Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 4/6/23.

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2023 NFL Draft: Five Round 1 trades that would make sense - NFL.com
Vikings receive: No. 10 overall (Round 1, from NO) — Eagles receive: No. 23 overall (Round 1), No. 87 overall (Round 3), 2024 first-round choice. There’s never been a draft in which four quarterbacks were selected among the first nine overall picks. With C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young considered by many observers to be the top two passers in the class, it seems likely that Will Levis or Anthony Richardson (both talented in their own right) will be available at No. 10, much like Justin Fields in 2021, when the Bears traded for the 11th overall pick to select him. Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah and head coach Kevin O’Connell might covet one of the top quarterback prospects in the class, with the idea that said prospect will take over for Kirk Cousins, who turns 35 in August and is headed for free agency after the 2023 season. Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman has made at least one trade involving a first-round pick in all but one of the past seven drafts. If the Eagles aren’t interested in something like the above deal, the Vikings could still call other teams in the middle of the first round if they like one of the available signal-callers. Moving from the late first round into the top dozen overall picks for a quarterback is not unheard of — in addition to the Bears jumping from No. 20 to No. 11 for Fields, the Chiefs (who grabbed Patrick Mahomes after going from No. 27 to No. 10 overall) and Texans (who selected Deshaun Watson after going from No. 25 to No. 12) made similar moves in 2017. Kansas City had a solid veteran on the roster (Alex Smith) when trading up — a similar situation to the one in which Minnesota finds itself. Not that I’m projecting Levis or Richardson to be as successful as Mahomes, but they both certainly have the potential to be longtime starting quarterbacks in the NFL.

NFL head coach rankings place Nick Sirianni in the top 10 - BGN
When he was hired as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, there were definitely some questions about Nick Sirianni and what he would bring to the table. It is safe to say that, as we enter his third year in charge, he has satisfactorily answered all of them. In fact, according to Patrick Daugherty of NBC Sports, Sirianni is the eighth best coach in the entire NFL. One of the things that Eagles fans have grown to love about him is his willingness to trust his players and go for it on fourth downs. Daugherty notes: Sirianni finished No. 1 in Football Outsiders’ “critical call index,” a complicated metric that measures fourth down decision-making. Trusting his personnel, Sirianni ordered the fourth most fourth down attempts and converted the second most. Sirianni “takes what the defense gives him” and then beats them over the head with it.

Three players who make sense for the Eagles, deep into free agency - PhilyVoice
Oshane Ximines, Edge, Giants (26). The Eagles had Ximines in for a pre-draft visit in 2019 after a productive college career during which he posted 32.5 sacks, 51 tackles for loss, and 11 forced fumbles in four years at Old Dominion. A lot of those sacks came against lower-level right tackle tomato cans. The Giants selected Ximines late in the third round, and he had a promising rookie season, collecting 25 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and 9 QB hits. He entered 2020 as a starter, but a shoulder injury caused him to miss 12 games. In 2021, he was a rotational player who got benched after an offsides penalty negated a Darnay Holmes INT, a play that probably cost the Giants the game. In 2022, Ximines missed most of training camp with a hamstring injury, but played in 15 games (4 starts). He had 24 tackles, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, and 8 QB hits. The Eagles have added “lottery tickets” on the defense at defensive tackle (Kentavius Street), linebacker (Nicholas Morrow), cornerback (Greedy Williams), and safety (Justin Evans), but they have not yet added an edge rusher. Ximines feels like a player who resembles their other “what the hell, take a shot” defensive signings at a position they have not yet addressed.

Spadaro: Unlocking a key to Eagles’ sustained success - Iggles Blitz
That’s fantastic for Witherspoon. Teams wanted to see a time under 4.50 so he took care of that. Witherspoon is the best hitter/tackler of all the corner prospects. He has good hands. He is instinctive and a good playmaker. Witherspoon solidified himself as a Top 15 prospect and he’s got a good shot to go Top 10. I think Witherspoon would be a good fit for the Eagles so I hope they’re interested.

Eagles roster reset: Breaking down the pre-draft depth chart following offseason moves - The Athletic
Analysis: Put Penny ahead of Gainwell if you’d like; as it stands now, both figure to lead the running back group barring a draft pick. Gainwell played 51 percent of the offensive snaps in the Super Bowl and is entering his third season in the system. With the way the Eagles use him in passing situations, it stands to reason he’d get the most playing time. The team is bullish about how Penny (5.7 yards per carry in his career) will function in the offense if he stays healthy, but he hasn’t played more than 10 games in a season since 2019 and has never carried the ball more than 119 times in a season. The Eagles actually gave Scott more guaranteed money than Penny, so they didn’t make a significant financial investment. Scott is a solid third running back who can help in spot duty and on kick returns. Coach Nick Sirianni said Sermon stood out in practice last season, but it didn’t translate to games. Even with this group, don’t rule out the Eagles drafting a back who can become the lead runner. Howie Roseman has not made major investments in anyone in this group, and if he can find a starting-caliber running back on a rookie contract for the next four years, it would be a sensible way to spend a pick.

Spadaro: Unlocking a key to Eagles’ sustained success - PE.com
There have been some hiccups along the way, but if you want to point to a singular reason – and the truth is, there are many reasons, but let’s just single out one of them – for the success the Eagles have had since Jeffrey Lurie purchased the team, look no further than the quarterback position. Back in the mid-to-late 1990s, the Eagles lacked consistency at the position. There was Randall Cunningham and Rodney Peete and Ty Detmer and, for a minute, Bobby Hoying and even a little bit of Koy Detmer and then Doug Pederson as a placeholder before Donovan McNabb took over as the starter and brought stability, high-level play, and, not so coincidentally, a lot of victories. In those early years after Lurie took over, the Eagles were a playoff-caliber team for a few of the seasons, but they were never really a threat. When McNabb, the second player taken in the 1999 NFL Draft, entered the lineup, the Eagles became a championship-caliber team. The lesson: Good quarterback play matters.

Cam Newton still insists he’s a starter, but he’s willing to be a backup in certain spots - PFT
Here’s the list of quarterbacks for whom he’d willingly serve as an understudy: Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson; Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson; Bears quarterback Justin Fields; Titans quarterback Malik Willis; incoming rookies C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and Anthony Richardson; Jets (eventually) quarterback Aaron Rodgers; Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts; Bills quarterback Josh Allen; and Commanders quarterback Sam Howell.

Making the case: Should the Giants draft a quarterback? - Big Blue View
Aside from Jalen Hurts, the Eagles under Howie Roseman have made a habit of drafting quarterbacks in later rounds: Mike Kafka (2010, Round 4), Nick Foles (2012, Round 3), Matt Barkley (2013, Round 4), and Clayton Thorson (2019, Round 5). Foles had two runs with the Eagles, during which he won a playoff game one year and a Super Bowl in another. Not to mention that when the Eagles moved on from him those two times they received in return Sam Bradford and second, third (compensatory), fourth, and fifth-round draft picks.

The Cowboys need to break the disturbing pattern with their 2nd-round picks - Blogging The Boys
While the Joseph pick in 2021 is still a black eye, Dallas has seemingly improved on this trend. They stole Trevon Diggs in 2020 with the 51st overall pick, who is now one of the top corners in all football. They also picked up Sam Williams last year, who’s already flashing exciting potential in the pass-rush rotation. They also got some solid years out of Connor Williams and Awuzie from more recent drafts. This improvement has to continue if the Cowboys want to push beyond the borderline of contender status. We certainly don’t expect every second-round pick to be a Larry Allen, Darren Woodson, or Trevon Diggs, but they have to start getting more consistent returns on this significant draft asset. Hopefully, with the 58th overall pick in 2023, Dallas can avoid adding to their general second-round disappointments.

Magic Johnson confirms bid on Commanders; Jeff Bezos spoke with Dan Snyder and has seen the team’s financials - Hogs Haven
The whale in the room that people keep trying to avoid is the possible interest of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. He hasn’t submitted an official bid, but had reportedly signed an NDA and hired a firm for a possible purchase of the team. The general reasoning for people that want Bezos to buy the team is that he doesn’t need to go through the normal bidding process due to his immense wealth. The reported issue was the Snyder’s animosity towards Bezos due to his ownership of the Washington Post, and their relentless coverage of Snyder and the team.

Teddy Bridgewater? Carson Wentz? Ravens need contingency plan if Lamar Jackson sits out - ESPN
With Lamar Jackson’s future uncertain, the Baltimore Ravens have to prepare for the possibility of needing to find a starting quarterback in 2023, whether it’s signing Teddy Bridgewater or Carson Wentz — or acquiring someone after the draft.

The Arizona Cardinals cheating scandal, explained - SB Nation
Michael Bidwell has consistently been one of the worst, most-disliked owners in the NFL, but always managed to fly under the radar thanks to Dan Snyder dominating the conversation. Now with the sale of the Washington Commanders looming it’s more difficult for the owner of the Arizona Cardinals to be ignored, and a major fire was lit under him on Tuesday when former executive Terry McDonough alleged Bidwell has a history of gross misconduct. McDonough is seeking arbitration from the NFL and alleges that Bidwell not only discriminated against minority employees and women, but organized a scheme to cheat ahead of the 2018 season. McDonough believes his criticism of the plan led to his demotion and his career being irreparably damaged.

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