Eagles News: ESPN proposes Zach Ertz trade

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

Predicting 15 post-June 1 deadline NFL deals, including a Julio Jones trade, Richard Sherman signing, more - ESPN+
Eagles trade Zach Ertz to ... Buffalo Bills. Philadelphia Eagles get: 2022 seventh-round pick, TE Tommy Sweeney. The Eagles can save $8.5 million in cash and on their 2021 cap by moving on, but Ertz is not going to have a market at that price tag. Ertz would probably be looking at something in the $3 million to $4 million range on a one-year deal if he were released, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he took a pay cut as part of a deal. Naturally, with coach Frank Reich and QB Carson Wentz in Indianapolis, the Colts have been popularly linked with Ertz. They already have plenty of tight ends, though, and there’s another team I think makes more sense. Bills general manager Brandon Beane proclaimed at the beginning of the offseason that his team needed to upgrade on Dawson Knox at tight end, but the only move Buffalo has made at the position is signing Jacob Hollister to a one-year deal. Beane has been aggressive — and successful — in rehabilitating players who seemed to be struggling elsewhere over the past few years. He has also repeatedly gone after weapons for QB Josh Allen. Dealing a late-round pick and a player on the bottom of the roster in Sweeney for Ertz would give the Bills a well-regarded teammate and a player who was thought of as a premier tight end as recently as a year ago. With Ertz reducing his salary to $3.5 million as part of the deal, I love this low-risk, high-reward move for Buffalo.

Mailbag: Could the Chiefs Trade for Julio Jones? - Sports Illustrated
If you’re asking if I think Ertz is available, yes, I think he’s available. But I don’t think GM Howie Roseman is going to do a deal that he doesn’t think brings good value back—if you remember, we were talking about Ertz in the Kelce/George Kittle category a year ago—and right now the league doesn’t see him in close to the same way it did last year. Having talked to teams, and in part because of his health issues, most say Ertz looks heavier, stiffer and slower now than he did in his prime. He’s also turning 31 this year and is due a lump-sum $8.5 million in this, the final year of the contract extension he signed back in 2016. Now, knowing the kind of guy Ertz is, I’m not going to tell anyone that he can’t rebound from a bad 2020. But at his age, he’d be beating the odds to do so. So if you’re Roseman, it makes sense to be patient here, rather than just jumping on a late-round pick to move Ertz off the roster. Maybe someone will have an injury. Maybe someone’s tight end depth chart will look different on the practice field over the next month than it looked on paper. Maybe it’ll make sense to try and get him back in the fold to try and help Jalen Hurts. But what I don’t think the Eagles are going to do is give him away. Which could make for a couple interesting forks in the road (minicamp, training camp) if Ertz continues to stay away.

Weapon X Mailbag: Who is the tomato pie of Philly sports? - BGN
Howie Roseman has consistently been the most aggressive front office executive in the league. While I would actually begin getting feelers out there for old-ish stars like Fletcher Cox who could still command a hefty return, I’ll believe it when I see as it concerns this franchise.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.6: Building an All-NFC East Offense - BGN Radio
The guys definitely have some fun with this episode. Brandon Lee Gowton and RJ Ochoa get creative going through each position and coaching staff in order to build their All-NFC East offensive teams. Who has the better overall team?

NFC Hierarchy/Obituary: Post-draft edition - PhillyVoice
15) Eagles (4-11-1 in 2020): The best thing that the Eagles have going for them is that they have a lot of picks in the 2022 NFL Draft. But this roster, as currently constructed, is going to be really hard to watch at times this season. That back seven is just... .

OTA Notes - Iggles Blitz
Dickerson makes more sense at OG than he does at C to me. He’s got the potential to be physically dominating. I’d rather have that guy at OG. I’m happy to hear they are starting him off at LG. I think his ceiling is higher there than at C. As for being third string, I think that is mostly due to his knee. He’s still rehabbing so it is smart to bring him along slowly. I am thankful Matt Pryor isn’t on the second team. He showed last year that’s he’s not a good NFL starter or backup. Other players showed better potential and it is good they’re ahead of him.

Ranking 2021 NFL divisions from first to last: NFC West loaded with playoff contenders, AFC South not so much - CBS Sports
7. NFC East. It’s called the NFC Least, far and wide, for good reason. Seven wins is all you needed to win it a year ago. It has no dominant team; no annual Super Bowl contender. All four teams are in various cycles of rebuilding or retooling, even if some of them won’t really admit it. I like WFT to win it again based on its defense, but Washington doesn’t have enough to go far in January. The Cowboys may get that final wild card spot in a watered-down conference, but Dak is coming off a major injury and will need time to readjust, and that defense still stinks. The Eagles will be better than a year ago, and could compete within the division but I don’t buy them as a true postseason factor. The Giants, to me, will be back in the QB market come 2022 and could be one of the six worst teams in football.

2021 NFL season: Most vulnerable defending division champ? Least vulnerable? Let’s rank ‘em! - NFL.com
5) Washington Football Team. Top contenders: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants. The NFC East hasn’t had a repeat winner since the Eagles won four straight titles from 2001 through ‘04. Washington’s dominant defense gives the team a chance to break that streak — but the squad is hardly a shoo-in. The Cowboys automatically become legit contenders again with the return to health of QB Dak Prescott, who missed most of 2020 with an ankle injury. Daniel Jones has been given a plethora of weapons by the Giants as he attempts to take another step in his development as a quarterback in Year 3. Even with Philadelphia rebuilding, this division is tight enough that I won’t be surprised if the winner fails to finish with double-digit victories for the third straight season.

Steelers Like ‘Em Big, and Other Data on Snap-Weighted Size by Position - Football Outsiders
The Philadelphia Eagles and their itty-bitty secondary pulled off the rare feat of having the shortest and lightest players at the same position group. None of the Eagles’ top six defensive backs stood more than 6 feet tall, and only one topped 200 pounds. Nickell Robey-Coleman was the smallest at 5-foot-8 and 178 pounds.

The Dallas Cowboys have hired former New York Giants head coach Ben McAdoo as a consultant - Blogging The Boys
Stephen Jones has said many times that roster construction is something that the Dallas Cowboys are working on every day throughout the year, a 24/7/365 proposition. Ideally the goal for every NFL team is to get better every day, but that philosophy extends beyond the roster into every sector of their team. Part of this unit is the team’s coaching staff which is entering its second season under head coach Mike McCarthy. While most of the Cowboys staff is a carryover from last year there are some changes, notably at defensive coordinator in Dan Quinn replacing Mike Nolan. The latter was someone whom Mike McCarthy hired in a bit of a speculative move last year, but McCarthy and Nolan had a history dating back to their time together with the San Francisco 49ers. It appears that McCarthy is hiring a former friend once again. Get ready for Ben McAdoo.

With the heat on, how will Giants’ OC Jason Garrett respond? - Big Blue View
The Giants believe the personnel is there. They have spent the offseason upgrading the weapons around quarterback Daniel Jones. Wide receivers Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney and John Ross have joined Darius Slayton and Sterling Shepard. Accomplished veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph has been added. Running back Devontae Booker is a Giant. Star running back Saquon Barkley is said to be on track to start the 2021 season after tearing an ACL and missing all but two games last season. The Giants believe the protection will be there. Despite last season’s offensive line woes, the Giants big move on the line was to subtract Kevin Zeitler — their most accomplished lineman. The Giants have adamant they believe their young line will grow, and they have revamped the offensive line coaching group with Rob Sale, Freddie Kitchens and Pat Flaherty all having some input. The play-caller? That’s still Jason Garrett, and there can’t be any doubt that the offensive coordinator’s seat is a hot one entering the 2021. The Giants scored 17.5 points per game a season ago, 31st in the NFL.

Rumor: Jay Z looking to buy a stake in the Washington Football Team - Hogs Haven
Jay Z could looking to own another professional team after owning part of the Brooklyn Nets. He sold his stake after starting his Roc Nation Sports, an agency that represents athletes. This is only a rumor at this point, so take it for what it is.

With requisite pieces in place, Colts won’t need Wentz to play ‘hero ball’ - Stampede Blue
Top-to-bottom, the Colts have one of the most well-rounded rosters in the league. With that in mind, it’s up to Wentz to take advantage of the opportunity he’s been given. There’s no need to play ‘hero ball.’ Not with this roster. Given that the NFL is in an era where QB-play is paramount, it’s time for Wentz to focus less on playing ‘hero ball’ and more on reshaping his career with what he’s inherited in Indy. If he can do that, the Colts won’t just go far this season, but they’ll be perennial contenders for years to come.

Bengals claim LB Joe Bachie off waivers - Cincy Jungle
Though Bachie is joining the Bengals pretty late in the offseason, he’ll have a real chance to make the final roster at a very thin linebacker position. If nothing else, Bachie will have a good shot at staying on via the practice squad.

Jets add Matt Burke to coaching staff in game-management role - PFT
Burke served as the Dolphins coordinator in 2017 and 2018 and worked with Jets senior defensive assistant/cornerbacks coach Tony Oden in his final season with Miami. He spent the last two seasons with the Eagles. He was the run game coordinator/defensive line coach in 2020 and was previously a linebackers coach for the Dolphins, Bengals, and Lions.

Packers sign WR DeAndre Thompkins - Packers.com
Thompkins is a 5-foot-11, 188-pound, first-year player out of Penn State University. He was originally signed as an undrafted free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles on May 9, 2019. Thompkins was released by the Eagles following the 2019 training camp and spent a brief time with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2020.

The Palpably Unfair Podcast #37: 2020 WR Class #ReceptionPerception w/Matt Harmon - The SB Nation NFL Show
Kyle Posey is joined by Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports to dig into what #ReceptionPerception tells us about the upcoming sophomore campaigns of the 2020 WR draft class! [BLG Note: Some Jalen Reagor talk in here.]

The Touchscreen Sacrament of the Wawa Hoagie - Eater
The cult of Wawa extends far beyond what’s usual for a regional chain. But for me, what makes it truly great is how it represents the best of what Philadelphia has to offer.

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