The Linc – Eagles have one of the biggest roster holes in the NFL
6 min read
By: Brandon Lee Gowton
Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 6/29/21.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
The NFL’s most vulnerable spots: 16 teams that have depth issues behind their stars, including the Cowboys, Titans, Bucs – ESPN
Darius Slay, CB, Philadelphia Eagles. Next up: Michael Jacquet, Zech McPhearson, Kevon Seymour. Cornerback is a little different since a team will use two or three corners on any given snap, but let’s stick in the NFC East and look at a team that got what it wanted and might end up regretting it. After years of skimping on cornerbacks and emphasizing depth over top-level talent, the Eagles went out to get the No. 1 corner that fans had been clamoring for last offseason and traded for Slay, who signed a three-year extension in the process. Slay was inconsistent in his first season with the Eagles, who fell apart around the talented corner. Now, in part because of how much it’s paying Slay, this team is perilously thin at corner. Hybrid defender Avonte Maddox might start in the slot, but the depth chart at cornerback around Slay is one of the weakest in the league. The Eagles are looking at replacement-level corners, practice-squad guys and rookie fourth-round pick McPhearson to compete for jobs on the outside. Good corners can come out of nowhere sometimes, but teams don’t want to be counting on stumbling upon a useful player before the season even begins. If Slay is a shutdown corner in his second campaign in Philly, new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon will have to worry about one side of the field on every snap. If Slay isn’t impressive or gets hurt, there might be no place for these corners to hide, particularly a division with wideouts such as Amari Cooper, Kenny Golladay, and Terry McLaurin.
Biggest concerns about the Eagles – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski run through their biggest concerns about the upcoming Eagles season. BLG focuses more on long-term ramifications while Jimmy touches on the short-term issues raised in his annual Dumpster Fire series. To balance things out, the guys will get to the top reasons to be excited about the Eagles in their next episode. Other show topics this week include: the (delayed) return of kelly green, Ben Simmons-Carson Wentz comparisons, and more!
5 Eagles breakout candidates in 2021 – PhillyVoice
I’m kind of running out of breakout candidates here, so I guess we’ll go with Andre Dillard to hedge against my Mailata praise above? ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (Watch Jack Driscoll come out of nowhere to start at LT.) Dillard has to figure out a way to anchor against power. Otherwise, he’s simply not going to make it in the NFL. That said, if he can iron out that major deficiency in his game, he has outstanding athleticism for the position, and the coaching staff Howie Roseman is going to give him every opportunity to beat out Mailata for the starting LT job. Dillard has that first-round pedigree, but I’m sort of in the “I’ll believe it when I see it” camp.
Jalen Hurts – Iggles Blitz
Simms is welcome to his opinion. Six months from now we’ll know if Simms was right or wrong. I tend to think Hurts will play well enough to crack the Top 40. I just don’t know if he’ll get to the Top 20. And that’s what the Eagles need to see if they are going to commit to him. The team needs to see more than potential. They need more than flashes. They need Hurts to play well enough to make them believe he’s The Guy. Anything less than that and they must go get a QB. There is a lot of pressure on Hurts this year, but he’s been given a great opportunity. He’ll have a chance to show what he can do. We know Hurts is a gifted runner and it sure seems like the new staff is going to embrace that. Then they drafted DeVonta Smith to give him a special weapon. This offense has potential. There are some interesting pieces for Hurts to work with.
Jaworski can’t stop raving about DeVonta Smith – NBCSP
Jaws raved about Smith, the Eagles’ rookie wide receiver from Alabama. “This guy has a quick twitch that’s going to just blow people away,” he said. “You can’t touch him at the line of scrimmage. May not have the blazing top speed but, man, can he get open. And he’s tough as nails. Talk about his size, he’s literally never been hurt at Alabama. (Jaylen) Waddell was hurt more than DeVonta was, and he’s a bigger, stronger guy. You just don’t hit Smith, he’s that quick, that agile. And when he gets hit, he’s like a quarterback, he knows how to turn and avoid getting hurt. I think he’s going to be a tremendous asset. He’s a great young man. The people in this town will love him. I’m really excited about DeVonta Smith.” Jeremy Maclin was very good, but the Eagles haven’t drafted a full-blown superstar wide receiver in the first round since Mike Quick in 1982.
Ranking all 32 starting quarterbacks coming into the 2021 season: Numbers 11-22 – Blogging The Boys
22. Carson Wentz, Indianapolis Colts. You could make an argument that Carson Wentz was the biggest disappointment in football last season. There’s no denying Wentz underachieved severely, but there were a multitude of reasons for this. Wentz was sacked the second most times in football (50) despite playing in just 12 games. When he was protected and had a clean pocket, he was much better. He had a 76.1 PFF offensive grade when throwing from a clean pocket. Wentz getting out of Philly might be the best thing to ever happen to him. He’ll be reunited with his former OC Frank Reich, and will be in a much more stable organization. With a pretty talented roster around him, we’ll see a much better version of Carson Wentz in 2021.
The 5 O’Clock Club: The 2021 quarterback position is a Rorschach test for WFT fans – Hogs Haven
Some will look at this collection of quarterback group and see a quarterback room brimming with talent and potential; they will see a deep position that can withstand the rigors of a 17-game NFL season with its ups and downs and attendant injuries. Others will look at the same group and see lack of draft pedigree, lack of achievement, and limited physical gifts. These observers will see a room filled with career backups and journeymen; a room filled with low ceilings and lack of star power. A group of losers. There’s an argument that the quarterbacks that Washington has on the roster are ‘good enough’ because they come at the right price (i.e. cheap), and all they have to do is play mistake-free football and let the defense win the game. Questions still exist even with this view. Can Ryan Fitzpatrick play mistake-free football? Is it in his DNA to be a risk-taker? Do you have to accept his “Mr. Hyde” in order to benefit from the genius of his “Dr. Jekyll”?
NFL says: ‘Football is gay. Football is queer. Football is accepting.’ – Outsports
The NFL has released a video on TV and online that unequivocally embraces the LGBTQ community, stating that football is gay, lesbian, queer, transgender, beautiful and other descriptors. You can watch the video here. The NFL told Outsports that its intention with the “Football is for everyone” video is to send a strong message of acceptance from the league to fans and players. The video is a direct response to the coming out of Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib, Outsports was told by league spokesperson Samantha Roth. “I am proud of the clear message this spot sends to the NFL’s LGBTQ+ fans: This game is unquestionably for you,” NFL diversity director Sam Rapoport told Outsports. “I will be playing its first line over and over in my head all season.”
Monday Football Monday #43: Which 2018 QBs deserve new contracts? – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Justis Mosqueda look at which of the QBs drafted in the first round of 2018 deserve big money contracts from their current teams – and when.
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