Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/18/24.

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The Seven Most Important Takeaways From the First Week of NFL Free Agency - The Ringer
6. The Philadelphia Eagles are set up for a boom-or-bust 2024. It’s been an offseason of change in Philadelphia, and few coaches have more riding on the upcoming season than Nick Sirianni. Following last year’s epic collapse down the stretch, owner Jeffrey Lurie decided to retain Sirianni, but the team brought in new coordinators in Kellen Moore (offense) and Vic Fangio (defense). General manager Howie Roseman has had a busy offseason. The Eagles signed running back Saquon Barkley, edge defender Bryce Huff, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and linebacker Devin White. They also traded for former Steelers first-round pick quarterback Kenny Pickett to back up Jalen Hurts. So where do all those moves leave the Eagles? I see this thing going one of two ways, which I’ll outline in the form of fan fiction. If you are an Eagles fan, read here: Playing in one of the most running back–friendly offenses in the NFL, Barkley totals more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage, and the Eagles look like a juggernaut. There’s just too much for opposing defenses to account for. Some teams try to stop the run, and Hurts torches them with throws to A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith on the outside. Other defenses opt to play with two deep safeties, and Hurts and Barkley run all over them.

NFL Mock Draft 2024: Eagles 7-round simulation, Version 8.0 - BGN
Round 1, Pick 22 - Terrion Arnold, Cornerback, Alabama. The Eagles not addressing cornerback (yet) through free agency makes it a great need. With James Bradberry’s step back in 2023, Darius Slay’s age, and the release of Avonte Maddox; the Eagles have a clear need at cornerback. Even with Kelee Ringo waiting in the wings, this is too talented a cornerback class for the Eagles to pass up on. Arnold has the size, speed, and ball hawking skills to be an outside cornerback in the Eagles defense and could contribute sooner than later.

Eagles free agency analysis: Defense version - BGN Radio
After first breaking down the Eagles’ offensive free agency moves in BGN Radio 385, Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski are back to take stock of the defense. The guys discuss Bryce Huff, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Zack Baun, and much more! Watch this episode! Subscribe to Bleeding Green Nation’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/BleedingGreenNationSBN. Interact with us on social media: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Check out Wrong Crowd Beer Company: wrongcrowdbeer.com! (21 or older, please enjoy responsibly). Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com. Buying, selling, or renting a house? Contact Kristin Roach at RoachRealtors.com.

Eagles-only 2024 mock draft, version 3.0, post free agency edition - PhillyVoice
DeJean can play outside corner, slot corner, safety, or linebacker. He was also one of the best punt returners in college football, and he’s an outstanding gunner. He is simply a ridiculous athlete and football player. In 2022, DeJean had 75 tackles, 5 INTs (3 pick-sixes), and 8 pass breakups. DeJean would have been unlikely to be available at 22 had he not broken his leg and missed most of the pre-draft process, but because of the injury he could slide. He is an extraordinarily versatile and talented player who the Eagles can plug in wherever they see fit.

An Interesting Trend - Iggles Blitz
We don’t know anything for a fact, but it sure looks like the Eagles made a concerted effort to get younger. The only players above the age of 30 are slated to be role players. [...] Cox and Kelce are all-time great Eagles. The others were band-aids trying to help the team win. That didn’t work. Veteran players can have real value, but football is a young man’s game (despite what George Allen might say). The Chiefs won the Super Bowl while playing a lot of young players. We saw the Rams get to the playoffs with a young roster. The Texans won the AFC South with a young team. The Eagles aren’t in rebuiling mode. They have a strong core. They needed to add talent around that core to get back to being one of the best teams in the league. The Eagles adding players in their prime means the team is looking at a 2 to 3-year window and not just 2024. That’s important. Think about all the young talent already in place. Jalen Hurts, AJ Brown, DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Jordan Mailata and Jalen Carter are all Pro Bowl type players and in their mid-20’s. Now think about the guys who are joining them.

Judging overreactions to 2024 NFL free agency deals, trades - ESPN+
Barkley cleaned up, don’t get me wrong. From what I’m told, the Texans were offering eight figures per year (and no state income tax) and the Eagles had to go to $13 million annually if they wanted him. His deal is a massive win on a level we really haven’t seen for a running back since Christian McCaffrey and Ezekiel Elliott were signing extensions in Carolina and Dallas a few years ago.

Why didn’t Eagles trade for Justin Fields instead of Kenny Pickett? - PFT
On Friday, the Steelers surprised many by trading quarterback Kenny Pickett to the Eagles. On Saturday, the Bears surprised everyone by trading quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers. In the aftermath of the two moves, here’s a question. Why didn’t the Eagles trade for Fields instead of Pickett? Fields better fits the offense than Pickett, unless the Philly offense will be dramatically changing. Fields would be a better backup to starter Jalen Hurts. Here’s a point Chris Simms raised on Monday’s PFT Live. The Eagles might have been concerned that some in Philly would conclude Fields is better than Hurts.

Evaluation of the 2024 Compensatory Picks Projection - Over The Cap
Highlighted in yellow, there were 3 comp picks I got the correct team to, but was off by one round due to a minor miss on the round cutoffs. I again overestimated the total number of leaguewide players. I had used 1,965 for the number in the projection, but to make these comp picks line up, the number needed to have been closer to about 1,846. This downgraded two 5th rounders to the 6th round (the Rams for Baker Mayfield going to Tampa Bay, and the Eagles for TJ Edwards going to Chicago) and a 6th rounder to a 7th rounder (the Rams again for Nick Scott going to Cincinnati).

Cowboys, Dak Prescott create $4M in team salary cap space by adding two void years to contract - Blogging The Boys
But that this was the chosen route also suggests that there is no extension coming in the immediate future as has been reported for a while. This is admittedly an assumption but if it were imminent then there would be no real reason to execute this specific move right now. Dallas adding the void years that tie (in a literal sense) Prescott to their team through 2028 suggest that they have some potential plans of having him under contract then, but reading into this beyond that right now feels hard to do. 2Perhaps the Dak extension will come later on in the year closer to training camp as has been expected and reported by various people. In the meantime it is good to see the two parties working together.

NFL free agency grades: How analysts think the New York Giants have done - Big Blue View
ESPN gave the Giants an ‘A’ for the Brian Burns trade. The Giants’ defensive line now features Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence II. In an NFC East that once again seems wide open, the Giants have a legitimate strength on one side of the ball. Defensive end is arguably the second-most important position in football, and while the Giants gave up draft assets and spent big on Burns, having to pay a good pass-rusher is a good problem to have. We saw the same thing play out with the Bears at last season’s deadline when they dealt for Montez Sweat and immediately gave him a big contract. It’s much better than not having a premier player at the edge position.

Flight of Fancy: Could Adam Peters and company pull off the draft trade of the century? - Hogs Haven
If Adam Peters were to orchestrate a series of trades along these lines, Washington would position itself incredibly for the future, securing: The ability to take a top four quarterback in the draft (JJ McCarthy?). An additional first round pick in 2024 (#23). An additional first round pick in 2025 from the Vikings, who aren’t likely to be very good next year. Yes, the team would lose a second (and perhaps third) round pick this year, but those are easily offset by the addition of the firsts. Could something like this come to fruition? Would it be good for Washington if it did? I’m sure there will be some strong opinions on those questions in the comments.

Anthony Black and Gradey Dick gave NBA fans the jersey swap meme they were craving - SB Nation
The only thing Gradey Dick seems to enjoy more than playing basketball is having the last name “Dick.” On Sunday night he teamed up with Anthony Black of the Magic to prove that it’s not the size of the jersey that matters, but how you use it.

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