Eagles News: DeVonta Smith says cheesesteaks are “kind of overrated”

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DeVonta Smith Has Brutally Honest Admission On Cheesesteaks - The Spun
At six feet tall and 170 pounds, Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver DeVonta Smith probably avoids cramming in extra calories. But he’s kept one foot item off his menu that may offend his own fans. In a recent interview with SiriusXM, Smith disparaged cheesesteaks, the iconic Philadelphia sandwich. Smith said he feels cheesesteaks are overrated. “Cheesesteaks and all that I feel like are kind of overrated,” Smith said. [BLG Note: DeVonta also said the Sixers should trade Ben Simmons.]

NFL Mock Draft Simulation: Two defenders, one blocker for the Eagles in the first round - BGN
Pick 15: Ahmad Gardner, Cornerback, Cincinnati. This has to be a top target for the Eagles in the draft. Ahmad Gardner has lockdown cornerback upside and would be a perfect pairing with Darius Slay.

From the Bleachers #101 - The Russell Wilson Conundrum - BGN Radio
On the latest episode of From the Bleachers on BGN Radio, Shamus Clancy looks at the merits of exploring a Russell Wilson trade this offseason.

Jaguars hire Doug Pederson: 4 Observations - Big Cat Country
In all, Jacksonville spoke with a total of 10 coaches, including Pederson. Pederson was the only coach the team interviewed twice in person. Other candidates that received a second interview following their initial talks with the team were Tampa Bay Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who was the Indianapolis Colts’ defensive coordinator prior to being hired by the Bears. Though this began and ended in a rocky fashion for Jacksonville, I believe they made the correct decision on their lead man. What comes next and the questions that remain to be answered will be important, though, in deciding just how successful the Pederson era in Jacksonville will be. With that said, here are 4 observations of the hire, one that comes with plenty of intrigue and questions.

All-time Super Bowl QB rankings: Where do Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow slot in? - NFL.com
51) Nick Foles produced one of the best performances in Super Bowl history, then backed it up with another strong close to the season in 2018 as Carson Wentz’s backup. His peaks, including his 2013 Pro Bowl year, have been awfully high. His valleys, like his brief run as the Jaguars’ starter and his time in St. Louis and Chicago, have been rather low. Chandler and Flacco both get credit for grinding through over 150 starts, although Flacco has never made a Pro Bowl or been solidly among the top-10 quarterbacks. (Chandler had a fancier peak than expected.) Johnson and Hostetler both had better careers than I remembered with teams they didn’t win Super Bowls with: Johnson made a Pro Bowl with Washington, Hostetler with the Raiders.

Senior Bowl-only Philadelphia Eagles mock draft: A quarterback shall lead them - The Athletic
If the Eagles have truly identified their run-based offensive identity of the second half of last season as their guiding light moving forward, why not draft a player who has a chance to do everything Jalen Hurts did but better? At 6-0 1/2, 220 pounds, Malik Willis’ tools stood out among the quarterbacks here this week. Not only does the ball come out of his hand with more venom than it does with Kenny Pickett, Desmond Ridder and company, but Willis’ speed and athleticism probably outpace Hurts. Willis, who excelled in his two years at Liberty after transferring from Auburn, is far from a finished product and will be expected to need some time before he’s ready to start. The Eagles would be able to let Hurts continue to lead the offense in 2022 while Willis develops behind the scenes, so long as the Eagles trust Hurts’ temperament to handle that dynamic. Stylistically, he and Hurts pair well together. There’s a case to be made that the inherent flaw of an offense built around a quarterback’s running ability is the probability of that quarterback suffering an injury. Maybe the solution for the Eagles, barring the acquisition of a veteran franchise quarterback, is having two players capable of running the offense. It’s a long shot, sure, but it’s the highest-upside swing the Eagles could take.

Eagles-Senior Bowl Talk - Iggles Blitz
Speaking of edge rushers, the one guy in Mobile the Eagles would certainly have interest in is Jermaine Johnson. He had a great season (ACC Def Player of the Year) and added to that with a dominating week of practice. I wondered if he was worth a Top 20 pick coming into the week, but he played so well that I can see him going that early.

The 2022 NFL Quarterback Commitment Index - The Ringer
Not Ready to Be ExclusiveMiami Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa. Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts. Hurts and Tua had their own love triangle in college, when they went back and forth as the starter at Alabama. Now they are in the pros, and they have each ended up with total fuccbois. The Dolphins publicly say they are committed to Tua, but behind closed doors, we know they have had their doubts—and that they are looking at other quarterbacks. The Eagles, meanwhile, have no interest in being exclusive. They even once said they wanted to be a “quarterback factory.” (Total fuccboi move.) To be clear, though, Hurts knew what he was getting into when he got drafted. Hurts was added to the roster while the team was still “committed” to Carson Wentz, and then it traded Wentz away to make Hurts the starter. With that prologue to a relationship, Hurt can’t be surprised he’s not getting clear answers about his future. Philly has three draft picks in the top 20 this year. It could build a solid group around Hurts. Or it could package those picks for a star quarterback and keep Hurts as its side option. Be careful, Jalen—once a fuccboi, always a fuccboi.

Philadelphia Eagles RB Boston Scott adds Rocket League pro gamer to résumé, signs with Dignitas - ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles running back Boston Scott has a new title to add to his résumé: professional gamer. On Wednesday, Scott was signed by esports vertical Dignitas, becoming the first two-sport NFL and Rocket League pro. Scott, 26, has the status of Grand Champion in Rocket League, putting him in the top .52% of over 6 million competitive players globally. He will serve as the fourth member and substitute as well as content creator for the professional team.

NFLPA announces five finalists for Alan Page Community Award - PFT
The NFL Players Association names a Community MVP during each week of the regular season to recognize the off-field work being done by NFL players around the league. Each of the players chosen as a weekly MVP is eligible to be named the winner of the Alan Page Community Award at the end of the year and the NFLPA pared down that list to five finalists on Thursday. They are 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz, Buccaneers defensive lineman Will Gholston, Eagles safety Rodney McLeod, and Bills wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders.

Mike Kafka expected to become Giants’ offensive coordinator - Big Blue View
Another piece of the New York Giants coaching staff puzzle is apparently falling into place. Reports from Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapport indicate that Mike Kafka is expected to become the team’s offensive coordinator. Kafka, passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, Pep Hamilton of the Houston Texans and Chad O’Shea of the Cleveland Browns, were considered the three finalists for the job. Here is what I wrote earlier this week about Kafka: “A one-time journeyman backup quarterback in the NFL, the 34-year-old Kafka has been on the Kansas City coaching staff since 2017. He has risen from offensive quality control coach to passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach for a team which perennially has one of the league’s best offenses. Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride tells me that Kafka has essentially been the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in waiting for the past three seasons. Problem is, offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy has continually been passed over for head coaching jobs and remains stuck in place with the Chiefs.” Reid had reportedly blocked the Philadelphia Eagles from interviewing Kafka for an offensive coordinator post a couple of seasons ago.

Roster moves: Jaguars sign DT Raequan Williams to Reserve/Future contract - Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars have signed DT Raequan Williams to a Reserve/Future contract, the team announced today. Williams, 6-4, 303, originally signed with the Eagles as a rookie free agent in 2020. He played in seven games with Philadelphia from 2020-21 and totaled seven tackles and 1.0 sack.

Cowboys cap breakdown: Understanding the options with star wide receiver Amari Cooper - Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys would be wise to figure this Cooper thing out sooner versus later. He is still a great route-runner and that’s a valuable asset for this offense. If that wasn’t the case, like in the Dez Bryant scenario in 2018, then it would behoove the Cowboys to move on. If the Cowboys did move on and trade him, they would likely get a Day 2 draft pick and take $20 million off the books for this season and a total of $60 million over the next three years. That’s a big chunk of change. The Cowboys could mitigate his loss by re-signing Michael Gallup and/or Cedrick Wilson and/or selecting a low-cost rookie wide receiver in the upcoming draft. And whomever they chose to go after would be paired with CeeDee Lamb who the Cowboys have under control for at least three more years (because of the fifth-year option). Lamb led the Cowboys in targets, receptions, and yards (1,102) en route to his first-ever Pro Bowl season. Or, if the Cowboys have complete confidence in Cooper and are just looking for immediate cap relief, they could always choose to restructure his deal and turn some of his base salary into bonus money. They could see up to $12.5 million in relief. The downside there is that it pushes some of his cost to future years, so that’s not always the most desirable route to go. It would seem an odd choice if they are already thinking about Cooper not being in Dallas, even if they don’t act on releasing him this year.

Daniel Snyder, Washington Commanders face new round of sexual harassment allegations - SB Nation
There are new allegations against Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder which emerged Thursday as part of a U.S. House of Representatives’ Oversight Committee discussion about the state of the organization. Six former employees have come forward alleging inappropriate behavior by Snyder. The ex-employees are alleging years of sexual harassment at the workplace. In statements obtained by CBS Sports, Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, D-Ill said the employees were brought forward out of a belief the NFL was not being forthright and open regarding its investigation of the Commanders, which was concluded seven months ago. The team was slapped on the wrist with a $10M fine, but nothing more was done.

The Look Ahead #75: Terrible franchises dominate the NFL headlines right now - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and RJ Ochoa look at the biggest headlines in the NFL, which all involve terrible franchises. The unexplored angles to the Brian Flores lawsuit - what happens now? (3:38). The Washington football team completely botched every part of their rebranding (26:35). Should Lions fans be rooting for or against Matthew Stafford? (36:48). Did the Jaguars actually prevent themselves from interviewing a coach they wanted to talk to? (41:11)

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