Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/12/24.

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2024 NFL free agency winners, losers: Barkley, Eagles, Panthers, Vikings - ESPN+
If Saquon Barkley is going to get significant work in the passing game, it’s going to come as a result of an increase in pace and/or by taking work away from the team’s three top receivers, all of whom are more efficient than the former Giants standout. Brown has already exhibited a habit of complaining about not seeing the ball frequently enough; it’s tough to see the Eagles keeping everyone fed on a week-by-week basis, although injuries might inevitably narrow that issue as the season goes along. Barkley’s struggles staying healthy also make this risky for Philadelphia. He endured lost seasons in 2020 and 2021 because of ankle and knee injuries, issues that seemingly sapped his explosiveness. He got back on track in 2022 but missed a month in 2023 with another high ankle sprain. Every free agent comes with injury risk, but when a team is paying for what amounts to a top-of-the-line talent at any position, it’s pricing in an expectation that the player will be healthy for the full season. I’m inclined to think the people seeing this move and expecting Barkley to become the transformative player McCaffrey has been for the 49ers are probably wrong. Barkley’s skill set is as close to McCaffrey’s as just about anybody else, but he has never been that caliber of receiver. That’s the absolute best-case scenario for this deal, and it’s really the only way the Eagles could realize surplus value given how successful they’ve been at finding useful backs at much cheaper prices. With that being said, the most likely scenario is the deal doesn’t move the needle. Barkley will probably be an efficient runner, producing impressive totals on the ground. He likely won’t make as much of an impact as a receiver as people are hoping and could miss time in each of the next two years without being absent for long stretches. That’s likely not the most efficient use of $12.5 million for the Eagles, but it’s also not likely to sink them, either.

Saquon Barkley, Eagles agree to contract - BGN
Barkley was the lead running back for the Giants over the six years he played for New York, and was easily one of the best in the league. He’s had three 1,000-plus seasons — and in 2023, was less than 50 yards away from adding a 4th season to that record — and two Pro Bowl years. The RB has dealt with his share of injuries throughout his career, notably a few ankle issues and tearing his ACL in 2020. He missed a couple games in 2023 due to a Grade 2 ankle sprain, but returned in Week 6 and played the rest of the season. This move certainly helps ease the loss of D’Andre Swift, and brings a featured back to the running back room. This is the first time in Roseman’s career that he’s signed a free agent RB to a big, multi-year deal.

NFL free agency instant grades for every major signing of 2024 offseason - SB Nation
Saquon Barkley to the Philadelphia Eagles on a three-year, $37.75 million deal: B+. I get the idea and trend of not paying RBs who have a lot of wear and tear, but this is a good fit for both Barkley and the Eagles. Saquon is a much better runner than anyone the Eagles have had in that spot, and with Kellen Moore coming over from Los Angeles, getting a back with good vision and explosiveness will unlock everything else in the offense. Yes, the deal seems like a lot of money, but the average per year puts him in the echelon of RBs he deserves.

Go Birds: Saquon Barkley Agrees To Deal With Eagles - Black Shoe Diaries
Of course, the Eagles will have to show *some* commitment to the run this season with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. And even beyond the run game, find innovative ways to get Saquon the ball in the passing game. But man, as an Eagles fan, I couldn’t be more excited to see Saquon in Philly. You can be sure me — and literally millions of others — will be waiting to buy a Barkley “Kelly Green” Birds jersey.

Three reasons Saquon Barkley could have an immense impact on Eagles’ offense - The Athletic
2. Barkley can produce more explosive plays. Only two other running backs have recorded more plays of 20-plus yards than Barkley (22) since 2022: Christian McCaffrey (31) and Derrick Henry (23). Five other running backs have logged more plays of 10-plus yards than Barkley (72) in the same span. Swift and Sanders (52) tied for 23rd among running backs in the latter category. Sirianni defines explosive plays as runs of 10-plus yards and passes of 16-plus yards. The Eagles finished 16th with 130 such plays in 2023. Barkley, an elusive rusher who also aptly finds space as a receiver, can help boost those totals. His 134 air yards as a receiver in 2023 ranked third among all running backs, according to TruMedia. His 2.91 yards after contact per rush ranked 23rd.

2024 NFL Free Agency Live Grades: Signings, trades and latest transactions - PFF
This is a shocker. The Philadelphia Eagles not only spend at the top of the market for a running back here, but they also poach a former No. 2 overall pick of the New York Giants. There is probably an element to the running back market today that suggests teams may finally feel we’ve hit the inflection point of the market contraction for the position, but there also may not be a running back selected in the top 50 draft picks based on these contracts. Jalen Hurts and Barkley will be a dynamic duo in the zone-read game, and Barkley can be a pass-catching weapon, which Philadelphia could stand to add, as well as an improved pass blocker.

Six Takeaways From a Wild Start to NFL Free Agency - The Ringer
3. Guaranteed money is hard to come by. It’s surprising that Barkley even got as much guaranteed money as he did, but the structure of the deal will still likely allow the Eagles to move off of Barkley after the 2025 season.

Happy Valley - Iggles Blitz
That speed is something the Eagles haven’t had in a while. Miles Sanders could break off big runs, but he didn’t have Barkley’s power, elusiveness or pass-catching ability. Watching Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson cave in their side of the defense and then seeing Barkley explode up the field will be a thing of beauty. I like the risk of adding Barkley. If he pans out, the Eagles offense will be absolutely loaded. If he doesn’t work out as expected, he will still be good. He just will be overpaid. With the extra cap room teams got this year, why not take a chance with some of that money? There is also the Penn State factor. I’ve been a PSU fan for more than 40 years. I’ve been waiting for a PSU star to come to Philly. Sanders gave us a taste of that, but he was a highly frustrating player. Barkley was a star in Happy Valley and could be a star in the Delaware Valley. I’m excited to see how this pans out.

Jets lose defensive end Bryce Huff to Philadelphia Eagles in free agency - Gang Green Nation
Huff did nothing but produce during his time with the Jets, but the front office and coaching staff never seemed to want to do much with him. Prior to the 2022 season, the Jets signed free agent Jacob Martin from Houston to take Huff’s role as a situational pass rusher. Huff ended up producing at such a high rate that Martin was deemed expendable and traded to Houston. Despite producing top of the league pressure rates in his situational role, the Jets refused to give Huff regular snaps until the 2023 season. He responded by recording 10 sacks despite playing in less than half the team’s defensive snaps. All the data we have suggests that Huff is an extremely productive, ascending player who has been underutilized. The Jets just didn’t seem very interested in him, though. A month ago reports suggested the Jets had not so much as made Huff an offer. The handling of Huff feels to me like a series of mishandled internal evaluations by the Jets.

Why the Saints should re-sign Zack Baun - Canal Street Chronicles
One of those players is linebacker Zack Baun, who is in his first stint of free agency since being drafted by the Saints in 2020. He was primarily a special teams player, but in 2023 he started to improve his game. The biggest reason why that I can think of is that they’ve begun using him like he was used in college, making him more comfortable. It also didn’t hurt that he was in his fourth year in the NFL at that point, meaning he was more used to the speed of the professional game. [BLG Note: This article is from March 8.]

Avonte Maddox taking free-agent visit with Saints - PFT
New Orleans is taking a look at a veteran defensive back. According to Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football, Avonte Maddox is taking a free-agent visit with the Saints. The Eagles released Maddox last week after he’d spent the last six seasons with the franchise. Injuries limited him to just four games in 2023 and Maddox recorded 12 total tackles with two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Report: Chicago Bears to sign D’Andre Swift - Windy City Gridiron
In 16 games in 2023, the former Philadelphia Eagles tailback rushed for a career-best 1,049 yards and five touchdowns while catching 30 balls for 214 yards and one more touchdown. Although his pass blocking isn’t known as a strength, his receiving skills make him a three-down option for the Bears.

Gardner Minshew signing with Raiders: What it all means - Silver And Black Pride
The Raiders’ hope this offseason has been to draft the quarterback of the future. That could easily still be the plan. But the Minshew move is an insurance policy if the team can’t get it done and it may be a sign that indicates the Raiders realize they will have a difficult time finding their immediate starter in this draft. They know it will be difficult to trade up for a top prospect and any of the quarterbacks available at No. 13 may not be ready to start right away.

Browns reportedly sign LB Jordan Hicks - Dawgs By Nature
Hicks spent the past two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he had 236 tackles, four sacks, six quarterback hits and six tackles for loss. Originally a third-round selection of the Philadelphia Eagles, Hicks has played in 122 games, totaling 874 tackles, 14.5 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for loss while playing for the Eagles, Arizona Cardinals and the Vikings. He served as a captain with the Vikings and called the defensive signals, and is familiar with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz after spending three seasons playing in Schwartz’ system with the Eagles.

Cowboys free agents: Tyler Biadasz joining Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders - Blogging The Boys
Dan Quinn must have really liked the Dallas Cowboys. In addition to wanting various members of the Cowboys staff upon being named the Washington Commanders head coach, it is evident that Quinn also liked the defensive roster that he was heading over the last three years. Apparently, he liked the offense as well. According to NFL Network, the Cowboys will lose center Tyler Biadasz in free agency to their division rivals, the Commanders. He joins Dorance Armstrong who is also headed to our nation’s capital.

Saquon Barkley signs with the Philadelphia Eagles — what it means for the Giants - Big Blue View
In six seasons with the Giants since being drafted No. 2 overall in 2018, Barkley gained 5,211 rushing yards. That is fourth on the franchise’s all-time list behind Tiki Barber, Rodney Hampton and Joe Morris. Barkley is also fourth on the franchise’s career list of 100-yard rushing games with 16. Barkley was the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2018 when he totaled 2,028 yards from scrimmage. That’s fourth on the franchise’s all-time list, with Barber besting that total three times. Barkley’s 91 receptions that year were an NFL record for a rookie running back. He is one of only three running backs in NFL history to surpass 2,000 total scrimmage yards as a rookie. Barkley’s career since then has been derailed by a torn ACL and a series of high ankle sprains that have caused him to miss time in four of the last five seasons, playing only two games in 2020.

Updated Commanders depth chart: taking stock after one day of the vet free agent negotiating window - Hogs Haven
RB Austin Ekeler. Ekeler’s link to the Washington coaching staff is very direct. Washington’s offensive run game coordinator, Anthony Lynn, was the head coach of the Chargers from 2017-2020. Ekeler spent his entire career (until now) with the Chargers, joining them as an undrafted rookie in 2017, when Lynn was a first-time head coach.

Monday Football Monday#174: Free agency legal tampering period - The SB Nation NFL Show
RJ Ochoa, Mark Schofield, and JP Acosta react to the first wave of NFL free agents–as the legal tampering window opens across the NFL.

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