Eagles News: Dianni Russini thinks Philadelphia is “going to do something big before the start of the season to improve their roster”

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

DIANNA RUSSINI: “I don’t want to make any predictions but I still think they’re going to do something big before the start of the season to improve their roster. So, if that ever comes to fruition, I can’t wait to come back on the show ... and I hate to have it painted that way. I opened up the can, I opened up the can. HOST: That smells like a Deshaun Watson situation is what that smells like. RUSSINI: No, I don’t know anything at this point. [Anything] firm. It’s obviously rumored. But I daydream a lot about what that could look like. What it would look like for Houston to finally recognize this isn’t going to work. And, look, trading is on the table. They’re open to it. I was on Get Up for three months saying ‘It’s not happening.’ Everyone I was talking to in Houston was like, ‘Stop wasting your time, stop calling us, we’re not trading him, it’s Deshaun Watson.’ And they changed their tune. I’ve heard, and even just continually talking with them, that it’s still on the table. And even though he has to deal with those lawsuits, I think that’s going to go away. And I think this is going to come back to light this summer, guys. And I think the Eagles could be a team in on it.

Pros and cons of the Eagles’ 2021 schedule - BGN
The Eagles don’t play a single team coming off extended extra rest. No teams coming directly off bye weeks. No teams coming directly off Thursday Night Football. That’s pretty nice! The Eagles will have extra rest heading into their Week 7 game against the Las Vegas Raiders thanks to playing on Thursday night in Week 6. The Eagles’ Week 14 bye gives them rest before facing the Washington Football Team in Week 15. The Giants play the Eagles on short rest in Week 12 with New York coming off a Monday night game in Tampa. The Eagles might also have extra rest against the Giants in Week 16 if Philly’s Week 15 game takes place on the 18th (Saturday) instead of the 19th. The exact date for that game is still TBD.

At the Podium: Eagles’ 2021 Draft picks arrive at rookie minicamp - BGN Radio
Majority of the Eagles’ 2021 Draft class landed in Philly on Wednesday and spoke with the media as they prepare for rookie minicamp.

My (mostly) useless, way-too-early Eagles 53-man roster projection - PhillyVoice
There’s an outside chance the Eagles trade Dillard, but I wouldn’t hold your breath. I also wouldn’t be surprised if the Eagles kept 10 linemen, in which case I would have Matt Pryor or Sua Opeta making the team.

32 NFL staff predictions: NFC West wide open; Bills, Buccaneers, Chiefs unanimous champs - The Athletic
The NFC East famously was a division without any team to boast a winning record last season, with Washington winning despite a 7-9 overall record. But there is optimism now among all four teams, especially in Dallas, where the healthy return of quarterback Dak Prescott has them as the team to beat, despite going 6-10 last season. Unknowns at quarterback make it hard to project Washington and the Eagles, as WFT had a first- and last-place vote, and Philadelphia and second-year passer Jalen Hurts were picked to finish second by our Eagles writer. The Giants have a more known commodity in Daniel Jones, but that didn’t keep them from being picked third on all four ballots.

Dickerson’s mindset will get you fired up for Eagles season - NBCSP
Landon Dickerson is different. He’s only been an Eagle for a week and a half, but that much is clear. Dickerson, the second-round pick from Alabama, shared his philosophy of football on Wednesday, and if it doesn’t get you fired up for football season, nothing will. “The way I view football is my mindset is no matter what the score is, I’ve always wanted to make the other team quit,” he said. “And that’s really the same kind of mindset I want to bring here. It’s just relentless on and off the field and in everything you do, and I think it’s not only a great mindset for games but anything you do in life.”

Historical Aggressiveness Index, 1983-2020 - Football Outsiders
Doug Pederson has gone for it on 41% of qualifying fourth-and-2 opportunities, making him the only head coach with a minimum of three seasons who has gone for it on more than 30% of fourth-and-2s. Frank Reich is second at 29%, with Hue Jackson and Mike Vrabel at 24%.

GamePlan: How TV Network Desires and the NFL’s 18th Week Affected the 2021 Schedule - SI
“I don’t think that there were significant moves necessarily that come out of the draft that did happen, but it gave us the ability to be prepared if something major did, whether it was Aaron Rodgers and the speculation right around the draft or maybe back when we first started and before things were happening with other quarterbacks,” Bose said. “It gave us the ability to react. And do it just on the margins, on story lines and things like that. Whether it’s these games and sometimes it’s by design, Carolina, in Week 1 and there’s that [Sam] Darnold–Zach Wilson story; or did the Eagles become a little more interesting with the Jalen Hurts–DeVonta Smith college teammates, same thing with the Bengals, the Dolphins, things like that. So I think it’s things that maybe are not exactly certain but you get to see how it played out.”

Four thoughts, including on the Cowboys opening game against the Buccaneers - Blogging The Boys
There are some who have complained about the Cowboys having to go on the road for the Thursday night kickoff to the season to face the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Concerns abound about whether Dan Quinn will have his defense functioning correctly, how fully healed Dak Prescott and much of the offensive line will be after ending last year on IR, and how formidable the Bucs and the NFL’s own Dorian Gray, Tom Brady, looked in rolling to the Lombardi Trophy last year. Dallas is already almost a touchdown underdog with the betting world. Looking at it another way, Dallas has nothing to lose and plenty to gain. If they are not fully up to speed and get beaten, well, that was what everyone expected. Should they emerge victorious, then everyone will take note. Basically, they can’t really fail to meet expectations, but can easily exceed them. And before you get all concerned about starting the year 0-1 rather than 1-0, it is the longest NFL season in history. The Cowboys also play in what still looks to be one of the weakest divisions in the league, with the best quarterback. Let’s just get our popcorn ready and enjoy the return of pro football.

2021 Schedule Release: Which one Giants’ game are you looking forward to in 2021? - Big Blue View
[BLG Note: I’m shocked nobody said the Eagles.]

The Votes of Confidence Teams Gave Their Vets in the NFL Draft - The Ringer
In The Ringer’s 2021 NFL Draft Guide, my colleague Danny Heifetz listed the Giants’ team needs as follows: offensive line and defensive line. New York finished last in both ESPN’s pass-block win rate (46 percent) and pass-rush win rate (31 percent). New York, however, addressed only the defensive line during the draft. The Giants drafted pass rushers in the second and fourth rounds, then used their remaining four picks to take a pair of cornerbacks, a receiver, and a tailback. GM David Gettleman earned high marks for this approach, but it also meant neglecting one of the team’s most obvious needs. The Giants added two talented pass rushers in Georgia’s Azeez Ojulari and Northern Iowa’s Elerson Smith, who should give the defense juice off the edge. But the Giants didn’t take advantage of a strong OL class to improve their unit via the draft.

The Look Ahead #36: 2021 Schedule Reaction + Who needs a fast start? - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera (Niners Nation) and RJ Ochoa (Blogging the Boys) break down the brand new 2021 schedule. Evan Winter (Bucs Nation) on Week 1 vs. DAL and the defending champs’ schedule. Which team needs a fast start more than any other? Why Pats/Bucs ISN’T the best revenge game of the year One scheduling trend the league needs to stop doing immediately.

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