Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/14/18

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The price is right: Best veteran contract for all 32 NFL teams - ESPN In$ider
Philadelphia Eagles: DE Michael Bennett. The deal: Three years, $29.5 million with $14.5 million in guarantees. The tricky math behind why this is such a good deal for the Eagles is simple: They’re not paying any of the signing bonuses, because they acquired Bennett via trade. So for the Eagles, they essentially have Bennett on a three-year, $20.6 million deal with little in the way of guaranteed money. Even at age 33, Bennett is still an impact interior rusher. He finished 16th in pass pressures, per Sports Info Solutions charting last season, racking up 8.5 sacks. He has been a Pro Bowler three seasons in a row. To have a player that good on a cheap, non-guaranteed contract is a steal, even if age creates the risk that it’s suddenly all over.

Birdbrained: Week 2 Mailbag - BGN
WR injuries and 2019 Draft Picks and Rasul Douglas’ future and more.

Michael Kist and Benjamin Solak get the previews under way. This time they’re focusing on how the Eagles offense matches up against the Bucs defense by leveraging their study of the Bucs week 1 performance against the Saints. Big days ahead for Agholor, Ertz, Sproles and Ajayi? What cornerback should the offense attack? Plus notes on the Bucs pass rush or lack there of and so much more!

Safety Blitz with Malcolm Jenkins: Seeing Buccaneers score 48 points was ‘eye opening’ - PhillyVoice
Whether the Bucs can score 48 points against Malcolm Jenkins and Philadelphia Eagles is another question. “I hope not,” Jenkins said. “They did put up 48 points. After watching them, it was definitely eye-opening. They didn’t [score 48] by accident. They made plays. The last time we played them a few years ago, we went into that game thinking that this team takes a lot of shots downfield. It’s easy to see that storyline remains the same. They’re attacking the deep end of the field.”

32 NFL Observations, Week 1 - PFF
Cornerback Ronald Darby was targeted 11 times during his team’s season opener against the Falcons, and he forced four incompletions. His forced incompletion percentage of 36.4 percent is the best mark we’ve ever seen by a cornerback with at least 10 targets in the first week of the season.

Players Prepping To Win The Hydration Game - PE.com
When the Eagles kick off on Sunday in Tampa against the Buccaneers, the temperature at Raymond James Stadium is expected to be in the low 90s with humidity touching 70 percent. In other words, it’s going to feel like an oven, turned up high, relentless. As much as Tampa Bay will be a test on the field, battling the furnace-like conditions will also challenge the players’ conditioning, preparation, and mental discipline. What are the Eagles doing about it? They certainly aren’t waiting until Sunday to find out.

Silva’s Week 2 Matchups - Rotoworld
The Eagles’ offense didn’t find its groove until the second half of last week’s win over Atlanta, when Jay Ajayi logged 12 of his 15 carries and parlayed them into 51 yards (4.3 YPC) with two TDs and a two-point conversion. Philly’s failed first-half bid to feature Darren Sproles seemed game-plan specific versus a Falcons defense that has long been vulnerable to running back receptions. Most promising was Ajayi’s featured scoring-position usage, handling the Eagles’ lone carry inside the five and reaching pay dirt from 1 and 11 yards out. Behind the NFL’s top offensive line, Ajayi remains a solid RB2 play at Tampa Bay, which is missing NT Vita Vea (calf) with DE Jason Pierre-Paul (knee) banged up. Ajayi’s outlook will further improve if Sproles (hamstring) can’t play or is limited. … Although Sproles paced Philly’s backfield in Week 1 snaps (41%) over Ajayi (39%) and Corey Clement (18%), the 35-year-old managed 32 yards on nine touches and is more nuisance to his teammates than standalone play when healthy. … Clement was used like a strict handcuff, running fewer pass routes (6) than Ajayi (10) and Sproles (21) and logging five carries without a target. If his usage doesn’t pick up in Week 2, Clement will be droppable in most season-long leagues. … Nick Foles’ abysmal preseason bled into Week 1, where he pathetically managed 117 scoreless yards on 34 passes (3.4 YPA) and went 0-for-7 on 15-plus-yard attempts. Despite Foles’ abysmal showing, his Week 2 matchup is soft enough for Foles to warrant QB1 streamer treament. Zach Ertz, Nelson Agholor, and Mike Wallace all enter mouth-watering draws.

4 reasons why Nick Foles is primed for a big Week 2 - NBCSP
This is what Foles does. He has bad games and sometimes follows them with really good games. Last Thursday was his 10th career game with a passer rating lower than 60. Aside from three games during that miserable year in St. Louis, Foles has always bounced back with passer ratings of at least 86 in the next game that matters. Remember Foles’ seven-touchdown performance? Guess what he did in his previous game. His passer rating was 46.2 against Dallas and his next game in Oakland he tied an NFL record for touchdown tosses. Foles even did it last season. He finished the regular season with a dud against the Raiders and then a bad start in the regular-season finale. From there, he warmed up against Atlanta and was white-hot against the Vikings and Patriots.

The Bucs will not beat the Eagles if they play like they did against the Saints - Bucs Nation
But if Tampa Bay plays like they did against New Orleans, they won’t beat the Eagles. I can already hear the pitchforks sharpening and I can smell the smoke from the torches. Before I am tarred, feathered, and dumped into the Bay, let me explain. When it comes to playing teams like the Eagles, there are two major components that must be recognized in order to beat them: executing the little things and executing said items at the most crucial juncture. Tampa Bay was unable to consistently complete either task on Sunday and it almost led to a comeback by the Saints. The Eagles showed during their ugly win on Thursday that they just know how to win - which is oftentimes the deadliest weapon in the NFL.

Run-stopper Beau Allen eager to make Bucs his new home - The Athletic
As part of a massive offseason upgrade to their line, the Bucs lured defensive tackle Beau Allen away from the champs, giving him a three-year, $15 million deal. The 26-year-old, easy to spot with his red beard and long hair, has never started more than three games in a season, but is literally a central part of the Bucs’ renovations on their defensive front. “That’s what his specialty is,” coach Dirk Koetter said Wednesday afternoon. “He’s a tough run-stopper in the middle of the field, a guy that can push the pocket. He brings attitude, he brings energy, he brings a winning mentality. He’s a fantastic guy to build your team from the inside out.”

Ryan Fitzpatrick: “I’m better right now than at any point in my career” - PFT
“You know I’m better right now than I’ve been at any point in my career and lot of that is mentally and whatever else,” Fitzpatrick said Thursday, via JoeBucsFan.com. “But there’s a lot of different throws and things that are so much ingrained in you, so much muscle memory from working and doing it for a long time. Truly I feel like the older I’ve gotten the better I’ve become.”

Report: Seahawks sign Mychal Kendricks, linebacker facing federal prison - Field Gulls
The Seahawks have a potential issue at outsider linebacker depending on how long it takes for K.J. Wright to be healthy enough to play again as he recovers from knee surgery. It’s hard to say after one week if Shaquem Griffin is a weakness on the defense, but the combo of outside linebackers Griffin and Barkevious Mingo is a farcry from where the defense is at with Wright. Kendricks, facing the rare white collar crime for an NFL athlete, would potentially help bridge the gap until Wright returns.

Texans Worked Out CB De’Vante Bausby - NFL Trade Rumors
[BLG Note: The Texans are looking at the former Eagles practice squad cornerback.]

Washington Redskins sign another player with Alabama Football Roots - AL.com
The Washington Redskins added another player with Alabama football roots to their roster on Wednesday when they signed former South Alabama safety Jeremy Reaves for their practice squad.

Why Saquon Barkley Will Struggle to Have the Rookie-Year Success of Ezekiel Elliott - The Ringer
The Penn State running back product has all the talent in the world, but the Giants’ offensive infrastructure leaves plenty to be desired.

How will Hurricane Florence impact NFL games in Week 2? - SB Nation
Several college football games have been postponed or relocated, but the NFL’s slate of Week 2 games should be OK.

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