The Linc – Why Jalen Carter is a perfect fit for Philly

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/14/23.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2023 NFL draft: Best team fits, landing spots for top rookies – ESPN+
Why he is a perfect fit: For new defensive coordinator Sean Desai in Philly, expect Carter to be used in multiple spots across the defensive front to be a disruptive force against the run and the pass games. In the Eagles’ base fronts, Carter can play as a 5-technique (head up the tackle) or 4-technique (inside shade of the tackle), where he can win at the point of attack. In Philadelphia’s sub-package fronts, I believe Carter is your 3-technique defensive tackle. There he can be stunted inside or put in one-on-one situations to work the edges on guards in protection. Carter is an explosive and powerful interior rusher with game-wrecking traits, and he will team up with Jordan Davis and Fletcher Cox to create problems for opponents on the inside. He totaled six sacks and 54 pressures over the past two seasons, but his numbers don’t do his talent justice.

Each NFL team’s highest-graded pick from the 2023 NFL Draft – PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: DI Jalen Carter (92.3). One of a handful of top Georgia defenders in the Eagles’ draft class, Carter improved in each year of his college career. That eventually resulted in a Power Five-leading 92.3 grade among interior defensive linemen.

Projecting first-year roles for each of the Eagles’ seven rookie draft picks – PhillyVoice
Jalen Carter was widely viewed at one point as the No. 1 prospect in the 2023 draft before maturity concerns lowered his stock. His talent is undeniable. However, in the same way that expectations are typically tempered for rookie quarterbacks, they should probably be toned down to some degree for interior defensive linemen like Carter as well. I do think that there should be reasonable expectations for Carter to start and at least show flashes in most games of a bright future. If he is merely a guy who rotates into the lineup here and there for like 15-20 snaps for game, Eagles observers will no doubt wonder if Carter’s maturity concerns are affecting his play on the field. Carter will likely begin the season as a starter, playing 4i in the base defense, as well as other spots along the defensive line from Day 1. My bet is that he plays well enough to be a major part of the rotation, but again, spoiler, he’s probably not going to rack up double-digit sacks in 2023.

NFL schedule: Each NFC team’s win total projection for 2023 season – NFL.com
The Eagles have a good chance to rack up wins in the early portion of the season — in 58.1% of simulations, their record heading into the Week 10 bye is 7-2. After that, though, they face the toughest five-game stretch on their schedule: at Chiefs, Bills, 49ers, at Cowboys, at Seahawks. Weeks 11-15 will really tell us a lot about this team.

Spadaro: Brian Johnson lays out his vision to add more magic to the offense – PE.com
We are in the very early stages of putting together the vision – ours, of course, is different from what the coaches who are spending all day, every day mapping out the plan for how the Eagles will look on offense, on defense, special teams, in 2023. The offense, as we know, returns largely intact, and with some extra punch acquired in the offseason. It also has a new coordinator, Brian Johnson, who spoke publicly for the first time on Thursday and outlined in the most general of terms what he hopes the Eagles’ offense becomes in the season ahead. “You do what your players do well,” he said. “I think the challenge for us is to build an offense to where we’re making defenses cover the entire length and the entire width of the field and be able to play on our terms.” Those are the sentences that stood out the most from Johnson’s press conference. He is in his third season here after spending two years as the quarterbacks coach and helping build Jalen Hurts into the star that he is. Johnson, a former standout quarterback himself at Utah who was an offensive coordinator who called plays for a prolific University of Florida team before joining Nick Sirianni’s staff, appears to be making a natural coaching transition. He’s a highly regarded coach who connects very quickly with those around him and this moment is just right for him.

NFL Rumors: Carson Wentz Open to Backup QB Role as He Receives Interest from Teams – B/R
As Carson Wentz continues to bide his time in free agency, he’s not necessarily holding out for a starting job at this point. Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said Wentz has received some interest from teams and is open to being a backup. “I was told he’s been working out in L.A., plans to play this year,” Fowler explained. “He’s had interest from some teams. He’s open to various roles; could be as a starter, could be as a backup, but he just wants to play this coming year.” Wentz is the most prominent free-agent quarterback still available, though there hasn’t been any indication of a specific team that might be interested in him.

Cowboys DC Dan Quinn specifies Micah Parsons NOT making full-time move to defensive end – Blogging The Boys
It is certainly interesting that Dan Quinn specifically said the line “If you ever need position changes, come to me” and noted what he thinks Parsons was trying to say. Perhaps the Cowboys (not saying this in any sort of drama-induced way) were not pleased with Parsons saying what he did. Or maybe they are just hellbent on Parsons continuing to play some linebacker. It is also worth noting just to cover all bases that after this coming season Parsons will be eligible for a contract extension for the first time, and that defensive ends are paid significantly more than linebackers if we lean on the literal definition of things.

Contract woes aside, Saquon Barkley still holds critical role for 2023 Giants – Big Blue View
Saquon Barkley is a textbook case of the devaluation of the running back position across the NFL. Drafted No. 2 overall by the New York Giants in 2018, his lengthy injury history following an outstanding rookie season diminished his production. His 2022 season showcased both how valuable he could be and how to stop him. Now embroiled in a contract standoff with the Giants, Barkley is not listed on the team’s depth chart. Still, barring an unforeseen disaster, he will be the starting running back for the team come Week 1. The question is if it will be on the franchise tag or via a contract extension.

The 5 O’Clock Club: What is slowing down approval of the Commanders sale, a Josh Harris problem, or the NFL’s own outdated rules? – Hogs Haven
The problem here doesn’t appear to be Josh Harris and his group of talented and wealthy limited partners; the problem is NFL ownership rules that need a total overhaul to bring them into line with 21st century NFL team valuations. The risk of not modernizing the rules is that the owners could find themselves without buyers capable of paying the full value, or limited valuations constrained by owership rules written in another century.

NFL’s 8 best 2023 schedule release videos, ranked – SB Nation
NFL Schedule Release day has become a hilariously weird tradition in its own right, and it’s more or less the Super Bowl of creativity for a lot of people inside the organizations. Social media teams invest tons of energy thinking up new, creative ways to unveil their team’s schedules — and goodness, did 2023 deliver. There really wasn’t a bad video in the bunch, but some teams went above and beyond to create something iconic.

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