Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/21/22.

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Should the Eagles have interest in trading for Bengals S Jessie Bates? - PhillyVoice
Would a second-round pick and, saaayyyy, a versatile starting guard in Isaac Seumalo appease Cincinnati? I think that’s a deal the Eagles would do. They likely would not part with either of their 2023 first-round picks, which are clearly earmarked for quarterback insurance in case Jalen Hurts doesn’t make substantial improvements in 2022. As for the money, Marcus Williams is a player whose game is similar to Bates’, so his five-year, $70 million deal with the Ravens feels like the floor. Because Bates is already pretty much guaranteed just under $13 million on the franchise tag, the Eagles would have to beat that. A new deal worth an average annual value of around $15 million would feel about right. And again, I would expect any new deal to have a low 2022 cap number. So in summary, to answer the question in the headline, yeah, the Eagles should have interest in trading for Jessie Bates.

Eagles mailbag: How much would it cost to get Jessie Bates? - NBCSP
1. The Bengals are going to want a first-round pick. They’d be crazy not to start there, especially when they’re talking to the Eagles, who have two first-rounders in 2023. In 2020, the Jets traded Jamal Adams to the Seahawks and got a first-round pick and in 2019 the Dolphins traded Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers and got a first-round pick. So even though Bates isn’t as good as those two, the Bengals are going to ask for a first-rounder. But that’s probably too rich for the Eagles, even with two first-rounders next season. Should the Eagles be willing to give up a 2023 second-round pick? Yeah, that would be more appealing. Although, they might need to sweeten that deal with a Day 3 pick or a player. 2. This offseason, the Ravens signed Williams to a five-year, $70 million deal. His $14 APY ranks seventh in the NFL among safeties. Justin Reid got a contract this offseason with an APY of $10.5 million. If the Eagles were to trade for Bates, he’d need to be at around $14 million APY on this new contract. In fact, that Williams deal feels like a good template for Bates. Of course, the Eagles thought Williams was overpaid so they’d have to really like Bates more than Williams to sign him to a similar deal in addition to whatever they’d have to trade to get him.

Jessie Bates to skip OTAs, training camp amid franchise tag frustration, per report - Cincy Jungle
Despite his late-season resurgence, the Bengals couldn’t agree on an extension before the March 8th franchise tag deadline. They have a new deadline of July 15th to get Bates under contract for the foreseeable future, but if Bates is utilizing his last form of leverage by holding out, then it doesn’t seem like the two sides are any closer on reaching a new deal. The Bengals’ defense is better with Bates patrolling centerfield, but their price and Bates’ price aren’t close to matching. That could lead to the team calling his bluff, or Bates never playing in Cincinnati again. We’ll find that out in July and the weeks that follow.

Everything is on Jalen Hurts in 2022 - BGN
Everything is on Jalen Hurts. Everything the Eagles’ offense does this season will revolve around Hurts. Every morsel of success the Eagles have is contingent on Hurts’ performance. Every level of the playoffs they reach will be dictated by how Hurts plays. Hurts is ready for everything. The Eagles showed their faith in him, after showing interest in Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Kenny Pickett, and Malik Willis. They traded a first-round pick for game-breaking 6-foot-1, 225-pound receiver A.J. Brown. Teamed with DeVonta Smith, the Eagles could have the best starting receiver duo in the NFC East. Hurts will be behind one of the best offensive lines in football. The Eagles bolstered their offensive line by drafting Jason Kelce’s heir apparent, Cam Jurgens out of Nebraska. The Eagles also threw the ball 494 times over 17 regular-season games in 2021—the fewest of any team in the NFL. There may be a reason for that. The coaching staff wanted to take incremental steps in Hurts’ progression as a passer. They coddled Hurts. Parts of the media and fanbase did the same, explaining that 2021 was like a rookie season for Hurts, since he came on so late in 2020 to relieve the leaking Carson Wentz. The excuses are gone. The first one to come forward, not surprisingly, is Hurts.

James Bradberry reaction + Have the Eagles passed the Cowboys? - BGN Radio
The Birds filled a big roster hole with their new cornerback signing! Just how good can this Eagles team be? Are they already in better position to win the NFC East than the reigning division champs? Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski react to the latest news and compare rosters in this episode.

A.J. Brown says his peace is being threatened because he was traded - PFT
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown released a statement today about unspecified concerns he has related to fan reaction to his trade from the Titans. Apparently referencing a football camp in Tennessee that he has decided to pull out of, Brown said that he was sorry to the kids attempting the camp, but felt he had no choice because of the way some adults in Tennessee have acted toward him since he moved on to Philadelphia.

Report: Multiple sources claim Colts working on a deal for Super Bowl winning quarterback Nick Foles - Stampede Blue
There will be Colts fans who don’t like how things have played out but this is what “all in” looks like for a Chris Ballard led football team. The Colts brought in the best pass rusher they’ve had in years, the best quarterback they’ve had since Andrew Luck retired and are betting on a former defensive player of the year at cornerback, they filled all of the holes they had in the draft and now they are looking to add a legitimate backup at the games most important position. They clearly believe the time for them to contend, is now. What this means for Sam Ehlinger is anyone’s guess. They believed in Ehlinger enough to make him the team’s primary backup a season ago, a move that in hindsight, seems like they were prepared to lose a lot of games if Carson Wentz missed a big chunk of the season. Everything indicates that the team likes Ehlinger and what he brings so we’ll see if they carry three quarterbacks into the regular season.

Why Patriots’ coaching titles don’t matter; plus, NFL’s top five cornerbacks, Saints’ reborn offense - NFL.com
Where is Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs? Despite leading the league in 2021 with 11 interceptions, the third-year pro does not make the cut due to the boom-or-bust nature of his game. Diggs surrenders too many big plays and must reduce his burn rate to earn a spot among the elites. Although I love his ball skills and play-making ability as a “clue” corner with outstanding vision, he must display better discipline and awareness in coverage to earn an A+ grade as a cover corner.

Another argument for Tony Pollard to receive the majority of the touches over Ezekiel Elliott - Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys have a decision to make about Ezekiel Elliott. It’s not the one about releasing him after the 2022 season because of his contract numbers. They have an out after 2022 and they just might use it to get some cap relief and quit paying top dollar to a position that doesn’t really deserve top dollar. But that’s about a year away. The other decision they have to make about Elliott comes this fall when they must decide how much playing time to give him this season, and how much they should give to Tony Pollard. Over at ESPN, Bill Barnwell did a deep-dive into the expectations around a few high-priced running backs for the 2022 season, and Elliott was included. First he notes that the Cowboys have become much less of a running team recently and are now more in line with passing averages around the NFL. He observes that the reason for that may be the declining production of Elliott.

Big Blue View mailbag: Cap questions, Twitter invasion, Darius Slayton, more - Big Blue View
So, Jones? I think odds are that Tyrod Taylor is the Giants’ Week 1 starter next season. I like Jones and hope he succeeds, but I think the Giants are going to look at quarterback prices ($31.497 million for the franchise tag) and probably upwards of that in terms of annual value if Jones plays well enough to deserve a long-term deal, and think they want to do better for that kind of money. Odds? Say 60-40, with a 60 percent chance he is somewhere else in 2023.

Should Ron Rivera bring “the People’s Corner”, Jimmy Moreland, home to Washington? - Hogs Haven
Should Ron Rivera try to bring back a player that he released just 9 months ago, who was a fan favorite, but who earned middling grades from PFF for his 2 seasons in Washington and couldn’t get on the field with the 4-13 Texans in 2021? Do you think Rivera regrets the decision to waive him last September, or has Jimmy Moreland’s ship already sailed out of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay for good? [BLG Note: The Eagles previously had interest in signing Moreland in September last year.]

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