staff. The guy is a little quirky, but he’s truly a brilliant and innovative offensive mind, and he’s worked with Doug Pederson before. My one concern would be the number of new offensive coaches and coaches with new titles and how the whole thing will work together. In addition to Doug, Press Taylor is now quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator, Rich Scangarello is senior offensive assistant, Andrew Breiner is passing game analyst and Marty is senior offensive consultant. Receivers coach Aaron Moorehead is also new. A lot of good minds, but roles are going to have to be clearly defined for this all to work together.

Monumental Player Vote Set to Determine Next Decade of the NFL - FMIA
Chargers running back Austin Ekeler‘s agent, Cameron Weiss, had to beg scouts to watch the Pro Day of his client, from tiny Western State (Colo.), two years ago. The Chargers were going to sign one undrafted free-agent running back after the 2018 draft, and coach Anthony Lynn wanted Corey Clement. But the Eagles snagged Clement, and the totally unknown Ekeler was the consolation prize.

Wide receiver tiers for the 2020 NFL draft: Scouts help us rank a loaded class - ESPN+
TIER 3 (TOP-40 TALENT) — Justin Jefferson, LSU. Height: 6-1 | Weight: 202. Top trait: If job No. 1 is to catch the ball, this is your guy. Jefferson has exceedingly reliable hands and top-shelf concentration in a crowd; he will save more than a few bad throws even though he didn’t see many in LSU’s high-end attack last season. His 4.43-second 40 at the combine has forced people who might not have looked long enough to re-evaluate the idea his speed was just OK. Where he fits best: Jefferson has the ability to play both inside and outside, but he worked out of the slot almost exclusively in 2019. He finished with 111 catches, 1,540 yards and 18 touchdowns, and he will likely start in the slot in an NFL offense.

Where Are They Now? T Dave Graham - PE.com
A three-year letter winner at the University of Virginia, offensive tackle Dave Graham had choices. Selected by Philadelphia in the 1960 NFL Draft, he was also chosen by Houston in the AFL Draft and by Vancouver of the Canadian League. ”I was drafted as a future. In those days, they did that, and so I played another two years (at Virginia) before I actually went with the Eagles,” Graham says. “I grew up as a Giants fan in Connecticut, and I just wanted to see if I could make it in the NFL. I had a job (lined up) with General Electric because I didn’t know if I was going to make the team or not.”

Buyer beware of the 2020 NFL free-agent edge rushers - PFF
JADEVEON CLOWNEY: Seen by many as the crown jewel of this free-agent class, Jadeveon Clowney nevertheless represents a risk if the contract required to land him is one that will make him the highest-paid edge rusher in the league. Complicating the evaluation of Clowney is that he has always been seen as one of the most spectacular athletes on the field since he was a high school recruit, and that hype continued all the way through to the NFL. Even now, it probably bolsters his reputation beyond where his NFL play would have taken it otherwise. Clowney is a good NFL player, but he is not a great pass-rusher — at least not consistently. He has yet to top 65 total pressures over a season, and when you consider that Za’Darius Smith led the NFL this year with 93, that’s leaving quite a lot of meat on the bone in terms of the best pass-rushers in the league. In truth, he has consistently been a better run defender than a pass-rusher, but that has never mattered less in today’s NFL. Whoever secures Clowney’s services will be getting a very good football player, but they are unlikely to get one who will justify a contract that pays him like the best player at his position.

Which Teams Could Trade for Trent Williams? - The Ringer
New York Giants — Nate Solder has been a disaster since the Giants made him the highest-paid offensive lineman in history heading into the 2018 season. According to PFF, Solder’s 57 pressures allowed in 2019 were seven more than any other player, and he and right tackle Mike Remmers allowed more pressures than any other duo. The Giants need to make an upgrade to protect Daniel Jones, but Solder carries a $13 million dead cap hit if he’s cut. New York may be stuck with him.

Should the Redskins Sign Ereck Flowers to a Long-Term Contract? - Hogs Haven
As the 2019 season neared an end, the VAST majority of Redskins fans came around to the idea that this guy was pretty darn good at guard. He and center Chase Roullier were the team’s best and most consistent offensive lineman during the season, and Flowers was the only lineman to play in every game. He led the Redskins in total number of offensive snaps (936), which equated to 99.57%. The next closest player was Donald Penn who played 884 offensive snaps. It is very easy to say that Ereck Flowers was one of the most pleasant surprises of the Redskins dreadful 2019 season!

The top 100 NFL free agents in 2020 and where they’re signing - SB Nation
The 2020 NFL free agent market is loaded with big names — and a surprising number of veteran quarterbacks. Players ranging from Marcus Mariota to Dak Prescott to Tom Brady all headed into this offseason with expiring contracts. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, though. The free agent class of 2020 is stacked from top to bottom. There have been plenty of rumors in advance of the official start to the 2020 league year on March 18. Several of the NFL’s top free agents won’t have to change addresses as their current teams happily re-sign them, either through long-term contracts or the one-year franchise tag. Others will find new homes. We took this year’s 600+ free agents and boiled them down to the top 100. These rankings don’t just reflect talent, but also age and potential. The list will be updated with signings and some new candidates, depending on which veterans get released as the offseason wears on.

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