July 26, 2017
Over at The MMQB, Andy Benoit attempted the impossible task of ranking the Top-400 players in the NFL. And while the Eagles don’t particularly strike me as a team with a ton of top-end talent, they fared pretty well on this list with five players in the top 110 and 14 overall in the top 400.
The four players on the Eagles roster in the top 100 were Fletcher Cox (26), Lane Johnson (84), Alshon Jeffery (89), and Brandon Graham (98). Here is what he wrote about Jeffery and Johnson, respectively:
With long arms, large hands and perplexingly efficient body control, Jeffery can be as dangerous as any receiver in the game. Of course, as his surprisingly soft free agent market reveals (he settled for one year, $9.5 million in Philly), injuries and inconsistency have dented his reputation.
It's no coincidence that Carson Wentz's mechanical struggles last season correlated with Johnson's absence (Johnson was serving a 10-game suspension for violating the NFL's PED rules). Johnson is the most athletically gifted right tackle in football.
Eagles fans should click here to see the rest of Benoit’s list, especially what he says about Carson Wentz (hint: it’s pretty positive).
1. Practice notes: Paul Turner has a lot of work to do if he wants defend his Na Brown award. Not many think converted QB Greg Ward has much of a chance to crack the Eagles roster, but he’s been impressive so far.
2. Late-round steal? Converted safety Nate Gerry could give the Eagles another good coverage linebacker, but he has to hold up against the run.
3. Rough start: Not all of the Eagles draft picks are flying out of the gate, as Shelton Gibson can’t seem to catch the football.
4. Outside help? The weakest position on the Eagles depth chart by far is cornerback, and Jim Schwartz/Dougie P talked about how they’re going to handle it.
5. Fore! Carson Wentz indicated that all of the Eagles receivers suck at golf. I do too, fellas, don’t worry about it.
6. Clown show: I don’t care if the Dallas Cowboys won the division and were generally very impressive last season. They looked ridiculous even before this Lucky Whitehead thing, and now they somehow come off even worse.
7. Jim on Tim: Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz is high on his re-tooled defensive front. And Tim Jernigan is a big reason why.
Ranking backup quarterback situations for all 32 teams: Field Yates, ESPN Insider
Yates ranked the second and third QB spots on the Eagles depth chart fifth in the NFL, which seems fair enough:
Nick Foles has come full circle, re-signing with Philadelphia this offseason following two seasons with the Rams and Chiefs. The former third-round pick spent 2012-14 with the Eagles and even had a remarkable 27-touchdown, two-interception Pro Bowl year in 2013. Foles should help Carson Wentz develop entering Year 2 as the starter. Matt McGloin signed as a free agent this offseason and will serve as the No. 3 QB.
Each NFL team's most underrated and overrated player for 2017: Pete Prisco, CBS Sports
Jordan Hicks was Prisco’s most underrated player on the Eagles roster, while Jason Kelce settled in as the most overrated:
He's been around for a while, and he's smart, but his play really took a step back last season. At times, he has major problems with power people on his nose, but he also regressed in pass protection last year.
NFL training camp: Thirteen potential surprise cuts: Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
Three Eagles made the list in Ryan Mathews (who will get cut), Torrey Smith, and Nelson Agholor:
Based on the breadth of his career, Smith came at a discount (three years, $15 million) in free agency. Based on last year's play in San Francisco and the minimal $500,000 guaranteed in his contract, Smith isn't even a total lock to make the roster. Positive offseason reports indicate that Smith should be safe, although teammate Nelson Agholor inspired even more shorts-and-shirts optimism.
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