Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/1/23.

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

C.J. Gardner-Johnson calls out Jonathan Gannon on Twitter - PhillyVoice
What a start to the morning for the Eagles. Before you may have even had your first sip of coffee, impending free agent safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson took to Twitter to call out former defense coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who is now the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. After WIP reporter Eliot Shorr-Parks posted a video from the NFL Combine of Gannon discussing the Eagles’ much-maligned second-half defense in Super Bowl LVII against Kansas City, Gardner-Johnson quote tweeted it and said, “You ain’t put us in a position to make plays.” [...] Gardner-Johnson has since deleted his initial tweet that was critical of Gannon.

Jonathan Gannon’s advice for Eagles successor Sean Desai may offer the best clue about a Super Bowl failure - Inquirer
Several other unrelated topics were broached before Gannon was asked again about the Super Bowl, in particular his game plan for stopping Patrick Mahomes.“I’ve answered two questions about that,” he said from atop a podium at the Convention Center. “Sorry, I’m going to not talk about that one. I’ve kind of moved on from that. Just always, guys, when you’re the leader of a unit or the leader of a team, everything that goes on on that field is my responsibility. “Obviously, them scoring what they scored, how the second half went, I didn’t do a good enough job.”If Gannon had made himself openly available following the Eagles’ 38-35 loss to the Chiefs in Arizona, there might not have been a need to dredge Super Bowl LVII up again.

Report: Eagles submit proposal to allow a new NFL jersey number - BGN
Approving this proposal should be a no-brainer. Where’s the downside? And why not bring back the double zeros while we’re at it? (Although no one can ever match a jersey and last name better than Jim Otto wearing No. 00). The real question is ... which member of the Eagles should be the first to ever wear No. 0?

NFC East Mixtape Vol.101: Takeaways from NFL Combine Week - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) and RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) discuss the biggest storylines in the division during the 2023 NFL Combine Week.

UPDATED: Sean Desai leaving Seahawks - Field Gulls
The Seattle Seahawks went into their non-rebuild retool in 2022 set to change the way they approached things on defense. To that end head coach Pete Carroll went out and recruited several hot young names who were available on the coaching market. Those added included former defensive backs coach for the Minnesota Vikings Karl Scott, as well as former defensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears Sean Desai. In Seattle, Scott spent the 2022 season as the secondary coach and defensive passing game coordinator, while Desai was tabbed as the associate head coach and defensive assistant. Fans were optimistic for the future following their first season together in the Pacific Northwest, after a young secondary comprised of Michael Jackson, Tariq Woolen and Coby Bryant outperformed expectations, but then came reports that multiple teams had requested to interview Desai for an open defensive coordinator role.

Eagles Name Coordinators - Iggles Blitz
As for Desai, that’s another move I like. He and Jonathan Gannon do similar things so the players won’t be learning a completely new system. They can build off what they did the past two years. The challenge for Desai is to be more creative and aggressive, especially against good offenses. Gannon’s defense could look great at times, but struggled against good QBs. Desai has a reputation as a good teacher. That will be critical with the possibility of a youth movement on defense. There are going to be several new faces, possibly even rookies on the field. They will need a good teacher to help them get ready to play. I think Desai is a good fit in terms of culture and intangibles. He’s a grinder. He went from being a high school coach to a grad assistant at Temple. He then climbed the ladder in college and made his way to the NFL as a quality control coach. High school/grad assistant/QC coach? That’s Sirianni’s fantasy hire. By hiring Desai, Sirianni passed over incumbent DB coach Dennard Wilson. We don’t know if Wilson will be back. Sirianni said the Eagles would be lucky to have him return as the DBs coach. He also mentioned Desai might have coaches he wants to bring in.

Will Sean Desai’s defensive scheme be more of the same? - NBCSP
In Desai’s one year as defensive coordinator under Matt Nagy in Chicago, the Bears blitzed 123 times – 29th-most in the league (but 11 times more than than the Eagles, who ranked 31st). Last year in Seattle, when his title was assistant head coach, the Seahawks blitzed just 95 times – second-fewest in the league (and 51 times fewer than the Eagles, who ranked 17th). In Fangio’s three years as Broncos head coach, Denver blitzed 400 times – fourth-fewest in the NFL. In Fangio’s introductory press conference two weeks ago as Miami’s new defensive coordinator, he wasted no time making it clear nothing will change when it comes to blitzing. “If you have to, that’s not a great feeling,” he said. “You want to do it when you want to, on your terms.” All of this could help explain why the Eagles hired Desai and not a candidate with maybe better credentials but a more aggressive approach to playing defense. This is the scheme Sirianni wants.

Top 101 NFL free agents of 2023: Lamar Jackson, Geno Smith headline ranking - NFL.com
3) Javon Hargrave. Undervalued in free agency three years ago, Hargrave should get bigger money this time after back-to-back monster seasons. The Eagles tend to pay younger free agents, so he may get his full value elsewhere.

Answering big NFL draft questions for teams with top-10 picks - ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles, Nos. 10 and 30 overall. The Eagles just went to a Super Bowl but have a lot of players hitting free agency. What are their biggest offseason needs? Eight of their 11 defensive starters from 2022 are pending free agents, and three of those players are defensive linemen: Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave and Brandon Graham. Even if one or more of them are re-signed, the front office places a high priority on the trenches and will want to replenish that area. Cornerback is another position to watch, especially if James Bradberry signs elsewhere when free agency opens in mid-March.

Howie Roseman: The 2023 Eagles will be different – that’s not a bad thing - PE.com
After the Eagles won Super Bowl LII in 2018, Roseman wanted to keep as many of those pieces in place to sustain the run. He doesn’t anticipate having that chance again, but the goal is to sustain the run and take it to a new level with Jalen Hurts growing into his prime, with a loaded offense, and with young players who will need to fill up a reshaped defense. Roseman and Head Coach Nick Sirianni share the same vision and are very much tied together as the future takes shape. One important distinction Roseman made when talking about 2018 and 2023 is the health of this team heading into the spring and the summer. That Super Bowl LII team had key players recovering from major surgeries and many of those players never regained their prime form. The Eagles started slowly in 2018, recovering down the stretch to reach the postseason. This team, with the players Roseman knows are returning, is going to be healthy when Organized Team Activities begin and, later, when Training Camp opens. The goal is to start fast and retain momentum and finish strong.

The Dallas Cowboys should pursue free agent LB Bobby Wagner - Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys front office also has to come to a contract agreement this offseason with pending free agent LB Leighton Vander Esch. If the Cowboys can land Wagner, and bring back Esch, the front seven in Dallas could be among the most talented in franchise history. If the Cowboys are truly “all-in” on taking that next step in the postseason, it would be wise to try and add a linebacker who has as much postseason experience and success that Wagner does.

Kenny Golladay release: Golladay’s failed New York Giants’ tenure is over - Big Blue View
Golladay was a non-factor for the Giants in 2022. He was inactive Week 13 against the Washington Commanders and played just 21 snaps from Week 14 to Week 17. His only touchdown catch in two seasons came in the meaningless 2022 season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles when coach Brian Daboll played almost exclusively backups. [BLG Note: Golladay’s only career TD came against Jonathan Gannon.]

Ron Rivera: Carson Wentz did the best he could - PFT
During his Combine press conference on Tuesday, Rivera was asked about the decision to make the move. “Well, you know, there’s a lot of things that we have to look at as far as our team is concerned. Everything from the cap to the position itself, and the situational circumstances we went through last year,” Rivera said. “He’s a heck of a young man. He’s a solid man and I want to wish him the best. I really do appreciate everything he did for us, and the opportunity that he had coming here. He did the best he could, and we really appreciate that as well.”

Daron Payne Receives the Franchise Tag - Over The Cap
Payne should be looking for a contract in the $20 million per year range to re-sign with the Commanders, but should be in no rush to re-sign with Washington. Payne can sit back and watch to see if the market moves forward at all with possible extensions on the horizon for Chris Jones of the Chiefs, Quinnen Williams of the Jets, Christian Wilkins of the Dolphins and Jefffery Simmons of the Titans. Javon Hargrave of the Eagles is also a free agent. Payne would have until mid-July to sign a long term contract extension.

ESPN has the details on the investigation of Dan Snyder for financial crimes, and it’s time for him to sell the team - Hogs Haven
Snyder charged the team $4.5 million to paint the team’s logo on his private jet as an advertising expense. He also leases those jets back to the team.

Latest Dan Snyder bombshell alleges a shady $55M loan, and using Commanders as a piggy bank - SB Nation
This is bad news for the NFL. The shield loves to operate behind closed doors and plausible deniability. These court documents allege an organization doing everything in its power to help Snyder at the expense of other investors, during a process which should be impartial. In addition, Smith’s fears about his son’s coaching career suffering if he didn’t play ball with Roger Goodell directly relate to other potential collusion cases in the league when it comes to players and coaches, unless we presume Smith’s concerns were unfounded. Goodell and the NFL hate nothing more than the public seeing how the sausage is made. This Snyder case is about to open things up far wider than they’re comfortable with, and there will undoubtedly be more bombshells to land.

NFL Draft prospects: Ranking RB heading into the 2023 NFL Combine - DraftKings Nation
Sitting behind Robinson as a potential early-second rounder is Jahmyr Gibbs, who began his career at Georgia Tech before transferring to Alabama in 2022. He displayed his abilities as both a runner and pass catcher for the Crimson Tide, rushing for 926 yards on the ground, catching 44 passes for 444 yards through the air, and accounting for 10 touchdowns on the year. Also being projected as a second-round pick is Texas A&M’s Devon Achane, who is gunning for a 40-yard dash time in the 4.2’s at the combine. The 5’9”, 185-pound scat back is the speed demon of this class and broke off 1,102 yards and eight touchdowns for the Aggies in 2022.

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