The Linc – Might Derek Barnett end up returning to Philly?

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/23/22.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Cases for and against Eagles’ bringing back remaining free agents – NBCSP
Derek Barnett. For: The longer Barnett is on the market, the cheaper he might become. While some thought he’d get $11-13 million per season, he’s still out there for a reason. Barnett hasn’t gotten a ton of sacks but he has 76 QB hits in his first five NFL seasons. The only Eagle with more in the last five years is Fletcher Cox with 82. Barnett also knows the defense and would at least be an average player to rotate at the defensive end position. After all, the Eagles signed Reddick, but he’ll be more of a hybrid player. The Eagles could do worse than Barnett as a rotational defensive end. Against: You really want to bring back Derek Barnett? The guy who has underperformed as a first-round pick? The guy who had 2 sacks last year in a contract season? The guy who has piled up dumb penalty after dumb penalty for the last five seasons? It’s better for both sides to go their separate ways.

6 things to know about new Eagles wide receiver Zach Pascal – BGN
By and large Colts fans are happy to see Pascal go. This is not really a reflection necessarily on Pascal himself. However hard a worker he is, there are clearly limits in his ability to get separation. Much of his production can be attributed to Frank Reich’s ability to scheme receivers open, and when facing good defensive backs in games when they absolutely needed someone to make a play, Pascal wasn’t setting himself apart as a guy who could do that. During his 2019 season, Pascal had some of the best hands on the team, and regularly made clutch plays in critical downs. Unfortunately, we haven’t seen that same player as consistently. In fact, his position as the 2nd receiver in yards over the past two seasons says more about the state of the Colts receiver room than it does Pascal himself. Colts fans want the team to move on and upgrade at the position with players who can really strain defenses, and they simply don’t believe Pascal is that guy.

The QB Factory Reboot #50: Special guest Carmen Vitali joins to discuss the QB carousel that continues – BGN Radio
Raichele Privette and Mark Schofield are joined by Senior NFL reporter for The Draft Network and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers staff writer, Carmen Vitali. They discuss all of the recent QB moves throughout the league, Kenny Pickett’s Pro Day on Monday and how to improve the Eagles roster.

FILM STUDY: What to expect from Zach Pascal in Philadelphia – TouchdownWire
Over Pascal’s four-year career, he has 1,467 receiving yards when lined up outside and 1,869 from the inside. That said, he won’t strictly stay in the slot. Pascal likely will be the Y receiver, but we probably will see him and X receiver DeVonta Smith switch spots at times. Pascal will do a lot of motioning to get the defense moving. Expect to see him and Smith working side-by-side in high-low concepts where Pascal can reach the first-down marker with his long strides. Pascal isn’t a player who is going to get many yards after the catch, but he has good field awareness and will reach the first down in-route whether it’s over the middle or on the sideline.

Thumbs up or down: Eagles beat reporters weigh in on Zach Pascal signing – Inquirer
Still, only Reagor (0.62) finished with a lower yards per route run than Pascal (0.78) among NFL receivers with more than 46 targets in 2021, per Pro Football Focus. Both played in run-based offenses, which had something to do with the lack of production. But the numbers don’t lie. Both receivers struggled last season. Sirianni loves Pascal, as do other coaches in Indy, but the Colts still allowed him to walk. Without knowing what else the Eagles plan to do at receiver, it’s an underwhelming signing. Jalen Hurts, if he is to remain the starting quarterback, needs ball catchers who can help make him better, not the other way around. It’s probable that in some cases Hurts, a run-heavy offense, and the Eagles’ middling roster likely dissuaded receivers from wanting to come to Philly if they had more attractive options.

Eagles-only mock draft, version 4.0 – PhillyVoice
There are some Eagles fans who would like the quarterback discussion to go away, but let’s not fool ourselves. The Eagles had interest in trading for Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson this offseason. They can say they love Jalen Hurts until they’re blue in the face, and maybe then do, but they were looking to upgrade on him in the trade market and still could be in the draft. The Eagles have shown interest in Kenny Pickett, as Howie Roseman traveled to Pitt to watch him play in person in November. They took him out to dinner after his pro day. Gotta keep the factory churning.

2022 offseason needs for all 32 NFL teams after NFL free agency – PFF
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: CB, LB, S. Philly’s CB2 spot opposite Darius Slay is looking bleak. Steven Nelson started opposite Slay last year, but he posted a career-low 60.9 coverage grade and remains unsigned as a free agent this offseason. Zech McPhearson, Kary Vincent Jr. and Tay Gowan — Day 3 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft — are the next men up if Philly sticks with what they have.

Eagles announced NFL Draft Party – PE.com
With three first round draft picks, this is bound to be one of the most exciting Eagles drafts yet! Who will the Eagles select? Join us for the Philadelphia Eagles 2022 Draft Party at Lincoln Financial Field, presented by SportsRadio 94WIP, Dietz & Watson, Lincoln Financial Group, and DraftKings. Draft Party activities include stadium and Eagles locker room tours, field access (weather permitting), appearances by Eagles Cheerleaders and SWOOP, free face painting and much more. Don’t miss your chance to watch the biggest Eagles draft in years with your fellow Birds fans! Tickets for this event are just $10 with all net proceeds benefiting Eagles Autism Foundation. Tickets go on sale Monday, March 21 at 10:00 AM. Space is very limited. Limit six (6) tickets per order.

Free agent LB Genard Avery visits Falcons Tuesday – The Falcoholic
He shouldn’t come at an outrageous cost, and clearly has some upside left since he’s only 26 and seeking his second contract. This is one of several workouts without an immediate signing in the past week or so, as they’ve also hosted veterans like wideout Tre’Quan Smith, offensive lineman Nick Easton and tight end Tyler Kroft recently and have yet to signthem to deals. We’ll see what happens with Avery, who would make you feel a bit better about the team’s depth at linebacker if he joins. The Falcons barely have any cap space at the moment, but once they find their way to more via cuts and/or trades, we’ll likely see a small flurry of signings.

Co-Conspirator Of Former Philadelphia Eagles Sentenced – Patch
The former roommate of Mychal Kendricks, then a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court here to two months in federal prison for participating in an insider trading scheme. U.S. District Judge Gene E.K. Pratter also ordered Mark Wayne Ramsey, 32, of San Francisco, Calif., to serve three years of probation following the jail sentence. He was fined $5,000. In September, a jury convicted Ramsey of four counts of security fraud and two counts of conspiracy.

Colts OT Matt Pryor Will ‘Get the First Shot’ at Starting Left Tackle – Stampede Blue
After being traded by the Philadelphia Eagles—along with a 2022 7th round pick for the Colts’ 2022 6th round pick, Pryor developed into a high quality swing tackle for Indianapolis during his debut campaign—making 5 starts in 2021. As Ballard indicated, Pryor played all over the Colts offensive line, showcasing his versatility. Specifically, Pryor played 266 total snaps at right tackle, 94 snaps at left tackle, and 69 snaps at right guard during 2021.

Cowboys free agency 2022: Dallas reportedly “unlikely” to sign free agent linebacker Bobby Wagner – Blogging The Boys
For the last week and a half or so the Dallas Cowboys have been connected to one specific name in free agency. There have been a number of players that Cowboys fans have wanted to see the team pursue, but chief among them has been veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner. The Cowboys have already brought back Leighton Vander Esch and Luke Gifford this offseason, but adding someone like Wagner would allow even more flexibility for Micah Parsons to float towards rushing the passer. Wagner is a big name which means Cowboys fans should have tempered their expectations towards signing him. Clearly the team has been interested, but according to The Dallas Morning News, a reunion between he and Dan Quinn is unlikely.

The Commanders should avoid a WR at #11 – Hogs Haven
As is the case essentially every year, there are a bumper crop of WR prospects who have worked draftniks into a frenzy. The Ohio State duo of Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. The injured speedster from Alabama, Jameson Williams. The injured contested catch WR from USC, Drake London. The aspiring Deebo Samuel clone, Treylon Burks. The Combine freak, Christian Watson. Add to that list Dotson, Pickens, Tolbert, and Ross, among others. At the end of the day, there are a solid 10 to 15 top WR prospects whose performance most “experts” would be very hard-pressed to accurately estimate over the course of the next several years. Some will surely bust. Others will almost certainly pan out as eventual WR1s. If history is our guide, it’s very likely that a roughly equal numbers of WRs taken in the first and second round will occupy that second category, and Washington would be wise to focus its first round efforts elsewhere this year.

Giants depth chart after flurry of moves in 2022 NFL free agency – Big Blue View
If the 2022 NFL Draft works out in optimal fashion, one or both of offensive tackles Evan Neal and Ikem Ekwonu will be available to the Giants in Round 1. If not, they could take Charles Cross or Trevor Penning, though the wisdom of taking either in the top 10 splits the draft community. If the Giants have to address the right tackle spot later in the draft, the presence of Matt Gono should mean a Day 2 or Day 3 tackle selection wouldn’t be forced to play before he is ready. Really, that’s the same at the interior spots. GM Joe Schoen has bought himself time to develop longer-term solutions along the line. Brieda should provide serviceable backup running back snaps at a lower cost than the released Devontae Booker.

The 4 biggest surprises from Mel Kiper’s latest NFL mock draft – SB Nation
No. 1: Drake London is the first WR off the board, and early. This one really took me aback. I can honestly see a toss-up between Garrett Wilson and London as the top receiver in this draft depending on what teams value. Wilson is very much in the mold of what teams want in receivers right now. He’s a huge talent after the catch with a natural feel for how to evade defenders and pick up extra yards. There isn’t a perfect comparison, but think of him more in the Cooper Kupp mold. Wilson is going to make a quarterback look better, he’ll catch some downfield passes, but his real skill comes from putting the ball in his hands and have him make plays. London is the complete opposite. He’s a big-bodied receiver with a mammoth catch radius that plays more like a hybrid tight end. The skill set isn’t dissimilar to that of Kyle Pitts or a Mike Evans, which is extremely attractive to teams. These are players who can take a questionably jump ball and turn it into a big play, purely because they can grab passes smaller defensive backs can’t reach. This makes a lot of sense for the Jets, who Kiper have taking London at No. 4. This feels ludicrously early, but he is a receiver who can help Zach Wilson immensely, who’s always had a propensity to throw 50/50 balls and ask his receiver to make the play.

Off Day Debrief #81: Power Ranking the AFC Quarterbacks – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and Brandon Lee Gowton bring back the NFL podcast kingdom’s only 100% accurate power rankings and use them on the QBs in the AFC now that the dust has largely settled there.

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