The Linc - The Eagles’ biggest free agent loss

Mar 24, 2023 - 2:21 PM

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

2023 NFL Free Agency: Every NFL team’s biggest loss - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: DI Javon Hargrave. The Eagles had pending free agents all over their defense, so they were bound to lose some talent, but they did well to retain cornerback James Bradberry at a good value. That said, the most impactful loss was always going to be interior defender Javon Hargrave, especially as Philadelphia showed throughout 2022 they felt inadequate up front by signing multiple veterans during the season. Since 2020, Hargrave’s 92.2 pass-rush grade trails only Aaron Donald and Chris Jones among interior defenders, with his 18.8% pass-rush win rate also ranking third. There’s a reason the soon-to-be 30-year-old received a four-year, $84 million contract from a San Francisco 49ers team that already has an elite defensive line. As great as Fletcher Cox has been throughout his career, and even after the team traded up for Jordan Davis in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, interior defensive line may arguably be the biggest need for Philadelphia going forward.

Ezekiel Elliott reportedly wants to play for the Eagles?! [UPDATE] - BGN
And so perhaps the Eagles feel the need to add another option who is able to handle a high volume of carries. Zeke has certainly proven himself capable in that regard as the NFL’s active leader in career touches with 2,186. Only 45 players in league history have logged more touches than he has to this point. Such a big workload has clearly taken a toll, though. Elliott posted a career-worst yards per carry mark last year with just 3.8. His receiving volume and efficiency have consistently worsened every year since 2018. It’s fair to wonder what he really has left in the tank. But maybe the Eagles feel like he’s worth signing at a low cost. One area where Elliott does still provide value is in short-yardage situations. He logged 12 rushing touchdowns last year and has 40 total in that category since 2018. Leaning on Zeke more could lessen the load on Jalen Hurts when it comes to quarterback sneaks and such. Eagles fans are certainly familiar with his ability to consistently fall forward as a power runner. They are also familiar with how signing former Cowboys players typically hasn’t worked out for Philly. Just because it hasn’t in the past doesn’t necessarily doom future moves to the same fate. But it’s hard not to think about the last time the Eagles signed a former high-profile Dallas running back in DeMarco Murray. Gross.

Ezekiel Elliott’s three-team wish list may not be mutual - PFT
Per a league source with knowledge of the situation, Elliott isn’t currently weighing contract offers from the Jets, Bengals, and Eagles. In fact, he may have offers at this point from none of them. And he may never get an offer from any of them. This is simply the list of teams he wants to play for.

More Eagles free agency analysis + CJGJ departure fallout - BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski discuss the latest Eagles free agent comings and goings, including C.J. Gardner-Johnson departure from Philadelphia. Did the Birds make a mistake? Who are they going to start at safety next season? All that and much more in this week’s episode. Interact with us on Twitter: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com.

2023 Cowboys rumors: Ezekiel Elliott’s list of preferred teams includes the Philadelphia Eagles - Blogging The Boys
You would be hard-pressed to find a Cowboys fan who would not acknowledge that Ezekiel Elliott’s performance had dipped in recent seasons, but the thought of him having a career resurgence while playing for the Eagles is a difficult one to take. Obviously the idea of Zeke heading to Philly generates memories of DeMarco Murray doing the same, as a highly-coveted free agent in 2015, which ultimately did not work out the way that Chip Kelly envisioned. For what it’s worth the Cincinnati Bengals and New York Jets are both also listed here as teams on Zeke’s list. Elliott starred at The Ohio State University so Cincinnati makes some natural sense and the Jets have been connected to a lot of players with the Aaron Rodgers rumors continuing to swirl. It goes without saying that Dallas would see Elliott twice a season if he wound up with Philadelphia, but do not forget that the Cowboys also host the Jets in 2023 so that is a possibility as well.

Busy Day - Iggles Blitz
That tweet by Schefter was deceiving. It made everyone think those teams were talking to him. Apparently that’s not the case. Schefter does favors for agents and that tweet was certainly one of them. His agent is trying to create a market for Zeke’s services, especially with teams that Zeke wants to go to. There haven’t been any reports about teams talking to him prior to today. This isn’t an ideal time to be a RB, especially a veteran RB. From an Eagles perspective, Zeke would make some sense, but only at the right price. He’s no longer the guy you build the offense around. He is a good short yardage and goal line runner. Those are critical situations and having someone like Zeke in them would be good. He is a good pass blocker and effective receiver. He’s durable. Zeke has started at least 14 games for five straight years. He’s never had less than 250 touches, which is good and bad. That’s good because it shows how dependable he is. At the same time, you wonder if he would accept more of a role player situation. And paycheck. Probably nothing comes of this, but made for some interesting speculation.

NFC East 2023 free agency grades: Dallas Cowboys edition - PhillyVoice
The Cowboys have had a really nice start to their offseason, as the trades for Gilmore and Cooks eliminated two obvious, glaring needs on their roster with proven vets who both should have some juice left in the tank. They were also able to retain their most important free agents, notably Pollard, Wilson, and Fowler, who were all positive contributors in 2022. But unlike in previous offseasons, they did a much better job of properly rating their own players, opting to let Schultz, Elliott, McGovern, and Brown walk in free agency. If I were to have one quibble, it would be that they didn’t seek to upgrade their No. 2 quarterback situation, as there were plenty of decent options available and the backup quarterback market was very reasonable. Overall, the Cowboys still have work to do to become more talented than either the Eagles or 49ers, but their start to free agency kind of felt like a drive down the middle of the fairway. Grade: A-

Did Howie Roseman bring back too many old guys? - NBCSP
But the reality is they’re all well older than the league average at their position. Even Bradberry, who turns 30 this summer. Only seven of 70 cornerbacks who were targeted at least 50 times last year were in their 30s. Bradberry was 8th-oldest, Slay was 3rd-oldest. And that was last year. Cornerback is a young man’s game. And they’re not young men. Kelce hasn’t shown any sign of dropping off, but he’s the oldest center in football. Depending what happens with Calais Campbell, Brandon Graham will be either the oldest or 2nd-oldest edge rusher in football. Cox projects as the 2nd-oldest regular interior lineman, behind Cameron Heyward (who’s a year older than Cox but has made three Pro Bowls since Cox made his last one). Lane Johnson obviously wasn’t a free agent, but right now he’s the 3rd-oldest starting offensive tackle in the league. If all these guys play the way they did last year, the Eagles will be fine. But they’re all at an age where the inevitable decline is probably coming soon. With Slay, we may have already seen that process begin. With Cox, we certainly have.

The fastest-growing sport in Pennsylvania? Girls flag football - PE.com
Amidst the excitement of Super Bowl LVII, a commercial starring the captain of Mexico’s National Flag Football Team, Diana Flores, rolled on screens across the globe. The World Flag Football Championship MVP artfully dodged NFL stars, FOX’s Erin Andrews – and even her own mother, captivating viewers with her impressive football aptitude. The advertisement showcased the sport in front of a worldwide audience, signaling its rapid growth. Springtime is the “offseason” for the NFL, but for a swiftly growing contingent of young female high school athletes across the Philadelphia area and beyond, the changing of the seasons marks the arrival of their turn to get on the gridiron. Flag football season in the city is on the horizon, and the Eagles are committed to guiding it toward becoming a state-sanctioned high school sport in Pennsylvania. On Saturday at the NovaCare Complex, the Eagles kicked off this season’s action, hosting the second annual Girls Flag Football Jamboree presented by NovaCare Rehabilitation for 48 local Girls Flag Football teams across Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

Giants Lead 2022 DVOA Overachievers - Football Outsiders
The Giants were a little bit fortunate to make the postseason last year. They finished with 9.5 wins, but only had 8.3 Pythagorean wins. Flip any of their eight one-score victories to a loss and the Giants are sitting at home in January. They were a below-average team with above-average luck who parlayed that into a minor postseason run against a team who deserved to be there even less than they did. And all of that is fantastic, considering that by our numbers, the Giants were supposed to be the worst team in the league by a substantial margin. We projected them with a -18.2% DVOA; the next-worst team was Carolina at -10.6%. We had New York ranked 32nd in defense and 31st in offense. We gave them a 13.2% chance to make the postseason; the next-lowest mark was the Falcons at 25.6%. Four of us picked the Giants to use the first pick in the draft in our staff predictions. There was zero faith in them to do anything of note. That’s not to say we had nothing positive to say about New York. The Almanac praised the hiring of Brian Daboll and Joe Schoen, not just from a “something had to change” perspective, but in terms of being the right people to dig the Giants out of the massive hole left behind from the Dave Gettleman regime. We praised Schoen for jettisoning the flotsam of the Gettleman era, saying he was trying to avoid “humiliation in 2022 while preserving flexibility in 2023.” We praised Daboll for buying in and immediately improving the culture of the locker room. We just figured it would take a couple of years to actually see improvements on the field.

New York Giants sign WR Jamison Crowder, CB Amani Oruwariye and TE Tommy Sweeney - Big Blue View
Crowder is an eight-year veteran who was a fifth-round pick by the Washington Redskins in 2015. In 100 regular-season games (51 starts) Crowder has 415 receptions for 4,667 yards and 28 receiving touchdowns. Crowder, who will be 30 in June, played only four games for the Buffalo Bills last season due to an ankle injury. The Giants have already added Parris Campbell and Jeff Smith to their receiving corps in free agency, and brought back Darius Slayton. Smith profiles as primarily a special teams player, but Campbell and Slayton could be primary receivers. Crowder brings punt return experience, averaging 8.2 yards per return on 95 returns over his eight seasons. Considering that the Giants do not appear interested in re-signing Richie James, their primary punt returner in 2022, that could be the biggest reason for adding Crowder. The Giants reportedly had dinner earlier this week with Ohio State wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and are supposed to have dinner Thursday evening with Zay Flowers of Boston College. So, perhaps even after the Crowder signing they will remain in the wide receiver market in the draft.

Washington Commanders Free Agency: Trent Scott is the second offensive tackle signed - Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders have been quiet in free agency since hosting LB Anthony Walker on a free agent visit(he re-signed with the Browns shortly after). They have less than $3 million in cap space, and haven’t used any of their available options to open up more cap space. Washington signed two offensive linemen during the first wave of free agency, and have now added another lineman for depth. The Commanders announced the signing of OT Trent Scott who spent last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, He was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent out of Grambling State in 2018. Scott spent two seasons in LA, but he was cut before the 2020 season started. The Panthers claimed him off waivers, and he was in the mix for left tackle there, starting four games there during his first season in Carolina. Scott barely played in Pittsburgh last year, only getting one start in the final week vs the Browns. He has played both LT, RT, and RG during his 5 year NFL career, and started 20 of the 61 games he appeared

Why Christian Gonzalez is the best cornerback in the 2023 NFL Draft - SB Nation
Quarterbacks tend to move the needle when it comes to discussing the NFL, particularly when it comes to the NFL draft. While last year was somewhat of an exception to this rule, given that Kenny Pickett was the only quarterback to come off the board in the first round — and the first two rounds at that — the 2023 NFL Draft is shaping up to be a return to this norm. Three quarterbacks (C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson, and Bryce Young) are expected to come off the board within the first five selections, with Will Levis likely joining them inside the top ten. But while the passers might shape the first five picks in the draft, cornerbacks could shape the entire first round. According to NFLMockDraftDatabase, six cornerbacks are consistently placed in the first round of mock drafts right now, and while mock drafts are just one data point, Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN recently called this cornerback class one of the deepest in the draft.

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