Eagles News: Browns reportedly targeting two of Philadelphia’s top free agents

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Report: Browns have big names in mind in free agency; breaking down the list - Dawgs By Nature
DT Javon Hargrave - As noted yesterday, Hargrave is Pro Football Focus’ top-rated unrestricted free agent now after tags and extensions were reached earlier this week. He is likely to be highly paid despite being 30 years old next season. He had 11 sacks in 2022 and 7.5 in 2021. With teams like the Chicago Bears having a huge amount of cap space, Hargrave could get a huge contract that would be tough for Cleveland to match. [...] S C.J. Gardner-Johnson - The other Philadelphia player on the list, CJGJ is a versatile player that is impactful but it is concerning that New Orleans traded him for fifth and sixth-round picks and the Eagles seem likely to let him walk after one season. With six interceptions last season in just 12 games, Gardner-Johnson could be highly sought after but plays similar to JJ3 as a versatile player more than a true free safety.

The Ravens’ Decision on How to Tag Lamar Jackson Will Impact the Whole QB Market - SI
There are a few good interior defensive line options, even with Payne coming off the market. Denver’s Dre’Mont Jones and Philly’s Javon Hargrave probably won’t get $20 million per year, but they might not be far off. […] I’d be surprised if Cincinnati’s Jessie Bates doesn’t cash in, and he may even scrape up against what Minkah Fitzpatrick and Derwin James got last year. In almost every case, you have to ask with free agents why their current teams are letting them go. In this one, it’s easy—the Bengals don’t want to lose him, but they have a lot of mouths to feed. So their loss could be the gain of a team such as Chicago, Cleveland or San Francisco. C.J. Gardner-Johnson is the one other safety who’ll be in eight figures, but not at Bates’s level.

Report: Ohio State’s other starting tackle, who is a behemoth, is set to visit the Eagles as well - BGN
Paris Johnson Jr. is not the only Ohio State offensive tackle meeting with the Philadelphia Eagles for an official top 30 visit leading up to the 2023 NFL Draft. The Birds are also set to host Dawand Jones at the NovaCare Complex in the coming weeks, according to a report from The Draft Network’s Ryan Fowler. Whereas Johnson played left tackle in 2022, Jones was the starter on the right side of the Buckeyes’ offensive line. Jones is absolutely massive! Peep the 21-year-old’s spider graph via Mockdraftable.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.102: Mixing things up a bit - BGN Radio
NFC East Mixtape Producer, Raichele Privette (@raichelemonique) joins Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) and RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) to discuss the biggest storylines in the division.

Eagles Draft Talk - Iggles Blitz
Jones is as big as Jordan Mailata, but not as athletic. He doesn’t have a rugby background. Jones did play a lot of basketball growing up and even in college. That helped him to control his weight and develop good footwork. He works hard to bend his knees and play with good pad level. Jones uses his long arms to engage rushers and control them. If they get through to his body, they’re in trouble. He anchors very well, as you would expect for his size. As mentioned above, Jeff Stoutland loves athletic and versatile blockers. Jones had a 10-yard split of 1.92 seconds. Ideally that would be 1.74. And Jones is pretty much an RTO…right tackle only. He’s too tall for OG. I dont’ see him at LT. From that perspective, Jones doesn’t seem like an Eagles target. But he is an anomaly. He’s not big…he’s huge. And he does move well for a guy his size. Stoutland loved Matt Pryor, who the Eagles drafted in the 6th round in 2018. Pryor was 6-7, 328 at his Pro Day. His 10-yard split was 1.98. Jones was 50 pounds heavier while also being faster and quicker. You can see where Stout might be interested in that. Jones could sneak into the end of the 1st round. I don’t think he’ll make it out of the 2nd round.

NFL’s top-5 free agent cornerbacks in 2023, ranked - SB Nation
1. James Bradberry, Philadelphia Eagles. Sure, everyone will point to the holding penalty at the end of Super Bowl LVII, but that one moment should not overshadow what was perhaps the best season of Bradberry’s career. The cornerback allowed an NFL Passer Rating of just 54.2 when targeted this season, the best mark over his seven seasons in the league. Part of that might have been due to playing across from Darius Slay, and part of that might have been schematic. Bradberry is at his best playing off the receiver, whether in off-man coverage or in zone, where he can keep his eyes on both the WR, and the quarterback. This interception of Daniel Jones is a prime example.

Eagles defensive free-agency guide: Change is coming as position turnover is promised - The Athletic
Cornerback. The need: Maybe overstated? That’s not to minimize the likely departure of James Bradberry, who was a major part of the Eagles’ defensive success in 2022. But Roseman has been content in recent years to carry what looks like a hole at cornerback beyond the initial wave of free agency. It’s how he landed Bradberry in the first place. Roster construction-wise, finding an eventual replacement for Darius Slay as the No. 1 corner is probably weighing heavier on Roseman’s mind than rushing to sign this year’s No. 2.

Eagles mailbag: Free agent most likely to leave and return - NBCSP
Most likely to be back: At the top of the list of likely players to return, I’ll say Jason Kelce. The Eagles brought Kelce back on a one-year deal worth $14 million in 2022. It’s not a guarantee that Kelce will be back for this upcoming season but he’s in almost a completely different category because it’s not like another team will be bidding for his services. He’s in a unique position because this will either come down to playing for the Eagles or retiring. So taking away the possibility for another team makes it more likely he’ll be back in 2023 than some of these other free agents. The Eagles aren’t going to rush Kelce’s decision but the sooner they know, the better. My hunch is that Kelce will come back because of how well he played in 2022, the chance to play for a team that can still content and the fact that he made it through this season without major injuries. And another $14 million payday wouldn’t be bad either. Ultimately, the decision is up to Kelce and only he knows what he’s going to do.

Offseason questions for all 32 NFL teams: Which QB do the Texans draft? Do the Packers move on from Aaron Rodgers? - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: Can they find more veteran bargains? Last season, some of Philadelphia’s best work was bargain shopping throughout the offseason to acquire important players at low prices. James Bradberry was one of the best cornerbacks in the game, allowing a league-low 51.8 passer rating into his coverage, and was signed only after he was cut by the Giants to save a few million dollars. The Eagles have quite a few spots opening up on the roster, but they have the flexibility to do more bargain shopping if they can stay patient enough.

Cowboys reportedly trying to re-work the contract of Tyron Smith for 2023 season - Blogging The Boys
It feels very unlikely the Cowboys would pay the full ride of Smith’s contract based on what we noted above. But Cowboys officials have been saying all offseason that they want Smith back for another year. It feels like both sides will meet somewhere in the middle and Smith will be back on the roster for one more year. But these things are never settled until contracts are signed.

Joe Schoen, Giants will continue contract talks with Saquon Barkley - Big Blue View
“Right now he’s under the franchise tag,” Schoen said. “As we build the team and continue with our offseason plan we’ll do what’s best for the team. We’re still mapping that out.” Schoen said he could understand if Barkley is not thrilled about having been tagged. “That’s negotiations. We had some deals out there, and we tried to get a deal done with him and his representatives. And we couldn’t. I think both parties knew at the end of the day that this was an option, and if he’s frustrated, I can understand some of that,” Schoen said. “We could be frustrated as well that we weren’t able to get a deal done. I love Saquon. He’s a good player. He’s going to be a part of this team going forward. We’ll see where it goes from here.”

The Giants Are Keeping Daniel Jones. Will He Keep Them Out of QB Purgatory? - The Ringer
New York still has to extend Andrew Thomas at left tackle, re-sign Julian Love and Xavier McKinney at safety, and figure out a long-term plan for Barkley. If Jones ends up a disappointment, well, plenty of teams have built something for one QB and handed it to another. The Bucs built a team for Jameis Winston and won with Tom Brady. The Rams built a team for Goff and won a Super Bowl with Stafford. The Giants can build a team for Daniel Jones, and if it turns out this season was an outlier, they can move on in as little as two seasons. The money Jones has gotten is eye-popping, but it will be worth it if he continues to ascend. If he doesn’t, and the Giants decide they’re not in full-bloom love, they can get out of this marriage.

Are right tackles gaining in value compared to left tackles? - Hogs Haven
So, while there has been a marginal, but measurable, increase in the salaries of top right tackles compared to left tackles over the course of the past decade, in raw numbers, left tackles are still dramatically better compensated - and thus “more valued” - than right tackles in the modern game. It’s going to be interesting to see if these trends continue over the coming years.

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