Eagles News: ESPN says Philadelphia acquired one of the biggest offseason upgrades

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Ranking the NFL offseason’s 25 biggest position upgrades, from Brady and Gronk to a kicker - ESPN+
5. Philadelphia Eagles, CB. Darius Slay replaces Ronald Darby. Darby’s 2019 stat line: 37 tackles, 2 INTs. Slay’s 2020 projection: 53 tackles, 2 INTs. The Eagles traded for Slay following seven consecutive seasons of finishing ninth or worse in yardage allowed to opposing wide receivers. Philadelphia has allowed the most targets, receptions and yardage to the position during the span, and it’s not close. Meanwhile, Slay quickly emerged as one of the league’s premier shadow corners after being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. He has at least a pair of interceptions and 13-plus passes defensed each of the past six seasons. In fact, Slay’s 99 passes defensed since 2014 are easily most in the NFL. He joins fellow newcomer and slot man Nickell Robey-Coleman in Philadelphia’s overhauled secondary.

Dak Prescott v. Carson Wentz: A Deep-Dive Comparison - BGN
Carson Wentz is a quality starting quarterback in the NFL with a high-ceiling/low-floor projection due to his injury history. Wentz is an elite quarterback in terms of ball velocity, which allows him to make a wide variety of throws both in rhythm and on the move. Wentz’s ability to create explosive plays by throwing deep or into tight windows was capped last season by a milquetoast offense and poor receiving options, and he showed a concerning lack of poise and pocket presence when working under such conditions. The Eagles have failed to pair Wentz with the premier deep speed and strong catchers that a passer of his velocity and aggressiveness warrants, and have accordingly shoved him into the mold of a nickel-and-dime rhythm passer that he can fill, though it doesn’t maximize his tools. Wentz’s pre-snap determination and unwillingness to give up on a play will always lead to painful moments, but the trade-off is truly elite flashes in scramble drills and under pressure. A healthy Wentz provides a high floor to his offense, but more is needed around him for his development to continue in a positive direction.

The QB Factory #3: Borrowing From Shanahan + Day 3 Dingleberries - BGN Radio
Michael Kist and Mark Schofield discuss what the Eagles can do to help Wentz via scheme by discussing the 49ers offense PLUS Trubisky’s pesky 5th year option, the expectations for Josh Allen and Day 3 rookie quarterback fits! Powered by SB Nation and Bleeding Green Nation.

Dispelling 10 long-standing Eagles myths - NBCSP
Myth No. 8: The Eagles should have kept Nick Foles instead of Carson Wentz! Since the Super Bowl, Wentz has completed 66 percent of his passes with 48 TDs, 14 interceptions and a 96.4 passer rating. Foles during the same span has completed 68 percent of his passes with 13 TDs, 10 INTs and an 87.8 passer rating.

5 Eagles breakout candidates in 2020 - PhillyVoice
5) CB Avonte Maddox. Barring any further offseason moves at corner, it’s looking more and more like Maddox will be a starter on the outside in 2020. At just 5’9, that’s a dicey proposition, as Maddox has struggled as an outside corner when forced into that role in the past (see: Seahawks playoff game). While outside corner is probably not his ideal role, Maddox is tough, talented, and athletic, and he’ll have a better chance to succeed that Jalen Mills did in the past, as Maddox will have Darius Slay playing the other corner spot, and likely (I think?) trailing the opposing offense’s best receiver.

Dak Prescott, Carson Wentz & Jared Goff: Why situation matters at the quarterback position - PFF
It took Wentz a little longer to break through, but when he did in 2017 — a year that ultimately ended in injury and ushered in a Super Bowl run of legend from Nick Foles — there was real MVP talk. Unfortunately, things have gone downhill since that point, with Wentz seeing his PFF grade drop from 84.9 to 79.4 to 75.6 in the last three years.

Why Teams Might Be Smart to Wait to Pay Their Veterans; Jalen Hurts’s Competitiveness - MMQB
So this was a fun exercise: I was talking to one of Jalen Hurts’s old coaches the other day, and he basically said that what gives Hurts a real shot in the NFL is his competitiveness, which this coach believes will drive him to keep the improvement he experienced in 2019 at Oklahoma going. And as we talked, I mentioned how good I remember Hurts being at the end of the 2016 national title game against Clemson, one that he and Alabama lost, but also one in which, as an 18-year-old true freshman, he went toe-to-toe with Deshaun Watson. And so I decided to go back and watch the last five minutes of that game. Watson, as we all know, was awesome. But so too was Hurts, who seemed completely unaffected by the circumstances or his own inexperience. His last snap in that one was a 30-yard touchdown run to put the Tide up 31-28 with 2:31 to go. A year later, he’d lose his job to Tua Tagovailoa in the title game—but that was after losing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, who’d been key in his development. I’ll be intrigued to see what Doug Pederson can do with him in Philly. Also, if you have time, re-watch that Alabama-Clemson finish. I promise it’s worth your time.

No offseason practice means Eagles rookies will struggle to play key roles in team’s plans this season - Inquirer
The Eagles never have had more than four rookies log 200-plus snaps in any of Pederson’s four years as head coach. Even without the pandemic, just three of their 10 picks this year — Reagor, fourth-round safety K’Von Wallace, and perhaps Hightower — seemed to have a realistic chance of becoming members of the 200-snap club. Their other seven picks, including third-round linebacker Davion Taylor, are developmental players who need varying degrees of ripening time on the window sill. But the potential postponement of all spring field work only has delayed the ripening.

Film Room: How Marquise Goodwin’s speed helps an offense - PE.com
Marquise Goodwin’s speed is the subject of this installment of Film Room, presented by Miller Lite.

Report: “There isn’t any traction” for a Jamal Adams to Cowboys deal - Blogging The Boys
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said on Monday that the New York Jets “would like” to reach a long-term deal with their star defender, but that the team wants to make sure that the season — and everything else involving the NFL — goes to plan before inking players to extensions. Rapoport also reported that “it is not really an impasse”, while also noting that “there’s really nothing there” from the Cowboys’ perspective.

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