Eagles News: Miles Sanders ranks last among NFL running backs in yards per target since 2020

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2023 NFL free agent running backs tiers: Stacking 16 top names - ESPN+
Miles Sanders, Philadelphia Eagles. Age for 2023 season: 26. The lead back for the NFC Champion Eagles, Sanders has been nothing short of elite as a rusher during his four professional seasons. The 2019 second-round pick leads running backs in rushing expected points added (16.3) since he was drafted. And it’s not just volume based. He’s first in rushing EPA per carry and fifth in yards per carry (5.0) among 38 running backs with 400-plus carries during the span. But Sanders struggled in the passing game over the past three seasons, averaging 3.8 yards per target. That is last among 73 running backs with at least 50 targets since 2020. In 2022, he ranked fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,269) but totaled only 78 yards on 26 targets in the passing game. Sanders has only been asked to play roughly half the snaps during the Nick Sirianni era in Philadelphia, so it will be interesting to see if the Eagles open the checkbook this offseason or go another direction.

Will Eagles find a Miles Sanders replacement early in draft? - NBCSP
The Eagles used the No. 53 pick on Sanders back in 2019 and he has played out his four-year rookie deal. He wants to be back but it stands to reason that the Eagles will want a cheaper option to pair with Gainwell going forward. And let’s think about the scenario that Robinson is gone at 30 but the Eagles like one of the running backs likely to go early in the second round. Jeremiah talked through the possibility of the Eagles’ trading out of 30, picking up a mid-round pick and then finding their running back. (The Eagles don’t have any picks in the 4th, 5th or 6th rounds this year.) A few names Jeremiah pointed out: Tyjae Spears from Tulane, Kendre Miller from TCU and Israel Abanikanda from Pitt. “That’s one of those scenarios where if you are trying to collect an extra third, fourth round pick, I think this year there’s real value,” Jeremiah said. “Especially if it marries up with one of your needs.”

Eagles give their special teams coordinator an extension and raise - BGN
Sirianni was asked about Clay potentially getting fired during his press conference after the season ended. That was hardly a baseless question representing a minority opinion. It stemmed from the Eagles’ special teams unit being a glaring weakness — really, the ONLY weakness — for a good portion of the 2022 season. Clay’s group improved towards the end of the year, as evidenced by a seventh-place finished in weighted special teams DVOA (which accounts more for recent performance). It ranked 15th in overall DVOA. Probably higher than you might expect. That said, the Eagles’ special teams unit finished on a pretty low note (to say the least) by allowing the longest punt return in Super Bowl history. Kadarius Toney’s 65-yard scamper set the Kansas City Chiefs up with a five-yard touchdown drive to go up 35 to 27 with 9:22 remaining in the fourth quarter.

2023 BGN Draft #2 - Top 5 QB prospects - BGN Radio
Shane Haff, Mark Henry Jr. and Chris Deibler run through their top 5 QBs in this year’s draft class and provide some honorable mentions.

Report: Sean Desai a finalist for Eagles DC role - Field Gulls
As noted, Desai is a finalist for the defensive coordinator role with the Philadelphia Eagles that was left open when Jonathan Gannon was hired by the Arizona Cardinals and Vic Fangio took the job as defensive coordinator of the Miami Dolphins. This is obviously not the first interview for an open defensive coordinator role for Desai this offseason, having previously interviewed with the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Denver Broncos. He withdrew from consideration for the role with the Vikings after it became clear he was not considered one of the top candidates, while the Broncos reportedly were informing candidates for their DC role that they wouldn’t have full autonomy to build out their staff.

Down to 2? - Iggles Blitz
Desai is my preference. He was the DC in Chicago in 2021 and the associate head coach in Seattle last year. That’s not a ton of top level experience, but it is more than Wilson. Desai has been coaching since 2006. He’s coached in college and the NFL. He had to really work his way up the ladder. I like guys like that. Grinders. Something occurred to me today as I thought about the DC situation. Jonathan Gannon ran a version of the Vic Fangio system. That’s odd because he coached under Mike Zimmer and Matt Eberflus, neither of whom runs that system. Desai worked under Vic Fangio in Chicago from 2015-2018. He learned directly from the master himself. He’s more likely to have a feel for how to get the most out of the system. Fangio left the Bears after 2018. Chuck Pagano took his place, but kept the same system. That means Desai had 6 years working in the system prior to becoming DC in 2021. He has a great feel for it. When Fangio got to Chicago, Desai sat beside him in the coaching booth during games. That had to make for a great education.

Burrow, Herbert, Hurts poised to sign major extensions, but what will deals look like? - The Athletic
The relationships between the quarterbacks and teams appear to be sustainable for the long haul, and the deals are inevitable. The impending contracts indicate the marriages are off to resounding successes. “If you have a guy in the, say, ‘A’ category — you’d put Burrow and Herbert in there, maybe Hurts — you try to get ahead of it, because the price is only going up,” the first executive said. “I wouldn’t personally worry too much about squeezing out another year (on the rookie deal). The counterbalance to that is you have to cut a bunch of guys. Well yeah, but if you don’t and you wait another year, the price might be another $10 million a year. You don’t know. “Is there cost certainty around $45 million? Yes. With the cap going up, is it reasonable if the guy is good enough, which those guys are, then the answer is, yes. You try to get him happy paying him early and hopefully getting a little bit of a win on the structure, so it doesn’t totally prohibit you from doing a couple other things year to year with the rest of your team.”

Spadaro: 4 Eagles storylines to follow at the NFL Scouting Combine - PE.com
3. Jalen Hurts and his contract situation. Quarterback Jalen Hurts is eligible to sign a new contract this offseason and Roseman has said that the team would like to keep him “long term.” This is a story to watch not only in Philadelphia with Hurts, but also in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow and in Los Angeles with Justin Herbert. The Eagles want to keep Hurts and they love him and value him tremendously, so this is a very positive development. Hurts became an MVP-level quarterback in his third season and the future is bright. The expectation is that he will be an Eagle for a very long time.

NFL Offseason Power Rankings - The Ringer
4. Philadelphia Eagles (+900). The Eagles need to reload in a hurry this offseason. Both their offensive and defensive coordinators are now head coaches elsewhere, and only five of the 15 defensive players that played 10 or more snaps in the Super Bowl are under contract for 2023. Head coach Nick Sirianni and much of the team’s star power, notably Jalen Hurts, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, offensive linemen Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, and edge rusher Haason Reddick, aren’t going anywhere, but GM Howie Roseman once again has plenty of work to do this offseason to make sure the Eagles continue to have one of the best top-to-bottom rosters in the league.

Washington Roster Moves: Carson Wentz and Bobby McCain officially released - Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders are moving on from Carson Wentz after one year. The team traded two third round picks, and swapped 2nds last year to acquire him from the Indianapolis Colts. Washington paid his full $28.3 million salary and the move turned out to be a massive mistake. Cutting Wentz saves Washington $26.2 million this year. Wentz struggled in Scott Turner’s offense and the team was 2-4 when he went to IR with a broken finger. Wentz returning in relief of Taylor Heinicke, and then got the start in a critical Week 17 game against the Cleveland Browns that they lost. The Commanders were eliminated from the playoffs later that afternoon. Wentz will now look for his fourth team in four years. Today’s move leaves only two quarterbacks on the roster when the new league year starts, Sam Howell and Jake Fromm. Ron Rivera has said the team isn’t looking to add a big money vet this year, but they likely will sign one to compete with Howell who is entering the offseason as QB1.

Stephen Jones implied the Cowboys will extend Dak Prescott, says team will ‘probably’ use franchise tag - Blogging The Boys
Two of the names listed as far as players that have been on the Cowboys roster are running back Tony Pollard and tight end Dalton Schultz. Both Pollard and Schultz are on expiring contracts although the former is on his rookie deal and the latter was on last year’s franchise tag. The Cowboys, like every team in the NFL, have about a week left to place the franchise tag on a player for this year if they want to do so. Stephen indicated that the Cowboys may indeed wind up using it and Pollard is obviously the player that makes the most sense.

‘Things I think’: Big week kicking off for Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, Giants- Big Blue View
I think the thing I am most fascinated by is the length of the contract. Will the Giants commit to five years in an effort to spread the bonus money and keep the cap hit down? Will they keep it to a three-year deal, probably driving up the annual cap hit by keeping the length of their commitment to Jones to a minimum. Will the Giants end up using the franchise tag to keep Jones off the free agent market while they continue trying to reach a long-term deal? What happens to Barkley? I continue to believe that the Giants want the tag available for Jones. If they get a deal done with the quarterback, could they use it on Barkley? If they have to tag Jones, could that end up pushing Barkley into the open market? I think it’s a fascinating — and critical — few days ahead.

Browns add veteran offensive coach, uncle of a top NFL draft tight end, to staff - Dawgs By Nature
So far, the additions of new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and assistant head coach/special teams coordinator Bubba Ventrone have been met with rave reviews. The team isn’t done adding high-level coaches with Sunday’s report that Stefanski will be adding a former boss of his to the staff in Bill Musgrave. [BLG Note: Remember when Musgrave was the Eagles’ QB coach in 2014? Kinda forgot about that.]

Daniel Jeremiah’s top 50: 2023 NFL Draft prospect rankings 2.0 - NFL.com
5) Devon Witherspoon. Witherspoon is a lean, rangy cornerback with outstanding quickness, instincts and ball skills. He is at his best in off coverage, where he is quick to read and drive on the ball. He is a very twitchy athlete and has the utmost trust in his eyes. He is extremely fluid to open up and mirror down the field, possessing enough speed to carry vertical routes. He plays with an attitude and plenty of energy. He is aggressive as a tackler (see: his huge hit vs. Indiana), but will have some fly-by misses. Overall, with his build and ball skills, Witherspoon reminds me of Samari Rolle. I see similar success in his future.

Everything you missed in Week 2 of the XFL - SB Nation
We are in Week two of then XFL, with the league continuing to make new fans by the day. This week the XFL treated fans to another come from behind victory, as well as the rest of the pack of teams beginning to iron themselves out.

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