Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Eagles expected to cut or trade former Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, possibly in Carson Wentz deal, per report – CBS Sports
As the NFL patiently awaits an anticipated Carson Wentz trade, the Philadelphia Eagles are soon expected to part ways with another franchise icon. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz is “bracing for a change of scenery via trade or release,” perhaps even as part of a package deal involving Wentz. The 30-year-old Ertz gave a tearful address to Philly media at the end of the 2020 season, admitting then that he wasn’t sure of his future with the team. It now appears he was, in fact, issuing an early farewell. Ertz has long been a speculated 2021 salary cap casualty, entering the final year of a five-year, $42.5 million extension signed in 2016. In fact, the Eagles reportedly attempted to trade the former Super Bowl champion ahead of the 2020 in-season deadline, but the tight end’s high-ankle sprain, which sidelined him for more than a month, prevented the club from striking a deal. It’s unclear what Ertz’s trade value would even be entering his age-30 campaign, but the Eagles, who are expected to kick off a major rebuild under a new staff, would save at least $4.7 million in a cap-strapped 2021 by cutting or dealing him.
Why the 2021 Eagles could be really bad – BGN
As the Carson Wentz trade saga drags on and on and mentally drains us and Bears and Colts fans, it also overshadows that the 2021 Eagles have a really good chance to be a really bad team. We’re talking historically bad for the franchise. The 4 wins in 2020 were the 2nd worst win total in a 16 game season in Eagles history, behind only the 3-13 1998 team. The 2012 Eagles also won 4 games, those three teams had the worst records in Eagles history in the 16 game era. The 2021 Eagles may improve on the 2020 team. But they also have a fair shot to be even worse. Every truly terrible team hits a trifecta of awfulness: bad management, bad offense, and bad defense. It’s not hard to see the Eagles having all three.
Wentz Trade Destinations? + Stay Or Go: Defense Edition – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski dig into the possible trades for Carson Wentz, debate their level of confidence in Jalen Hurts, and ask who should stay or go from the defense!
Report: Frank Reich Believes the Colts ‘Could Build Around’ Eagles QB Carson Wentz—If Traded to Indy – Stampede Blue
However, there’s no sugar-coating it. Wentz was downright dreadful this past season. He threw for 16 touchdowns to 15 interceptions in 12 starts before being benched down the stretch in favor of rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts. There were also rumored issues of his coachability and accountability as a Philadelphia quarterback this past season. Make no mistake though, Wentz is a dynamic quarterback—when actually going right, that could potentially transform into an NFL franchise quarterback again—and a star passer the Colts could build around on offense. However, there’s some developed bad habits to fix—in fact, quite a lot of them, so there’s no guarantee of anything.
Report: Eagles have yet to be offered a first-round pick for Carson Wentz – PFT
Any leverage the Eagles currently possess instantly evaporates if the Colts address their needs elsewhere. While there’s no indication that the Colts are preparing to pivot toward another veteran quarterback, if the Eagles push too hard and wait too long, the Colts will have no choice but to make other plans. So why not just take the offer of two second-round picks, if Jaworki’s information is correct? It gets the Eagles net value for a quarterback whose 2020 performance coupled with his current contract could have easily put the Eagles in Brock Osweiler mode, requiring them to give someone a draft pick to get Wentz’s bloated contract off the books.
Joe Banner: No one is going to offer the Eagles a Matthew Stafford-like deal for Carson Wentz – Inquirer
I always rejected the narrative that they hired a new head coach to “fix” Wentz. So when they hired the quarterbacks coach (Brian Johnson) who already knew Jalen Hurts, it seemed pretty obvious to me that if there was anything to read in the hires, it was not good for Wentz. But this is a mutual thing. Carson definitely wants to play someplace else. But the Eagles also have clearly decided that the benefits of having him versus the cost of having him, based on (trade) compensation that they had hoped for, that they would be better off without him. Which should tell the marketplace that they don’t believe he can be who he was in 2017 again. If they did, that would be the guy they’d want. So they’re telling the marketplace that they don’t think he can be who he was. So now you have to find a team that believes the opposite, even though it doesn’t know him as well as the Eagles do. Which, by the way, is why it’s no coincidence that the two teams with the most interest – Chicago and Indianapolis – both have former Eagles coaches who were on the staff when Carson had his best season. Each of them has enough confidence — or arrogance — time will tell, to believe they can get that out of them again.
The Great 2021 QB Carousel Has Infinite Possibilities. This Is Merely One Spin. – Sports Illustrated
Carson Wentz moves to Chicago; Nick Foles returns to Philadelphia. It would seem that Wentz’s eventual destination is determined by which team (Chicago or Indianapolis) blinks first in the days leading up to Wentz’s roster bonus coming due, on March 20. The Bears have more enticing draft capital to offer right away and they are theoretically more desperate. There is little doubt that Matt Nagy and Ryan Pace won’t return in 2022 if the Bears don’t reach the postseason again. The deal with the Bears would be tidy enough, providing the Eagles with some increased draft flexibility in 2021 and giving the Bears a slightly better chance of weathering the brutal NFC North after they move on from Mitch Trubisky. Foles’s return to Philadelphia would pacify the fan base and give the Eagles the ideal mentor to maximize their evaluation period on Jalen Hurts, plus the ability to engrain Foles with the coaching staff, helping him to heal a clearly fractured and frustrated locker room.
Eagles mailbag: What’s the plan if Kelce retires? – NBCSP
Obviously, it wouldn’t be good news if Jason Kelce decides to retire. And based on his appearance on Chris Long’s Green Light podcast, Kelce is still contemplating his future. Without knowing what the Eagles would do in the draft, the initial plan would probably be to slide Isaac Seumalo from left guard to center and then replace him with either Nate Herbig and Sua Opeta. That wouldn’t be too bad, but they’d obviously miss the All-Pro in the middle of the offense. During the season on a video call with Seumalo, I actually asked him about whether or not he’d be able to play center at this point in his career. “Coach Stout (Jeff Stoutland) knows I’m always willing to help out the team in any way I can and play wherever, which was the theme of my first 3-4 years,” he said. “Now I’m kind of just playing at one spot. But I feel comfortable if the call came because of injuries or something, I could play center. But I’m gonna trust the coaches and the five guys they put out. First and foremost I gotta do my job to the best of my abilities and look at myself in the mirror at the end of the day and make sure I’m doing everything I can to individually help the team.”
‘Valentine’s Views’: Why Mel Kiper is right, and more thoughts – Big Blue View
When I had the the opportunity to speak with Alex Tanney a couple of years ago it was clear then that the now-former Giants’ backup quarterback had his eye on a coaching career when he was done. He is, of course, starting that journey with a low-level job on the staff of the Philadelphia Eagles. My guess is Tanney will do quite well in his new career. Snicker all you want at Tanney’s career — appearing in only two games and throwing 15 passes (11 completions) with eight different franchises over nine seasons. I’m sure he wishes more playing opportunities had come along. Still, he spent nine years in NFL locker and meeting rooms contributing and learning. I think he is going to put all that he has learned to good use in a successful coaching career. Good luck, Alex!
What is your worst nightmare first-round draft scenario for a rival team of the Dallas Cowboys? – Blogging The Boys
While LSU’s La’Marr Chase is a name that comes up a lot for the Eagles’ mock drafts, there’s another receiver I would not want to see with wings on his helmet this upcoming season. The quickness and ball-catching ability of Alabama’s DeVonta Smith could finally give the Eagles a premier talent at the position. It would even re-unite him with his former teammate as Jalen Hurts played three years in Alabama before transferring to Oklahoma, the last two throwing passes to Smith.
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