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TE Dallas Goedert Addresses Eagles Future

June 24th, 2024 at 11:15am CST by Adam La Rose

Dallas Goedert is on track to remain atop the tight end depth chart for the Eagles in 2024. No guaranteed salary exists on his deal after the coming season, though, which could lead the team to seek out a replacement in the near future.

Goedert has been a consistent presence in Philadelphia’s passing game when on the field, though injuries have been present throughout much of his career. The 29-year-old has not played a full season since his rookie year in 2018, and he has missed eight combined contests across the past two campaigns (including a fractured forearm in 2023). Goedert is under contract through 2025, but that year calls for a non-guaranteed $14.25MM in compensation and a cap charge of $11.81MM.

The Eagles could thus look to move on from Goedert by adding a successor in the same way he took over from Zach Ertz. In 2023, Goedert’s average of 42.3 yards per game was his lowest mark 2019, and Philadelphia’s offensive pecking order includes wideouts A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith along with running back Saquon Barkley. Both Brown and Smith signed lucrative extensions this offseason, while Barkley inked a three-year pact including $26MM guaranteed to provide the team with a pass-catching option out of the backfield. Goedert is not concerned about where things stand with respect to his financial outlook at the moment, though.

“I feel really good,” the South Dakota State alum said (via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “I’m not too worried about it. I love being in Philadelphia. I’m going to give them everything I’ve got and let the chips fall where they may fall.”

The Eagles signed C.J. Uzomah in free agency, but a long-term Goedert successor does not appear to be on the roster for the time being. That is especially true since the team did not elect to add a tight end during the draft. Goedert is therefore safe with respect to playing time for at least one more season, and how Philadelphia operates regarding his contract will no doubt be tied to his performance in 2024 under new OC Kellen Moore. His comments on his future point to optimism regarding a new agreement being possible, and it will be interesting to see if he plays his way into another Philadelphia extension.

Isaiah Rodgers In Mix To Start For Eagles; Team Considering James Bradberry Move To Safety

June 17th, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles decided to let both their Super Bowl LVII safety starters walk in free agency last year. That decision created issues for a defense that cratered down the stretch. A year later, Philadelphia’s secondary appears much deeper.

Part of the reason the Eagles can feel more comfortable about their DB contingent comes from a roster-stash move they made last summer. As teams were considering which players they would cut as the deadline to move down to 53 loomed in late August, the Eagles quietly added Isaiah Rodgers, a young kick returner who worked as a Colts CB starter in 2022. Of course, Rodgers was sidelined throughout last season due to a gambling ban that stemmed from extensive violations of the NFL’s policy. A year later, Rodgers may come out in better position.

Although the former sixth-round pick missed his age-25 season, he has a clear path to a rebound window ahead of what may well be a more notable free agency stay in 2025. Rodgers has been “a revelation” this offseason, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, and The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena notes the Eagles gave the three-year Colt a significant number of first-team reps during minicamp (subscription required). Despite the Eagles still rostering Darius Slay and James Bradberry and the team having re-signed Avonte Maddox not long after making him a cap casualty, it has bolstered its CB group with a host of younger talents.

Rodgers started nine games with the Colts in 2022, playing opposite Stephon Gilmore, and made an impression in part-time duty. Pro Football Focus ranked Rodgers as the NFL’s fifth-best cornerback that year. This assessment came on just 283 defensive snaps, but the 170-pound defender recovered four fumbles that year and also intercepted three passes in 2021. Training camp figures to be pivotal for Rodgers, who saw the Eagles devote the most important part of their draft to the cornerback position.

Philly drafted Quinyon Mitchell in Round 1 and Cooper DeJean in Round 2. DeJean is viewed as a corner/safety hybrid at this juncture, Breer adds, but Mitchell certainly will be treated as a hopeful long-term starter at corner. The Eagles also gave plenty of first-team reps to 2023 fourth-round pick Kelee Ringo during minicamp, Kubena adds. Ringo logged 199 defensive snaps last season, which still featured the Slay-Bradberry tandem as the CB group’s leaders.

Slay is going into his age-33 season, and his three-year, $39MM deal does not feature any 2025 guarantees. Bradberry re-signed on a three-year, $38MM pact in 2023 but could not follow up his strong ’22 campaign with impressive work last season. PFF rated Bradberry 100th at the position in 2023. The Eagles have made an effort to begin cross-training Bradberry at safety, and Breer adds the team is toying with moving the ninth-year vet to a back-line spot on a full-time basis. No guarantees remain on Bradberry’s deal post-2024.

As a few Hall of Famers have shown, corner-to-safety moves are not too uncommon. This one would come ahead of Bradberry’s age-31 season. The Eagles brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson after his year in Detroit and still roster 2023 starter Reed Blankenship. Sydney Brown, a 2023 third-rounder, is rehabbing an ACL tear sustained in Week 18. He is a candidate to begin the season on the reserve/PUP list.

Even with Brown potentially out of the mix to start the season, the Eagles’ secondary should have more options compared to 2023. Rodgers and/or Ringo entering Week 1 as viable starter candidates would likely prompt the Eagles to strongly consider Bradberry at safety, depending on how the career-long boundary corner looks in training camp, with DeJean an interesting wild card here. A depth-based trade could conceivably come into play as well.

The Eagles submitted one of the more notable collapses in recent NFL history last season, with the defense playing the lead role in the unraveling. This figures to be an interesting season for three-time reigning playoff qualifiers, as the Slay-Bradberry-Maddox-CJGJ group intersects with a host of younger options that will be expected to take over down the line.

It is not certain if Rodgers will be part of that long-term collection, as he will be a free agent next year. But the UMass alum has a path to re-emerging after seeing the gambling scandal quickly overshadow his rookie-contract Colts contributions.

Eagles Will Not Face Tampering Charges

June 13th, 2024 at 10:13am CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL has been investigating tampering violations against the Falcons for their addition of Kirk Cousins and the Eagles for their Saquon Barkley signing. In the case of the latter, no discipline will be forthcoming.

“After a thorough review of the Philadelphia Eagles signing of Saquon Barkley, the NFL today informed the club that the investigation did not discover sufficient evidence to support a finding that the Anti-Tampering Policy was violated,” a statement from the league reads (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero).

“In coming to this conclusion, the league reviewed phone logs, text messages and other documents related to Philadelphia’s free agency strategy and decision to sign Barkley. The NFL also interviewed several members of the organization, including [general manager] Howie Roseman and [head coach] Nick Sirianni, as well as Barkley and Penn State head coach James Franklin.”

Remarks made by Franklin indicated Roseman and Barkley directly spoke with one another before the opening of the new league year. For players who do not represent themselves – which is the case for Barkley – that is prohibited by league policy. Throughout the investigation, the Eagles have maintained no violation occurred.

That is the same for the Falcons, although Atlanta has been expected to receive a stiffer penalty than Philadelphia as a result of the Cousins inquiry. A recent report indicated both investigations would likely reach a conclusion soon, and that has proven to be the case.

The NFL’s statement notes that new evidence could prompt the Eagles investigation to be re-opened. As things stand now, however, no fines or loss of draft picks will be forthcoming for the team. Barkley is tied to Philadelphia through 2026 after he inked a $37.75MM pact in free agency.

Eagles Announce Numerous Updates To Front Office

June 9th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles announced a host of changes to their front office staff this week. While the litany of moves was mostly comprised of promotions and title changes, three new hires were announced, as well.

In the front office, Bryce Johnston continues to rise through the ranks as he heads into his ninth season with the team. After seeing a promotion to vice president of football transactions and strategic planning last year, Johnston now sees a promotion to senior vice president/tertiary football executive. Jeff Scott also earned a promotion with his title changing from director of football operations to vice president of football operations going into his fourth season with the team. Katie David, going on 17 seasons in the Eagles’ football operations department, has gone from football operations director to chief of staff to the general manager.

Dom DiSandro has added a new title to his position. Serving as senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer in 2023, the Eagles will add the moniker of gameday coaching operations to his job. DiSandro was involved in a sideline incident with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw that resulted in the ejection of both parties and the banning of DiSandro from the sidelines for the subsequent game. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer posits that the new title may be a preliminary measure to prevent similar discipline should any future sideline incidents occur.

Adam Berry, twin brother of Browns general manager Andrew Berry, is also receiving a promotion. After coming to the NFL after a career at Goldman Sachs last year, Berry goes from vice president of football operations to vice president of football operations and strategy. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Connor Barwin continues to work his way up the executive ladder, as well. Named the team’s player development director in 2022, Barwin will now serve as head of football development and strategy. Also a former player who retired after signing a reserve/futures deal with the team, Matt Leo earned a promotion from defensive/football operations assistant to player development assistant.

The football operations new hire is Isabel Pantle, who joins the team as a quantitative analyst. Pantle previously served as a player personnel analyst intern for the Ravens in 2022.

In the player personnel department, Charles Walls and Alan Wolking have both been named vice presidents of player personnel. Walls was hired as the Eagles’ director of player personnel in 2022 after two years as a national scout for the Browns. In the same year, Wolking had been promoted to director of player personnel, as well. Wolking is entering his 14th season with the team. Filling the vacated role of director of player personnel will be Phil Bhaya, who previously served as director of college scouting. Bhaya will have Jeremy Gray, as well, after Gray’s promotion from assistant director of pro scouting to assistant director of player personnel. Terrence Braxton joins the group as player personnel coordinator after a promotion from football operations coordinator.

On the scouting front, Brandon Hunt was promoted from director of scouting to senior director of scouting as he enters his 20th year of scouting experience. Ameena Soliman, who added the director of personnel operations title to her pro scouting duties in 2022, will now serve as director of football operations while continuing to work as a pro scout. Also, former mid-Atlantic area scout Cam Bradfield has been assigned a different area for this season. In 2024, Bradfield will cover the southwest area.

The other two new hires mentioned above were in the scouting department, as well. Laurel McHale has been hired on as a full-time scouting assistant after working last year as a player personnel and scouting associate intern. Lastly, Duke Tobin Jr., son of the Bengals’ director of player personnel for the last 25 years, was also hired as a scouting assistant. He first connected with the team as a training camp scouting intern before working a seasonal job as a player personnel associate.

Eagles Interested In Getting CBs James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox Reps At Safety

June 9th, 2024 at 9:19am CST by Rory Parks

Despite a down year in 2023, the Eagles plan to keep cornerback James Bradberry for the upcoming campaign. However, after adding defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, the club is seemingly interested in seeing how the soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran looks at safety.

On the first day of Philadelphia’s mandatory minicamp last week, head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters, including Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com, that Bradberry would get some reps at safety, citing the fact that a number of high-end corners have become high-end safeties in the latter stages of their careers (video link). Unfortunately, as Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, Bradberry sustained an injury early in the practice and did not return.

Per Neiburg’s Inquirer colleage, Jeff McLane, Bradberry suffered an abductor injury that kept him out of the remainder of the Eagles’ three-day minicamp. It is not considered a serious issue, though Sirianni obviously did not get much of a chance to see how Bradberry looked at a different position. It appears the 2020 Pro Bowler will be cleared in time for training camp, so perhaps the experiment will continue then.

Meanwhile, longtime slot man Avonte Maddox is also taking snaps at safety, as Neiburg observes. Like Bradberry, Maddox struggled in 2023, though the latter was limited to just four games due to a torn pectoral muscle. This offseason, he was released in a cost-cutting move but later re-signed to a modest one-year pact, and he acknowledged that learning the safety position could extend his career.

“I know the nickel spot really well, and I feel like something that’s going to help me in my career is to learn the safety spot,” Maddox said. “When you get older, you get a little bit slower.”

Neiburg said that Maddox did take first-team reps at his familiar nickel post during minicamp, but he also saw second-team action at safety behind presumptive starters Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. DeJean is also capable of playing multiple positions in the defensive backfield.

New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio prizes versatility, and the esteemed DC is tasked with fixing a defense that yielded the seventh-most total yards per game and second-most passing yards per game in 2023. The offseason additions of Gardner-Johnson, Mitchell, and DeJean infused much-needed talent into the unit, and the hope is that Fangio will be able to maximize that talent.

“We’ll throw a lot at them in training camp to see what best fits for them, what they’re good at, and then try and whittle it down, but always keeping some stuff in the bank in case we need it at some point during the season,” Fangio said last month. “We have a system that is versatile, we like to think. It needs to be versatile because every week you’re facing different strengths of an offense, different schemes. So what you play in one week 10, 15 times, you may not play at all the next week. You have to have a versatile system for the offenses today in the NFL. What we’ll eventually do is learn what our guys are best at.”

Parris Campbell In Lead For Eagles’ No. 3 WR Role?

June 8th, 2024 at 12:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Parris Campbell‘s Giants tenure ended with a run of healthy scratches. Despite the struggling team not exactly sporting a deep receiving corps, Brian Daboll and Co. deemed the former second-round pick unworthy of a gameday gig in the final five games of the 2023 campaign.

That did not lead to extensive interest during Campbell’s second free agency foray. The former Colts draftee, however, has stayed healthy over the past two seasons — after a litany of injuries hounded him for most of his Indianapolis tenure — and has a history with his new coach. The Colts drafted Campbell during Nick Sirianni‘s time as OC, and the two overlapped for two years in Indy. Campbell, 26, now appears to have a real shot at going from Giants scratch to Eagles regular.

Unable to rely on their slot position for a bit now, the Eagles took a flier on Campbell (one year, $1.29MM). Philly’s offseason program has wrapped, but after this week’s minicamp, Campbell appears to be in the lead to play alongside A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The veteran slot receiver received the bulk of the first-team reps in the WR3 role this week, per 94WIP.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks, who called this competition — ahead of training camp, at least — Campbell’s to lose.

The Eagles helped set the receiver market this offseason, authorizing extensions for Smith and Brown in April. With wideouts tied to $32MM- and $25MM-per-year deals and several big payments in place on offense, money is obviously limited elsewhere at wide receiver. The Eagles did use fifth- and sixth-round draft choices on wideouts (Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith) this year, and they offered an offseason roster spot to former top-10 pick John Ross, who has unretired to join the team. Campbell’s profile features inconsistency, but he brings more experience as a regular than anyone else vying for the Brown-Smith sidekick role.

The former Ohio State standout flashed for the Colts during Sirianni’s time in Indianapolis, but he also missed 25 games due to various injuries from 2019-21. During a chaotic 2022 Colts season, Campbell quietly stayed healthy and totaled 63 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns. This came for a 4-13 team that started three quarterbacks and used two play-callers. The Giants did not see much from Campbell, though they also slogged through a three-QB season. Campbell caught just 20 passes for 104 yards, underwhelming on a one-year, $4.7MM deal.

Before the 6-foot-1 target’s Giants season ended, he understandably expressed a desire for a fresh start. The Eagles, who bring more QB stability than Campbell has seen over the course of his career, are providing it.

Working with Andrew Luck only during the offseason before the standout passer’s abrupt retirement, Campbell has never played with the same starting QB in consecutive seasons. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles see enough from him this season to consider a longer-term role for him in their Jalen Hurts-led offense. Quez Watkins‘ production trended downward after a 647-yard 2021, and the team’s Julio Jones and Olamide Zaccheaus contracts last year did not lead to much of consequence from the WR3 spot.

Ross also saw extensive time during Philly’s minicamp, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff Neiburg, while return man Britain Covey remains in the picture. Ross, 27, has not seen any game action since 2021. The former Combine 40-yard dash record holder (4.22 seconds) seizing a roster spot would surprise, given his NFL offerings, but his preseason work will be worth monitoring as the Eagles attempt to improve in a passing attack that will still run through Brown, Smith and Dallas Goedert.

Mekhi Becton Aiming To Remain With Eagles Long Term, Seeing Reps At Guard

June 7th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mekhi Becton‘s run with the Jets did not go according to plan, and to no surprise his free agent value was not high. The former first-round pick inked a one-year, $2.75MM deal with the Eagles this offseason.

Becton dealt with injuries which limited him to a single game between the 2021 and ’22 campaigns. He managed to return to the fold last year, serving primarily as the team’s blindside blocker. In spite of that, it came as no surprise that the Jets elected to move in a different direction at both tackle spots (trading for Morgan Moses and signing Tyron Smith before drafting Olu Fashanu).

As a result, Becton is set to take part in a ‘prove it’ season with Philadelphia in 2024. His future will depend in large part on his level of play when on the field, but regardless of what happens in that respect the 25-year-old is hoping to remain with the Eagles for the foreseeable future. When speaking about his situation, Becton made it clear he hopes to avoid another free agent move next offseason.

“I want it to be long term” the Louisville alum said of his Eagles tenure, via PHLY’s Zach Berman. “I love this city of Philly. I love the people here, I love the fans. I hope it’s long term.” 

Becton’s NFL career has not yet consisted of work at guard, but that could change with his new team. The Eagles (set at both tackle spots with Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson) have been using him at guard in addition to taking tackle reps, Johnson recently noted (via NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro). Becton has even seen some first-team reps along the interior, as detailed by The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

The Eagles have Landon Dickerson attached to the league’s most lucrative guard deal (four years, $84MM) after he signed an extension this offseason. The right guard spot is currently open with Cam Jurgens sliding over to center, but Tyler Steen is currently the favorite to win that position. Philadelphia added experienced guard depth recently with the signing of Max Scharping.

Becton will be a member of that group as the RG competition continues through the summer. Especially if he were to carve out a notable role, he could see significant playing time in Philadelphia. That would increase the chances of the team being willing to meet his desire for a long-term relationship.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/24

June 7th, 2024 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

After getting drafted in the third round out of Ohio State, Davis has yet to make a start in his first three seasons. Despite competing for a starting job in the offseason before his sophomore campaign in Minnesota, Davis was waived as part of the team’s final roster cuts. Since then, he’s bounced around from the Giants to the Saints, Cardinals, and back to New York. He’ll now add some depth in Cleveland.

Anderson finds his away to Jacksonville shortly after getting waived by the division-rival Colts yesterday. The Texas Tech-product saw his biggest contribution in 12 games with two starts in 2022 for the Giants.

Like Davis and Anderson, Nickerson has bounced between several teams since entering the NFL. After being drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Nickerson has spent a year apiece with New York, the Jaguars, the Packers, the Vikings, and most recently, the Dolphins, also spending part of 2019 with the Seahawks. He joins his seventh team in six years with Philadelphia.

Eagles Sign First-Round CB Quinyon Mitchell, Complete Draft Class

June 6th, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Quinyon Mitchell signed his Eagles rookie pact on Thursday, per a team announcement. With the first-round corner now on the books, each member of the team’s 2024 class is under contract.

Mitchell enjoyed one of the best pre-draft processes of any prospect this year. As a result, the Toledo product climbed up draft boards to the point where he was considered one of the candidates to be the first cornerback to hear his name called. It thus came as little surprise when Mitchell was selected at No. 22.

Likewise, it was far from a shock that the Eagles were the first team to add at the position. Following an historic run on offensive players to begin Day 1, Mitchell was one of several top defensive prospects left on the board. Given his status as a high-end CB prospect, he was firmly on Philadelphia’s radar. The Eagles double-dipped in the secondary by adding Cooper DeJean in the second round, and both player will provide an infusion of youth on the backend.

The Eagles have Darius Slay and James Bradberry in place as projected cornerback starters, but both players are in their 30s. Philadelphia’s defense was at the heart of the team’s late-season collapse in 2023, and improvements in the secondary were seen as a priority. The return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson should help in that regard, as will the additions of Mitchell and DeJean.

Mitchell had strong seasons in 2022 and ’23, earning first-team All-MAC and second-team All-American honors. Posting six interceptions and 37 pass deflections during that span, he solidified his reputation as a playmaker in addition to strong coverage skills. He will look to earn a defensive role right away, but failing that he should be an impactful contributor in the near future.

Here is the full breakdown of Philadelphia’s draft class:

Eagles Process Retirements For C Jason Kelce, DT Fletcher Cox

June 3rd, 2024 at 9:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The retirements of life-long Eagles Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox have been news for some time now. With Kelce exploring media opportunities and Cox seeing a decreased workload in 2023, both players confirmed that they would be hanging up their cleats after spending the entirety of their careers in Philadelphia. Despite the news being well-known, the Eagles waited until today to process the veterans’ retirement transactions.

Because of the contracts that each player was on at the time of their decisions, the Eagles would’ve been on the hook for heavy cap numbers in the next couple of years. By waiting until after June 1 to post the transactions, the team is able to spread out the cap hit of contracts over a wider period.

Kelce, for example, was still on the books for $26.62MM per his 2023 contract. If the team had processed the retirement when it occurred, they would be on the hook for that amount in 2024. Because the made in a post-June 1 transaction, Kelce will now represent cap hits of $10.18MM in 2024 and $16.44MM in 2025. Processing it before June 1 would’ve resulted in $25.12MM of dead money in 2024 and $16.44MM in 2025. Philadelphia has effectively reduced the dead money tied to Kelce’s contract to $8.68MM in 2024 and $7.28MM in 2025.

Similarly, Fletcher was on the books for a remaining $15.51MM over the next two years that Philadelphia would’ve been responsible for all in the 2024 if they processed his retirement when it was announced. With the post-June 1 designation of the transaction, Fletcher will hold cap hits of $5.41 in 2024 and $10.1MM in 2025. The team reduced the dead money on Flectcher’s contract from $14.3MM in 2024 and $10.1MM in 2025 to $4.2MM in each of the next two years.

In unrelated news, the Eagles will be filling one of the two newly vacated roster spots to sign Griffin Hebert. Originally an undrafted tight end out of Louisiana Tech, Hebert has since transitioned to wide receiver at the NFL level after joining the Eagles’ practice squad late into his rookie season last year. He signed a reserve/futures deal with the team but was waived in shortly after the draft. He participated in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis and has officially been brought back on a tryout basis for mandatory minicamp, per Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com.

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