Chip Kelly

NFC East Notes: Kelly, Hardy, Barkley

May 28th, 2015 at 7:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this offseason, former Eagles running back LeSean McCoy accused Chip Kelly of racial bias, stating that he got rid of “the good black players.” Safety Malcolm Jenkins, still with the team, doesn’t see it that way, as John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com writes.

“Chip has been very, very transparent on what he’s evaluating us on,” Jenkins said. “That’s not only what we do on the field, but what we do in our assessments and how disciplined we are with our nutrition and all the sports science stuff. I haven’t seen him make a move outside of those parameters. I don’t think anybody in the locker room now thinks we have an issue with race. I don’t see that being a problem in the future. I don’t think there’s any need for Chip to address it.”

Here’s more from the NFC East..

Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has not signed his franchise-tag tender but he did take part in a portion of Thursday’s OTAs, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. Unless Bryant signs the tender, he is not obligated to show up for the minicamp, but it sounds like he wanted to get on the same page with his teammates. When and if Bryant signs his tender, he’ll be guaranteed a $12.823MM salary. The deadline to hammer out a long-term pact is July 15th.
Greg Hardy‘s arbitration appeal of his 10-game suspension before arbitrator Harold Henderson has wrapped, according to Andrew Brandt (via Twitter). No date has been given for a decision on the Cowboys defensive end just yet.
Matt Barkley‘s name was thrown about in trade rumors a bit this offseason, but if you ask the quarterback, there was nothing to them, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “I had intel on what was going on, and there was nothing going to happen,” said Barkley, who shares an agent with coach Chip Kelly.
Kelly told reporters that Walter Thurmond was the first Eagles cornerback to get a crack at the safety position since he has experience as a nickel back and always seems to be around the ball, according to the Eagles’ Twitter account.
The Eagles have moved quarterback G.J. Kinne over to wide receiver, according to the team’s official Twitter page.

Sunday Roundup: Ray, Eagles, Chargers

May 17th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look a a few notes from around the league:

Shane Ray‘s draft stock took a hit because of a citation for marijuana possession and a toe injury, but the Missouri product was still selected in the first round, as the Broncos traded up to nab the high-ceiling pass rusher. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes, Denver hopes that Ray, who missed rookie minicamp as a result of the toe injury, will be able to participate in some capacity when the team resumes work tomorrow. As Alper points out, though, Ray’s work is likely to be limited, especially since the Broncos just lost third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman to a torn ACL at minicamp.
Of all the eyebrow-raising moves that Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has made during his brief tenure with the club, his decisions relating to Philadelphia’s wide receiving corps may be the most curious. But as David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News writes, with the addition of Nelson Agholor–a physical clone of Jeremy Maclin–the expected improvement from Zach Ertz and Jordan Matthews, and the team’s ability to shift Darren Sproles to more of a pass-catching role now that DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews are in the fold, the Eagles may actually have a more dynamic set of receivers than they had in 2014.
Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano says rookie Denzel Perryman will compete for time at inside linebacker with projected starters Manti Te’o and Donald Butler, but that ultimately everybody will see time on the field, ESPN’s Eric D. Williams writes. Pagano complimented his talent not only at the linebacker position, but also on special teams.
The Chargers don’t have a true fullback on their roster, but San Diego State product Chad Young hopes to change that, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes. Young has experience on his side, having been in training camp last year with the Jets. But like other fullbacks, he has seen his position fade across the NFL over the past several years.
Former Maryland standout Andre Monroe tried out for the Chargers during the team’s rookie minicamp, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Monroe set Maryland’s school record with 25 career sacks, 20 of which came in his last 26 games. But at 5’10” and 294 pounds, Monroe is a bit undersized for an NFL defensive lineman, and he was not immediately offered a contract by San Diego.
Longtime Ravens scout Joe Douglas has accepted a job with the Bears, according to a press release from the Ravens. Douglas will be Chicago’s new director of college scouting.
The Steelers have hired veteran NFL personnel man Rick Reiprish to join their player personnel department, writes Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Reiprish, who has over 30 years of experience in player personnel, was the Saints’ director of college scouting for 11 years until he was released in a front-office shakeup earlier this year.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

East Notes: McCoy, C. Johnson, Cowboys

May 6th, 2015 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

Bills running back LeSean McCoy has poured some fuel on what appeared to be a dormant controversy, not-to-subtly suggesting to Mike Rodak of ESPN that Chip Kelly‘s roster decisions for the Eagles have some racial motivation to them.

“He wants the full control,” McCoy said of Kelly’s managerial style. “You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest. That’s the truth. There’s a reason. … It’s hard to explain with him. But there’s a reason he got rid of all the black players — the good ones — like that.”

While McCoy raises a few eyebrows, let’s check in on a few other items from out of the NFL’s two East divisions…

Approached by TMZ and asked about the possibility of signing with the Cowboys, free agent running back Chris Johnson admitted that “that’s what we’re trying to do,” adding that he’d be a good fit in Dallas (link via the Dallas Morning News). The Cowboys haven’t been too aggressive in trying to replace DeMarco Murray this offseason, unexpectedly passing on running backs in last week’s draft. However, executive VP of football operations Stephen Jones did tell DMN’s Jon Machota that the team is open to adding another veteran, so perhaps Johnson will receive consideration at some point.
While La’el Collins would be a great addition to the Dolphins‘ roster on the field, the team should exercise caution and slow its pursuit of the former LSU offensive lineman until he’s completely cleared by police, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
Steve Palazzolo of Pro Football Focus reviews the draft and the undrafted free agent class for the Patriots and for the Jets.

NFC East Notes: McFadden, Gregory, Eagles

May 3rd, 2015 at 7:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

To the surprise of many, the Cowboys did not address their DeMarco Murray-less running back corps this weekend, but they may be in the market for veteran help.

“Just because this is our current group of running backs doesn’t mean it will stay that way,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “We are always looking to improve our football team.”

But going into the season with Darren McFadden, Lance Dunbar and Joseph Randle doesn’t quite resemble an understaffed corps, considering the Dallas offensive front that lifted Murray to what could amount to an outlier campaign last year remains elite. Although Jerry Jones did note the team wanted to draft a tailback, indicating the corps could well see a notable addition before the season.

“We would have liked to have drafted a running back,” the Cowboys owner and general manager told Machota. “But at the same token, we didn’t think at any given time that we should pass at the player that was there, even with the running backs [available].”

ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. noted to Machota the spot for the Cowboys to add to their backfield came in the third round in ex-Michigan State runner Jeremy Langford, when the team instead selected former Florida tackle Chaz Green, who the ESPN prospects guru viewed as a reach.

Here are some additional news items from the NFC East.

The Cowboys landing Randy Gregory at No. 60 is “worth the risk,” according to ESPN’s Todd McShay, via Machota. With Greg Hardy out for 10 games, Dallas had a need for a pass-rusher despite its depleted backfield.
With Dwayne Harris gone, the Cowboys have a need at returner. Jason Garrett mentioned to Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News that McFadden could be an unlikely candidate to do so. The former No. 4 overall pick has three career kick returns.
For the first time in the draft’s 80-year history, the Eagles went two years without selecting an offensive lineman. After letting veteran Todd Herremans go and openly putting All-Pro Evan Mathis on the trade market, the Eagles face questions on their front, reports CSNPhilly.com’s Reuben Frank. “We hadn’t drafted DBs in recent years, so it’s just kind of you can’t take them all,” Chip Kelly told Frank. “You only have a certain amount of picks.” The Eagles invested significantly at cornerback this offseason, signing Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond and now drafting Eric Rowe in Round 2, and they have a solid line that saw four players — Mathis, Jason Peters, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson — receive top-13 grades at their positions last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Philadelphia did add four undrafted offensive linemen, and Kelly’s blueprint for adding to an aging offensive front isn’t that different from how the league’s four championship-qualifying teams have done so, reports Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Enquirer. The Eagles now house 16 offensive fronters, with 50% of them undrafted. That similar to the Patriots, Colts, Seahawks and Packers, whose rosters collectively have 49% of their blockers coming into the league undrafted, according to Sielski.

NFC Quotes: Payton, Thompson, Kelly, Jones

May 2nd, 2015 at 9:42am CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy past few days in NFL front offices, and some of the draft selections by the league’s front offices have left pundits befuddled. The league’s reporters made sure to follow through with those curious selections, and we have some of the more notable responses below…

Saints coach Sean Payton, who opined yesterday that La’el Collins would be drafted in the second or third round, on why his team passed on the embattled lineman (via ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett):

“I don’t know that we would consider that right now until we had more clarity. And it seems like there’s a rush for everyone. And one of the things I said this morning was, ‘Man, we’re right down the road. Are we able to get some information the other teams don’t have yet?’ And so I haven’t had that or gotten that information yet to answer that as a yes.”

Packers general manager Ted Thompson on his team not selecting an inside linebacker (via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com):

“It’s a simple plan, but we wanted to make sure we got football players. And we think we got a couple more tonight…We’re going to address [inside linebacker] just like we address all other positions and try to make it as strong as we can.”

Eagles coach Chip Kelly on the team’s decision to select linebacker Jordan Hicks despite having greater needs (via Les Bowen of Philly.com):

“He was our highest-rated guy by far. We had him rated in the second round. We had great exposure to Jordan; he was the individual we saw the most this offseason.”

Kelly on how the Hicks selection could impact Mychal Kendricks‘ role on the Eagles (via Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com):

“We’re excited to get him back here. I know he spent the draft with his brother, which we understand. He said he should be back here next week, but I think you’re always gonna draft players, and when you bring ‘em in here, the one thing you want is you want competition at positions. We knew going in at the end of last year that with just Mychal and DeMeco that we really had to shore up the inside linebacker spot. “

Jerry Jones on the Cowboys selecting Randy Gregory with the No. 60 pick (via NFL.com’s Marc Sessler):

“I think it gives us enough confidence that we can work through some of the issues that have basically caused him to drop and maybe improve on that. That’s certainly the plan and have us a heck of a contribution to winning.”

NFC Notes: Eagles, Bennett, Collins, Boone

May 1st, 2015 at 11:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest from the NFC as Friday comes to a close:

Eagles coach and football czar Chip Kelly said he hasn’t received any calls regarding linebacker Mychal Kendricks, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles have been shopping the three-year veteran, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week.
In other Eagles linebacker news, one scout called their selection of Texas’ Jordan Hicks in the third round (84th overall) a “stupid pick,” per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. However, the Bengals would’ve taken him with the next pick, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Further, Kelly says the Eagles had a second-round grade on Hicks and saw him more than any other prospect prior to the draft, reports the Inquirer’s Zach Berman (via Twitter).
Despite all the recent rumors surrounding his team, Kelly claims he hasn’t talked to anyone during the draft about trading players, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter). What’s more, Kelly had to call multiple players recently to tell them that they weren’t trade bait, per USA Today’s Lindsay Jones (Twitter link). Mosher reports (Twitter link) that Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin did not receive calls, while defensive end Vinny Curry did.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace says tight end Martellus Bennett has not requested a trade, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). However, Biggs notes that Bennett might want more money. Bennett, who amassed 90 catches and six touchdowns in 2014, has two years left on his contract, but no guaranteed money left. He was said earlier this week to be on the trade block.
Saints head coach Sean Payton says the team hasn’t taken LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins off its board, per Sean Fazende of Fox 8 (Twitter link). On the possibility of using a seventh-round pick on Collins, Payton went on to state, “I don’t know that we would consider that right now until we get more clarity.” Collins, whom Baton Rouge police wish to question regarding the murder of his ex-girlfriend, has seen his draft stock drop precipitously in recent days, and may not sign with a team that drafts him tomorrow.
General manager Trent Baalke says the 49ers haven’t spoken with guard Alex Boone or his agent, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Boone, who is entering the final year of his contract, will skip all voluntary offseason activities. Baalke referred to that as a “non-issue.”
Before the Rams swung a deal Friday to swap second-round picks with the Panthers (going from 41st to 57th) and acquire a pair of other selections, St. Louis had discussions with five other teams, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link), who says the team was willing to move down so far in the second round in order to pick up a third-round pick. Coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams were comfortable moving down because they felt they’d still be able to get one of the offensive linemen they liked, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link). That proved true, as they ultimately took Wisconsin offensive tackle Rob Havenstein.
Trading up could be a possibility Saturday for the Cardinals. Their general manager, Steve Keim, mentioned the possibility twice Friday, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
The Cowboys would be comfortable taking a running back in the fourth round, tweets Rapoport.

Eagles Could Still Trade Bradford

April 26th, 2015 at 11:39am CST by Rory Parks

After making one of the more surprising trades in recent memory when they dealt for Sam Bradford last month, the Eagles have insisted that they are not planning on using Bradford as a trade chip to move up in the draft to select Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Philadelphia has done nothing to dispel that rumor since the deal was completed.

Specifically, the team has engaged in no contract talks with Bradford, who is entering the final year of his current deal and is owed nearly $13MM in 2015. Of course, Bradford could have some say in that as well. One team that could deal for Bradford would be the Browns, who are in desperate need of a franchise signal-caller and who have already tried to acquire the Oklahoma product this offseason. Under the framework of a three-team deal that Florio has put together, Cleveland would receive Bradford, Philadelphia would move up high enough in this year’s draft to select Mariota, and a third team could receive multiple high-round draft picks from bot the Eagles and Browns.

But if Bradford had his druthers, he surely would not want to be shipped to Cleveland, and if he were to sign a new multi-year deal with the Eagles, he would only become more valuable to a team like the Browns, which could keep him under club control beyond 2015. And that’s not to mention the financial aspect of a new contract, which would certainly require extensive negotiation. Bradford, after all, is hoping to play his way into a big payout in 2016 and is not willing to accept a “substandard” contract.

So the saga continues, despite the Eagles’ insistence that Bradford is not a stepping stone to Mariota. However, if a trade were to happen, one would think that the parameters would already be in place, or at least preliminary discussions would have been held. But just as there has been no chatter surrounding a new deal between the Eagles and Bradford, there have similarly been no substantiated rumblings about Philadelphia trading him. In any event, it looks like all possibilities remain on the table, and only Thursday night will bring any real clarity.

In addition to the Bradford piece, there are a few more Eagles nuggets to pass on today:

The Eagles cannot hide their interest in UConn CB Byron Jones, and Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the case for Philadelphia to grab the speedy, physical corner with the No. 20 overall pick.
In a separate piece, McLane examines the size, speed, and other physical measurables that head coach Chip Kelly–whose “big people beat up little people” mantra has become a catchphrase–and vice president of player personnel Ed Marynowitz use to weed out certain players from their draft board. Although scheme, position, fit, and intelligence of course remain important components of the team’s evaluation process, if a player does not have the right build, the odds are he will not wind up on the Eagles’ radar. McLane wonders if that process is unnecessarily restricting the crop of talent from which Philadelphia picks.
Speaking of Marynowitz, Bob Ford of The Philadelphia Inquirer examines the challenges that await the newly-promoted 31-year-old.
Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes that the Eagles will not be selecting Alabama safety Landon Collins with their first round selection. Collins is widely regarded as the best safety in an otherwise weak class.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Harris, Cowboys, Williams

April 11th, 2015 at 2:56pm CST by Rob DiRe

Whether the decisions made by Chip Kelly over the past month and a half turn out to be good or bad, the Eagles had a strange offseason. One of the stranger developments was Frank Gore agreeing to join the team and then backing out before signing a deal. Gore ended up with the Colts, and the Eagles ended up with a reputation as a place free agents were not excited about playing for.

Some believed that Kelly’s rigorous practice schedule was one reason 31-year-old Gore chose Indianapolis over Philadelphia. However, Jeff McClane of the Philadelphia Inquirer does not believe that Kelly’s practice methods are a real deterrent for free agents.

Here are a few other notes from around the NFC East:

Kelly is in New Hampshire to meet with R.J. Harris for a pre-draft workout, reports Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter). The receiver from the University of New Hampshire is a possible late-round pick for the Eagles.
The Cowboys have a number of needs along their defense, but have been linked to running back prospects with their top picks. If they pass on Melvin Gordon and Todd Gurley in round one (and both might be off the board by the time the Cowboys pick), Boise State tailback Jay Ajayi could be an option somewhere in the second round. Ajayi worked out with the team on Friday, writes Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram. The team also met with T.J. Yeldon and Tevin Coleman.
Washington’s Pro Bowl offensive tackle Trent Williams has changed agents in preparation for his free agency, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Williams fired Ben Dogra who was himself fired by CAA before joining Relativity Sports, but the tackle retained Vincent Taylor of MS World LLC. The team still plans on attempting to reach an agreement on an extension with Williams.

AFC East Notes: McCoy, Wilkerson, Jets

April 6th, 2015 at 7:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Geno Smith probably wants to put lots of work in during the Jets‘ voluntary offseason program, but he also has financial incentive to do so, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Smith’s contract includes a clause that ties about 32 percent of his 2015 compensation to offseason attendance and he must put in a minimum number of workouts to earn the bonus. Of course, beyond the money, Smith needs to prove himself this season given the mounting criticism and the presence of Ryan Fitzpatrick behind him. Here’s more from the AFC East..

LeSean McCoy hasn’t spoken to Chip Kelly since the trade that sent him to the Bills, but he has his own theory as to why he was shipped out, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “I don’t think he likes or respects the stars. I’m being honest,” McCoy said on Monday. “I think he likes the fact that it’s ‘Chip Kelly and the Eagles.’ ” McCoy set a franchise record with 1,607 rushing yards in 2013, but apparently wasn’t the right fit for Kelly’s offense. He was replaced this offseason in Philadelphia by Cowboys star DeMarco Murray.
Muhammad Wilkerson‘s situation illustrates how fast things change in the NFL, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. It was rumored last year that he and former Jets GM John Idzik had worked on paramters of a new deal and the sides were somewhat close on an extension. Now, there’s obviously a significant gulf between the two sides and it’s not clear when or if it might be bridged.
Wilkerson deserves to cash in big, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News opines. The Jets star defensive lineman played the good soldier last year, hoping his big pay day would come as other standouts got their pay days. However, that didn’t happen and he was forced to take a stand this year during voluntary workouts.

NFC Rumors: Eagles, Panthers, Moore

April 4th, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Chip Kelly now overseeing personnel decisions, the Eagles have probably had the NFL’s most interesting offseason. There is considerable risk and potentially some reckless methodology involved with the splashy maneuvers the franchise made, writes the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

McLane asserts the Eagles overbid in splurges for Byron Maxwell (six years, $63MM) and DeMarco Murray (4/$40MM) with other suitors not willing to come within $2MM AAV in Maxwell’s case or, with the exception of the Raiders, backing off well shy of the Eagles’ new commitment figure to Murray.

Also acquiring injury-riddled veterans Ryan Mathews, Sam Bradford, Walter Thurmond and Miles Austin, the Eagles went against conventional logic perhaps banking on their sports-science practices can benefit their new talents, adds McLane. But in the latter duo’s cases, the contracts didn’t seem to be commensurate with the recent production, thus negating some of the value typically associated with signing injured players, writes McLane.

Thurmond (one year, $3.25MM), who missed last season with a torn pectoral muscle, received almost the same amount he did from the Giants last March when he was coming off a healthier campaign and Austin bound for Philadelphia on a one-year deal worth $2.3MM ($1MM fully guaranteed) fresh off years headlined by injuries and borderline irrelevance compared to his previous work.

With 1,000-yard+ rushing seasons in both of his odd-year seasons (2011 and 2013) and season-defining maladies in his past two odd-year campaigns, Mathews received a bit of an injury-reduced salary, however, at three years and $11MM.

“Let’s let it play out,” Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said to McLane. “I think with any coach, you need patience, you need vision, you need to let them gamble and fail, and gamble and succeed, because the last thing you want to do is make a coach risk-averse.”

Elsewhere around the NFC …

The Panthers‘ projected depth chart, according to the Charlotte Observer’s Joseph Person, has an open slot at No. 2 receiver behind 2014 No. 1 draft choice Kelvin Benjamin. Person slotted newly signed wideouts Ted Ginn and Jarrett Boykin with holdover Jericho Cotchery at the Nos. 3, 4 and 5 slots, respectively, and also left the starting cornerback position across from Josh Norman vacant for a late-arriving free agent. Michael Oher is positioned at left tackle, a role he’s only played for one full (2010) despite the literary and cinematic depictions of his pre-NFL life there.
Acquiring Ginn, Boykin and Oher, the latter two coming off disappointing seasons, represent the Panthers’ biggest gains this offseason, according to Person. The Panthers reporter listed defensive end, corner and running back as positions in need of upgrades heading into the draft, with Bene Benwikere‘s size (5-foot-11), Jonathan Stewart‘s durability and Kony Ealy‘s progression as charted concerns at those spots.
Sterling Moore briefly considered returning to the Cowboys before signing with the Buccaneers, according to an interview with Alex Marvez and Zig Fracassi on Sirius XM Radio (audio link). But the Cowboys left the corner feeling “kind of disrespected” after not electing to tender him as a restricted free agent this offseason despite a productive 2014 season.

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