The Linc – Eagles must replenish their pass rush

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 2/8/22.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Eagles should make 3 defensive changes now that Jonathan Gannon is returning – NJ.com
Replenish the defensive end position to provide a better pass rush. The Eagles sack numbers changed dramatically after former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz left and Gannon took over the defense. The Eagles finished next to last in the league in sacks (29). The Eagles had hoped that Derek Barnett would be disruptive off the edge. However, Barnett was inconsistent and committed several questionable penalties. The Eagles also brought in veteran Ryan Kerrigan to act in a Chris Long-type role, playing as a pass-rushing specialist while mentoring younger defensive linemen. Kerrigan did struggle on the field, tallying a total of three tackles last season.

NFL free agency rankings for 2022: Davante Adams, J.C. Jackson and Orlando Brown Jr. headline our top 75 players – The Athletic
46. Derek Barnett, Edge, Philadelphia Eagles (26) The good with Barnett: He’s young, he’s started 45 games, and he’s been productive at times. The bad: He’s coming off the worst season of his career in which he had more roughing the passer penalties (three) than sacks (2.5). Barnett’s career high for sacks is 6.5. He has flashed at times, but his film in 2021 was underwhelming. Interested teams will be gambling that Barnett’s best football is still ahead of him.

What the Eagles should do at wide receiver – BGN
OUTLOOK: After the season, Howie Roseman said the Eagles “expected more from Jalen at this point.” That was notable because Roseman has been more defensive of other slow-developing players (such as Andre Dillard). Though it’s not easy to expect Roseman to already take the L on Reagor’s career, he absolutely SHOULD be willing to do that. Reagor is likely a lost cause in Philly. It’s not just that he’s been really bad; he’s also failed to give maxmium effort on more than one occasion. The Eagles cannot claim to foster a meritocracy if Reagor is out there loafing and struggling on the regular. The bad news for the Eagles is that Reagor costs more to cut than to keep (loss of $4.2 million if released). Reagor won’t have much, if ANY, trade value … but the Eagles could try to sell him for a very meager return in order to clear a small amount of cap space ($13,576) as opposed to taking a loss. Reagor needs to be gone. It’s honestly what’s best for him at this point. But watch him be back with the Eagles in 2022. Sigh.

Re-draft of the 2021 NFL draft: New picks for the first two rounds, different teams for Micah Parsons, Kyle Pitts, Justin Fields – ESPN+
2. Philadelphia Eagles (via MIA from SF). Original pick: Micah Parsons, LB (DAL pick from PHI trade)New pick: DeVonta Smith, WR. Smith finished with 64 catches for 916 yards and 5 touchdowns despite playing in a run-centric offense. He appeared in all 17 games, easing concerns that he wouldn’t hold up at this level because of his slight frame. “I don’t think that there are a lot of true No. 1 receivers in the NFL,” coach Nick Sirianni said, “and I think we have one that is going to continue to get better.”

Franchise tag candidates for all 32 NFL teams entering the 2022 NFL offseason – PFF
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: N/A. Philadelphia’s three potential franchise-tag candidates — tight end Dallas Goedert, left tackle Jordan Mailata and edge defender Josh Sweat — were all signed to extensions before the 2021 season. All three deals look great for the club in hindsight, and avoiding any business with the franchise tag is just an added bonus.

LaDontay Bell is focused on putting Exit 6 on the map – PE.com
In early October, Coach Bell was honored as the Eagles’ Coach of the Week, presented by Hyundai. Then on a chilly Sunday afternoon at the last Eagles home game of the season, Coach Bell found out he was Coach of the Year and the Eagles’ nominee for the Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year Award. All of the NFL High School Coach of the Year nominees were invited to Las Vegas for the Pro Bowl festivities. “It was a total shock. To be acknowledged earlier in the year and then to be Coach of the Year I was shocked,” said Coach Bell. “I was blown away. It was a beautiful evening. I really am thankful for the Eagles” “I was shocked, excited because he’s worked so hard,” said Markeisha Dixon-Bell, Coach Bell’s wife. At Chester High, Coach Bell wears many hats as a physical education teacher, interim athletic director, and head football coach. While Coach Bell is known for the work he does on the field, sometimes the work he does off the field goes unnoticed. Safety has been a top priority for Coach Bell’s Clippers after losing multiple students to gun violence. Chester High gave Coach Bell keys to a van so he could ensure his students returned home safely after practice.

Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence ‘really excited’ to move forward with Pederson – Big Cat Country
“He’s an offensive guy, you know, played quarterback in the NFL, all those things, you know, make me really excited and something that I’m just excited to get to work with him and see what he brings to the table,” Lawrence said when speaking with Jaguars.com team reporter Ashlyn Sullivan on Saturday.

Devin Hester, First-Ballot Hall of Famer? – Football Outsiders
Many folks who followed the Eagles closely during Pederson’s tenure would agree that Pederson is a good coach/better person. The Jaguars might have tried to hold out for a better coach/better person. But of course they are coming off Urban Meyer, a horrendous (NFL) coach/irredeemable person. And Pederson must offset general manager Trent Baalke, whom the Jaguars might be locking in one of those safe houses that Tony Stark built for Bruce Banner for everyone’s protection. Pederson’s presence means agents will once again pick up the phone when Baalke calls. Beyond that, Pederson is a delegator who relies on his assistants. The Jaguars could be a serious playoff contender in two years if Pederson assembles another 2016-2017 Eagles coaching dream team. Even if Pederson settles for the 2018—2020 Eagles coaching leftovers, the Jaguars will climb back to respectability but may struggle to go much further.

Giants’ front office changes begin: Brandon Brown officially in, Mark Koncz out – Big Blue View
Brown, 33, spent the previous five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. He was promoted to director of player personnel in 2021. In that role, Brown oversaw the Eagles’ pro scouting department and did crossover work on the college scouting side. Brown joined the Eagles in 2017, his first of two years as the assistant director of pro scouting. In 2019, he was promoted to the director of pro scouting. Prior to his tenure with the Eagles, Brown spent two seasons with the Indianapolis Colts as an advance scout (2016) and scouting assistant (2015).

Report: Dallas Cowboys closing in on Robert Prince as WRs coach, has connections to Kellen Moore – Blogging The Boys
Moore is going to be under pressure to deliver across an entire campaign next season as his offense fizzled over the course of the second half of 2021. He is entering his fourth season as the team’s offensive coordinator so by now we know who he is, what’s left to learn is who he can become. It seems as if the Cowboys are giving him a little bit more authority as there is about to be a new wide receivers coach in town. What is notable about the new choice is that it is someone with a connection to him specifically. Robert Prince is expected to fill the role according to ESPN.

Malik Willis and 5 other Senior Bowl observations that could change the NFL Draft – SB Nation
No. 1: A least one team is going to fall in love with Malik Willis. I was given absolute hell (seriously, you should have seen my inbox) for mocking Malik Willis in the Top 10 earlier this year. At the time my reasoning was that one team was going to absolutely fall in love with his potential, and now that seems to be growing. Willis was the talk of the town during practice week, with everyone in attendance gushing about his athleticism and willingness to absorb coaching. It’s a rare example of a quarterback garnering tremendous hype without the college stats, or tape to really back it up. This will unquestionably be a leap of faith for whoever pulls the trigger on the pick, but his rare attributes are pronounced enough that I think numerous teams are now going to want to take a deep dive into evaluating Willis. In the passing game Willis was very average, just going 2-for-4 for 11 yards. However, as a dual-threat QB he lit the game up with his rushing ability. Willis led both teams with 54 yards rushing, including a deep 27-yard gash that showed big-play ability.

Monday Football Monday#74: Texans moving towards hiring DC Lovie Smith as head coach, Pro Bowl recap + biggest storylines entering the Super Bowl – The SB Nation NFL Show
On this jam packed episode, RJ Ochoa and Pete Sweeney jumpstart the show discussing the news reported that the Texans are moving towards hiring DC Lovie Smith their head coach for 2022. They also recap the Pro Bowl, touch on Saints’ RB Alvin Kamara getting arrested on Sunday and the biggest storylines heading into the Super Bowl.

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