Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
Eagles mailbag: Andre Dillard’s trade market, and why move from 6 to 12 now? – PhillyVoice
I do think the Eagles would like to salvage some kind of draft pick in return for trading Dillard, if they could. However, it’ll cost more to trade him than to just keep him, so they’d have to get something worthwhile in return. Fourth-round pick in 2022? I think that would be the best they could hope for. Personally, I wouldn’t give up anything of value for Dillard if I were some other team, even if I needed a LT. The guess here is that he’s back on the roster in 2021, as the backup LT. Keep in mind that Mailata has a history of back injuries, so they may need Dillard at some point this season, even if Mailata wins the starting job. Maybe if Dillard shows some positive signs if he has to play, he can improve his value, and they can deal him in 2022 if it still makes sense to do so? But right now, I can’t imagine Howie is getting a bunch of calls on him.
Weapon X Mailbag: How does Jalen Hurts compare to the 2021 QB draft class? – BGN
As for what the consensus amongst scouts and people in the league might be, I’d assume that Jalen Hurts would be a second or third-tier signal-caller if he was in the 2021 draft. I’d say that the first tier would be Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Justin Fields and Trey Lance. Maybe Mac Jones should be in the first tier, but I’m going to put him in the second tier all to himself. My take is that people would consider Hurts roughly akin to Kyle Trask (not in playstyle, but in terms of projection) in a separate third group. How would I rank them myself? Lawrence would be my QB1 and I’d have Fields comfortable coming in second. To me, they’re in the first tier. I’d throw Hurts in the second tier along with Wilson and Lance. Call it confirmation bias if you want for the biggest Hurts guy on this site, but the guy’s excelled at two of the best programs in the nation this century and possesses mobility better than both Wilson and Lance (though that says more about Hurts than the other guys, who are also great athletes).
Locker Room Livestream Replay: Who should the Eagles draft at 12? – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton, Shamus Clancy, and BGN listeners discuss their thoughts on Philly’s trade down, Jalen Hurts’ outlook, who the Eagles should take at No. 12, and more!
March Madness: It’s Time to Vote in Round Two of our Eagles Media Field of 64 – Crossing Broad
[BLG Note: Click the link, scroll down, and drop me a vote in the Chris Gocong region, if you’d like! I’m the only remaining BGN writer/podcaster left in the tournament.]
Misc Draft Talk – Iggles Blitz
I’ve mentioned DeVonta Smith a few times recently. It is fair to question if there are any concerns with him. We don’t have official measurements for Smith. He is unoffically 6-0 and says he is 170 pounds. Someone I trust wrote a while back that Smith played in the 165 range this year. It is easy for an Eagles fan to have scary flashbacks to Todd Pinkston, who was 6-2, 170. I can’t stress this enough, but Smith and Pinkston are nothing alike. Nothing. Smith played on STs. I’m not talking about as a returner (although he did do that). Smith is a good blocker. He will mix it up with DBs. Yes, he’s got a slight build, but this is not a finesse player. He’s mentally and physically tough. He’s ultra-competitive. I love guys that have that mindset. Anquan Boldin was slow (ran 4.7 at the Combine), but I loved his competitive nature so much I had him rated as a 1st round prospect. Smith lacks ideal size, but he sure seems to have ideal heart. And you can watch the game tape to see how he dominated the best conference in all of football. At pick 12, he is worth taking a chance on. There is risk to be sure. At the same time, look at J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. He’s got plenty of size and hasn’t done squat in the NFL. Size matters, but it is only part of the overall picture.
Eagles Hall of Famer Tommy McDonald found to have most severe CTE – Inquirer
The news delivered this week in a Zoom call with Boston University’s Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Center came as no shock to Tommy McDonald’s family. An autopsy on the brain of the Eagles Hall of Famer, who died at 84 in September 2018, revealed that he suffered from Stage 4 CTE, the most advanced form of the brain disease that continues to plague NFL players. “It wasn’t surprising at all,” McDonald’s son, Chris, said Wednesday. “He showed all the symptoms.” According to Ann McKee, the director of the BU center, where the brains of hundreds of deceased football players have been studied, McDonald’s disease was “as severe as it gets.”
Free agency reveals times are changing for the Browns – Dawgs By Nature
No longer are players signing with Cleveland just to cash a going-away paycheck at the end of their NFL career. Now, players are coming to the Browns because they want the opportunity to win a Super Bowl. (The accompanying paycheck is obviously nice as well, we’re not naive here.) Defensive tackle Malik Jackson spoke about that very topic during a media session on Wednesday: “A Super Bowl-contender team, and that is what I was looking for, especially with the climate of this free agency and a lot of one-year deals. I did not want to go anywhere that was trying to rebuild. I wanted to go somewhere with a consistent team, somewhere I could come in and not have to be the guy and I could just be a supporting role and have opportunities to fight for a job starting and third downs. That is all I could ask for.”
Report: Colts Re-Signing Free Agent DE Al-Quadin Muhammad to One-Year, $3.4M Deal – Stampede Blue
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Indianapolis Colts are re-signing free agent defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad to a new one-year, $3.4M deal. [BLG Note: Previously mentioned him as a potential Eagles free agent target due to the Jonathan Gannon connection.]
Current odds have the Dallas Cowboys in the middle of the road as far as Super Bowl LVI is concerned – Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys haven’t done a whole heck of a lot this offseason, unless you count them finally getting a deal done with Dak Prescott. It is certainly fair to count Dak among the team’s free agency additions given that the reality of Dallas losing their franchise quarterback did exist, however, he is obviously not a new player coming in so it is hard to compare it to others in the same way. Free agency has adjusted the way that a number of teams in the league are viewed and therefore what their odds of success in 2021 are currently. Our friends at BetOnline laid out odds for Super Bowl LVI following the first two weeks of free agency and they don’t exactly have the Cowboys all too high.
Answering questions about the 17-game season – Hogs Haven
International games form part of the arrangement, but the application of the provisions are delayed for a year (probably due to COVID concerns). As the NFL’s news release stated, “(T)he enhanced season will ensure that beginning in 2022, all 32 clubs will play internationally at least once every eight years.” The league plans to schedule up to four international games every season, with an emphasis on Canada, Europe, Mexico, South American and the United Kingdom. Washington’s only international series game was played against the Cincinnati Bengals in London in 2016, ending in a tie when both teams’ kickers were unable to make key field goals kicking on English grass.
How Will a 17-Game Season Impact NFL Record Books? – The Ringer
Now that NFL owners have officially voted to expand the season to 17 games, it’s time to look at which single-season records could fall—and which may still be safe—with an extra game on the schedule
The NFL’s new 17 game season is a cash grab that hurts the game – SB Nation
How many NFL owners love the game of football? I mean, really love the game. Judging from the latest decision to expand the regular season to 17 games, it seems that when the chips are down and the decision is between the sanctity of the game and money, they’re picking the money every single time. On Monday NFL owners met and voted to increase the regular season by a game starting in 2021, with each team being told its additional matchup. It’s a move the NFL Player’s Association was prepared for, building the provision into the CBA. As a result the preseason will be reduced from four games to three to build the 17th game into the schedule organically. While the idea of “more football is good” is generally something I believe in, when it comes to expanding the regular season there’s really no need for it — outside of selling out another stadium and putting more money in the pockets of owners.
The Palpably Unfair Podcast #30: Pro Day Hype, Hyperbole & Absurdity – The SB Nation NFL Show
Kyle Posey is joined by Ben Natan (Bleeding Green Nation) to break down all the recent pro day results and the flood of ridiculous talking points that spawn from them heading into the 2021 NFL Draft!
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