The Linc – NFL analyst argues the Eagles are the most improved team since free agency began

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/22/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2024 NFL free agency: Experts debate best, worst deals – ESPN
Which team is the most improved after the past two weeks? Matt Bowen, NFL analyst: Philadelphia Eagles. It’s hard to argue against the Eagles after they added some difference-makers in free agency. Running back Saquon Barkley has the explosive, dual-threat ability to elevate the Philly offense. On defense, outside linebacker Bryce Huff is a flamethrower off the edge, while safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson has the versatility and demeanor to boost a secondary that struggled in 2023.

2024 NFL free agency: Eagles, Jets, Steelers among teams in line for turnaround after signings/trades – NFL.com
It’s strange to say a playoff team is in need of a turnaround, but the Eagles were in freefall in December and January, and they exited the postseason with an embarrassing 32-9 loss to the Bucs. That was Howie Roseman’s bat signal, and he had a busy and fruitful first week of free agency. The big prize was signing running back Saquon Barkley, who should make a significant impact behind an offensive line that is much better than any he ever had with the Giants; Barkley should also provide a lot of easy completions for Jalen Hurts. And don’t discount the return of defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson and the arrival of pass rusher Bryce Huff, both of whom should play a big part in improving a pass defense that ranked 31st last season.

The NFL will not ban the “tush push” in 2024 – BGN
There was a whole lot of talk last season about teams and coaches throughout the NFL wanting to get the tush push banned in 2024, but Troy Vincent said on Thursday that there wasn’t enough evidence to even bring it up at the league meeting.

2024 BGN Draft #41: Top 10 Offensive lineman – BGN Radio
It’s a deep offensive line draft class and Shane Haff, Chris Deibler and Mark Henry Jr. dive into the top ten tackles and interior o-lineman.

2024 NFL Free Agency: One positive takeaway for all 32 NFL teams – PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: The EDGE group is still stacked. There are still trade rumors surrounding Haason Reddick, but fellow defensive end Josh Sweat appears to be staying in Philadelphia for one more season. Brandon Graham also chose to hold off on retirement and is still an excellent rotational player at 36 years old. Bryce Huff was the team’s big addition to the edge group after posting top-10 marks in pass-rush grade and pass-rush win rate. The team also added Julian Okwara and Zack Baun to round out the depth alongside 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith. The Eagles will enter 2024 with at least six contributors off the edge, which is a pipe dream for most teams.

Analyzing best- and worst-case scenarios for Eagles’ additions in free agency – NBCSP
Best case: Barkley is elite and plays like one of the best running backs in the NFL again. He stays healthy and all those touches from his years in New York haven’t taken a toll either. That YPC average that dipped under 4.0 in 2023 turns out to be a result of a previous lingering injury and a subpar surrounding cast. With the Eagles, in an offense with way more talent, Barkley thrives. Not only does he thrive, but new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has a well-thought-out plan to make Barkley one of the focal points of the offense. Barkley ends up having the kind of impact that Christian McCaffrey had in San Francisco when the 49ers acquired him in a trade during the 2022 season. Worst case: Aside from the potential of a season-ending injury, Barkley has a few nagging injuries that don’t let him realize his potential. He plays through injury but looks far from elite. The number of touches matter and he’s not able to be the type of Pro Bowl running back the Eagles thought they were signing. In an offense with other very good skill players, Barkley gets a bit lost and the Eagles still don’t throw to their running backs in a way that can utilize Barkley’s unique skills. Even in the worst-case scenario, it’s hard to imagine Barkley being awful. He’ll be good enough to play but he’ll be an average running back, not worth the $12 million per-year contract the Eagles gave him.

NFC East 2024 free agency grades: Dallas Cowboys edition – PhillyVoice
That offensive line is looking verrrry shaky. Martin is on the downside of his career, Steele stunk in 2023, Smith may be moving from LG to LT, and Bass/Hoffman are a pair of undrafted guys with a combined 564 career snaps played. Spoiler: The Cowboys are going to take an offensive lineman in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and probably another one on Day 2. Defensively, the Cowboys’ starting lineup is still fine enough, but they lost a lot of role players and depth. While losing a bunch of players was probably an unavoidable inevitability, there is also no evidence of a creative plan to replace them yet, and they only have three picks in the first four rounds of the draft.

Spadaro: What will the coaches cook up for the newest Eagles? – PE.com
How about Bryce Huff? He had a breakout season with the New York Jets in 2023. He was very clearly at the top of the Eagles’ wish list in free agency and they went out and signed him. What’s next? What exactly about him does Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio want to accentuate? Does Huff play with his hand in the dirt on one side of the defensive line of scrimmage? Does he move up and down the line? Does he stand up at times? It should not be underestimated how important it is that the coaching staff utilizes players in ways that help win plays and games. A player like Zack Baun, a core special teams player for New Orleans last season, had a bit of an uptick on defense for the Saints and played well, so what does that mean for the Eagles as they project his role this year? How about Devin White, such a dynamic playmaker for Tampa Bay in his five seasons there? What is his role in Fangio’s defense?

Rich McKay declines to share Competition Committee’s position on delay of trade deadline – PFT
It’s more than two teams. One team, the Steelers, has proposed moving the deadline until the Tuesday after Week 9. Multiple teams — the Browns, Lions, Jets, Eagles, 49ers, and Commanders — have proposed a two-week delay. “I wouldn’t want to give you the [Competition] Committee’s position,” McKay said. “I would tell you that there was a lot of discussion of it. A lot of discussion of it in the General Manager’s advisory committee. Some very strongly in favor, some not. And I will be interested in seeing the discussion. But that has always been the concern, that if you take it too late, then all of a sudden the teams making the trade have different reasons for the trade. One is to win this year, one is to win next year. Which — that’s fine, but when that ‘win next year’ ends up with a team that’s not competitive, that was always our fear. That has not happened with moving it to Week 8. I can assure you of that.”

Giants lineman loves how Browns, Eagles do business – Dawgs By Nature
At one point in time, current Cleveland Browns GM Andrew Berry was seen as a young up-and-comer in the organization. Brought in under Sashi Brown, Berry survived the switch to John Dorsey but decided he needed to spread his wings. In 2019, Berry left the Browns to join the Philadelphia Eagles under Howie Roseman. While the Eagles “only” went 9-7 that season, Berry learned a lot of lessons about what it takes to run an aggressive front office and the importance of an owner who will spend money. Berry’s tenure as Cleveland’s GM has looked far more like Roseman than it has either Brown or Dorsey. Having Jimmy Haslam as the owner, much like Jeffrey Lurie in Philadelphia, has given Berry all the resources he needs to keep active like the Eagles are.

Tyron Smith had some interesting comments on his decision to leave Cowboys for Jets – Blogging The Boys
For starters, it’s a bit of a revelation that Smith considered himself to be choosing between the Jets or returning to the Cowboys. It had been reported at the NFL Combine that Smith intended to leave via free agency after meeting with the Cowboys brass, but little had surfaced once free agency actually began to suggest that Smith was even considering any offer to stay. Beyond that, though, is the vague comment about “the way things were looking in Dallas.” Smith didn’t expand on what exactly he meant by that, but it was clearly enough to make him anticipate a move to the Big Apple.

NFL free agency: Philadelphia Eagles add another former New York Giant – Big Blue View
Campbell caught 20 of 27 targets for just 104 yards (5.2 yards per catch) for New York. His signing was a contingency plan for Wan’Dale Robinson, who was recovering from his torn ACL. Brian Daboll tried to find ways to get Campbell involved, but the Giants’ offense was inept through much of the season. Eleven of Campbell’s 20 catches were quick-out routes to the flat or screens. His time in New York was uneventful. He’ll look to secure the third wide receiver role behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. His primary veteran competition for that role will be Devante Parker and Britain Covey.

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