The Linc – Eagles were the NFL’s third healthiest team in 2022

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/25/23.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

AGL 2022: Injuries Help Lead to Broncos Trainwreck – Football Outsiders
The Pittsburgh Steelers finished with a league-low 32.0 AGL and missed the playoffs, but the next four teams with the fewest AGL did make it to the postseason. Jacksonville was second, the Super Bowl teams Philadelphia and Kansas City were third and fourth, and Minnesota was fifth. Seattle and Cincinnati also made the playoffs while finishing among the 10 teams with the least amount of AGL. [BLG Note: The Eagles were the 3rd healthiest team overall and they were 4th healthiest on offense and 13th healthiest on defense.]

Terrell Edmunds, Eagles agree to one-year contract – BGN
The Eagles aren’t bringing in Edmunds with the expectation that he’ll be a Pro Bowler for them. Instead, he figures to bring competency to the position as a stop-gap option with potential to be a long-term fixture if he plays well. Not totally dissimilar to the Nicholas Morrow signing the Birds made earlier this week. Edmunds ranked 38th out of 93 safeties graded by Pro Football Focus last season (minimum 20% snaps). That’s actually 13 spots higher than where the aforementioned CJGJ finished.

Eye on the Enemy #132: Rob Maadi joins to talk Eagles’ key moves + who has narrowed the gap in the division and the conference – BGN Radio
John Stolnis is joined by AP NFL Senior Writer Rob Maaddi to talk about the Eagles’ key moves thus far and look around the NFC and see who has narrowed the gap in the division and the conference. John also shares his reaction to the Lane Johnson extension, Ezekiel Elliott and the rules changes that will be discussed at next week’s NFL meetings.

Terrell Edmunds delivers high-quality play, leadership at safety – PE.com
The Eagles continue to build the safety room, adding veteran Terrell Edmunds with a one-year contract just a few days after bringing former Tampa Bay and New Orleans veteran Justin Evans into the mix. “This is a great opportunity for me, a new start in my career,” Edmunds said just moments after he put pen to paper on his deal. “Philadelphia, when you understand the way this team has performed and then you get here and you feel the energy in the building, shooting some baskets with Coach (Nick Sirianni), it’s just exciting for me. I love the game of football and I’m here to play my best for the Eagles and perform.” Edmunds played the last five seasons with Pittsburgh after the Steelers made him a first-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. A Virginia Tech product, Edmunds started 75 of the 79 games he played the last five seasons and he had been a mainstay in the Steelers’ secondary with his production and the intangibles he brings to the table – leadership, consistency, and football intelligence.

Terrell Edmunds signing a one-year contract with the Eagles – Behind The Steel Curtain
Edmunds, who was the Steelers top draft pick in 2018, has had a very steady career in Pittsburgh. While he hasn’t even had the knack for the splash play, in any capacity, which many associate with a first round pick, he absolutely has been extremely effective and reliable during his tenure with the team. The Steelers now look at the safety position as a position of need moving forward. Will they be able to find a safety in free agency, or will they press their luck and head into the 2023 NFL Draft with a glaring need?

Eagles Add A Safety – Iggles Blitz
It is fair to wonder how good this group of safeties will be. Blankenship started 4 games last year and showed good potential, but we can’t start carving his bust for Canton quite yet. Edmunds is an experienced starter, but nothing special. Wallace and Evans can be effective backups. That is hardly a compelling group. At the same time, this is the year to take a chance. The Eagles need young, cheap talent. I think they have to give Blankenship a chance to start. He’s shown enough that you want him on the field. Edmunds could turn out to be a good fit. Evans could turn out to be a good role player. I think we know Wallace is purely a backup, but he did play his best football last year. I would rather see the Eagles take chances with these guys (and hopefully a draft pick) rather than Amos or McLeod or other guys in their 30s. Keeping veterans like BG, Cox and Kelce is different than bringing in outsiders. I just don’t think this is the year to go old. Take some chances as you build this roster for another Super Bowl run.

Eagles Super Bowl linebacker Frank LeMaster has died at 71 – NBCSP
Last spring at the NovaCare Complex, Dick Vermeil and Frank LeMaster were sitting in a golf cart watching the Eagles go through an OTA practice. “This guy right here?” Vermeil marveled, nodding toward LeMaster. “Played nine seasons. You know how many games he missed? He didn’t miss any. Didn’t miss a game his entire career. If he was hurt? If he was banged up? Never complained. Just went out there and played.” LeMaster, a starting linebacker on the Eagles’ 1980 Super Bowl team and a Pro Bowler in 1981, died Thursday, according to the Eagles. He was 71.

What holes remain for the Eagles after free agency? – ESPN
The defense lost both starting safeties, both starting linebackers and an impact starting defensive tackle in Hargrave this offseason. While the second wave of free agency and the draft (the Eagles hold six picks overall) can help build up the roster, Philly will have to rely on some young players already on the team to step up. Two prime candidates are linebacker Nakobe Dean and defensive tackle Jordan Davis, former teammates on Georgia’s powerhouse defense who served as role players during their first season in Philadelphia. Dean played mostly on special teams while Davis started off strong before a high ankle sprain slowed him. Dean is a favorite to take over one of the starting linebacker spots, and Davis should see an elevated role in the middle of the Eagles’ defense with Hargrave now in San Francisco. Meanwhile, 2022 second-round pick Cam Jurgens is the front-runner to replace Seumalo at right guard. “Those guys are ready to play. They’re ready to contribute,” Roseman said. “We knew when we were drafting them last year, we were drafting them because they were the best players, not necessarily because they were guys ready to fill spots at a position of need. We look at our team this year knowing those guys can take a step forward and be part of it.”

The last of the prizes for the 2022 awards has been disseminated – PFT
The last of the award winners to appear on PFT Live was Eagles G.M. Howie Roseman, the PFT executive of the year. After accusing me, given that I lost about 20 pounds during the pandemic, of being too cheap to buy news clothes that fit (he’s not wrong), he told me that he’d like the amount of the most expensive prize awarded (Jefferson’s computer) to be given to charity. So that’s what we’re doing. Donations have just been made on Howie’s behalf to the Babies Heart Fund Gala, Alex’s Lemonade Stand, the Eagles Autism Challenge, the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia, and Robert Kraft’s Foundation to Combat Antisemitism.

Ravens Free Agency 2023: Ravens sign WR Nelson Agholor – Baltimore Beatdown
Agholor played the majority of his snaps in the slot during his time in Philadelphia, but has transitioned into more of a Z/flanker during stints with the Las Vegas and New England. In that time, the veteran played 1,542 snaps on the outside compared to only 414 snaps inside. The 29-year-old had his most efficient and productive season functioning as a vertical threat in the Raiders offense in 2020, posting 48 receptions for 897 yards and eight touchdowns, averaging a staggering 18.7 yards per reception with 2.04 yards per route run, which ranked 18th among NFL qualifiers. Agholor hopefully can bring a vertical presence that can win to some degree on the perimeter, which Baltimore has lacked over the last few seasons.

Detroit Lions re-sign backup QB Nate Sudfeld – Pride Of Detroit
Sudfeld brings familiarity with the Lions offense and a veteran presence, as he’s now entering his eighth season of professional football. However, Holmes’ quote certainly seems to suggest that the Lions are planning to add more backup competition to the room this offseason. That likely means you should expect to add another quarterback in the draft or later in free agency—potentially still both.

NFC East 2023 free agency grades: Washington Commanders edition – PhillyVoice
The Commanders rearranged some deck chairs on the Titanic this offseason at quarterback, linebacker, the secondary, and the offensive line, but the result will likely be the same as it has been over the last three years in the Ron Rivera era. They’ll have no hope of doing anything special, and yet they’ll still be good enough to win 7 or 8 games, making it difficult for them to find a long-term answer at quarterback the following offseason. Yes, the pending sale of the team adds a level of difficulty in executing a smart offseason plan, but the Commanders’ moves the first couple weeks of free agency feel familiar and uninspired. Grade: C-

NFL.com gives Dallas Cowboys an “A” grade for their offseason trades – Blogging The Boys
The move for Cooks was great for the offense, but the Cowboys’ trade for Gilmore puts this offseason over the top. Acquiring a top 10 cornerback in the NFL, whose PFF coverage grade in 2022 (81.1) was Gilmore’s best since 2019, is notable for the Dallas defense. To the average fan, trading for an aging cornerback on one of the league’s worst defenses last year looks like a move that barely moves the needle. However, Gilmore was not only the best defender on the Indianapolis Colts a season ago but remains one of the top man coverage corners in the NFL, which fits perfectly in Dan Quinn’s defense. Like Cooks, Gilmore brings veteran tutelage to help young corners like Trevon Diggs, Kelvin Joseph, Nahshon Wright, and Izzy Mukuamu develop. He already mentioned teaching Diggs a few things, which can only benefit Dallas’ All-Pro cornerback entering his fourth season. Hopefully, if the Cowboys get to the postseason for the third time in a row, they won’t need to rotate five cornerbacks to find one capable starter now that Gilmore is around.

Big Blue View mailbag: Draft, free agency, salary cap, more – Big Blue View
Reality is, when things go wrong everyone needs someone to blame. The owner of a team is an easy target, whether or not he is at fault. Mara made mistakes in several coaching hires. He kept Jerry Reese too long as GM, then ran a bad process to replace him and — predictably — ended up with a bad hire in Dave Gettleman to replace him. He was criticized, somewhat rightly, for there being too much Mara family influence in football decisions and for not being willing to go outside the organization to find some answers to the team’s problems. He deserved some of the blame that was thrown his way, and admitted as much. That said, John Mara cares deeply. The Giants have been his life since he was a little boy. He is always in the team’s facility. He is at practice all the time. The ownership situation with the Giants is tricky as it is the only two-family partnership in the NFL, with the Mara and Tisch families each holding 50 percent. That makes things tricky if John Mara and Steve Tisch disagree. I think John Mara is an excellent, if imperfect, owner.

Texas RB Bijan Robinson is a top 10 talent, but can NFL GMs draft him that high? – SB Nation
University of Texas running back Bijan Robinson enters the 2023 NFL Draft as one of the most sought after running back prospects in recent history. A legitimate generational talent, Robinson departs the Longhorns as the 2022 Doak Walker Award winner. Robinson earned unanimous All-American honors in 2022. Only 12 running backs have gone in the first round in the last 10 years, and the last top 10 pick was in 2018. Robinson wants to add his name to that list this April.

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