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Eagles News: Philadelphia’s biggest offseason need

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/24/23.

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The biggest offseason needs for all 32 NFL teams and how teams can fill them - The Athletic
Philadelphia Eagles. Position of greatest need: Secondary. Sixty percent of the Eagles’ starting secondary is scheduled for free agency, including starting safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps plus cornerback James Bradberry. Both starting linebackers, both defensive tackles, at least one starting offensive lineman and a starting running back are also primed to depart, but the team has better in-house replacements at each of those spots. Undrafted rookie Reed Blankenship’s surprise season makes the safety picture a little less dire, but if Gardner-Johnson has priced himself out of the Eagles’ reach, they’ll have serious work to do for whoever is hired to replace Jonathan Gannon as defensive coordinator. Cornerback is a likely draft priority for the Eagles given Bradberry’s looming departure and Darius Slay’s age (32).

What the Eagles should do at running back - BGN
OUTLOOK: If the salary cap didn’t exist, the Eagles probably wouldn’t hesitate to re-sign Sanders. He’s certainly expressed interest in remaining in Philly. But the reality is the Eagles have limited funds to go around and so they need to spend their allocations wisely. If there is a position where it makes sense to be frugal, it’s running back. The Eagles shouldn’t need to spend primary resources at this spot when there’s reason to believe they can get good production out of options in their system. Even if the Eagles don’t have Sanders, they’ll still have 1) one of the NFL’s best run-blocking offensive lines, 2) arguably the NFL’s best run game coordinator in Jeff Stoutland, and 3) one of the league’s best rushing quarterbacks who opens up opportunities for his ball carriers. Sanders cannot be a priority when the Eagles have so many other key free agents to retain. The team should allow him to enter free agency and keep tabs on his market. If another team is going to hand him a huge deal, the Birds should be willing to let him walk and potentially recoup a compensatory pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. If Sanders remains unsigned for some time, there’s a path to him returning to Philly on a more reasonable deal.

Eye on the Enemy #128: Jeff Kerr on Jalen Hurts, Eagles Defensive Coordinator Search & Free Agency - BGN Radio
On Episode 128 of Eye on the Enemy, host John Stolnis is joined by CBS Sports’ Jeff Kerr to chat about Jalen Hurts’ rise among NFL QBs, the Eagles’ search for a new defensive coordinator and who the Birds might be targeting in free agency.

2023 NFL offseason questions: 32 teams’ free agency, draft issues - ESPN
Are there any core players the Eagles might struggle to retain or let walk before next season? With 19 unrestricted free agents — many of them significant contributors — and quarterback Jalen Hurts in line for an extension that will likely net him north of $45 million per year, there’s no question the Eagles are going to lose some key players. Running back Miles Sanders is a possibility given that money will be tight and the Eagles don’t typically invest big dollars into the position. Longtime defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and cornerback James Bradberry could also end up elsewhere.

Cam Jurgens looks to ‘hit the ground running’ in offseason - PE.com
You’re a rookie and the NFL season, counting the preseason and the playoffs, including Super Bowl LVII, runs 23 game weeks plus four weeks off in between – over Labor Day, during the regular season, heading into the NFC playoffs, and then after winning the NFC Championship Game – and you haven’t had a chance to really catch your breath until after Super Bowl LVII on Sunday night. So, when a reporter asks you how your first professional season went, what is the initial thought? “First of all, it was long,” center/guard Cam Jurgens said, laughing. “I learned so much this year, it was awesome being part of it. I feel like I was blessed to land with the Eagles and the offensive line room and learning from all the great dudes in there. The season was twice as long as my college year, so that’s a challenge, and then you have the repetition of the days and the requirement to be consistent with everything you do. “That’s what the NFL is all about. You have to be on top of your game every day. That’s a little bit different than college but it was a lot of fun and I think I met the challenge.”

Report: Broncos hire Vance Joseph to be their defensive coordinator - Mile High Report
According to reports, Joseph really impressed during his eight-hour in-person interview with Sean Payton last week and that obviously helped him get the job. Reports last week indicated that Rex Ryan was the favorite for the job, but Joseph’s interview clearly changed things there. Rex Ryan, Matt Patricia, Sean Desai, Kris Richard and a few other candidates all were contenders for the Broncos’ defensive coordinator position, but in the end, Payton decided to go with Vance Joseph. The Eagles wanted Joseph to coach their defense as well, but in the end, Joseph decided to return to the Broncos.

2023 NFL offseason: Questions facing each NFC East team - Blogging The Boys
The Eagles have a number of important free agent decisions to make as far as their roster is concerned (see their whole list here). They will reportedly place the franchise tag on C.J. Gardner-Johnson if they can’t get a long-term deal done there, but what about the other players? Brandon Graham? Fletcher Cox? Javon Hargrave? James Bradberry? There will be losses. What’s more is that even if Philly manages to hold it all together, it is very likely that they will not be as good in 2023 as they were in 2022. In fact Brandon noted in our episode, and did so last week as well, that this could have been the greatest (in terms of talent) Eagles team to ever exist. It is again stating the obvious, but there is sort of nowhere to go but down. A shame!

Davis Webb hired by Denver Broncos as quarterbacks coach - Big Blue View
Webb never got the chance to start in his first stint with the Giants, not did he get the chance as a backup for the New York Jets or Buffalo Bills. He finally got the chance to start his first (and only) NFL game in Week 18 of the 2023 season against the Philadelphia Eagles. Webb had a memorable game in which he nearly lead the Giants’ backups to a win against the Philadelphia Eagles starters. He accounted for two touchdowns (one rushing and one passing), and his passing touchdown was also Kenny Golladay’s only touchdown as a Giant.

Jeff Bezos has hired an investment firm to evaluate a possible bid on the Washington Commanders - Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders have been “on the market” since news broke on November 2nd that Dan and Tanya Snyder hired Bank of America Securities to explore a sale of the franchise. Stories quickly came out about interest from Amazon founder, and Washington Post owner, Jeff Bezos with a possible partnership with Jay-Z. The first round of bids for the team started in December, but Bezos was reportedly not one of the two groups bidding. The Washington Post is reporting that Jeff Bezos has hired an investment firm to evaluate a possible bid on the Washington Commanders.

Russell Wilson wanted Pete Carroll fired before being traded to Denver, according to reports - SB Nation
Before being traded to the Denver Broncos and beginning what would be the worst year of his NFL career, Broncos QB Russell Wilson wanted Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and GM Jon Schneider fired, according to a report by The Athletic. According to the report, Wilson was convinced that Carroll and Schneider were blocking Wilson’s chances of winning another Super Bowl and other individual awards. It was clear there was a power struggle between Wilson and Carroll, especially stemming from the “Let Russ Cook” movement, which called for Wilson throwing the ball early and often. It worked for a limited time, then in the back half of 2020 it fell apart, causing strife between the head coach and star QB. If ownership decided to stick with their franchise QB over their head coach, Wilson already had a replacement in mind: Sean Payton. According to The Athletic, Payton would’ve become the new Seahawks head coach if Wilson got his way.

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