The Linc – Odell Beckham Jr. in Philly?

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 11/5/21.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

The Eagles should put in a claim on Odell Beckham Jr. – 94WIP
Odell Beckham Jr.’s time in Cleveland appears to be coming to an end. The question is — should his next game be played for the Eagles? Although nothing is official, it seems it is only a matter of time until the Cleveland Browns release Beckham Jr., and an ESPN report suggests it could come as soon as Friday. If/when he is released, Beckham Jr. will go through the waiver process. The Eagles, at 3-5, are currently eighth in the waiver order. It is possible a team ahead of them, like Miami, could claim Beckham Jr. If he does make it to them, however, the Eagles should put in a claim. To start — yes, Beckham Jr. does come with some red flags. His time in Cleveland coming to an end the way it is should be something the Eagles consider. Head coach Nick Sirianni has built a good culture at the NovaCare Complex. Bringing in Beckham Jr. could be a risk, considering he has left two teams on bad terms. [UPDATE: OBJ has been officially released.]

Checking in on 10 bold preseason NFL predictions at the midway point – BGN
Dallas Cowboys Will Reach the NFC Championship Game. Well, let’s start with the prediction I’m least proud of. I felt like the return of Dak Prescott would be a boon to the team and, moreover, I believed they simply were due for a big year and a deep playoff run. But the Dallas Cowboy are truly an elite team and, as if to underscore that Dallas is more than just its QB, they beat the Vikings on the road with their back-up QB, Cooper Rush. The defense is much improved under Dan Quinn and the offense is essentially Mike McCarthy-proof. They’re going to walk to the NFC East title and 14-2 is not off the table.

Eagles trade deadline fallout, Lions takeaways, and Chargers preview – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski discuss this week in Eagles news: Fletcher Cox almost (?) getting traded, Eric Wilson getting cut, acquiring Kary Vincent Jr., and Russell Wilson potentially landing in Philly. The guys also discuss what, if anything, can be taken away from the Lions game and preview the Birds’ Week 9 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers. Can the Eagles pull off the upset and keep their positive momentum going?

What to make of Eagles coach Nick Sirianni’s progress after eight games – ESPN
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni opened the week by showing his team a video of Hall of Famer Peyton Manning drilling kids in the back of the head with footballs. Sirianni, the 40-year-old first-year head coach, holds a 30-minute team meeting every Wednesday as on-field preparations for the upcoming opponent begin in earnest. Attention to detail was the focus this time around as the Eagles get ready to face the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday (4:05 p.m. ET, CBS). Sirianni had a picture of Manning surrounded by teammates on the big screen. Players expected Sirianni to dive right into the lesson, but to keep it light he fired up the “Saturday Night Live” digital short where Manning starred as an overly intense children’s mentor. Once his players were loose, Sirianni flipped to a video of Manning during a workout at Duke University, showing how meticulous he was, even out of season. “Pay attention to the detail and also the practice intensity,” he said of his message to the team, “and just a reminder of what worked for us last week” against the Detroit Lions.

Eagles-Chargers cheat sheet: Making sense of the Kary Vincent trade & more – The Athletic
I’m having a very difficult time understanding how the deal makes sense value-wise. First, let’s stipulate that a sixth-round pick is a negligible price to pay for a player you like. And there’s a reasonable chance Howie Roseman will recoup that pick in some form or fashion before draft day. OK, caveats out of the way. Vincent was a seventh-round pick in last spring’s draft. The Eagles drafted four players in the sixth and seventh rounds before the Broncos picked Vincent. So it’s not like the Eagles were in love with him as a prospect. Despite having a dire need in the secondary, they drafted two defensive linemen and two linebackers instead of Vincent. Since then, Vincent has been inactive for every Broncos game thus far. So only four things of significance have changed since draft weekend to alter the Eagles’ opinion of the player. One, they know the league as a marketplace valued him as a seventh-round pick. Two, they know the team that drafted him never considered him worthy of dressing as a rookie. Three, the general manager who is embarking on a rebuild was willing to trade one of the players from his first draft class after just half a season. Four, the Eagles saw Vincent’s preseason tape. It’s hard to believe the last point outweighed the first three. Further, it’s not as if the Eagles were desperate for some young lottery tickets in the secondary.

Chargers don’t think dropped passes will continue to be an issue – PFT
The Chargers have dropped two straight games after opening the season 4-1 and a drop in offensive productivity has been a big reason for that change in fortunes. Dropped passes have been part of the problem on offense. Wide receiver Keenan Allen is tied for the league lead with six drops, Mike Williams has five, tight end Jared Cook has three, and a Justin Herbert pass went off running back Austin Ekeler‘s hands for an interception in last Sunday’s loss to the Patriots.

Chargers designate Kenneth Murray to return from IR – Bolts From The Blue
Looks like Kenneth Murray will be making his return to the Chargers following the team’s week nine contest against the Eagles. Per Ian Rapoport, the team designated the second-year linebacker to return from IR on Thursday, meaning the Chargers’ linebacker group will be back to full health for the first time since week three.

GamePlan: The QB Carousel We Expected Last Offseason May Really Be Coming in 2022 – SI
TWO BEST BETS. Season record: 4–12 (this isn’t going very well). Cowboys (-10) vs. Broncos: I may not trust Dallas completely quite yet, just because of history. But I’m getting there. Chargers (-2) at Eagles: I just think the Chargers are better. And coming off a pair of losses, they should be pretty desperate too, which usually helps.

Audible: DeVonta Smith vs. Lions – PE.com
Listen in to WR DeVonta Smith as he was mic’d up for the win over Detroit in this edition of Audible, presented by DraftKings.

Darren Sproles’ daughter mimics her dad’s athleticism with crazy 74-yard touchdown run in flag football game – CBS Sports
Darren Sproles’ unparalleled athleticism made him one of the NFL’s most electrifying running backs for over a decade, and it looks like his daughter inherited it. Devyn Sproles, the three-time Pro Bowler’s daughter, sped past an entire defense for a flag football touchdown. After taking a direct snap, Sproles evaded a blitzing defender then burst down the right sideline for an 74-yard score. Darren Sproles shared the video — which featured a fan repeatedly yelling “go,” and for good reason given how sensational the run was — on Instagram with the caption “Your Next Running Back!”

Houston Texans Claim Linebacker Eric Wilson off Waivers – Battle Red Blog
It’s all very funny isn’t it? Despite signing a dozen linebackers this offseason, a dozen wasn’t enough. The Houston Texans ended up needing more. Kamu Gruiger-Hill has been pretty good, but the rest have been miserable. The horde hasn’t seen the field. Christian Kirksey is washed up, and is awful in coverage, and Zach Cunningham has been benched on third downs, only playing 19 snaps last week. This week the Texans claimed Eric Wilson off waivers. Wilson is an intelligent coverage linebacker who is a limited athlete.

Cowboys vs. Broncos second injury report: Dak Prescott says “safe to say” he will play Sunday – Blogging The Boys
Earlier in the day, Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said that Dak Prescott should be back as a full participant in practice on Thursday, and that the expectation is that Prescott will play on Sunday against the Denver Broncos. Apparently it is all going to plan. Prescott was listed as a full participant in Thursday’s practice and later told reporters it was “safe to say” that he would be taking offensive snaps on Sunday.

Giants-Raiders injury news: Saquon Barkley remains in COVID protocol, chance to play Sunday is dwindling – Big Blue View
Judge was vague about Barkley. “That’s something [Barkley playing] we wouldn’t eliminate at this point based on where he’s at physically, but I couldn’t say that it’s moving in a direction to give us a definite answer in a positive way,” Judge said. Starting safety Xavier McKinney joined Barkley in COVID protocol for the second consecutive day. Rookie running back Gary Brightwell joined Barkley and McKinney in the protocol on Thursday. Starting left guard Matt Skura cleared the protocol and was a full practice participant. Due to the belief that there are an unusual number of false positives resulting from rapid testing, the Giants have changed their testing protocol.

Of all the things seemingly wrong with Washington; the team got one thing right this off-season. – Hogs Haven
Jonathan Allen is tied for first in the NFL with six sacks at the defensive tackle position with Philadelphia Eagles tackle Javon Hargrave. Allen also has 29 total tackles, 19 quarterback hits, and eight tackles for a loss. Hargrave has 40 total tackles, 11 quarterback hits, and seven tackles for a loss. Last year, Aaron Donald was a unanimous (50 votes) first team All-Pro defensive tackle. For comparison’s sake, in 2021, Donald has five sacks, 33 total tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and six tackles for a loss.

Knee-jerk reactions: Colts dominant in 45-30 win over Jets – Stampede Blue
Leading the way was Jonathan Taylor with 172 yards on 19 carries with touchdowns. He added 28 receiving yards to get to 200 all-purpose yards in the game. Backfield mate Nyheim Hines rushed for 74 yards on just six carries, including a career-long 34-yard rushing touchdown. He caught four passes for 34 yards to get over the century-mark on offense.

The Miami Dolphins Doomsday Meter: Is Tua Tagovailoa safe? – The Phinsider
Sometimes, all you can do is laugh. You can laugh at this franchise. Laugh at this general manager. Laugh at this head coach. Laugh at this owner – a man who has consistently partaken in so much mind-boggling buffoonery since purchasing the Miami Dolphins it’ll make your head spin. Sometimes all you can do is laugh at the pain you feel every Sunday watching this team play. Or do you even feel pain for this team anymore? For me, personally, I’ve become numb to the ways they try to hurt me each week. I’ll be spending the rest of the 2021 season watching Miami’s games in essentially a catatonic state, which, I suppose, is somewhat ironic, considering this team seems mostly lifeless on game days themselves.

Veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson clears waivers, hits free agency – NFL.com
A day after DeSean Jackson was officially waived by the Los Angeles Rams, the veteran speedster cleared waivers and is now a free agent, per the league transaction wire. As the Rams were unable to procure a trade partner for Jackson, he was waived following Tuesday’s trade deadline. However, the move was made after 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday so it was not official until Wednesday. Jackson going unclaimed isn’t all that surprising considering a team would have had to take on the remainder of his fully guaranteed $2.75 million salary and $1.75 million in per-game bonuses, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted. So Jackson, now a former Ram, Eagle, Buccaneer and Washington player, is looking to add some big-play speed to a new squad. [BLG Note: No.]

Who do we think will win NFL MVP, rookie of the year, and more – SB Nation
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons, LB — Dallas Cowboys. Parsons was a Top 5 talent in the NFL Draft who fell due to lack of need, and character concerns. Ultimately the Cowboys decided the upside was too good to pass up, and thus far it’s worked incredibly well for them. Playing linebacker in the Cowboys’ 4-3, it wasn’t a natural position for the pass rusher, but he’s made it his own. Through seven games Parsons has totaled 42 tackles, 2.5 sacks and 10 QB hits. He’s become a force, and with other top defensive rookies falling off, should run away with the title.

The Look Ahead #61: Can KC beat Love + TEN vs LAR & More! – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and RJ Ochoa take a deep dive into the four biggest games of the week and preview every game from Thursday and Sunday in the Week 9 Lightning Round. Maybe the Browns need to just let Baker Mayfield be hurt. Could Aaron Rodgers missing the game vs. KC cost the Packers the #1 seed in the NFC? Even without Kyler, RJ doesn’t believe in the 49ers. Are we SURE the Rams are really a great team? Week 9 Lightning Round.

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