Eagles News: Philadelphia’s coaching staff is high on Davion Taylor

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How Eagles’ Davion Taylor took advantage of 2nd offseason after forgettable rookie year - NJ.com
Taylor played just 32 snaps under former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz last season. The linebacker was billed as an athletic project who needed a couple of years to reach his potential. But under new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and linebackers coach Nick Rallis, Taylor is getting the chance to be a legitimate cog in the defense. The coaching staff is high on Taylor, as NJ Advance Media has previously reported, and his push to the first-team unit isn’t an empty gesture. Taylor invested in himself during his second offseason, and Gannon, Rallis and others in the organization took notice.

The Eagles drafted Davion Taylor because of his speed, but they need him to do more than just run fast - Inquirer
“[The reps] have helped me a lot,” Taylor said Thursday after the Eagles’ second summer practice at the NovaCare Complex. “It doesn’t mean I’m going to be a starter, because we’re going to be rotating people every day. But just going against the [offensive] 1s and getting that experience, it’s helped me build my confidence. If I do end up being a starter, I’ll be confident when the games come.” Gannon said he’s been pleased by Taylor’s early camp performance. “He’s had a couple of good days,” he said. “He looks a lot more comfortable to me right now just in what he’s doing. [Linebackers coach] Nick [Rallis] has done a really good job with him as far as making him understand the ‘why’ behind how we do things and, ‘Hey, this is his specific skill set and we’re going to let him roll.’ ”

Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: DeVonta Smith goes deep, left tackle battle update - BGN Radio
LEFT TACKLE BATTLE: Unlike yesterday, Jordan Mailata got the first crack with the starters today. Andre Dillard did still rotate in. Didn’t notice any major issues with Mailata in 1-on-1 or team drills. He notably stifled a bullrush attempt from Derek Barnett at one point. Dillard, on the other hand, wasn’t as successful against the Eagles’ 2017 first-round pick. Barnett totally smoked him during a 1-on-1 rep, which is concerning considering Dillard’s weakness is typically against power and not speed considering his elite athletic profile. Later, Dillard was forced to basically tackle Barnett during an 11-on-11 rep. Easy holding penalty. I did see Dillard successfully shut down Milton Williams in 11-on-11. Of course, Williams is a 2021 third-round pick who’s not a full-time defensive end.

Eagles training camp Day 2 recap - BGN Radio
Eagles training camp Day 2 recap! Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski break down all the action: Jalen Hurts improves, Andre Dillard struggles, DeVonta Smith excites, and much more.

Keeping Zach Ertz on the Eagles’ roster in 2021 does not make much sense - PhillyVoice
Also, yes, Ertz’s presence on the roster would likely help a young quarterback like Hurts. Ertz can still run good routes, and he’s going to be where he’s supposed to be. That’s all valid, but when your backup tight end is the sixth-highest paid player at his position in the NFL, that’s money well-spent elsewhere, again, especially when the team isn’t likely to contend in 2021. [...] It’s also quite clear, in my view, that the $8.5 million in savings that can be earmarked for a long-term piece during the 2022 offseason is more valuable than the benefits of having Ertz on the roster for one more season in 2021, and the Eagles are playing a dangerous game by risking getting him hurt in camp.

Training Camp Buzz: Zach Ertz ‘not happy’ at Eagles camp after offseason trade request - NFL.com
Reporting from Eagles practice in Philadelphia, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo is left reading between the lines when it comes to the Zach Ertz saga. “Just being here is not a sign that everything is copacetic,” Garafolo said on Inside Training Camp Live. “He’s still not happy, he didn’t get that contract extension last season and nothing has changed right now.” The embattled tight end has yet to speak publicly on his offseason trade request from the team, so Garafolo is left to speculate further through Ertz’s bleach blonde hair and his inside out shorts which hid the Eagles logo during practice. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said he expects Ertz to be on the team’s roster come Week 1, but Garafolo remains skeptical. Earlier this week, Garafolo reported that Ertz would’ve ‘loved’ to team up with ex-Eagles teammate Carson Wentz in Indianapolis. The ongoing speculation will continue through training camp and Garafolo will fish for more subliminal messages in the meantime.

Cornerback Rankings: The 32 best outside cornerbacks entering the 2021 NFL season - PFF
23. Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles. After profiling as one of the top cornerbacks in the league from 2014 to 2018, Slay has taken a noticeable step back the past two seasons. His PFF grade dropped from 90.0 from 2014 to 2018 in Detroit to just 59.5 across the last two years. It’s worth pointing out that Slay frequently draws the opposing team’s top receiving option in single coverage, and his 97 single coverage targets over the past two seasons is a top-five mark at the position. Slay will look to rebound under a new coaching staff and get back to making plays on the ball after ranking second in the league in forced incompletions (75) across his seven years in Detroit.

2021 Fantasy Football: 5 Bold Quarterback Predictions - Fake Teams
5.) Jalen Hurts finishes outside the top 20 QBsJustification: I’m not 100% on board with Hurts yet. I think the Eagles have some questions on their offensive line. Lane Johnson is amazing, but will Andre Dillard and Brandon Brooks be in prime form after an entire year off, or will there be a learning curve? Their schedule is not conducive to QB success (two games against DeMarcus Lawrence, two games against Chase Young & Montez Sweat, one game against Cameron Jordan, one against Nick Bosa, one against Joey Bosa, one against Shaquil Barret, one against Von Miller, and one against Carl Lawson). I could see a sophomore slump kicking in, and his 52% completion rate last season already ranked 44th among quarterbacks with at least 100 passing attempts. This was the LOWEST completion percentage of any QB with 100 attempts in the league.

Jonathan Gannon sees early progress with Eagles defense - PE.com
The pieces are moving, and that’s exactly how Jonathan Gannon wants it to be for the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Sitting targets are easier to locate, so he’s in the process of putting together a defense here that gives offenses a lot to think about during the week of preparation and then on gamedays, well, it’s all heck breaking loose. That’s the idea: Create havoc. Force errors. Take the football away. This has been a defensive theme throughout the offseason, and now to see it is to understand what Gannon means, even if the method to the structured madness isn’t exactly clear quite yet. “You guys are going to see a lot of looks out there,” Gannon said on Thursday in his post-practice press conference at the NovaCare Complex. “We believe that our D-line is a strength. We’re going to try to put them in a position to make a bunch of plays. We also feel like, it’s Day 2, but I would say a lot of those guys have very unique skill sets, and we’re going to try to accentuate those skill sets by how we align people.

Players in international development program will wear their countries’ flags in the preseason - PFT
The NFL will have those 14 players wear helmet decals of their countries’ flags during the preseason, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The 14 players are Austria’s Bernhard Seikovits on the Cardinals, the UK’s Efe Obada and Christian Wade, both on the Bills, Mexico’s Isaac Alarcon on the Cowboys, Italy’s Max Pircher on the Rams, Brazil’s Durval Queiroz Neto on the Dolphins, Germany’s Jakob Johnson on the Patriots, Austria’s Sandro Platzgummer on the Giants, Australia’s Matt Leo and Jordan Mailata, both on the Eagles, Mexico’s Alfredo Gutierrez on the 49ers, Germany’s Aaron Donkor on the Seahawks, Germany’s David Bada on Washington and Chile’s Sammis Reyes on Washington.

Curtis Samuel and Matt Ioannidis placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list - Hogs Haven
Three more Washington Football Team players were placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list today. Matt Ioannidis, who tested positive last year while on injured reserve, practiced this morning. He has been following the protocols that are in place for unvaccinated players while in Richmond for training camp. Curtis Samuel was also placed on Reserve/COVID-19. He was placed on the Active/PUP list earlier this week for a groin injury he’s been dealing with since mini-camp. CB Chris Miller is the third player to join Cornelius Lucas on the list.

Rumor: Dallas Cowboys looked into Miami Dolphins CB Xavien Howard this offseason - Blogging The Boys
We know that the Cowboys entered this week ready to improve the secondary as they brought in Malik Hooker at safety. And while it is exciting to see that the cornerbacks on the team are all playing well in camp, none of them offer what Xavien Howard does. OverTheCap suggested a young cornerback and a first-round pick as a potential price for Howard, but a different price would also have to be paid given that Howard is not satisfied with his current contract situation. He is clearly seeking to be paid like one of the top cornerbacks in the NFL, which his play justifies, but given that the Byron Jones contract in his own position room is clearly a hurdle for him, and that it was one the Cowboys did not want to do business with, doesn’t exactly inspire optimism that Dallas would be willing to pay up.

Joe Judge reacts to harsh criticism from Kelvin Benjamin - Big Blue View
Judge refused to return fire on Benjamin’s personal criticisms. “We’re never going to attack any player personally,” Judge said. “It is what it is.” This is not Judge’s first clash as Giants coach. Offensive line coach Marc Colombo was fired in the middle of last season after a disagreement with Judge.

The NFL battle against Covid has no end in sight - SB Nation
The specter of Covid lingers over the NFL with training camps beginning around the league. The hope of a normal season has now evaporated with the spread of the Covid 19 Delta variant, and new CDC guidelines advising the return of masks in areas where the spread is at its worst. It’s unclear at this time how the Delta variant could potentially alter the season for fans if left uncontrolled. When it comes to players, there’s considerably less mystery. They’ve had every opportunity to try to normalize this process as much as possible.

NFL Daily Kickoff, Friday - Zach Wilson is officially a New York Jet - The SB Nation NFL Show
Training camps continue to roll on in the NFL and they are about to get exciting for the New York Jets considering they finally got their rookie quarterback under contract! Check out the latest NFL Daily Kickoff as we catch you up on that and everything else you need to know.

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