February 13, 2015
Ben Margot/AP
Brandon Graham's strange tenure with the Eagles is probably coming to a close, and he'll probably be really good with another team.
We're still right in the thick of a dead period of the NFL calendar, in between the Super Bowl and the NFL Combine. But as always, the Eagles are a 365 day/year obsession in Philly, so here's what they're saying about them around the web:
In Kelly’s fourth game as an NFL coach, Peyton Manning lit the Eagles up with a 327-yard, four-touchdown performance. Manning threw only six incompletions as the Broncos rolled to a 52-20 victory, but one specific misfire caught Kelly’s attention.
"I still look at the best play he made when he played us was when they were over toward their bench," Kelly recalled. "We tried to get him on something, and it wasn't there. They took the ball and threw it in the back of [Wes] Welker's calf, like he wasn't going to make the play. He just thought, ‘Alright, get me second down now. It's not there, ball is on the ground, give me another snap.' Two plays later, they're in the end zone for a touchdown."
Kelly is an admirer of Manning - not so much for his physical ability, but more for the way he's able to recognize defensive looks, process information and punish opponents with his mental edge.
#JimmyNote: Even if you have "Mariota fatigue," this is a tremendous piece by Sheil. Go read it.
The first domino appears to have fallen. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ decision to release quarterback Josh McCown on Wednesday could lead to the Eagles never getting that shot at Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The Buccaneers signed McCown to a two-year contract last offseason. He started 11 games for the Bucs, throwing 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. By releasing him now, the Buccaneers seem to be setting themselves up to obtain another starting quarterback.
#JimmyNote: I'll play devil's advocate here. I think the flip side of this argument is that the Bucs were probably going to release McCown whether or not they have their sights set on a QB. McCown stunk last season, he's going to be 36 in July, and the Bucs will save $5,250,000 by cutting him.
Brandon Graham, outside linebacker
The Eagles tried to extend Graham during the season, but the sides were far apart and nothing has since evolved, which means the 2010 first-round pick is one step closer toward hitting the open market.
Graham, who broke out this past season as a reserve, is a classic case of someone whose value will be “discovered” next week in Indianapolis. He’s seeking a four-year deal in the $30 million neighborhood, with $20 million guaranteed.
The Eagles don’t have great depth at his position so they’d be wise to keep lines of communication open and match any reasonable offers Graham might command. But as of right now, it appears that Graham is headed out the door.
#JimmyNote: The 4 year, $30 million ambitions of Graham were previously reported by Mosher and Derrick Gunn back in December. While those figures may seem lofty, I'll bet Graham does indeed get a contract that is in that same ballpark. We previously covered Graham and a good contract benchmark from last offseason:
"Brandon Graham is an interesting case. He is a legitimately good pass rusher, which is a valuable commodity in the NFL, but he has never played more than 524 snaps in one season. What kind of production could he put up as a full-time player? I'll bet some 4-3 teams would love to know. A good case study is Everson Griffen of the Vikings. Here's a comparison of what Griffen did in his three seasons leading up to free agency a year ago, and what Graham has done his last three seasons:
The Vikings re-signed Griffen last offseason to a 5 year, $42.5 million contract, with $19.8 million guaranteed. You can bet that Graham's agent is pointing that out to the Eagles and whoever else will listen. The Eagles may want to re-sign Graham, but Graham would be crazy not to test the free agent waters to see what 4-3 teams might offer."
And there's no way the Eagles are paying anything close to the 4 years, $30 million Graham is reportedly seeking.
Depending on what happens in free agency — Jeremy Maclin has an expiring contract — the Philadelphia Eagles could enter the 2015 NFL Draft in dire need of another playmaker at wide receiver.
Fortunately for them, there seems to be another excellent crop ready to emerge, even if it isn't quite as plentiful as last year's overwhelming depth at that position.
#JimmyNote: Agree. This year's crop of receivers is very deep and talented, although it'll be a loooooong time until there's a rookie class that produces like the one in 2014:
PFF uses a stat called tackling efficiency, which is easily calculated by attempts per missed tackle. The Eagles finished fourth overall.
#JimmyNote: Unfortunately, their "balls flying over their heads efficiency" was very poor.
• Mike Mayock listed his top five draft prospects at each position.
• Think Marcus Mariota and Jameis Winston are sure-fire top 10 picks? We looked at where Johnny Manziel, Geno Smith, and Teddy Bridgewater were projected by the experts in February of 2013 and 2014.
• We examined the five worst contracts in the NFC East.
• We looked at eight potential Eagles cap casualties.
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
