Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/8/23.

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

Peter King’s Offseason Power Rankings; Carolina and Green Bay’s QB Strategies - FMIA
1) Can’t find a weakness. Philadelphia. The Eagles averaged 34.7 points per game in the playoffs, have adequately compensated for losses of both coordinators, are not worse at any position (amazing on the defensive line, considering they had a 69-sack year last year and lost Javon Hargrave), have an offensive line that should keep upright a rising superstar QB-of-the-future at the top of his game, and will field two top-15 NFL wideouts entering their age-25 (DeVonta Smith) and age-26 (A.J. Brown) seasons. [...] 4. I think the Eagles/Cards dispute over Arizona GM Monti Ossenfort talking to then-coaching candidate Jonathan Gannon disappeared quietly with an odd trade of draft choices 10 minutes before the start of the draft. Very odd. There’s an offshoot to it. The Eagles were angry that Gannon was talking to a team during a period not allowed by the league. But the whole system is rife with chances to cheat. I’d be shocked if he were the only one in this year or any year that violated the time period when assistants are allowed to discuss jobs with other teams.

2024 NFL Mock Draft - BGN
Philadelphia Eagles - Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin: The Eagles have three running backs set to be free agents after the 2023 season. Is it the year Howie Roseman finally pulls the trigger on a back in the first round? Allen is a big, athletic runner that would be a monstrous combination with Jalen Hurts in the Eagles backfield.

UDFA Update - Iggles Blitz
WR Jadon Haselwood – Arkansas – 6-2, 215. Interesting prospect who could push for a roster spot. Played at Oklahoma in an Air Raid offense until he transferred to Arkansas and played in their run-based offense. Led OU in receiving in 2021 and Arkanas in 2022. Beyond the numbers, has value because of his versatility. Can play in the slot or outside. Sometimes would line up in the backfield and either take a hand-off or go out on a route. Caught 121 career passes. Ran 4.55 at his Pro Day, which is solid for his size, but you don’t see that speed on tape. More quick than fast. Had a 3-cone time of 6.98 and you do see that quickness and agility. Those are important traits for someone who lives in the slot. Haselwood has good RAC ability. Can be elusive and get by the initial defender. Just lacks the burst to create big plays. More of a chain-mover than playmaker. Showed signs of physicality in college, but he’s an inconsistent blocker and doesn’t seek out contact. If you’re looking for Zach Pascal, the ability is there, but will need to play with an edge more consistently. Could push for a roster spot if he’ll embrace blocking and playing on STs.

2023 NFL Draft: Ten rookies in the best situations to succeed in Year 1 and beyond - NFL.com
3) Jalen Carter. Carter joins Georgia North, a perfect landing spot for a prospect whose character concerns clouded his pre-draft process. Carter is an elite talent who has the opportunity to continue developing around a bunch of familiar faces. Also, playing alongside — and most importantly, learning from — highly respected veterans like Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham is a godsend for the 22-year-old. The immense talent across Philadelphia’s roster will allow Carter to adjust to the NFL at his own pace in a great environment.

Roob’s Observations: Is Carter’s conditioning cause for concern? - NBCSP
1. You don’t draft a guy No. 9 overall to be a part-time player. You don’t draft a guy No. 9 overall to be a situational player or role player. You draft him to be a star, and Jalen Carter has to be in great shape to be a star. I understand being alarmed at how out of shape he was at his pro day and by Nick Sirianni’s admission – which I don’t entirely believe – that practice was “cut down” because none of the rookies were in good enough shape to get through a full rookie practice. What’s important isn’t Carter’s fitness level on May 5, it’s his fitness level on Sept. 10. The Eagles don’t play a game for four months, and one thing we’ve learned over the last three years is that their player performance staff – led by Ted Rath – is the best in the NFL. They will get you healthy. They will get you in shape. They will prepare you to play football at your maximum capability and then they will keep you there. Now, Carter has to put in the work. He has to want to put in the work. But he’s got every tool at his disposal to arrive at opening day as the one-man wrecking crew the Eagles envision.

Key intel on all 32 teams after the 2023 NFL draft: Buzz, fits, needs - ESPN+
A big part of the Eagles’ draft was the acquisition of Lions running back D’Andre Swift for a fourth-round pick and a swap of seventh-rounders, and the expectation is Swift will upgrade the Eagles’ backfield receiving game. Swift is a slick route-runner with 156 catches the past three years. Throwing to backs hasn’t been Philly’s game; no Eagles tailback had more than 29 targets a year ago. Expect that to change. The Eagles could try to do a short-term extension with Swift, too, though the player appears set to hit 2024 free agency. He has missed at least three games in each of his first three seasons and will be seeking a fully healthy campaign.

Zach Ertz says he was nearly traded to the Bills in 2021 - PFT
I was getting traded out of Philadelphia,” Ertz said. “There were a couple teams extremely interested, Buffalo being one of them. It was almost a done deal, but it just didn’t get over the finish line.” Ertz said that someone on Philly’s side of the equation nixed the deal with Buffalo. Ertz wouldn’t disclose the person who put on the kibosh on the trade. The Eagles ultimately sent Ertz to the Cardinals for a fifth-round pick and cornerback Tay Gowan.

5 questions about the Cowboys draft that could determine its long-term success - Blogging The Boys
2. Will Maxi Smith develop some pass-rush moves? We know Smith is a mountain of man, and his primary role will be to help stop the run, something the Cowboys have not been very good at recently. It feels like this is something he will accomplish right away. But the Cowboys invested a first-round pick in him, and they are surely hoping he will develop a pass rush at some point. That is what will set him apart from other defensive tackles who just stop the run then come off the field in any passing situation. The Cowboys are betting that his strength and athleticism will eventually give way to some pass rushing skills.

Giants’ rookie RB Eric Gray credits DeMarco Murray with preparing him for NFL - Big Blue View
Some rookies come into the NFL wide-eyed and not really knowing what to expect. That should not be the case for New York Giants’ fifth-round pick Eric Gray. For the past two seasons, Gray worked at Oklahoma under the tutelage of DeMarco Murray, a three-time Pro Bowl running back. After a seven-year career with the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans that saw him gain more than 1,000 yards rushing three times, Murray is now Oklahoma’s running backs coach. “DeMarco was a big important piece for me and kind of the reason I went to Oklahoma. I feel like him playing the game at a high level, he could teach me a lot about being a pro in this league, what it takes to be a pro, what I need to do to get better to get to this level,” Gray said during the Giants’ recently concluded rookie mini-camp. “The most important thing I took from him is just being a pro every single day, no matter what’s going on. Everybody has something going on, and you have to be on your P’s and Q’s every single day.”

The 5 O’Clock Club: What can we expect from Terry McLaurin in 2023? - Hogs Haven
In June last year, I published an article in which I projected offensive production for the Commanders’ offensive skill players. In that article, I projected Terry McLaurin to have 1,200 receiving yards and 5 TDs. I got the TDs exactly right, but missed the yardage total by 9 yards. With Eric Bieniemy taking over at offensive coordinator and Sam Howell at quarterback, I am going back to the same well. Last year, I predicted that the Commanders offense would rush for 1,840 yards and pass for another 4,080. The actual numbers were 1,926 (close) and 3,220 (far short of the mark). This season, I expect the rushing numbers to be pretty similar to last season — I’m predicting about 1,900 rushing yards. I’m going with 3,900 passing yards, a bit lower than my previous projection, but considerably higher than what Scott Turner’s offense actually produced. Both numbers are well in line with what Eric Bieniemy’s Kansas City offense has produced over the past three seasons. Last year, Terry accounted for about 36.6% of the offensive passing yards. That seems like a good number. Applying that to my projected total passing yards gives me a 2023 projection for Terry of 1,425 receiving yards. And I’m gonna increase his TD projection to 6 for this season.

Jim Irsay is ready to take down the Commanders if they tampered with Andrew Luck - SB Nation
This might seem like the most benign tampering imaginable, because coaxing Luck out of retirement is a non-starter — but Irsay has an ax to grind with Dan Snyder. The Colts owner led the charge to get Snyder ousted as owner, a move that appears to have worked with the Commanders nearing a sale after months of angst. Still, there are holdups. A group led by 76ers owner Josh Harris has hit some bumps, with concerns the group doesn’t have the funds to clear the NFL’s $1.1B debt threshold required to purchase the team outright. These issues could very well clear up, and signs point to the deal being finalized — but this tampering charge could very well be Irsay’s own Sword of Damocles, to hang over the head of Snyder if the team isn’t sold. It’s up to the NFL to investigate, but it’s entirely possible that if the Commanders did have contact with Andrew Luck they could be heavily penalized. We’ve seen recently with the Dolphins that the league takes player tampering very seriously, as Miami lost their first round pick in 2023 due to improper contact with Tom Brady. This is going to be interesting to watch, because Irsay would love nothing more than hitting Snyder with one final parting gift on his way out the door.

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