Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/9/22.

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Three free agents who make sense for the Eagles, version 2.0 - PhillyVoice
Terrell Edmunds (Age: 25), S, Steelers (6’1, 217). Edmunds was a 2018 first-round pick of the Steelers who is likely headed to free agency after Pittsburgh declined to exercise his fifth-year option last offseason. It should be noted that the Steelers traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick, who was a first-round pick the same year as Edmunds, so having two safeties play on their fifth-year options in 2022 would have been quite expensive. Fitzpatrick’s fifth-year option was picked up, and Edmunds’ wasn’t. As such, Edmunds is a rare first-round pick who has been a decent player for the majority of his rookie contract who is set to become a free agent after just four seasons. Edmunds has good size at 6’1, 217, he has never missed a game due to injury, he just turned 25 years old, and he has outstanding athleticism.

Should the Eagles make another high pick at wide receiver in the 2022 NFL Draft? - BGN
The last two NFL drafts have been loaded with top tier receiving prospects. While this draft doesn’t have any prospect on the level of Ja’Marr Chase or DeVonta Smith, it has a ton of Top 40 worthy talents that they Eagles should show interest in. Drake London, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Treylon Burks are all surefire first rounders while Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, David Bell, John Metchie and Wan’Dale Robinson make sense as potential fringe Day one or early day two picks. Players like London, Bell and Burks are the X-type receivers who have the size and athleticism to win in a variety of ways. Wilson and Dotson are route running specialists who can create instant separation while Olave, Williams, Metchie and Robinson have speed for days. The class has plenty of interesting prospects beyond the top guys. Calvin Austin, Justyn Ross, Skyy Moore, and Jalen Tolbert are just a few mid rounders who could be a great addition to an Eagles depth chart in need of talent.

Simms explains taking an L on Hurts, thoughts on Hurts’ future - NBCSP
“Yes, there’s still meat on the bone in my opinion as far as the evaluation with Jalen Hurts,” Simms said. “You guys saw the playoff game. You saw a number of other games during the year when you probably would have had the same type of questions. Where you just go, ‘Man, if they have to pass the ball, can they really rely on him and the passing game to get it done?’ And I think that’s still a question for me.” Simms said it’s tough to win in the playoffs with the style of play the Eagles will need to utilize to get the most out of Hurts. The Eagles became a run-heavy team in the second half of the 2021.

Malik Willis out of reach for Eagles? How the Senior Bowl impacted Philly’s draft outlook - ESPN
Reid previously identified Willis as the best fit for Philadelphia among this group of quarterbacks. And given that he needs time to develop, the case can be made for adding Willis to learn behind Hurts and maybe even backup Gardner Minshew for a season or two. The QB play at the Senior Bowl was “underwhelming across the board,” per Reid, due in part to the bad weather in Mobile for part of the week, but Willis was the most impressive. “I thought he had the strongest arm of any of the quarterbacks down there,” Reid said. “His accuracy was a little bit scattershot throughout the week but when he was able to put it all together Wednesday, I thought he separated himself from the bunch.” Reid now has Willis going sixth overall to the Carolina Panthers in his latest mock draft, up from 14th in his original mock, followed by Kenny Pickett (11th overall), Matt Corral (18th overall) and Sam Howell (20th). “There were a lot of unanswered questions [about this quarterback class] going into it, and it kind of feels a lot of the same way exiting Mobile, too,” Reid said.

Could Eagles be in the QB market in the draft? They had a close look at the Senior Bowl - The Athletic
Roseman wishes he never uttered the oft-mocked “quarterback factory” line upon drafting Jalen Hurts in 2020, but the spirit of the comment was accurate: The Eagles will almost always look at quarterbacks and will explore their options if there’s one they like. So even if the Eagles are not embarking on the offseason with the stated intentions to upgrade at quarterback, they shouldn’t be categorically eliminated from the quarterback market. Most of the attention for a potential acquisition is focused on a top-flight veteran — Russell Wilson rumors will heat up if he becomes available — but the Eagles didn’t have blinders on when Willis and Pickett were practicing at the Senior Bowl. They might have been just as focused on Florida State edge rusher Jermaine Johnson or Boston College interior lineman Zion Johnson, but the quarterbacks were the main attraction in Mobile.

Report: Giants to hire Don “Wink” Martindale as Defensive Coordinator - Big Blue View
It always seemed likely that Martindale would get the nod for the Giants. He was the first candidate they interviewed after Patrick Graham’s departure for the Las Vegas Raiders. Martindale was also interviewed by the Giants’ for their head coaching vacancy prior to the hiring of Joe Judge in 2020. The Giants were reportedly “infatuated” with the Ravens way of doing business during their search for a general manager following the departure of Dave Gettleman. Martindale had been with the Ravens since 2012, first as a linebackers coach, then their defensive coordinator. Martindale runs a similar system to Patrick Graham, relying on coverage and an aggressive blitz scheme. The Ravens fielded a Top 5 defense from 2018 to 2020, before injuries and free agent losses forced them to take as step backward in 2021.

The Dallas Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott, and the sunk cost fallacy - Blogging The Boys
After the season was over, it was revealed that Elliott was playing through a partially torn PCL most of the season. That is an argument that he could be more like he was in the past after an offseason to heal. But the way that decision to keep him on the field played out certainly suggests that maintaining his role as the lead back was driven by financial rather than production factors. Countering that is how running backs have a notoriously short shelf life in the league on average. Even if he does fully recover and look more like he used to, there is the risk that the decline has started. He also has that dismal history in the passing game. Admittedly, the chances of the Cowboys moving on from Elliott before 2023 at the earliest fall between slim and none. But he remains an example of the muddled thinking on roster management and game-time usage in Dallas. Clarity there is not any more likely to come.

Deshazor Everett released on bond after warrant issued for involuntary manslaughter - Hogs Haven
Deshazor Everett appeared at the Loudon County Magistrate’s Office today and was served with a warrant for involuntary manslaughter for the death of Olivia Peters. His lawyer released statement after he was released on bond saying asking that people reserve judgement until all the facts are investigated and litigated.

How each AFC team can supplant the Bengals at Super Bowl LVII - NFL.com
The Colts must: move off Carson Wentz. Nothing about the Colts’ defense screams “top-five group,” and they need to replace defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, who left to coach the Bears. The receiver group needs more explosiveness. Perhaps those shortcomings lead to general manager Chris Ballard looking elsewhere, but I’d argue that it only outlines the need to cut their losses with Wentz, one year after they acquired him. There are great pieces here, from the star players to the front office to the coaching staff. If they recognize Wentz is not the future, they should aggressively try to upgrade to avoid spending the present in purgatory.

Patriots officially re-hire Joe Judge as an offensive assistant - Pats Pulpit
Just a few hours after first reports emerged, the New England Patriots announced re-hiring Joe Judge as an offensive assistant. Judge had spent the last two seasons as head coach of the New York Giants. [BLG Note: Lol.]

Jacksonville Jaguars to hire Mike Caldwell as defensive coordinator, per report - Big Cat Country
Caldwell does not have any previous defensive coordinator experience, however he has a strong relationship with Pederson. Caldwell and Pederson both spent time as assistant coaches under Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2009 through 2012. Additionally, Pederson and Caldwell were teammates during their NFL playing days in Philadelphia in 1999. Garafolo first reported that Caldwell was a potential target for Pederson and the Jaguars on Feb. 4.

Report: Rory Segrest is expected to reunite with Doug Pederson on Jaguars staff - PFT
Rory Segrest is expected to reunite with Doug Pederson in Jacksonville. Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports reports Segrest, the Louisiana defensive coach/assistant head coach, will take a job with the Jaguars. [BLG Note: Segrest was rumored to join Doug in Philly back in 2016 but it never happened.]

Every NFL coaching hire in 2022, graded - SB Nation
I don’t love Doug Pederson in this role, but I get it. The question will always be what could have been, with Byron Leftwich seemingly having the job in the bag until the Jaguars botched it. That said, Pederson is a hell of a consolation prize that will unquestionably make the Jaguars a far better team than the debacle with Urban Meyer. No, this isn’t an exciting, revolutionary hire that will shape the Jags into the modern NFL team, but it’s also not a major whiff. That’s a win as far as I’m concerned when it comes to this organization. I expect the bare minimum from Jacksonville, and when I get anything more than that I’m pleasantly surprised. At the minimum Pederson will have time to develop players, and I think he’ll be a positive influence on Trevor Lawrence. All things considered I like this. Grade: B+.

Off Day Debrief #75: Who are the most important non-QBs in Super Bowl LVI? - The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton debate which QB is more important in the Super Bowl, and power rank the five most important non-quarterbacks in the game. Which QB is more important to their team (3:39). The biggest advantage Burrow has over Stafford (5:39). Does Stafford have to win the change the narrative about him? (12:39). Who are the most important non-QBs? (15:04). Aaron Donald’s potential to destroy everything (18:10). Why Cooper Kupp means so much to the Rams’ offense (21:33). OBJ will show he’s still good at football (24:56). Jalen Ramsey is the perfect weapon against the Bengals (28:00). Could this be Sean McVay’s last game as the Rams coach if they lose? (31:12).

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