The Linc – Darius Slay and Steven Nelson talk about the challenges of playing in Philly

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/2/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Darius Slay and Steven Nelson Talk About Being Booed by Eagles Fans – Crossing Broad
There’s a portion of Eagles fans who think Slay is soft because they view him as some sort of excuse maker, or that he has some whack mentality. He’s a guy who will go on Twitter or some YouTube show and tell you that he played a great game even though the team lost. He’ll do some trolling here and there, go back and forth with the fans occasionally. It’s not atypical athlete behavior in 2024, but it doesn’t really jive with the old school part of the fan base that thinks a veteran captain should be more like Brian Dawkins and less like Kevin Durant. Sometimes the criticism Slay receives is way over the top, and misguided, but his personality and social media presence rub some folks the wrong way. I watch this clip and hear stuff like “it’s not good for my mental health, I’m stressed out” and “these probably the only fans that got to me before” and I know they’re laughing when they say it, but isn’t it a little cringe? You’re getting booed for a reason, for instance, not being able to stop the Arizona Cardinals at home with the division on the line. What do you think the fans are gonna do, give you a standing ovation? If it’s too much for you, then go play intramurals brotha, as the great Dan Hawkins once said.

Report: Eagles release Kevin Byard to clear cap space – BGN
This news comes as no surprise whatsoever. The Eagles are clearing over $13 million in cap space with this move while creating less than $1.4 million in dead money. The Eagles acquired Byard from the Tennessee Titans prior to the NFL trade deadline this past season when they shipped out a 2024 fifth-round pick, a 2024 sixth-round pick, and Terrell Edmunds. The trade obviously didn’t work out quite as well as the Eagles would have hoped. Byard allowed a 103.3 passer rating when targeted. Aside from an end zone interception in a win over the Kansas City Chiefs, he didn’t make many memorable plays in Philly.

Eagles release Kevin Byard – Music City Miracles
There were some that criticized Ran Carthon for only getting a 5th and a 6th for Byard in October. I’d say Carthon did pretty well considering where Byard is in his career and the amount of money he was owed when he was traded. I will say that it is a little weird seeing people take victory laps over Byard’s release today on Twitter. Byard is one of the best players to ever play for this franchise and was such a great guy in the community. He will be in the Titans Ring of Honor one day.

Eagles buzz from the NFL Combine, Stay or go defensive edition – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski discuss their takeaways from Howie Roseman/Nick Sirianni speaking at the NFL Combine. The guys also touch on Eagles buzz emerging from Indy before playing a game of “stay or go” on defense. 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.

Combine Talk – Iggles Blitz
The Eagles are talking to a lot of OT prospects in Indy. Lane Johnson is nearing the end of his career. The Eagles don’t have to draft his replacement this year, but could do that. The Eagles could go for someone like Tyler Guyton in the first round or take someone later than that and see if the player looks like depth or a future starter.

Nick Sirianni or Kellen Moore: Whose scheme will the Eagles offense reflect more of in ‘meshing’ two systems? – Inquirer
The expiration date on Nick Sirianni’s thinking his offense was “stale” apparently arrived just a month after he made the comment.On Tuesday, the Eagles head coach didn’t sound as prepared to move on from his scheme as he did after postmortem meetings with owner Jeffrey Lurie in January. Sirianni had yet to hire an offensive coordinator at the time, but he said then that the new guy would “be in charge of the offense.” He gave other varying answers on the subject, and mentioned “meshing” a new system with his old one, but the overall tenor of his joint news conference with general manager Howie Roseman was of a coach humbled by his offense’s regression.But at the NFL combine, Sirianni wasn’t as down on the scheme that just over a year ago nearly won the Eagles a Super Bowl. He appeared unwilling to completely hand over the offense to the recently hired Kellen Moore. “It’s meshing of two systems,” Sirianni said of his and Moore’s schemes. He added: “We’re going to be doing different things, but also we’re going to be doing things that we’ve been successful at, as well.”There’s nothing wrong with the concept of sharing ideas to formulate the best offense. Sirianni oversaw a unit that scored a franchise-record 477 points* just a year ago (*in 17 games). But he fell too in love with his system and didn’t make enough preemptive changes before last season

Tyron Smith reportedly ‘unlikely’ to return to the Cowboys in 2024 – Blogging The Boys
Despite multiple reports of the front office and Smith’s camp having mutual interest in returning for a 14th season, it looks like the Cowboys will be moving forward with someone else locking down the blind side of quarterback Dak Prescott. This past season was Smith’s healthiest as a pro in quite some time. Including the playoffs, No. 77 was on the field for 14 games, the most in a single season since 2019. Head Coach Mike McCarthy talked about how Smith’s 2023 campaign was probably the best since he came to Dallas in 2020. However, injuries have plagued Smith in the back half of his career. He has not played a full regular season since 2015, when Kellen Moore was still a quarterback on the team’s roster. The constant uncertainty of how long Smith’s health would last put a larger emphasis on the depth at offensive line, but without having the same production.

Mark Glowinski being released by Giants, per report – Big Blue View
As had seemed apparent for months now, the New York Giants are planning to release veteran guard Mark Glowinski. The move will save the Giants, currently shown by Over the Cap with $32.606 million in cap space, $5.682 million against the 2024 salary cap. Glowinski, who turns 32 in May, signed a three-year, $18.3 million contract ($11.4 million guaranteed) with the Giants before the 2022 season. In two seasons with New York, Glowinski played in 32 games with 22 starts. He started all 16 games in which he played during 2022. but made only six starts in 2023. Glowinski lost his starting job in Week 2 and was only used when necessary the remainder of the season. It was clear the Giants were moving away from counting on Glowinski, and made it seem unlikely he would be with the team in 2024.

Commanders depth chart and salary cap update after 3 veteran offensive players released – Hogs Haven
Thomas and Leno also had sub-optimal seasons in 2023, and both were slated to take up big chunks of the salary cap in 2024. The release of both players can be seen as a response to both performance and salary cap concerns. Both, if healthy, are still capable of playing in the NFL, but neither could justify the cap hits that they were due to earn this season. Leno is reportedly about to have surgery and it has been reported that Logan Thomas failed his exit physical. The release of Leno and Thomas will immediately reduce Washington’s 2024 cap hit by a reported $13.8m, though, as reported in the article below, there will be some subsequent charges for both players that will affect the cap in 2024 and 2025. […] The release of Gates is purely reflective of his poor play. The team saves $333,000 by cutting him. Per Adam Schefter, the Commanders informed Gates, who signed a three-year deal with the team one year ago, that they will release him at the start of the new league year in mid-March. Although Gates has not yet been released, for practical purposes, I have removed him from the depth chart already.

2024 NFL Scouting Combine stock up/stock down, Day 2: Quinyon Mitchell, Ben Sinnott shine – NFL.com
CB Quinyon Mitchell: After running a 4.33-second 40-yard dash (with a 1.51-second 10-yard split) at 6-foot 1/8-inch and 195 pounds, there should be no doubt that Mitchell has secured a spot in the top half of the first round. He had a 38-inch vertical, as well, confirming the explosiveness he showed taking on receivers throughout the season and during Senior Bowl week. Mitchell moved smoothly in position work, as expected, but had a rough start catching the ball in drills. After dropping two passes and then cradling throws into his chest, he began adjusting to throws and finished strong in the gauntlet drill. Cornerbacks need to have short memories, so his ability to bounce back should be appreciated.

Bears ‘focused’ on drafting Caleb Williams, trading Justin Fields before NFL free agency – SB Nation
There have been some conflicting reports on the Chicago Bears’ intentions with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. With the draft now less than two months away and NFL free agency around the corner, the Bears’ plans are starting to take shape in the wake of the draft scouting combine. The Bears are “focused” on using the top pick to select USC quarterback Caleb Williams, according to The Athletic’s Dianna Russini. That means the team is ready to move on from incumbent QB Justin Fields. The Athletic reports the Bears would like to trade Fields before free agency opens on March 13. Only one problem: the market for Fields is ‘soft’ right now. Russini notes that the Bears may have to wait for the free agent quarterback market to develop before making a Fields trade. Kirk Cousins is the biggest name available. The assumption is that Cousins will return to the Vikings, but Russini noted that the Atlanta Falcons — a trade often mentioned as a trade suitor for Fields — are a team to keep an eye on for Cousins.

TGIFootball #30: predicting all 32 starting quarterbacks next season – The SB Nation NFL Show
RJ Ochoa, Brandon Lee Gowton, and Stephen Serda predict the starting quarterbacks for all 32 teams next season.

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