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Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
Has Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie gone too far with quarterback directives? - ESPN
For the second year in a row, Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie is pointing the franchise in the direction of quarterback Jalen Hurts — raising questions and concerns in the process. Lurie was influential in the selection of Hurts in last April’s draft, according to sources. He wasn’t alone on an island — former coach Doug Pederson was seeking a young QB to develop and general manager Howie Roseman was said to be on board — but Lurie wanted Hurts. And when bosses want something they usually get it. Philadelphia used its second-round pick (No. 53 overall) on the Oklahoma product despite being financially committed to quarterback Carson Wentz to the tune of four years and $128 million. Hurts showed promise in four starts as a rookie, but using a high pick on Hurts, and later starting him in favor of the struggling Wentz, played a major role in the deterioration of the relationship between Wentz and the organization. [...] There were mixed opinions of Hurts inside the Eagles’ building leading up to last year’s draft. He wasn’t the highest player on Philadelphia’s board when he was picked, sources said. Was it wise for Lurie & Co. to be aggressive and take the QB they wanted a little early so they didn’t miss out, like they did by waiting too long on Russell Wilson in 2012? Or, did the owner’s excitement about the player steer things off course?
Why Jeffrey Lurie is wrong to direct Eagles’ QB decisions, even if Jalen Hurts is right for Philadelphia - CBS Sports
It’s one thing for an owner to be part of the decision-making process. At the end of the day, he can do whatever he wants; he owns the darn team. But there’s a reason owners hire general managers and personnel people and head coaches: To do their jobs. There’s a reason Eagles fans used to poke fun at other NFC East teams with “involved” owners like Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones: Stories of draft-day meddling (see: Dwayne Haskins, Robert Griffin III) and front-office quarrels became more common than on-field victories. If Mortensen, who accurately reported Wentz’s desire to leave the Eagles in their current state and start fresh elsewhere, is conveying the right information about Lurie’s towering shadow, then there’s no doubt the Eagles owner has joined the Jones and Snyder club. Just listen to Mort’s characterization of the guy Lurie hired to replace Doug Pederson, who won a Super Bowl three calendar years ago: “They have a new head coach in Nick Sirianni, (and) he understands that what the owner wants, the owner gets.”
Has Jeffrey Lurie’s edict on Jalen Hurts eliminated the possibility of the Eagles taking a QB in the first round? - Inquirer
Given the can’t-win-without-a-good-one importance of the quarterback position in the NFL, the Eagles need to consider all possible options, including a potential insurance policy in case Hurts isn’t The Answer. “When you’re picking as high as we are, you’d better look at everyone’s that’s available,” a senior personnel executive for the Eagles said late last month. “We have to make sure that if there’s a unique player at any position, that we’re looking at him.”
FROM THE SB NATION NFL SHOW: What is going on with the Eagles’ QB situation? - BGN Radio
The SB Nation NFL Show brings together the greatest fan-alysts from across SB Nation’s NFL team communities in one place for the first time ever. Expect deep analysis, irreverent jokes, and plenty of bickering between rivals. It’s a show for NFL fans, by NFL fans.
NFL Free Agency Targets: 38 players with connections to the Eagles - BGN
QB Geno Smith. If the Eagles want to add an inexpensive veteran who “knows the system,” then Smith makes sense. The 30-year-old has multiple connections to Philly. Steichen was his quarterbacks coach in 2018. The aforementioned Patullo was his position coach on the New York Jets in 2015 and 2016. Philly also did their homework on Smith (Lurie attended his private workout with the Eagles) once upon a time leading up to the 2013 NFL Draft. Smith surely isn’t any good (12-19 starting record, 72.9 career passer rating) but that’s OK, he’ll come cheap. Smith was on the vet minimum as Russell Wilson’s backup in Seattle last year.
Eagles free agency predictions: 33 players who could be on their shopping list - The Athletic
Wulf: Kendrick Bourne. The Eagles could have used this year’s class of free-agent receivers last offseason, when they ignored a weak class of veteran receivers and spent on Javon Hargrave and Darius Slay instead. Even with the best of this year’s wide receiver class tagged, there’s depth enough that competent players like Bourne, Josh Reynolds and Rashard Higgins will be available for reasonable deals, and the Eagles are desperate for wide receiver competence. Bourne turns 26 this summer and offers inside-outside versatility after a career-high 667 receiving yards in 2020. The Eagles will have some insight into his personality from special-teams coordinator Mike Clay.
Let the top-10 quarterback misdirections begin - PFT
These dynamics potentially explain the recent report that the Eagles don’t want competition for quarterback Jalen Hurts. That report could be aimed at throwing other teams off the notion that the Eagles would go quarterback at No. 6. In contrast, if the Eagles truly don’t want a quarterback at No. 6, they should create the impression that they do, in order to enhance the possibility that someone will spring in front of the Eagles to take a quarterback, pushing farther down the board a player who better fits with Philly’s draft objectives. Here’s the bottom line — the last thing the Eagles should be saying or leaking is the truth. Instead, they should leak the opposite of it. (Unless, of course, they’re trying to deploy some sort of Jedi mind trick.)
MARCH MADNESS: Introducing our Philadelphia Eagles Media Field of 64 - Crossing Broad
This should be a fantastic exercise to determine who becomes the national champion of Eagles journalism, which is intense, competitive, and territorial. In the past we’ve had a writer punch a colleague in the face, so being a local football scribe is not for the weak. [...] #5 seeds: Brandon Lee Gowton (Bleeding Green), Rob Maaddi (AP/97.5), Howard ‘The King’ Eskin (Eagles/94 WIP), Benjamin Solak (Bleeding Green). ... [BLG Note: Hey, vote for our BGN writers and podcasters in this tournament!]
Ex-Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson: Dak Prescott can’t carry the team to a Super Bowl title - NJ.com
Johnson, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year, applauded owner Jerry Jones for re-signing Prescott, but challenged him to put the right players around the quarterback. “I think he’s a great leader for the team. I think the team really rallies around him. So he is a positive influence there. Before the injury, he could make plays with his legs. He could run the football and he fit into their system. He has had problems at times being accurate. But with that receiving corps, he gets people open. I like Dak. I think he can win you a championship if he has great players around him. I don’t think Dak can carry a football team if he doesn’t have great players around him.”
Three Takeaways From the Cowboys’ Protracted Dak Prescott Contract Saga - The Ringer
Even with that accounting wizardry, though, Dallas still has a lot of hard choices to make. This team needs to add depth on the offensive line, an interior defensive lineman, and multiple players in the secondary. None of those things will come cheap. Dallas may lose cornerback Chidobe Awuzie in free agency, leaving little talent behind last year’s second-round pick, Trevon Diggs. Free safety is a position of need for what feels like the 20th year in a row. The team got a huge 2020 season from defensive end Aldon Smith, but the Cowboys need a defensive tackle or two on the inside. And they need offensive line help. Rookie center Tyler Biadasz disappointed last year, and Joe Looney is scheduled to hit free agency. Tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins are elite when healthy, but have been injured enough in recent seasons to show the Cowboys need a solid third-string tackle at all times.
How many NFC quarterbacks would you take over Dak Prescott over the life of his new four-year deal? - Blogging The Boys
We agreed that Aaron Rodgers is an easy one to prioritize here. Obviously Rodgers is older than Dak, but he is coming off of his latest MVP season and we live in a day and age where quarterbacks are playing into their 40s. Forgive us for not wanting to bet against Aaron Rodgers as we all know that this is generally a losing proposition. When the talks about Russell Wilson being into the Cowboys surfaced I said Wilson is a superior quarterback to Dak today. I don’t think Wilson will be better than Dak over the life of this new deal. Wilson is really the only other legitimate contender we came up with. Sure Tom Brady is great and not someone that you want to bet against either, but in terms of the length of four years, the odds favor Dak.
NFL free agency: Attention, Giants! Kenny Golladay is hitting the open market - Big Blue View
The most notable name is the first on the list - Kenny Golladay. He’ll have no shortage of interest on the open market. A 6-foot-4, 218-pound, target who gets vertical easily. I expect the Giants to make a realistic run at Golladay now that he’s a free agent. I would love Golladay on the Giants, and I really want to entertain Corey Davis — a 26-year-old receiver with all the potential in the world. Plus, Davis should be had at a discount price relative to what Golladay will garner on the open market. The other receiving free agents would have to be had at the right price. I’m not big on adding Smith-Schuster in free agency at his purported price point. Sterling Shepard should be our predominant slot receiver now that Golden Tate is cut. Fuller is rarely healthy and is suspended for PEDs through week one; he hasn’t had a healthy season outside of his 2020 year where he was busted for PEDs.
Chargers will not use franchise tag on TE Hunter Henry - Bolts From The Blue
On Tuesday morning, NFL insider Adam Schefter broke the news that the Chargers will not be placing the franchise on Hunter Henry for the second year in a row. This year’s tag would have cost the team around $13 million, so it did not make a ton of financial sense heading into a year with a shrinking cap. Henry will hit the market, but the team is still likely to work towards a long-term deal to re-sign the sixth-year tight end. [BLG Note: The Chargers have reportedly expressed interest in Zach Ertz.]
Report: Titans will not use franchise tag on tight end Jonnu Smith - Music City Miracles
One piece of the Titans’ offseason puzzle is now clear, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The Tennessee Titans will not use the franchise tag on tight end Jonnu Smith, creating another need for Jon Robinson to fill. [BLG Note: Another tight end on the market means less leverage for the Eagles when it comes to trying to trade Ertz.]
Off Day Debrief #27: Dak gets paaaaaid + Ross Tucker on NFL free agency - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera (Niners Nation) and Brandon Lee Gowton (Bleeding Green Nation) disagree about whether Dak should have agreed to the contract he reached with the Cowboys. Also... Every QB should be thanking Dak for handling things the way that he did. Why Russell Wilson’s wish list is dwindling. Is a Kyler Murray for Deshaun Watson deal really that crazy? Are the Eagles trying to put up a draft smokescreen when it comes to Jalen Hurts? Why Ross says Trent Williams isn’t worth 20 million per year.
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