May 30, 2017
While the Eagles secondary (the cornerbacks specifically, which also means the whole unit) is definitely a question mark heading into the 2017 NFL season, the front seven shapes up to be pretty good. At NFL.com, Gregg Rosenthal ranked the Eagles defensive line and linebackers ninth in the entire league. Not too bad.
Iggles Blitz’s Tommy Lawlor disagrees, though, thinking that group should be higher. With the additions of first-round draft pick Derek Barnett, Timmy Jernigan via trade, and Chris Long in free agency, he believes that the Eagles should rank Top-7 in the NFL:
I think I would have put the Eagles a bit higher, but Rosenthal studies the league thoroughly and is pretty good at these types of evaluations. He had the Chargers at 8 and Steelers at 7. I would have put the Eagles ahead of them.
No matter how you slice it, the front seven should be even better this year. Jernigan is a better pass rusher than Logan. The combination of Barnett and Chris Long is an upgrade over Connor Barwin. The Eagles are deeper and have better players.
I also think of one of the things that should boost the Eagles in the rankings is that they have an outstanding DE (Graham), DT (Cox) and LB (Hicks). That gives them playmakers inside, outside and on the second level.
I feel like we say this every week, but with Jim Schwartz’s conservative scheme and the Eagles’ lack of talent on the depth chart at cornerback, those linemen better be able to generate pressure against opposing quarterbacks.
1. He’s baaaacccccck: That would be Fletcher Cox, the highest-paid player on the Eagles roster, who it looks like has returned to Philly to get his OTA on.
2. Mailbag one and deux: Jimmy offers the salary cap explanation for why the Eagles can’t release Ryan Mathews yet and also ponders another fake trade that would bring Bears corner Kyle Fuller back to Philly. Wait, where have I seen that before? It would appear that Kyle Fuller is Kempski’s favorite NFL player going away.
3. Wiz wit: Carson Wentz put a North Dakota spin on the cheesesteak and it was, um, bad? Yeah, it was bad.
4. Clearing some space: In some salary cap news, Eagles restructured the contract of one of their defensive backs. A little bit of minutiae for your Memorial Day Weekend.
5. Not gonna happen: Jimmy plays psychiatrist for any Eagles fans who are optimistic about a Nelson Agholor breakout season in 2017. Really, it’s for the best.
What matters and what doesn't during OTA season: Gregg Rosenthal, NFL.com
Unlike Angelo Cataldi, Rosenthal doesn’t believe that veterans like Cox skipping OTAs is too big of a deal:
Feel free to think less of the next sportscaster or writer who says a player is "holding out" of voluntary offseason practices in shorts. It would be like "holding out" of bowling night with your co-workers, if you had previously negotiated your right to do so. (Feel free to think less of me after making that analogy.)
Eagles Mailbag: Linebackers, Stats for Zach Ertz, and Derek Barnett: Dave Zangaro, CSN Philly
Zangaro offered a statistical season prediction for Zach Ertz, looking to break out for the 12th season in a row:
Ertz: 80 catches, 900 yards, seven touchdowns. Those would be very slightly above the numbers he's put up in recent years, but in his second year with Wentz, that's reasonable. And seven touchdowns is a lot, but I don't think it's crazy.
LeGarrette Blount's bank account doesn't match his career contributions: Bob Brookover, Philadelphia Inquirer
Brookover believes that Blount is the anti-Sam Bradford in that his on-field play merits career earnings that should be much higher:
A total of 15 running backs were drafted in 2010, including three - C.J. Spiller by Buffalo, Ryan Mathews by San Diego and Jahvid Best by Detroit - in the first round. Blount has more rushing yards and more yards from scrimmage than all of them except Mathews, who has made $26.6 million in his career. Blount's 50 touchdowns are more than every player in the 2010 draft except first-round receivers Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas.
Seven of the 16 running backs drafted in 2010 had still made more money than Blount before his latest contract with the Eagles.
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