O-Line Cohesiveness & Health
The Philadelphia Eagles offensive line is currently full of questions but will determine how far this team can ultimately go this season. They must keep Carson Wentz healthy throughout the season while also providing a formidable run offense at minimum to chew up the clock at the end of games, which was a major problem for last year’s team. The largest questions lie with starting LT Jason Peters who has battled numerous injuries in past years with hopes to bounce back and RG Brandon Brooks who is recovering from a torn Achilles. Both are participating in training camp , Brooks in a limited capacity but that is a good sign he has avoided the PUP list. It will be interesting to see if first round pick Andre Dillard will be ready to step up in case Peter’s goes down with an injury. He will certainly get plenty of reps in camp and preseason games filling in for the 37 yr old Peters early. We have heard Dillard is extremely skilled but not much of a run blocker yet, possibly due to collegiate scheme or a lack of nastiness. Pre season will give us a glimpse of what we are working with in Peter’s absence. The resigning of Wisnewski is big and should solidify the back up interior line as a vet swing guy and possible early season starter for Brooks if he cannot go due to the Achilles. Big V was solid two years ago for the Super Bowl run but took a step back last season which I think lost him the back up LT position to Dillard. I would think the spot is Dillard’s and Big V becomes a swing guy but we should see shortly how that plays out. Age is a factor for this group also, making it a must to keep an eye on the healthy guys in this group (Kelce, Johnson) going forward.
Final RB Depth Chart
Other then QB, the rb group is directly affected by the play of the and may determine the effectiveness of some of the backs. Josh Adams and Smallwood won’t be able to create decent runs without strong blocking ahead of them, which could cost one or both their roster spots. Things were shaken up last week with the resigning of Darren Sproles which takes away another spot in the depth chart for rb. I can’t believe the 36 year old Sproles came back to fight for a roster spot. He will be plugged in here and there on third down situations and punt returns. Josh Howard, I would think, is the starter and short yd pounder spelled by Penn State rookie Miles Sanders, especially on third downs and possibly return kicks. Sanders will have to prove he can pass protect on an NFL level to see significant time on passing downs. If you cannot protect Carson Wentz you probably can’t see the field as much as you’d like. This leaves Adams, Smallwood, and Clement fighting for the last rb roster spot because it’s tough to imagine them carrying 5 backs. I believe it’ll be Corey Clement , if healthy rounding out that group just because of the multiple things he can do as a runner, pass catcher, and most importantly as a special teams contributor. Smallwood improved last year and isn’t far behind Clement though, making it a tougher battle than some would think. Wouldn’t be surprised if those two flopped spots with Clement on the outside looking in.
D Line Talent & Depth
Jim Swartz, as we all know, rarely blitzes. He prefers to rotate his defensive line in order to get constant pressure from a fresh front four. The Eagles certainly strengthened the middle of that line with Malik Jackson, but my concern along with others is the lack of DE depth. Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett will start at DE but the loss of Michael Bennett and Chris Long are sweat worthy. Not only were they very good players, but they were vets who were savvy at making timely plays. It was for them knowledge of the game more than explosiveness or raw athleticism that led to their solid contributions. I am Big B Graham guy and I know “not to doubt him” but neither he nor Barnett will wow you will physical gifts. Graham will be solid in his pass rush effectiveness and stout run defense but Barnett has to take a large step this season especially to make up for the aforementioned linemen. Vinny Curry and Timmy Jernigan’s resigning will help, because of familiarity with the scheme but neither convince me yet that they will be the force the team needs.me. Josh Sweat has that type of athleticism and size minus the weight but he didn’t show much last season, so plenty of uncertainty surrounding him. As for rookie Shareef Miller, I can’t see him being much of a contributor this year. Speaking of Josh Sweat, a guy he was compared to coming out of Florida State, with his size and combine numbers was Jadeveon Clowney. This past week we have heard mentioning of if Eagles Howie Roseman should try to make a move for the disgruntled star DE who has yet to sign his franchise tender. What a move that would be, talking about someone who explodes on film, but I can’t see it happening. Eagles would have to give up something decent at least pick wise and would be on the hook for another big contract for a guy known to turn it on and off. We will have to wait and see if anyone pulls the trigger on that but definitely keeping an eye out on a smaller move to bolster the DE position.
What to Expect from Revamped Offense
Very excited about the additions to the offense for this upcoming season, but what exactly will the offense look like? The return of Desean Jackson is the most obvious addition and should free up plenty underneath in the passing game and eliminate any sort of double team schemes designed to slow the Birds. Safety help to eliminate this generation’s best deep ball catcher will bolster the run game with a lighter box also. But Desean must remain healthy, which is one of the biggest question marks of his career thus far. Trading for RB Jordan Howard brings the power back with enough speed to break one for the long run while also having a legitimate first and second down back. Miles Sanders should see touches in the backfield as a receiver and runner and would not be surprised to see him kick returning as well. Fellow rookie JJ Arcega Whiteside may not see too many looks in the middle of the field but replacing Desean near the goaline where Jackson’s effectiveness has never been good should be a boost.Whiteside is a larger bodied receiver, who continuously made contested catches at Stanford. If this can translate against NFL competition this team has certainly has something to look forward too in the red zone. It appears this team will beat up on smaller teams ( please no Chip Kelly references) if they master the two tight end sets. Goddert is going to be a very good NFL tight end in all facets of the position and must see as much time as possible. If healthy the team should be able to impose its will in the run game as well as intermediate pass game. D-Jax makes this team a threat to explode which can go far but still is different from a team that is explosive. I expect a plethora of options weekly that put up plenty of points, 28 per game or so The offense will be controlled and methodical at times. I compare it more closely to the very good Patriots offense rather than the Chiefs last year. I see no let downs offensively but per usual it depends on health and number 11 at the helm. He has the keys to the ferrari but how will it be driven?
State of the Secondary
The Eagles secondary is a tough group to distinguish personally. If last year as a whole is any indication of how good this group is …. They aren’t very good. But I am feeling glass half full about these guys and think they could actually shock the league and play pretty well together in this upcoming season. Other then vet Malcolm Jenkins the team has no knowns. Both of last years starting cbs Ron Darby and Jalen Mills are looking to return from season ending injuries and are yet to fully be cleared. Mills is further behind physically than Darby. We often hear and more importantly see the deficiencies in both players over the past two seasons, once they were injured it showed just how much better they were then the backups. Rasul Douglas is a decent player but IS NOT A SAFETY and is best suited in a primarily cover two scheme rather then Jim Swartz cover three and off man base defenses. Second year cb Avonte Maddox is a ball player and was actually one of my top 5 corners coming out in the 2018 draft. Expect him to take another leap forward once they lock him down at a singular position. Third year cb Sydney Jones has not shown me anything thus far in his career and at this point I can’t expect much, hoping to see the guy they thought they stole from Washington a few years ago. It’s just something about those Huskies, man, but that’s another story for another day. Rodney McCloud is coming off an ACL and is needed at his deep middle position. Who will fill Corey Graham’s third safety role and what is expected out of the signings of vets Andrew Sendejo and Orlando Scandrick? My projected starting nickel/base secondary: Darby, Mills outside with Maddox as the nickel Jenkins in the box and McCloud high safety. Sendejo will fulfill that third safety role and possible free safety until McCloud is ready. Do not be surprised if Leblanc sees ample time in the slot he showed flashes last season late and this may allow the Birds to kick Maddox outside for Mills. I am sure the organization wants to see a step or three forward for Jones who they invested in with a second rd pick in and I am hearing good things thus far in late July about him. Lastly in order to bolster the pass rush or another position could Howie package one of these guys and ship them off? I think there is a great possibility of this due to the surplus at the corner position and the age and contracts of these guys. Ultimately I see a group that is much more formidable than they have shown due to lack of experience of some as well as schematic issues that can be addressed later. I expect a bounce back season from a secondary that gave up way too much twenty to twenty but was stingy in the red zone. When I say bounce back I do not me Legion of Boom but more closely resembling 5 capable starters in today’s pass happy NFL.
This are my quick hits observations and questions during pre/early training camp for the Birds. Looking forward to revisiting these before week one and will continue to update all team issues as they arise throughout camp. For now…that’s all I got to say about that.
YOU ALL READY KNOW 