August 19, 2019

Eagles mailbag: Mostly roster what-ifs, trade possibilities, odds and ends, etc.

By Jimmy Kempski
PhillyVoice Staff

In our Eagles chat a week ago there were a lot of questions that we could not get to in time or other questions we did answer but could use more color. And so, let's do a mailbag post to answer some of the overflow, as well as a few emails.

Question from Bill: Is it more likely (from what you've seen/heard so far) that, in terms of preseason/early season trades, the Eagles: (A) trade Big V (B) trade Agholor (C) trade a young corner?

I don’t think they’re going to trade any of the above, for the following reasons:

• Big V: They need Big V. He’s their starter at RG if Brandon Brooks isn’t ready for Week 1. (I personally don’t think he’ll be ready for Week 1, but we’ll see.)

He’s their first guy off the bench at RG and RT, and he also can play LT if the Eagles suffer multiple injuries there. He may also be the first guy off the bench at LG, depending on whether or not the Eagles keep Stefen Wisniewski, who has not had a good camp. And if indeed he’s the first guy off the bench at LG, that means he’s also the first guy off the bench if Jason Kelce goes down, as the LG, Isaac Seumalo, would slide over to center.

• Agholor: Agholor has had a really good camp, and he’s going to be a bigger part of the offense than I think some are projecting. Yes, the Eagles will have more 2-TE sets with the emergence of Dallas Goedert, but I don’t think that Agholor automatically is the first guy to come off the field when Goedert is on it. He’s still going to get plenty of snaps, and plenty of targets.

• Young corner: I still think that the best candidate for a trade in this department would be Sidney Jones, however, I just don’t see that happening at this time with Ronald Darby’s Week 1 availability in question, and Jalen Mills likely to start the season on PUP.

Question from Dave G: Do you see any surprise cuts coming? How can the Eagles justify a spot for Mack Hollins?

When you look at the body of work from Mack Hollins this offseason, and compare it with Marken Michel and Greg Ward, Hollins does not deserve to make the team over either guy.

However, the thinking here is that the Eagles likely see more upside in Hollins in addition to the notion that he can be a core special teamer for them, and I think he'll be safe.

As for surprise cuts, I already mentioned Wisniewski above. Would he count as a surprise cut? Nate Gerry do anything for anyone on the surprise front? I don't think either guy is a lock.

Question from Bill: Now that Josh McCown is on the roster, could the Eagles still place Sudfeld on PUP (with the six-week window), or would he need to go on IR (eight-week window, and they’d use up one of their two return designations) if he's not on the 53-man roster? Not sure whether he needed to be on PUP (like Mills) from the start of camp?

PUP is off the table. You must go on PUP prior to the start training camp. Once camp begins, you can’t put anyone on PUP.

As for IR, they can put Sudfeld on IR prior to 53-man cutdowns and save the roster spot, but then he’s done for the season. They would not be able to designate him for return. They can only put him on IR with a chance to return after eight weeks if they do so on the Tuesday following 53-man cutdowns.

In other words, Sudfeld is going to make the initial 53-man roster, and he’ll just stay on it.

Question from PaulieChestnuts: Who are the guys the Eagles could cut and then bring back after Week 1 so their salaries aren't guaranteed?

The Eagles used to do this with Najee Goode, and I think they'll do it again this year. The prime candidate here would be CB Orlando Scandrick. The Eagles signed Scandrick about three weeks ago. He was still available in late July, so it's not exactly as if teams around the league were beating down his door to sign him.

I believe the Eagles can safely talk Scandrick into coming back after Week 1, and then depending on his availability, they could maybe put Cre'Von LeBlanc on IR with a designation to return.

Question from Jake: When the Eagles had joint practices in 2017 with the Dolphins, they liked what they saw out of Jay Ajayi, and later traded for him. Are there any Ravens players you think the Eagles will have their eye on during joint practices with the Ravens?

Ooh, great question! I'm going to go back to the running back position here again and say Kenneth Dixon.

Dixon was a fourth-round pick of the Ravens in 2016, but he has only managed to play 18 games in three years as a result of injuries and a couple of suspensions. However, when he is available, he's a talented player, particularly as a receiver out of the backfield. Here's a highlight reel from his college days, where his receiving ability is obvious:

In 2018, Dixon averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 60 carries. For his career (148 carries), he averages 4.8. The Ravens could view Dixon as expendable, given their offseason acquisition of Mark Ingram, the emergence of the 235-pound Gus Edwards last season, and their selection of Justice Hill in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.

Maybe a guy on the level of, oh, say, Matt Pryor, for example, could be enough for the Ravens to let him go.

Obviously, I'm just blindly throwing darts here.