Eagles News: ESPN says Philadelphia made two of the best moves in free agency

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2023 NFL free agency signings: Ranking best deals, contracts - ESPN+
3. CB James Bradberry back to the Eagles. The deal: Three years, $38 million ($20 million guaranteed) Bradberry was the best corner in the NFL last season. Others might disagree with putting him at the top, but I don’t think there’s any debate that he was one of the league’s best. Let’s rattle off a few of his NFL Next Gen Stats nearest-defender numbers again, shall we? 0.7 yards per coverage snap (first among outside corners with at least 250 coverage snaps), minus-33 EPA allowed when targeted (first), minus-10.6 receptions allowed over expectation (first). I’ve preached in this space all week that cornerback performance is unstable from year to year. That fact and his age (29) are the drawbacks here. Perhaps the influence of all the other good defenders around him, too. My counter to that? This isn’t the first time he has played exceptionally well — he was great with the Giants in 2020 — so we can be confident it was no fluke. He isn’t too old to sign what essentially amounts to a two-year commitment. Ultimately, this is about getting an elite player at a key position for a total bargain. Just one year ago, the Chargers signed J.C. Jackson on a contract with $40 million fully guaranteed. The Eagles are getting Bradberry for half the guarantee a year later — when the salary cap is higher. [...] 8. DE Brandon Graham back to the Eagles. The deal: One year, $6 million. Sure, he’ll be 35 years old in April. But Graham was excellent as a rotational player for the Eagles last season, turning in 11 sacks and a 28% pass rush win rate at edge that would have ranked third at the position had he qualified. The Eagles are going to lose some defensive players to free agency, so keeping Graham in the fold should help ease the pain. The base price is expected to be just a portion of the $6 million max value, so I’m all for bringing back a high-impact role player at a key position at that price — even at Graham’s age.

2023 free agency grades for all 32 teams - PFF
Penny — Penny operating behind this Eagles offensive line is a perfect fit, with the former first-rounder set to feast on early downs as a strong downhill runner. Among running backs with at least 100 carries from 2021 to 2022, Penny’s 6.2 yards per carry and 4.4 yards after contact per attempt both lead the NFL, and his 0.23 missed tackles forced per carry ranks 11th. He may not be a three-down player, but this is a picture-perfect marriage. Bradberry — Bradberry was a salary cap casualty of the New York Giants after the 2021 season and turned his one-year flier with the rival Philadelphia Eagles into a strong three-year deal after earning second-team All-Pro honors and an 80.2 coverage grade. Cox — Cox was one of the most dominant players on the defensive interior between 2014 and 2019, producing a 92.7 PFF grade that trailed only Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt over that span. His PFF grade has declined every year since 2018, though, and he put up career lows in overall grade (60.2) and run-defense grade (53.5) in 2022. PFF WAR GAINED: -1.669. PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B+

2023 NFL free agency: Biggest moves (and non-moves) so far - NFL.com
Eagles keeping the band together: They lost Javon, but Philly’s front office is never down for long. Faced with a flock of defensive starters hitting the open market, general manager Howie Roseman cooked up a Beautiful Mind-esque formula to keep corners James Bradberry and Darius Slay — two rabbits pulled out of two hats — along with pass rusher Brandon Graham and fan favorite Fletcher Cox. So much for Philly’s defense turning into mush. Roseman’s artistry extended to the offense, where the loss of Miles Sanders to Carolina was masked over by re-signing Boston Scott and adding a backfield newcomer in Rashaad Penny. The latter runner’s injury history is a concern, but the ex-Seahawk cost just $600,000 guaranteed on a one-year deal. There’s a world where a healthy Penny lands as one of the better fits in all of free agency.

MARCUS MARIOTA IS FINALLY JOINING THE EAGLES - BGN
With Gardner Minshew signing with the Indianapolis Colts, the Philadelphia Eagles found themselves in need of a new backup quarterback behind Jalen Hurts. The top option remaining on the market was Marcus Mariota. And now he’s joining the Birds on a one-year contract worth $5 million ($1.5 million more than Minshew received) with a max value of $8 million.

Eagles free agency analysis and overview! - BGN Radio
There’s been so much Philadelphia Eagles-related news since NFL free agency began earlier this week! Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski go through each move and break it down. The guys also give an overall grade for what the team has accomplished thus far in addition to looking what moves could be coming next. Interact with us on Twitter: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com.

Slay Stays - Iggles Blitz
Williams was the 46th overall pick in 2019. Injuries have limited him to 39 games (21 starts) in four seasons. It is interesting that Williams chose Philly, a team with a pair of proven CBs and a good nickelback. I am guessing that Williams wanted to go somewhere he thought he could develop. We don’t know who the Eagles DB coach is yet, but Bradberry and Slay can certainly help him out. Williams was surrounded by young corners in his time in CLE. Having a pair of savvy veterans to mentor him could be a good thing. Williams had 6 INTs as a redshirt freshman at LSU and became a star. He didn’t develop after that and hasn’t come close to living up to his raw ability. He came into the NFL in the Covid era and I’m sure that didn’t help matters. He seems to be banking on developing this year and focusing on playing time in the future. Williams will turn 25 in December so he’s young. Low risk, but could be an interesting reward.

NFL Free Agency 2023: Grading the major signings so far - SB Nation
Panthers sign RB Miles Sanders: 4 years, $25 million, with $13 million guaranteed. Sanders is a poster child for how far running back contracts have fallen. A decade ago a 25-year-old running back coming off a 1,200+ yard season would have commanded over $15M a year, now contracts are a fraction of that. Assuming Sanders is going to be a 1,300 yard+ staple is foolish. He benefitted massively from the Eagles’ running schemes and a system that naturally allowed him to flourish, however, Carolina’s offensive line is extremely underrated at opening up holes in the running game, and Sanders has the ability to be an impact player. This is a solid upgrade at the position for the Panthers that doesn’t break the bank. Even if Sanders regresses to the mean and gives them 1,000 all-purpose yards a season this was a great deal for a team moving on after Christian McCaffrey. Grade: B+

Breaking: Colts make move at QB- Minshew Mania Lands in Indy - Stampede Blue
“With upside” seems to suggest an incentive laden deal for the veteran passer. Which makes sense for both he and the Colts. Minshew knows the offense Shane Steichen is looking to run and has a relationship with the Colts new coach. For Minshew an incentive laden deal makes sense as the Colts may end up drafting a quarterback prospect that the team will want to bring along slowly. It’s a low risk, high reward deal for both parties. The starting quarterback position hasn’t been filled with this move but it shouldn’t surprise anyone if Gardner Minshew is the week one starting quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Fans will no doubt have a varied reaction to Minshew starting but “Minshew Mania” has caught on in the AFC South in the past. He might have another exciting run left in the tank and there’s a chance we’ll get to see it happen in 2023. While the writing has very much been on the wall for months now, this move likely puts the final nail in the coffin of Nick Foles’ Indianapolis Colts career. Foles will be best remembered in Blue and White for telling a reporter that he didn’t want to play right before throwing three interceptions against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Cowboys free agency rumors: Dallas among teams calling about Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy - Blogging The Boys
It has been a fun week for the Dallas Cowboys, but there is always room for more. America’s Team has been hard at work returning several key players and even trading for a high-level contributor in cornerback Stephon Gilmore. While we are in no way trying to be ungrateful for all of the action, the reality is that we still need to see more from the group. This is true because through all of their moves to date, the Cowboys have yet to add a wide receiver. Dallas did restructure Michael Gallup’s contract so they clearly feel confident in him returning to form in 2023, but this is not a season that they can leave to chance. Again, they need more. Rumors continue to swirl that the Cowboys could be in on current Arizona Cardinals wideout DeAndre Hopkins. There has been another receiver who Dallas has been connected to as of late and the pot was stirred a bit on Thursday afternoon.

New York Giants re-sign Darius Slayton - Big Blue View
But after the Giants’ top receiving threats began disappearing — Sterling Shepard and Wan’Dale Robinson both suffered ACL tears, and Kadarius Toney was traded — Slayton ended up leading the team with 724 receiving yards. He had 46 receptions and two touchdowns, despite not being targeted the first three games of the season. Slayton also had more than 700 receiving yards in 2019 and 2020. Art Stapleton is reporting that Slayton had offers from at least one other team — believed to be the Atlanta Falcons — and at one point it seemed probable that he would end up elsewhere.

Dan Snyder has reportedly cleared out of the team facility; Washington Commanders team sale is “imminent” - Hogs Haven
The NFL knows how to stay in the headlines, and control the calendar. Free agency has been dominating the news cycle for the last week, and it’s been pretty quiet on the Dan Snyder/Washington Commanders sale front. That changed last night via a report from Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who’s sources tell him the Snyders have left the building...literally.

Elimination of AFC/NFC packages will make for an even bigger network free-for-all for Jets games - PFT
Adding to the scheduling intrigue is the fact that, for the first time, all lines between the AFC and NFC package will be obliterated in 2023. CBS is no longer the presumed home of all non-prime-time AFC vs. AFC games and all AFC vs. NFC games, when the AFC team is the visitor. This year, it’s open season. Bills-Jets at 1:00 p.m. or 4:25 p.m. ET on a Sunday can be given to Fox or CBS. In past years, it would have been a CBS game.

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