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*Official 2018 Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles* - Tough way to go out. Magic finally gone. (3 Viewers)

so got sick at the parade yesterday. Ended up being about 110 yards from the podium (we were there since 8 a.m., had a lot of time to kill), but got tons of thoughts. quick bullet points, maybe more later:

1) really can't think of anywhere i have been that there has been a sense of community. Honestly felt there that you could ask people around you for help, and 80% of people would volunteer. Everybody was happy, and was a great feeling

2) finally figured out the whole pole climbing things. i mentioned to some cops on Sunday after the SB that if the news didn't talk about climbing poles, i would never have any interest, but since they made a big deal about it, i am intrigued. Combine that with waiting for 5 hours for the parade to get there, and i almost tried climbing myself. Granted i wouldn't have made it more then 5 feet, but was really contemplating it. 

3) So between Sunday and the parade, i have to say i am concerned the Eagles' fanbase is going to change. I had my Andre Waters Jersey on and i swear 60% of the crowd didn't know who he was. I have a buddy who used to be a Boston sports fan, and the last 10 years have soured him. He hates the Boston fans and he is one. Lot of the youth there i think just don't understand the pain we all went through. I am curious to see how this next season looks, could change the fanbase as a whole. That isn't all bad, but it will be interesting. 

 
ummmm might what to check their record with those guys  this year but ok......
I would rather have Foles than those 3. Keenum is what he is, and Bradford scares no one as well. Bridgewater is intriguing, but if you have an OC who is flexible with his offense it would be silly to not bring on a guy who has shown top ability at the highest stage in NFL

 
Really? They must sell some really great Pot in Den now. Any chance you could ship some our way? 


They do sell some really great pot in Denver.  I’m not sure how that impacts this discussion in any meaningful way, other than the possibility that you might be under the influence while you’re posting here.  Is that the case?

 
i know DJackson brought this up in the old thread, but with Kelce asking the fanbase to adopt this song, i think we have to. question is when to sing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txq52VBn2VY

maybe when the opposing team scores a TD? need to think hen is best time to belt this out. will be funny every broadcast when they have to bleep it out

 
so got sick at the parade yesterday. Ended up being about 110 yards from the podium (we were there since 8 a.m., had a lot of time to kill), but got tons of thoughts. quick bullet points, maybe more later:

1) really can't think of anywhere i have been that there has been a sense of community. Honestly felt there that you could ask people around you for help, and 80% of people would volunteer. Everybody was happy, and was a great feeling

2) finally figured out the whole pole climbing things. i mentioned to some cops on Sunday after the SB that if the news didn't talk about climbing poles, i would never have any interest, but since they made a big deal about it, i am intrigued. Combine that with waiting for 5 hours for the parade to get there, and i almost tried climbing myself. Granted i wouldn't have made it more then 5 feet, but was really contemplating it. 

3) So between Sunday and the parade, i have to say i am concerned the Eagles' fanbase is going to change. I had my Andre Waters Jersey on and i swear 60% of the crowd didn't know who he was. I have a buddy who used to be a Boston sports fan, and the last 10 years have soured him. He hates the Boston fans and he is one. Lot of the youth there i think just don't understand the pain we all went through. I am curious to see how this next season looks, could change the fanbase as a whole. That isn't all bad, but it will be interesting. 
I'll put it this way being a Phillies fan too for yrs so many people were embarrassed to wear Phillies gear. (Similar to the 76ers were I saw more people wearing the Jersey of whatever team Lebron was on or whatever the Sexy Name Player was that season). After the Phillies won the WS all the idiots younger crowd would just go to games because it was the cool place to drink. I'd tried to talk to someone Phillies and got the typical Sports radio talking head response or if I mentioned a really old player they'd say who the F is that? Yeah you are gonna get some of the idiots who are just down there to drink and all. Fortunately here it looks like real die hards are calling out all the fakes and pretenders. noticed some idiots near me who seemed to just be down there to drink. A lot of what seemed like Diehards called them out on it. I think if we get enough diehards calling out these fake losers trying to jump on the bandwagon because they are cool it won't become a problem. I actually use to feel sorry for Boston fans but after being in NY for the first time when my cousin moved there and meeting my aunts friends and family many Mets or Yankee fans I realized how stupid Boston fans are. After winning a few titles in their sports they were really obnoxious and acting like the world revolved around them. My cousin had first hand experience with many of them. My other cousin in SEA said the something happened to a lot of SEA fans too. Said most of the city didn't give a #### about them till they became good. Seriously I think it's pathetic they had to steal the whole 12th man thing from Texas A&M. 

 
CentralPA said:
For as many times as the Jags have gone over to London you'd think there'd be quite a few Jags fans there.  Doesn't hurt that they made the AFC Championship too but yeah, most likely will be pretty neutral site.

Maybe Birds fans will travel to London like they did to Minneapolis.  :yes:
DOn't forget we got Prince Harrys Twin at QB and Jay Ajayia is from London. Moved to the US at 12 I believe maybe a little younger? 

 
i know DJackson brought this up in the old thread, but with Kelce asking the fanbase to adopt this song, i think we have to. question is when to sing it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Txq52VBn2VY

maybe when the opposing team scores a TD? need to think hen is best time to belt this out. will be funny every broadcast when they have to bleep it out
2:00 warning for games we are winning - just roll it until the end of the game

 
so got sick at the parade yesterday. Ended up being about 110 yards from the podium (we were there since 8 a.m., had a lot of time to kill), but got tons of thoughts. quick bullet points, maybe more later:

1) really can't think of anywhere i have been that there has been a sense of community. Honestly felt there that you could ask people around you for help, and 80% of people would volunteer. Everybody was happy, and was a great feeling

2) finally figured out the whole pole climbing things. i mentioned to some cops on Sunday after the SB that if the news didn't talk about climbing poles, i would never have any interest, but since they made a big deal about it, i am intrigued. Combine that with waiting for 5 hours for the parade to get there, and i almost tried climbing myself. Granted i wouldn't have made it more then 5 feet, but was really contemplating it. 

3) So between Sunday and the parade, i have to say i am concerned the Eagles' fanbase is going to change. I had my Andre Waters Jersey on and i swear 60% of the crowd didn't know who he was. I have a buddy who used to be a Boston sports fan, and the last 10 years have soured him. He hates the Boston fans and he is one. Lot of the youth there i think just don't understand the pain we all went through. I am curious to see how this next season looks, could change the fanbase as a whole. That isn't all bad, but it will be interesting. 
Number 3.  I can live with it if we win more superbowls

 
wow, so we play every NFC playoff team next year.  Obviously it makes sense with the Vikes and Rams, but sort of crazy that we pull the NFC south with 3 playoff teams.  
I wonder how often that happens. It's gonna be a brutal schedule next year for us. 

Really, the whole NFC is going to be a four-month steel cage match. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if it winds up one of those years where there are five teams sitting at 10-5 going into week 17, and one winds up with HFA while another misses the playoffs entirely.

 
I wonder how often that happens. It's gonna be a brutal schedule next year for us. 

Really, the whole NFC is going to be a four-month steel cage match. It wouldn't surprise me a bit if it winds up one of those years where there are five teams sitting at 10-5 going into week 17, and one winds up with HFA while another misses the playoffs entirely.
Some of the good teams will take a step back.  Happens every year

 
so got sick at the parade yesterday. Ended up being about 110 yards from the podium (we were there since 8 a.m., had a lot of time to kill), but got tons of thoughts. quick bullet points, maybe more later:

3) So between Sunday and the parade, i have to say i am concerned the Eagles' fanbase is going to change. I had my Andre Waters Jersey on and i swear 60% of the crowd didn't know who he was. I have a buddy who used to be a Boston sports fan, and the last 10 years have soured him. He hates the Boston fans and he is one. Lot of the youth there i think just don't understand the pain we all went through. I am curious to see how this next season looks, could change the fanbase as a whole. That isn't all bad, but it will be interesting. 
Nah man look at it this way: my grandmother was a child of the depression. She knew poverty in a way no one else I'm related to could have fathomed. Her daughter--my mom-- is a baby boomer, the generation that's probably had it better than anyone. I've explained to my daughter how amazing it is that she's experienced her first Eagles super bowl at age 6 and how her daddy didn't experience it until age 49! If our generation is the barren, depression era  generation of Eagles fandom and hers can be the generation of abundant titles,  i'm cool with that even if they don't have the sense of history and suffering we do LOL! 

 
Some of the good teams will take a step back.  Happens every year
At the same time, some of the 2017 underperformers will take a step forward. Green Bay gets the league's best QB back. Seattle's window probably hasn't closed yet, they'll be a tough out. Dallas too, most likely, as much as I hate to admit it. And if Jimmy G is half as good as he looked in December, the Niners will be a major threat.

NFC finished 41-23 vs. the AFC in inter-conference play in 2017 and I bet they do even better in '18.

 
At the same time, some of the 2017 underperformers will take a step forward. Green Bay gets the league's best QB back. Seattle's window probably hasn't closed yet, they'll be a tough out. Dallas too, most likely, as much as I hate to admit it. And if Jimmy G is half as good as he looked in December, the Niners will be a major threat.

NFC finished 41-23 vs. the AFC in inter-conference play in 2017 and I bet they do even better in '18.
I agree.  It's funny but there are like 3 good to great AFC teams and 8 great NFC teams.  Pretty lopsided.  Don't remember it ever being this bad 

 
I agree.  It's funny but there are like 3 good to great AFC teams and 8 great NFC teams.  Pretty lopsided.  Don't remember it ever being this bad 
It was this bad in the early 90s, to the point that commentators and fans were starting to refer to the NFC Championship game as the "Real Super Bowl."  The run of years when Dallas and San Francisco were curb-stomping the AFC Victim of the Year were not good for league balance...

 
It was this bad in the early 90s, to the point that commentators and fans were starting to refer to the NFC Championship game as the "Real Super Bowl."  The run of years when Dallas and San Francisco were curb-stomping the AFC Victim of the Year were not good for league balance...
Yeah good one

 
Just got my eagles championship hat.  Just like the ones they wore right after winning the superbowl.  Wasn't sure I would really like it cause I don't usually like hats with alot of stuff on them but this hat is nice.

 
The AFC did not win a SB between 1984 and 1997, and most of those games were blowouts. This year was probably the worst the AFC has been since then.

 
So Shahbucks has now taken me off ignore, just to go dig up posts from 2 years ago and like/comment every one of them saying how I better make sure he doesn't get bored and embarrass me any more.  What a great Eagles fan. 

 
### ####, the more i hear this, the more i love it
Usually sung at Union matches before the match. Sometime during the match and when everyone is leaving after a win. The Union adopted it from Millwell after the Supporter Group Son of Ben was going to other MLS Stadiums and just annoying other teams fans with their passion. It was more so to show Comissoner Don Garber and MLS Philly deserved a team and had the fans. By year 1 end of the group being made I believe almost 1K were in it. By the time they announced the Team I think about 3K. Once they got the team The Union Supporters kind of adopted the No One Likes us chant because really no other fanbase in MLS likes anyway but we don't give a ####. I think it should be sung before Eagles games. Every NFC East game during it and at the very least the Vikings game next year. And after wins. Seriously someone get me Season Tickets in one of the Endzones and I'll start a NEW NFL TEAM TRADITION of Soccer like Chants during games. By seasons end we could be well on our way to something special. One of the things I love about soccer is the fan passion and how the Fans interact with the game with their chant. Theres some stupid chants but some very creative ones for individual clubs, managers, players etc. At a game about 2 yrs ago Houston's coach had a DUI the week before the match. And the SOBS behind the Houston Keepers net in the second half everytime he kicked the ball starting singing "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." Many of the chants are all in good fun. 

 
Just got my eagles championship hat.  Just like the ones they wore right after winning the superbowl.  Wasn't sure I would really like it cause I don't usually like hats with alot of stuff on them but this hat is nice.
Got my hat and shirt immediately or bought them online right after we won. Got them The day of the parade but didn't get it till I got home. The two things I've waited to buy for yrs. 

 
Got my hat and shirt immediately or bought them online right after we won. Got them The day of the parade but didn't get it till I got home. The two things I've waited to buy for yrs. 
Yeah I had to buy a underdog shirt and one of those championship jackets too

 
Daemon could get his next dozen predictions egregiously lauhably wrong and still have ample respect and credibility on this board.  He's earned it being a thoughtful poster who respects the people he's talking with and replying to, and explains his reasoning when asked.

Of all the people in here for someone to pick a fight with, he seems like a pretty odd choice.

 
Ok lets get to the juicy off season talk PER BGN

296

You can still enjoy the win while planning for the future, guys

By Benjamin Solak@BenjaminSolak  Feb 9, 2018, 7:38pm EST

The Birds are Super Bowl Champions. In case you forgot.

The week has been nothing short of magical. From the game itself and all of its twists and turns to the post-game interviews/celebrations and of course, the parade. I’ve spent my entire life dreaming of a Philadelphia Super Bowl—even the wildest of fantasies couldn’t hold a candle to this.

But the wheel of time spins on, ignorant of success and failures. For 31 teams, turning to the offseason is an opportunity—for Philadelphia, it’s regrettably an unavoidable responsibility. As such, take your time—enjoy the revels and spoils of victory for as long as you like. Once you’re ready to turn to the Draft, free agency, and beyond, come on back and get updated on the Eagles’ 2018 offseason situation here.

1) Current cap situation

As it stands at the time of publication (February 9th), Philly isn’t in the best cap spot. By “isn’t in the best cap spot,” I mean that they’re $9.3M over the projected cap number for 2018 and dead last in the league in cap space.

It’s important to remember that cap space for NFL teams isn’t inherently valuable—players are. If your team has a lot of cap space, chances are your team isn’t very good (if your team has lots of cap space and your team is good, you’re a wizard). If your team has very little cap space and your team is doing badly, chances are you’re stuck in some bad contracts—if your team has very little cap space and just, I dunno, won the Super Bowl, you did it right.

Plainly, I’d rather have too little cap space because my roster is good than have a ton of cap space because my roster’s bad. Philly did it right. Now it’s time to sustain this success.

Here’s a fun little nugget for you: Philadelphia doesn’t really have to make any big decisions anytime soon because of the “Top 51 rule.” When in training camp, teams carry up to 90 players—there’s no way they could fit all of those contracts under a salary cap. As such, teams’ salary cap is measured during that period by the sum of the Top 51 contracts (ranked by value), as well as all of the pro-rated bonus money, injury money, dead cap, et cetera. When you consider only the Top 51 contracts for Philadelphia, the money they need to recoup is halved ($4.8M). 

This Top 51 rule gives Philadelphia time to consider who they may release or trade—decisions that may also be contingent on the players they’re able to draft. We’ll get into the Draft a touch later. For now, let’s look at the potential moves we could see freeing up some much-needed room for Philadelphia.

WR Torrey Smith: The easiest out of them all, Torrey Smith holds no dead money on his contract, and would put $5M back in Philadelphia’s pocket. Nobody signs that sort of deal unless they know they’re a Super Bowl loaner. Smith’s likely out the door.

TE Brent Celek: The longest-tenured Eagle who finally made it to the Promised Land, I’d be coming to Brent and asking him to restructure. He’s a free agent after the 2018 season, at which point he’ll be 34. Nobody’s signing him at that age. If Celek is unwilling to spread his final year ($5M cap hit) into two seasons of cheaper play, it hurts, but you should cut him ($1M dead; $4M saved).

P Donnie Jones: Another easy pick. Jones (37 years old) counts $1.875M against the cap in 2018, $1.625M of which can be saved by cutting him. Despite his Ironman work for Philadelphia over the past seasons, I think we’ve arrived at the cliff. P Cameron Johnston has been waiting in the wings for a while now. Philly should make the switch.

LB Mychal Kendricks: After years of trying to move him, Philadelphia finally made it to 2018, the year in which it makes financial sense to cut Mychal Kendricks ($3.2M dead; $4.4M saved)—but will they? Kendricks played his best ball of recent memory, and Philadelphia is thin at LB. I’d still test the trade market on Kendricks given his improved play, but I don’t think you cut him. If he regresses back to shaky play, cut him in 2019 ($1.6M dead; $7M saved).

OT Jason Peters: Spoiler alert: It’s not gonna happen. Jason Peters was playing the best football of his career before he went down this season—at 35 years old! You’d kill more cap ($6.33M) than you’d save ($5.33M). Draft another high OT as his replacement on the left/Lane Johnson’s replacement on the right and let him learn under Peters.

DE Vinny Curry: Not unlike Kendricks, this is a “test the trade market, wait, and see” situation. Curry is not in Philadelphia’s long-term plans at DE—that’s BG and Barnett. That said, Philly loves their depth on the DL, and Curry (like Peters) would cost more to cut ($6M) than Philly would save ($5M). Still 29, and now in the less onerous half of his cap, Curry could be Philadelphia’s second-hottest trade commodity this offseason in an NFL eternally seeking EDGE play. If you can’t move ‘im, keep ‘im.

QB Nick Foles: And here’s Philadelphia’s hottest trade commodity. Make no mistake—as long as Foles is down with it, Roseman is going to do everything he can to move Nick Foles this offseason. You can get premium—I’m talking first-round—capital for a starting quarterback on the trade market, and that’s how Foles is inevitably viewed by at least a few teams around the league.

Foles counts &7.6M against the cap, but he also has a $3M roster bonus due on 3/18. Philadelphia can get that number off of their books if they trade him before that date.

Foles’ contract with Philadelphia expires after 2018, in all technicality. There are 3 years attached to the contract (through 2021) that automatically expire if he’s still on the Eagles’ roster in 2019. Edit: The extra years of Foles’ contract simply exist so that Philadelphia can spread out his signing bonus across multiple years of the cap. He is, for all intents and purposes, a free agent after 2018. 

Assuming Philadelphia at least trades Foles ($7.6M) and cuts Celek ($4M), Smith ($5M), and Jones ($1.625M), Philadelphia will open up roughly $18.2M in cap space, which at least gives them a little breathing room (~$8M) in 2018.

2) Philadelphia’s free agents

Philadelphia may indeed need that cap room, if they intend on signing any of their current free agents. Here’s the full list:

Darren Sproles

Nigel Bradham

Trey Burton

Corey Graham

LeGarrette Blount

Dannell Ellerbe

Will Beatty

Caleb Sturgis

Najee Goode

Bryan Braman

Patrick Robinson

Kenjon Barner

Jaylen Watkins

Beau Allen

We can cross some depth names off the list quite easily. Ellerbe, Beatty, Braman, Goode, and Barner are all likely gone as Philadlephia returns to full health in the offseason. I don’t expect Philadelphia to bring Caleb Sturgis back with Jake Elliott under cheap contract. Only one of Corey Graham/Jaylen Watkins will likely return—I’d imagine it’s Watkins, who is a RFA, younger, more versatile, and cheaper. However, Philly will not spend the $1.9M required to sign him without allowing him to hit free agency first—as such, he will test the open market. I doubt he finds anything there.

The updated list:

Darren Sproles

Nigel Bradham

Trey Burton

LeGarrette Blount

Patrick Robinson

Beau Allen

The priority re-sign for Philadelphia will be Nigel Bradham. LB is their weakest position on the defensive side, and Bradham really stepped up in Jordan Hicks’ absence. While some may worry about Bradham’s price tag, his only success in the NFL has come in Jim Schwartz’s defense. I think he recognizes that, and it makes him more likely to stay.

That being said, Bradham (29 years old to start next season) should demand easily $5-$6M/year on his next contract. I expect Bradham to likely look for a long-term deal over a short one (his last deal with Philly was only 2 years) to protect him into his early 30s. That pursuit of multi-year security may lower his yearly cap number a bit, and is attractive to Philadelphia, as both MLB Jordan Hicks and WLB Mychal Kendricks are in flux for the foreseeable future.

As such, the pieces are there for Philadelphia to ink Bradham. When considering the deal, Bradham’s camp will turn to Mychal Kendricks’ deal (4 years, $29M, signed in 2016) as a good benchmark. That’s a $7.25M/year value, but how do you tell Bradham—who has played better than Kendricks and produced better numbers—that he’s worth less?

As such, Roseman’s between a rock and a hard place. You gotta pay a pretty penny for Bradham—but you need LBs badly. So backload his contract, right? But then you’re stuck with him into his early 30s, and if you end up extending Jordan Hicks next season, that’s a lot of cheddar in your LB corps. You could try to frontload his contract and build in a potential out around 2020, to give you time to figure out Hicks/Kendricks, but you don’t have a lot of cap room to pull that off.

My bet? Frontloaded, with a big roster bonus in 2020, 4 years, ~$7M/year, with a decently sized guaranteed number, will be the middle ground.

Regrettably, I can see neither LeGarrette Blount or Darren Sproles being priority adds. With Ajayi and Clement both under contract and second-year Donnel Pumphrey returning from IR, a cap-strapped team can’t be investing any significant capital in 30+ year old RBs.

Philadelphia will put out feelers for Burton, Allen, and Robinson—the three remaining free agents—but all should find better contracts and greener pastures on the open market. If Philly cuts Celek/Smith, they may be able to sell Burton on way more playing time, but so many teams are interested in Trey (26 years old) that I expect he gets a great contract elsewhere. Both Robinson and Allen have too much depth behind them at CB and DT, respectively, that Philly has no need to spend significant capital on either.

The white whale is Bradham. Everyone else afterward is just a discussion on value/space available.

3) Roster evaluation as a whole

Assuming the current cuts/free agent losses we’ve predicted thus far, let’s evaluate our personnel by position, to see the areas we need to address.

QB: Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld

I understand that some are worried that Carson will not be ready for Week 1--but Philadelphia missed 3.25 games of Carson this regular season and still got the first seed. I’d like to see them add a more experienced veteran, obviously—but they do like Sudfeld in that building.

Move: investigate backup market

RB: Jay Ajayi, Corey Clement, Donnel Pumphrey, Wendell Smallwood

Ajayi/Clement is a marvelous 1-2 punch for 2018—but after next season, Ajayi hits the open market. Philly must figure out if Pumphrey has anything to offer at the NFL level, after a hamstring tear muddied his 2017 camp and preseason. Is Wendell Smallwood going to offer anything next year? If Philadelphia had a Day 2 selection this year, they could consider cashing in on a deep RB class, but their second-earliest pick is late in Round 4. Maybe they get lucky.

Move: think about the future beyond Ajayi—but don’t reach for it

WR: Alshon Jeffery, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson, Marcus Johnson

There’s also a ton of practice squad dudes—Greg Ward Jr., Marquess Wilson, Rashard Davis, et cetera—who could push onto the active roster a la Johnson this year. When you look at deployment, Hollins has the inside track to take Torrey Smith’s vacated flanker position, while Shelton Gibson can hopefully provide some of the deep speed. Philly will likely bank on Hollins stepping up big-time in Year 2, and make no significant moves here.

Move: #MackAttack

TE: Zach Ertz

Oof. Philadelphia does have futures contracts with two interesting players: Adam Zaruba, ex-Rugby dude, and Billy Brown, current practice squader who had a solid 2017 preseason. Either way, one of the two would really have to shine to step up into the TE2 spot, which is an important role for Philadelphia’s versatile offense. There are some intriguing Band-Aid free agents on the market, like Denver’s Virgil Green, Washington’s Niles Paul, and Seattle’s Luke Willson. Keep an eye on Austin Sefarian-Jenkins if the Jets can’t/don’t keep him as well.

Move: find a cheap TE2 and keep developing your young’uns—maybe draft a guy as well

OL: Jason Peters, Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Stefen Wisniewski, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Chance Warmack, Isaac Seumalo,

The starting five are all signed through 2019—not just 2018—which is excellent news. While Philadelphia should look to get that OT of the future to eventually move on from Peters, they can keep playing him as long as he’s healthy and dominating. Figuring out what Isaac Seumalo brings to the table—i.e. is there a position he can actually play?—is big to riddling out the depth in years to come.

Move: draft an OT early and continue to dominate

DL: Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Timmy Jernigan, Derek Barnett, Vinny Curry, Chris Long, Elijah Qualls, Aziz ####tu, Steven Means

Everything here looks swell. Maybe you check out your interior depth, but I thought Qualls looked good in his rookie preseason, and ####tu is a fine depth piece in the NFL. Brandon Graham ($7.75M cap hit in 2018) is a free agent in 2019, and I would start negotiations for his extension yesterday. Restructuring could also open up some more cash this year.

Move: extend Brandon Graham (starting four would be signed through 2021)

LB: Jordan Hicks, Mychal Kendricks, Nigel Bradham, Kamu-Grugier Hill, Nate Gerry, Joe Walker

If you’ve got this around Draft time, you did a great job. Things are still in flux for the future, however—Hicks is a free agent in 2019, and how much are you willing to pay his availability? Could Kendricks be gone once the right offer comes by? What does Nate Gerry become? I’d love to see Philadelphia add a rookie to this group, just to buy some security for the future. If things go sideways with Bradham/Kendricks, just may just have to go Round 1.

Move: Draft a dude

CB: Ronald Darby, Sidney Jones, Jalen Mills, Rasul Douglas

With Robinson gone, plug the hole at nickel with either Jones (if you want to leave Mills outside, which I don’t) or move Mills inside and get Jones outside (my choice). A great tackler and decently quick, Mills should be fine in the slot—though getting a backup body (Philly has reserves/futures deals with 3 DBs currently) for dime and quarter packages is key. Developing Douglas as an outside player could be huge when it comes time to negotiate a contract with Ronald Darby (2019).

Move: Figure out the nickel; shore up your depth

S: Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Chris Maragos, Jaylen Watkins

It’s put up or shut up time for Watkins, who needs to prove he can back up Malcolm Jenkins/play in 3-safety packages with his coverage versatility. While both Jenkins/McLeod are signed through 2020, a young safety to supplant Maragos on the depth chart and eventually start would be quite welcome through the draft. If Watkins can’t become a Jenkins-esque player, drafting a safety become even more of a priority—and remember, they may lose Watkins on the market and be forced to get a new guy regardless.

Move: Get a young guy; give Watkins an ultimatum

ST: Jake Elliott, Rick Lovato, Cameron Johnston

Not the names we’re accustomed to seeing, huh? Only question here is: who’s returning kicks and punts? Pumphrey? Smallwood? Gibson? Philly needs better return work than they got this season.

Move: pick up Bryan Braman halfway through the season just for kicks

4) Looking to the 2018 NFL Draft

Given that Philadelphia won’t have much cash for free agent deals, they’ll likely fill their holes through the Draft. Philadelphia’s roster is quite sound—even for a Super Bowl winning one—so the mountain isn’t too steep.

Philadelphia’s current draft selections are as follows:

Round 1, Pick 32

Round 4, Pick 30 (acquired from Minnesota in the Sam Bradford trade)

Round 4, Pick 32

Round 5, Pick 9/10/18 (acquired in the Matt Tobin trade from Seattle, this pick is either Seattle’s original 5th rounder (18), or Oakland’s 5th rounder (acquired in the Marshawn Lynch trade between Seattle and Oakland). If it is Oakland’s 5th rounder, a coin toss with San Francisco) will determine whether it is 9/10)

Round 5, Pick 32

Round 6, Pick 32

You’ll notice the dearth of 2nd and 3rd round picks—this is an ill that just screams “Howie Roseman.” Having lost these pieces in the Carson Wentz trade (2nd) and Ronald Darby trade (3rd), Roseman will look to snag at least one back in a deal for Nick Foles (early 2nd feels like a decent asking price; we’ll see if he can’t turn it into a late 1st).

As we’ve discussed, Philadelphia needs an OT of the future, a potential starting LB, promise at the S position, and a backup TE most desperately. Beyond that, bastions at WR, CB, RB, and DT could all be welcome.

Focusing on those four positions of clear interest, here are a few names from each to note:

Offensive tackle

Connor Williams (Texas) is the prized commodity here, though an injury-marred 2017 campaign puts his Draft stock in a weird spot. If his Combine medicals are clean and he’s at full health for drills, his stock will be out of Philadelphia’s reach—if not, he could slip, and Philly could look to cash in.

Beyond Williams, Orlando Brown Jr. (Oklahoma), Tyrell Crosby (Oregon), Martinas Rankin (Mississippi State) and Chukwuma Okorafor (Western Michigan) are the names you could potentially hear around this spot. Of those, Crosby and Rankin both fit Philadelphia’s scheme/style best, in my opinion.

Don’t get sucked in by the Mike McGlinchey (Notre Dame) talk—he’s not very good, from my evaluation. The sleeper? That’s Alex Cappa (Humboldt State), whose athleticism and ferocity are a bit Lane Johnson-esque (Cappa isn’t the same size, however).

Linebacker

Philly could go for one of the top guys, like Rashaan Evans out of Alabama, or Leighton Vander Esch out of Boise State, at 32. Vander Esch makes less sense, as he’s rather limited to MIKE, in my eyes—but Evans can play the SAM, which helps if you’ve lost Nigel Bradham. Excellent blitzer as well, Evans is.

If we’re a little later into the Draft, the Eagles could swing at an oft-injured player who tumbled a bit—Shaun Dion Hamilton (Alabama), Skai Moore (South Carolina), and Matthew Thomas (Florida State) are the names to watch there. Local product Jason Cabinda (Penn State) would force Hicks out of the MIKE, but he’s a sleeper at the position; Malik Jefferson (Texas) is very raw, and I’m not sure he’ll ever pan out into a consistent three-down player.

Safety

Likely in the market for safety around Rounds 3 and 4, Philadelphia should look for smaller school products. Trayvon Henderson (Hawaii) has deep range and good ball skills; Jeremy Reaves (South Alabama) has coverage versatility and great physicality. Don’t sleep on Stanford’s Justin Reid either—he can play all over the place, as can Jessie Bates III, the young kid out of Wake Forest.

Pushing later into the class, Siran Neal (Jacksonville State) has experience at LB, WR, and CB across his high school and college career—it’d be fun to get him into the building and see what you can make of him. I’m wary of the hype you may see on Quin Blanding (Virginia)—he’s athletically limited.

Tight End

You can find tight ends with contributor’s ability almost anywhere in this class—Philadelphia may very well do just that, in an effort to stay under budget. Chris Herndon (Miami) and Troy Fumagalli (Wisconsin) are two early Day 3 targets Philadelphia could like for their blocking ability, which they’ll miss in Celek’s absence.

If they want to bring on a Burton-esque pass-catcher first, look for UMass’s Adam Breneman and Central Michigan’s Tyler Conklin. Both are woeful when inline but have extreme pass catching upside—Breneman just has a huge injury history, and Conklin isn’t much of an athlete.

Folks sleep on Durham Smythe (Notre Dame) who has solid blocking ability and flashed some pass-catching upside in Mobile, Alabama at the Senior Bowl. If he continues to stay hush-hush, he’s the apple of my eye on Day 3 for Philly.

 
Daemon could get his next dozen predictions egregiously lauhably wrong and still have ample respect and credibility on this board.  He's earned it being a thoughtful poster who respects the people he's talking with and replying to, and explains his reasoning when asked.

Of all the people in here for someone to pick a fight with, he seems like a pretty odd choice.
Agreed.  Even if the other guy is the greatest talent evaluator on the board.       :mellow:

 
Considering the cap numbers, and the trade value of Foles, I don't see how it makes any sense NOT to trade him. DO right by the guy and let him help pick the spot.

 
@AdamSchefter

Frank Reich has emerged as the favorite to become the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, who are hoping to hire the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator once they have negotiated a signed, sealed and delivered contract, per @mortreport and me.

12:46 PM · Feb 11, 2018

 
@AdamSchefter

Frank Reich has emerged as the favorite to become the new head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, who are hoping to hire the Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator once they have negotiated a signed, sealed and delivered contract, per @mortreport and me.

12:46 PM · Feb 11, 2018
Doug already starting his own coaching tree

 
And Reich is official. (maybe, it is the Colts) 

Mike Garafolo

@MikeGarafolo

Frank Reich will be the Colts’ new coach. Five-year deal with the team has been agreed to and about to be finalized, source says. @espn reported earlier he was the fave.

 

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