Eagles News: Philadelphia is “stuck in the NFL’s middle tier”

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Kapadia: The Eagles are stuck in the middle. What’s their plan? 10 thoughts on the state of the team - The Athletic
I think the Eagles are stuck in the NFL’s middle tier. Lurie and Roseman have both mentioned recently that they’ve made the playoffs in four of the past five seasons, and that’s true. But we can also look at their performance since winning the Super Bowl through a different lens. Over the past four seasons, the Eagles are 31-33-1. Their winning percentage (.485) during that span ranks 19th — just ahead of the Miami Dolphins and just behind the Cleveland Browns. The advanced stats paint a similar picture. The Eagles have a +25 point differential in their past 65 games. That ranks 18th. They are 17th during that span in Expected Points Added (EPA). According to Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric, the Eagles have finished 15th, 28th, 11th and 15th over the past four seasons. It’s their first four-year stretch for the franchise without a top-10 DVOA finish since 1984 to 1987. In other words, this is a period of mediocrity the likes of which the Eagles have not seen since Lurie bought the franchise in 1994. 2. One big reason why the Eagles have made the playoffs in three of the past four seasons is that the NFC East has been terrible. They don’t need to make any apologies for that. When Dan Snyder, Joe Judge and Dave Gettleman are in your division, you have every right to take advantage. But if we pretended that the NFC East didn’t exist and just looked at every team’s record against the other seven divisions, the Eagles rank 24th in winning percentage (.375) over the past three four seasons. Again, you play the teams that are on your schedule, and you get credit for taking care of business in the division. But if we want to properly assess how the Eagles have performed in comparison to the rest of the league, that context is important.

Eagles draft pick trade signals they are uncertain about Jalen Hurts, too - BGN
So while Hurts has the 2022 season to prove himself as a passer, Roseman’s move to secure an additional first-round pick next year was shrewdly done with the idea of trying to upgrade at that position one year from now, should Hurts’ progression as a thrower not materialize. This is a fallback plan, and one doesn’t create a fallback plan if there isn’t some thought that it will be needed. It would be foolish to think Roseman isn’t hedging his bets with this move, and that’s no slight against Hurts. It’s what any smart GM would do.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.51: The Eagles did a thing - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and RJ Ochoa unload their thoughts on the Eagles-Saints blockbuster trade, make predictions for the Saints 2022 record and brainstorm potential landing spots for Commanders WR Terry McLaurin if traded.

Trade gives Eagles a Plan B if Hurts doesn’t work out - NBCSP
It’s true that on value alone, it was worth it for Howie Roseman to make the trade he made with the Saints on Monday afternoon. The Eagles essentially traded pick No. 16 for a future 1, a future 2 and a 3 this year; they made out like bandits. But the Eagles didn’t just make this trade for value alone. They made it, in large part, because it gives them increased flexibility in the future. Namely, it gives them the ammo to find their franchise quarterback next year if the 2022 season proves Hurts isn’t it. Don’t get it twisted. The Eagles haven’t made that decision yet. They shouldn’t make it yet because they don’t need to. But judging by the way they showed interest in several veteran quarterbacks this offseason, they’re also not entirely convinced that Hurts is going to be their long-term solution. Hurts has done enough to earn his job in 2022 but everything after that is uncertain. As owner Jeff Lurie said, “Who knows what the future holds, right?”

How offseason moves have changed the NFC East for Commanders, Cowboys, Eagles, Giants - ESPN
Best guess at first-round picks: Georgia DT Devonte Wyatt (15th overall) and LSU CB Derek Stingley Jr. (18th overall). The Eagles build from the inside-out, and should have some gifted defensive linemen fall to them at No. 15, whether it’s an edge rusher like Jermaine Johnson II or one of the studs Georgia tackles (Wyatt and Jordan Davis). They still have holes at safety and corner, and general manager Howie Roseman has been slow to plug them in free agency. He could see some attractive options in the first round, including Stingley and Washington CB Trent McDuffie.

Eagles NFL meetings leftovers: Julian Lurie’s future, cornerback plans, replacing Jim Bob Cooter, and more - Inquirer
While Jim Bob Cooter was never formally a part of Sirianni’s staff last season, he did fill an important role as a senior offensive advisor to the first-time coach.But Cooter’s stay in Philadelphia was brief. Former Eagles coach Doug Pederson hired him to be the Jaguars’ pass game coordinator this offseason. Sirianni didn’t look outside the NovaCare Complex to replace Cooter, though. Offensive quality control coach Alex Tanney will be given some of his responsibilities, Sirianni told The Inquirer last week. During the week, Cooter was tasked with watching film of other teams and bringing specific plays or concepts to the Eagles’ Thursday offensive meeting.“These are the things that happen throughout the league this week, and you can’t go over all of them, right?” Sirianni said. “So Jim Bob used to put together five clips of that for me, and go through it that way.” It’s unclear if Tanney will assume some of Cooter’s game management responsibilities on Sundays. But that Sirianni expanded his role suggests that the 34-year-old assistant, who began coaching only last season. could be in line for an eventual promotion.

2022 NFL Mock Draft: How first round would play out according to fan-favorite picks in PFF’s Mock Draft Simulator - PFF
15. Philadelphia Eagles (via MIA): EDGE GEORGE KARLAFTIS, PURDUE. Percentage drafted: 11.4%. The Eagles are now down to two first-round picks, not three, after trading with the New Orleans Saints, but the story remains the same: Their fans want defensive reinforcements. There are receivers who show up among the most popular selections, but the biggest percentages belong to defenders. Devin Lloyd is the single most popular selection here, but in this mock, Washington snagged him four picks earlier, so that leaves Purdue’s George Karlaftis as the pick. Karlaftis is the forgotten man of this draft class of edge rushers. While all the attention goes elsewhere, he has been overshadowed, but he tallied 54 pressures last season and a 90.0-plus PFF pass-rushing grade against true pass sets.

2022 NFL Offseason Gains and Losses - Over The Cap
Minor Impacts: The Eagles had a net gain of $14.9 million ranking 26th in salary gained and 32nd in salary lost.

Why did the Saints pick up a second first-round pick in 2022? - PFT
The Saints recently made a play for Deshaun Watson. That means they were ready to make a major investment of picks in a quarterback. Now that they have two picks in the top 20, could they then send those picks to, say, the Giants at No. 5? That would allow the Saints to cut the line in front of not one but two division rivals in the top 10, both of which are likely considering taking a quarterback — the Panthers at No. 6 and the Falcons at No. 8.

Tyrann Mathieu visiting the Saints, per reports - Canal Street Chronicles
A day after a blockbuster trade, the New Orleans Saints aren’t done. Free agent safety Tyrann Mathieu is visiting the New Orleans Saints, per multiple reports. He will visit the team facilities with his family, all of whom are from the area. Mathieu has been taking his time this offseason to wait for the right opportunity and has spent the past week visiting his alma mater LSU. He will stay in state and visit his hometown team as well. There is no rush for either party and nothing is imminent.

The Saints may have telegraphed their starting asking price for Sean Payton in 2023 - Blogging The Boys
The meatiest things given up by New Orleans are a 2023 first and 2024 second. It is possible that the asking price for Sean Payton next offseason has a floor starting somewhere around there with other pieces sprinkled in to make it all work. That doesn’t seem absurd at all if you believe that the coach you are trading for is the person to take your team over the hump, but the Cowboys have been trying to get over this hump for a long time. Does Sean Payton really have the magic elixir or has that been a convenient dream we have held on to for a decade now? Time will tell.

Takeaways as Giants begin their voluntary offseason program - Big Blue View
Head coach Brian Daboll was asked on Monday if he valued run-blocking or pass-blocking more from an offensive tackle. That, friends, is a sneaky way of asking would you prefer Ikem Ekwonu (mauling run blocker) or Charles Cross (smooth pass protector) in the 2022 NFL Draft. Daboll might be a newbie at this head-coaching gig, but he’s been coaching for 25 years and his answer certainly proved he knew how to deflect a question. “That’s a good question,” Daboll said. “Look, the job of an offensive lineman, particularly for our tackles, is going to be to be able to keep the width of the pocket, protect them inside out and get movement at the line of scrimmage. Those are the two main things we look for in our offensive linemen and that’s what we’re going to continue to look for. I don’t think there’s…some guys are better at one than the other thing, but at the end of the day, they have to be able to do both to be an effective player for us.” So, that means Evan Neal. Right, Dabes?

Off Day Debrief #83: Winners & Losers of the Eagles-Saints trade with Katherine Terrell - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton break down the massive trade between the Eagles and the Saints. We get the Saints’ side of things with Katherine Terrell who covers the team for The Athletic. Why did the Saints do this? (1:35). Could New Orleans move up again? (3:36). Are the Saints right to run it back with basically the same players/staff? (4:32). Over or under 7.5 wins for NOLA next year? (6:48). How did Howie Roseman pull this off? (12:42). Why this move doesn’t guarantee the Eagles a QB in 2023 (16:00). Why Jalen Hurts ends up a loser in this trade (22:09). Why Jameis Winston ends up a loser in this trade (27:34). Eagles fans are the ultimate winners of this deal (31:26). Saints fans could be in big trouble (34:13). Why the ODDcast lives rent-free in RJ Ochoa’s head (36:57).

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