Eagles News: The pressure is on Derek Barnett

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It’s time for Derek Barnett to deliver for the Eagles - Inquirer
Barnett has been solid when he has played, but his production hasn’t matched the excessive praise his coaches bestow upon him. There’s more to playing end than numbers, but he has finished in the middle of the pack in Pro Football Focus’ pass-rush productivity analytics the last three seasons. His 47 pressures (sacks, hits, hurries) out of 425 rushes placed him 59th out of 98 edge rushers with more than 115 pass-rush attempts last season. For comparison, Vinny Curry finished 10th (41 of 243) and Brandon Graham finished 34th (67 of 482). In 2018, Barnett was tied for 52d out of 100 and in 2017 he was 45th out of 100 qualifying edge rushers. His run defense production has also been middling. Barnett is still only 24, but in May some questioned whether the Eagles should have picked up his fifth-year option, although they have until next offseason to change their minds. A strong fourth season, though, could compel the team to sign Barnett to a lucrative long-term deal. With Graham and Curry plus-30 and a year older, he isn’t the future anymore. He needs to deliver upon his promise now.

3 key matchups to watch when the Eagles play Washington - BGN
McLaurin was electric against the Eagles last year, posting near identical stat lines of 5-125-1 and 5-130-1 in their two tilts. Those represented his biggest games of the year, but the Eagles have a new weapon to deploy against him in Slay. Slay is no stranger to McLaurin, whom he faced last year while with the Detroit Lions. Per PFF, Slay shadowed McLaurin for 74% of his routes and conceded only 3 catches for 42 yards on 10 targets while in coverage against him. There’s context needed however, as Dwayne Haskins missed some throws to McLaurin that would’ve boosted that stat line.

Grocery shopping: Five college prospects who could interest the Eagles in the 2021 NFL Draft - PhillyVoice
Antoine Winfield Jr. enters the NFL this year, and now Asante Samuel Jr. likely in 2021? Ugh, I feel old. If Samuel Jr. has the same confidence that his old man had, then I’m certain he’s going to be a Jim Schwartz favorite. However, their games have some similarities, and some differences. Like dad, Samuel Jr. is a great off-man cover corner who doesn’t give up much separation. He’s a better tackler than dad, but does not have dad’s ball skills (obviously a high bar there). Junior does have 23 PBUs in two years at FSU, but only one pick. Maybe he can make a leap in that area this season.

Best Week 1 daily fantasy football wide receiver plays under $5000 - DraftKings Nation
DeSean Jackson ($4,900), Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Football Team. Jackson torched Washington in last year’s season opener with nine receptions for 154 yards, two scores, and 38.4 DKFP. He missed most of 2019 with a sports hernia but appears to be back at 100 percent now. Even though it appears like Jalen Reagor will play in Week 1 after suffering a shoulder injury, Jackson can be a serviceable deep threat. Alshon Jeffery’s foot injury should make Jackson a priority in the passing game.

NFL Week 1 game picks, schedule guide, fantasy football tips, odds, injuries and more - ESPN
Bold prediction: Chase Young will begin his NFL career with a pair of sacks. The Eagles’ offensive line had a rough summer, losing a pair of starters, Brandon Brooks and Andre Dillard, to to injury, and a third, Lane Johnson, was hobbled for much of camp with an ailing ankle. Jason Peters, 38, moved back out to left tackle this week after training this offseason at guard and will have to quickly adjust to fend off Young and the rest of Washington’s formidable pass-rushers.

The Athletic’s NFC confidential: What the scouts are saying - The Athletic
Philadelphia Eagles: “Obviously, the strength is their defensive line. It’s as good as any around the league. Right now, the Eagles are kind of the standard for defensive line play. It’s gonna be interesting for them with that secondary. Strong front seven but not as heavy in the back end.” … “They’ve had some injuries, obviously, the last couple years, but how the secondary plays is probably their biggest question for me, along with their receivers. They also got killed by injuries there.”

Survey: Who Will Be the NFL’s Five Best Quarterbacks by the End of 2020? - MMQB
5) Philadelphia Eagles: I’ll be honest, the offensive line injuries made me waver a little bit here. Losing a starting left tackle (Andre Dillard) and elite guard (Brandon Brooks) would test any team’s depth. But between constant investment in that area and a great line coach (Jeff Stoutland), I think they can manage the issue. And I think the move to get rid of a few guys who were “on scholarship” there will make the team a little tougher, too.

A look back at the wild 1988 opener in Roob’s 10 random Eagles observations - NBCSP
1. Jackson is one of the greatest opening-day receivers in NFL history. And it wasn’t just last year, when he caught two Carson Wentz bombs. D-Jack shares the NFL record of six career 100-yard games on opening day with Michael Irvin. He’s had four for the Eagles, one for the Bucs and one for Washington. The six opening-day 100-yard games is twice as many as Jerry Rice had in 20 season openers. The only other Eagles with more than one 100-yard game on opening day are Mike Quick, Pete Retzlaff, Ben Hawkins and Jordan Matthews. Don’t be surprised if Jackson goes for No. 7 on Sunday.

Predictions for every NFL team from those who know their team best - SB Nation
Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles will make the playoffs for the fourth straight season but fail to win more than one playoff game at most due to offensive line issues.

The 5 O’Clock Club: Bold Prediction - Washington will lead the NFC East at the end of Week 1 - Hogs Haven
The Washington defensive front should have the ability to give a dinged up and aging Eagles offensive line (Jason Peters is 38; Matt Pryor has 142 career offensive snaps; Lane Johnson was limited in practice this week) real problems for four quarters of football, making Carson Wentz perfectly miserable all afternoon. If Scott Turner has a few offensive tricks up his sleeve, the Football Team could walk out of FedEx Sunday night with a 1-0-0 record both overall and in the division, while the Philadelphia Eagles take a long bus ride home wondering what went wrong. While I’m not expecting a great season — or even a very good one — I’m picking a young Ron Rivera-inspired team to shock the NFL by picking up the W at home against the defending division champs this Sunday.

NFC East Notebook: Predicting the outcomes of games around the division - Big Blue View
The Eagles’ defensive line is strong and will prove difficult to top for Washington’s offense. But Dwayne Haskins Jr. is no longer a rookie and he will now be working in Scott Turner’s new offense so anything is possible for the young quarterback who seemed to only be trending upward as last season came to a close.. Prediction: Eagles 21, Washington Football Team 17.

How confident are you in the Dallas Cowboys as we enter Week 1? - Blogging The Boys
Perhaps the tail off between the draft and now is just a result of being restless as we are all anxiously waiting for the season to begin. Ask any person who follows the NFL and they will tell you that the Dallas Cowboys are among the contenders to play in the season’s ultimate game in Tampa Bay. Maybe those expectations are what is causing the lack of confidence. We are so scarred over the last quarter century as Cowboys fans that the moment anything remotely positive feels like it is starting to happen, we all tend to get spooked because we’ve been burned before.

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