Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/19/22.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Way-Too-Early Eagles, Saints Prop Bets - Football Outsiders
If the Eagles are 4-2 or 5-1 at the bye, they’ll be in the mix for a playoff spot and the NFC East crown as their schedule stiffens. Should they fade a bit in midseason, they’ll still enjoy a Giants-Bears one-two punch in early December, and they’ll likely have something to play for in Week 18 against the Giants, who could be starting general manager Joe Schoen at quarterback by then. So the Eagles schedule starts with some teams that will still be sorting themselves out in September and ends with some weak teams who may be evaluating their practice squads in January. If the Eagles kicked off with, say, the Packers, Cowboys, Vikings, and Saints, the public wouldn’t have been quite so optimistic about their ability to stay in the playoff chase. But the layout of the Eagles schedule likely sent both sharps and Eagles fans scrambling for their favorite sportsbook app, prompting the house to move the line to even out the action. No matter how the games are rearranged, the Eagles have the easiest 2022 schedule in the NFL according to DVOA. 9.5 wins is closer than 8.5 to the number wafting from our projections as they cool on the windowsill. But Walkthrough still took the over as soon as our phone, computer, and the sportsbook were once again speaking to each other.

NFL win total, over under picks, and best bets for all 32 teams - The Athletic
Eagles Over 9.5 (-115). The Eagles not only got better while the Cowboys got worse, but the Commanders actually traded for Carson Wentz while the Giants are really in rebuild mode (and probably don’t have that high of hopes for Daniel Jones). Plus the first half of their schedule is pretty soft — they could be 4-0 going into a Week 5 game at Arizona.

NFL Betting 2022: Market-implied power rankings and ELO strength of schedule - PFF
19. PHILADELPHIA EAGLESSpread Points Above Average: 0.03. Opponent ELO Ranking: 29th. Toughest Schedule Stretch: Weeks 11-13. Philadelphia could easily be considered the winners of the offseason, but bookmakers seem less enthused about the team’s 2022 outlook. The Eagles are the last team with a positive spread points above average and will play one of the easiest strengths of schedule in the NFL. Given all of the team’s additions, Jalen Hurts being a neutral player to what he was last year could once again result in a playoff berth for Philadelphia.

James Bradberry, Eagles agree to one-year contract - BGN
You wanted James Bradberry? Well, you got him! Howie Roseman made many Philadelphia Eagles fans very happy on Wednesday morning by signing the free agent cornerback to a one-year contract reportedly worth $10 million. UPDATE: Adam Schefter says the contract is worth $7.25 million guaranteed with another $2.5 million “in upside.”

James Bradberry signs one-year deal with Philadelphia Eagles - Big Blue View
The New York Giants released Bradberry earlier this month after failing to find a trade partner for the Pro Bowl cornerback. Bradberry was the top cornerback on New York’s depth chart, but his impending $21.9 million salary cap hit made keeping him around infeasible. Now, Bradberry will get to play his former team twice a year in a secondary that also features four-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay. New York will save $2 million against the cap next year (in 2023) to offset the guaranteed portion of Bradberry’s contract.

Eagles Add Bradberry - Iggles Blitz
I had my doubts about this happening. More than a few teams need CB help so I thought there might be a small bidding war for Bradberry. Not that he’s elite or anything close, but he was the best guy on the market so that gave him some leverage. I guess the market was softer than I expected. The report said the Eagles paid him $10M, but the real number will likely be lower. Bradberry gets to play for a good team and in a scheme that fits him. The Giants cutting him in May didn’t do him any favors. If Bradberry can have a good year, he’ll be able to hit free agency next March and get one final good deal. This will be a huge year for him.

Bradberry explains why he chose the Eagles - NBCSP
Why did he pick the Eagles out of the pack? All it took was one look at the roster. Mainly the defensive line. “I saw the guys on the d-line and as a DB, sometimes your best friend is the d-line,” he said. “So I’m looking forward to it.” Bradberry, who signed a one-year contract with the Eagles earlier Wednesday, spoke to NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark at Philadelphia International Airport Wednesday evening after arriving in town.

Biggest remaining offseason priority for each NFC team: Can 49ers placate Deebo Samuel? - NFL.com
Top priority: Celebrate signing James Bradberry. When I originally wrote this piece, I’d suggested signing Bradberry as the Eagles’ top priority (are you proud, Dad?) — and then they agreed to terms on a deal with him shortly before it was posted. With few other glaring needs remaining on the roster, let’s dig into why this move works so well. Imagine: Your arch enemy is forced to release its top corner. Said corner then tumbles into your lap. Bradberry is second league-wide over the past six seasons with 82 passes defensed. Only Philly’s Darius Slay (84) has more. Uniting the two gives the Eagles a menacing pair of cover men and shores up a weakness across from Slay. The alternative would have been to let less tasty options Zech McPhearson, Kary Vincent Jr., Mac McCain and Tay Gowan battle for primary roles.

While Cowboys fan base is alarmed over rocky offseason, NFL observers not so much - Blogging The Boys
This ranking brings to light one reason the Cowboys fanbase may be over-inflating their disappointment in this offseason. And that was the surprise of losing in the playoffs, in the first round, at home. The Cowboys offense last year was a monster in almost every way until it hit the inconsistent phase in the second half of the season. Even then, they were still able to score at times, they just didn’t do it as consistently and efficiently. The defense stayed stout pretty much all year. The arc of last season, the blistering start followed by the lukewarm second half, capped by the extremely disappointing playoff loss, has the Cowboys fanbase in a decidedly unpleasant mood. Then the Amari Cooper/ Randy Gregory/La’el Collins situation was followed by very little outside activity in free agency, and that has brought more negativity. And it is justifiable, it’s hard to watch that much talent walk out the door for practically nothing. But the outside world doesn’t seem to share the feeling. At least that is something.

Will Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Alvin Kamara, Ezekiel Elliott bounce back? What went wrong, 2022 stat projections for each star - ESPN+
Based on how they played in 2021, Pollard should be moved into the lead role. Will the Cowboys actually make that change? I’m skeptical. For one, the organization is paying Elliott like he’s a superstar. While it would surely have cut him this offseason if it had been financially feasible, Dallas is on the hook to pay him $12.4 million in 2022. It can move on from his deal and save nearly $5 million in cap space in 2023, and the decision to not restructure his contract this offseason hints at that likelihood next spring. If there’s one place Elliott excels, it’s in protecting that pass-happy offense and its quarterback. He is one of the best blocking backs in football, combining prototypical size for a back with the bravery a tailback needs to hold up. Weirdly, given how often the Cowboys throw on first down these days, it might make more sense for him to be the primary back on first down before ceding way to Pollard on second and third down. Unless Pollard gets injured, we should see the Cowboys move toward more of a 50-50 split between the two in 2022. Elliott had just under 78% of the touches in 2019, a rate that dropped below 70% in 2020 before coming in at just over 62% this past season. An even split should make the Cowboys better and might even increase Elliott’s efficiency, although the days of him competing for rushing titles appear to be over.

NFL University #40: AFC Win Totals - The SB Nation NFL Show
Welcome back to another edition of NFL University! Stephen Serda, Kyle Posey, and Justis Mosqueda discuss the projected AFC win totals heading into next season. The Bills, despite having the highest projected win total in the AFC at 11.5 feel like a lock to hit their over. The AFC North is tough to fully understand until we know more about Deshaun Watson–but the Bengals and Ravens should be competing for the division. The Jaguars being projected more wins than the Texans is a trap to avoid–and the AFC West is a toss-up.

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