Eagles News: NFL insiders rank Darius Slay as a top five cornerback

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Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 cornerbacks for 2023 - ESPN+
5. Darius Slay, Philadelphia Eagles. Slay returns to the top five for the first time since 2020 after a banner year for Philadelphia. He embodied the Eagles’ tough attitude on defense with three interceptions and an 18.7% ball-hawk rate. “I think he was better because he was allowed to match wide receivers on both sides of the field and truly fulfilled those No. 1 corner duties,” an NFL pro scouting lieutenant said. Slay has broken up 133 passes over the past 10 seasons, more than any player in that span. “He’s always the forgotten guy in that top group of corners, but he’s been a benchmark, honestly,” an AFC personnel evaluator said. “His game has held up really well. Can still really run, physical, wants the big matchup, always consistent.”

Which Eagles UDFAs will make the roster? - BGN
Quez Watkins salary balloons from $895k to $2.8M due to an escalator, the Eagles gain more cap space by cutting or trading him than they do any other player, and he’s coming off a disappointing season. His place on the team should not be considered secure. Olamide Zaccheaus started 21 games in the past 2 seasons for the Falcons but players with better resumes than his get cut in camp all the time across the league. And again, I’m being harsh with who is not a lock because if a UDFA is going to make the roster at some positions, such as WR, it’s going to be at the expense of someone thought to be safe. Devon Allen is a novelty. The Greg Ward experiment was worth a shot but he’s not an NFL WR. Charleston Rambo-great name-was in the XFL and was decently productive. Tyrie Cleveland was drafted by the Broncos in 2020 and has 8 career receptions. Additionally TE Dan Arnold entered the league as a WR, it’s possible he makes the team as a dual backup TE and WR. 6’2” Haselwood and 6’3” Ngata’s best chance to stick on the roster is that they’re both big targets, something the Eagles lack (another reason why 6’6” Arnold has a chance), Tyrie Cleveland is the only other WR on the roster over 6’1”. They’re also both former 5 star recruits, Haselwood was the top WR in the 2019 class, Ngata the #6, so there’s some possible untapped potential.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.119: NFC East All-Stars (Offense) - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and RJ Ochoa create their 2023 All NFC East team (offense edition).

Quez Watkins vs. Olamide Zaccheus: Who wins WR3 job? - NBCSP
Maybe there’s still a shot the Eagles trade Watkins but if they don’t, he and Zaccheus will still be on the team. Remember, the fourth receiver last year was Pascal and even though he’s a much different player than Zaccheus, he still saw some time. So there’s a good chance that both Watkins and Zaccheus play on offense this year. For now, I’d expect Watkins to retain his WR3 spot but we’ll see how much Zaccheus can push him in training camp.

Deebo Samuel was wrong to bail during CBS interview - The Gold Standard Network
As someone with more than 15 years in the sports media business (both as a producer and a host), I feel like I have a unique perspective on this incident that many other people covering the 49ers might not have. Basically, it boils down to this. If Deebo didn’t want to have to answer the same questions over and over again, he shouldn’t have agreed to go on a media tour. It’s as simple as that. He knows how it works because he’s done plenty of press tours in the past (including this year at the Super Bowl). Hell, I’ve interviewed him during some of them. Don’t get me wrong, I fully understand Samuel’s frustration with having to address the quarterback situation and his comments about what happened in the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles. That field has been plowed, to paraphrase Jim Harbaugh. But that’s what the money is for. He knew when he agreed to do a press tour that he was going to get asked about all of that stuff. It’s not cool to take the money and then bail on the interview. [BLG Note: Good, honest perspective here by Stats.]

The Cowboys will soon face challenges after giving new contracts to their biggest stars - Blogging The Boys
For the Cowboys, it’s nice to have so many star players, but it’s not as nice when they are constantly coming up short. And with big extensions coming soon, we should all be aware that the Cowboys are entering dangerous waters. It becomes difficult to keep a roster deep when there are limitations on the players they can retain or go after in free agency. The Cowboys can keep their big stars, but can they also keep Terence Steele? Or Pro Bowlers like Tony Polland and Tyler Biadasz? Great drafting can help and to their credit, they have been masterful in that department, and that gives us hope. But at the same time, we should enjoy things while they last because inevitably there are some challenges ahead.

Were the Giants lucky in 2022? - Big Blue View
The big thing about 2023 is that the Giants’ coaches will be mostly the same, and that coaching staff, more than good luck, is the biggest reason the Giants won so many close games and thrived in the fourth quarter. Barnwell points out in his article that successful new coaches often don’t duplicate that success in their second year, suggesting that there is luck involved in being successful your first time out with a new team. I’ll go out on a limb and guess that Brian Daboll is not the second coming of Ben McAdoo, though.

Mark Tyler’s 2023 Commanders Season Roster Breakdown - Offensive Line - Hogs Haven
Andrew Wylie - The former starting right tackle for the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs joined Washington this spring as a priority free agent signing. He started all 17 regular season games in 2022 but was second in the NFL in blown blocks (45) and tied for third in sacks allowed (11). Some blame the blown blocks and sacks on quarterback Patrick Mahomes holding the ball too long and “improvising” in the pocket. Regardless, he’ll need to clean that up here in Washington, as we DO NOT have Patrick Mahomes under center. What Wylie does bring is a nasty demeanor and good run blocking strength and awareness. He’s also very athletic for the position and does well when asked to get out front on screens.

No players selected in 2023 NFL supplemental draft - NFL.com
The NFL’s supplemental draft returned on Tuesday for the first time since 2019, but no players were selected this year, per NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero. Two prospects — former Jackson State wide receiver Malachi Wideman and former Purdue wide receiver Milton Wright — were available to be picked. Any team that had selected a player in the supplemental draft would have to give up the corresponding pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Both Wideman and Wright are now considered free agents and can sign with any club. Wideman is scheduling workouts with NFL teams for the onset of training camp later in July, Pelissero reported, per Wideman’s agent. The wideout also has offers from the CFL and XFL, per Pelissero.

New York Jets will appear on ‘Hard Knocks’ in 2023 - Gang Green Nation
This comes as little surprise. The Jets had widely expected to be chosen for the show this year. Teams can volunteer to appear on the show. Teams can also be required to appear if they do not have a new coach, have missed the playoffs for two straight years, and have not appeared on the show in the last decade. The Jets were only one of four teams to fit the criteria. The addition of Aaron Rodgers made them the obvious choice.

Northwestern’s multiple scandals are an abysmal institutional failure - SB Nation
Pat Fitzgerald was going to coach at Northwestern forever. He was Evanston’s favorite son, a former All-American linebacker and on the short list of greatest players to ever don the purple jersey, if not the greatest. So what if the team had gone 4-20 in two seasons post a Covid shortened 2020, with losses to both Southern Illinois and Miami (Ohio) in consecutive weeks last season? Remember the 2020 Big Ten title game? Taking Ohio State to the brink? Remember 1995? The Bendarik awards? The Rose Bowl? Fast forward to Monday, and all of that is dashed away. Fitzgerald was fired by Northwestern amid allegations of hazing and racism from within the football program, sparked by an initial investigation by the university that led to Fitzgerald being suspended for two weeks (we’ll get back to that later). ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg reports that Fitzgerald has hired lawyers to combat his firing, and this situation won’t be going away any time soon.

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