The Linc – Nick Sirianni is “really excited” about Saquon Barkley

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 3/25/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Nick Sirianni: Saquon Barkley is a dynamic player who brings a different element to our offense – PFT
“I’m really excited about Saquon and the things that he can do,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said Sunday, via Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. “You know he’s such a dynamic football player. Both as a running back and also the things he can do as a pass catcher. He’s going to bring an element to our offense and to our team. As much as we see him, all the highlights that we see on the tape — from my understanding and all of our homework, he’s a good leader and teammate as well. To be able to add that into our locker room and not only the playmaking ability, but the person is really important.

NFC East 2024 free agency grades: Philadelphia Eagles edition – PhillyVoice
The Eagles had definitive needs at linebacker, safety, running back, wide receiver, and backup quarterback. They addressed every one of those positions. Notable additions I liked: RB Saquon Barkley, S Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, LB Zack Baun, iOL Matt Hennessy. Notable additions I didn’t like as much: QB Kenny Pickett, WR DeVante Parker, WR Parris Campbell, LB Devin White. (Parker and Campbell come at a very low cost, so to be clear my beef with those signings is if the Eagles don’t also add an actually good receiver.) To be determined: EDGE Bryce Huff. If the Eagles get a good return for Reddick, then great. If they don’t they will have replaced him with a lesser player who makes more money. One big picture thing that I think the Eagles did a good job of this offseason was that they largely added players who could soon be entering their primes. Oren Burks and DeVante Parker aside, all of the players the Eagles added are between the ages of 25 and 27. Grade: C+.

Draft Talk – Visits – Iggles Blitz
The player I’m most excited about is WR Ainias Smith. He is a mid-round target, but I love his game. He’s 5-9, 190 and has great RAC ability. DB Cooper DeJean got hurt late in the year and couldn’t work out in Indy. He could be coming to Philly to get checked out medically. DeJean has a ton of potential. He is an athletic playmaker and you can’t get enough of those guys. It is good to see Edgerrin Cooper on the list. The Eagles must add a good LB prospect this year. Devin White has a one-year deal and Nakobe Dean is still a mystery. As for Pro Days, Eagles assistant coaches are being more active than last year. That could be because the season ended late last season or it could be that the organization made it a point of emphasis to get coaches on the road this year. Keep in mind that the players listed above are a mix of Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 and even UDFA prospects. Just because you’re interested in a player doesn’t mean you have an early grade on him.

Top Eagles storylines at 2024 NFL owners meetings – NBCSP
Howie explains the offseason. The last time we heard from Roseman was at the year-end press conference about a week after the season ended in the playoffs in Tampa. Howie was busy in free agency. We’ll finally get some answers about his offseason plan, which included some big free agent swings like Saquon Barkley, Bryce Huff and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The most interesting question for Roseman will be about his evaluation of Barkley and why he finally thought it was the right time to invest in the position. The Haason Reddick situation continues to hang over the Eagles as well. The team figured out a way to keep Josh Sweat but it’s unclear what Reddick’s future holds. It still seems very possible he could be traded. While it would be foolish to expect Roseman to tip his hand, we might get some hints.

2024 NFL draft: Latest buzz, prospect risers, mini-mocks – ESPN+
Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry came into his Alabama pro day with questions about his speed and the Jones fracture in his right foot discovered at the combine, but he aced his performance. He jumped 34.5 inches in the vertical and 10-foot-1 in the broad, and scouts had McKinstry timed in the 4.48-4.52 range for his 40-yard dash. An NFC area scout said to me, “Him going out there and competing despite the injury says a lot about his want-to and competitive desire to attack those question marks that were out there about him.” I could see McKinstry being selected as high as No. 17 overall to the Jaguars, and it’s hard to see him getting past the Eagles (No. 22), Packers (No. 26), Cardinals (No. 27) or Lions (No. 29) in Round 1.

The tale of two centers: What the Cowboys should expect going from Tyler Biadasz to Brock Hoffman – Blogging The Boys
We can talk about how Biadasz wasn’t a true star, or even how the voters were a little generous in sending him to the Pro Bowl, but we shouldn’t take for granted how consistently he played throughout his time in Dallas. He didn’t move mountains, but he was effective. Hoffman is entering his third year in the league and is still growing as a player. The coaching staff likes what they see in him and they may view him as somewhat comparable to Biadasz. The potential is there, but there are still some inconsistencies in his game that bring about some concern. If he’s truly Biadasz’s successor, this move will either look really smart or really dumb a year from now.

Giants mock draft: Taking the big swing for QB J.J. McCarthy – Big Blue View
Quarterback of the future? Play-making wide receiver who can make a difference right now? That seems to be the choice facing the New York Giants at No. 6 in the 2024 NFL Draft. It isn’t an easy choice. Do they love J.J. McCarthy, the quarterback most likely available to them in the draft? Are they blowing smoke trying to get someone like the Minnesota Vikings to move past them so they have a better shot at the wide receiver they want? We don’t know. We still, though, have a month left to argue about it. Here is my latest multi-round Giants mock draft, this one including a big swing for McCarthy.

What is the Commanders’ Chance of Hitting on a Franchise QB with Their First Round Pick? – Hogs Haven
My conclusion is, if you are expecting the QB the Commanders draft second overall to become a long-term starter and lead the team on regular playoff runs, you are betting against the odds. They might get lucky, but more likely than not you are setting yourself up for disappointment. It might be better for your mental health to lower your expectations to just a long-term starter. In that case, all you have to worry about is why teams have done so poorly drafting QBs at picks 2 through 4. Don’t ask me why that is. The best explanation I can come up with is that teams drafting in weak draft classes, or those not holding the first overall pick and needing quarterbacks, might be prone to wishful thinking about the available options. That is not fully satisfying, however, because it doesn’t explain the large number of starting quality QBs who have remained available at picks 5 through 12.

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