Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/5/24.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
The 2024 Shy-Away 30: Barkley, Diggs lead list – Rotoworld
Saquon Barkley (Yahoo ADP: 13.1). When I’m taking a running back at the top of the second round, I’m looking for high-value touches — goal-line carries plus targets — and elite efficiency. Does Barkley have either of these things? Since the Eagles have a free touchdown play with Jalen Hurts and the Tush Push, they ranked 26th in running back carries inside the three-yard line. Hurts hasn’t been one to throw to his backs, either. Last year, the Eagles’ backfield sat at 21st in targets per game. Barkley’s efficiency has left a lot to be desired in recent years, as well. Over the past three seasons, he has never finished higher than 30th in yards after contact per carry. His numbers will improve behind Philly’s elite offensive line, but the change of scenery needs to turn back time half a decade for Barkley to look like the superstar he once was. Parlaying a return to form, a change in goal-line tendencies, and an uptick in running back targets is too much to ask for inside the first 15 picks.
With the Eagles, ‘cocky’ Saquon Barkley can’t wait to show how the Giants stifled his talent – Inquirer
Six years ago it galled Eagles fans to see Barkley — who wore Whitehall High School’s maroon and gold, then Penn State’s blue and white — squeeze his thunderous thighs into the red, white, blue, and gray of the New York Giants. In the swamps of East Rutherford, N.J., Barkley wasted the first six seasons of his career. “You’ll definitely get a better sense [of my abilities] in this offense,” Barkley said. “Not trying to sound cocky — the tape speaks for itself.”
5 things to be excited about the 2024 Eagles – BGN
Saquon Barkley is going to be “the guy” in the new Eagles offense. Head coach Nick Sirianni said this week the team was ready to fully unleash the former Giants star and Pro Bowler, saying “He can go for it here” after watching a Barkley run in practice Monday that made him do a double take. I’m also fascinated to see if the Eagles can finally utilize a running back out of the backfield as a pass-catcher, and how much that will help Jalen Hurts. I’m excited to see what Barkley can do running behind a real quarterback in a real offense with real weapons that teams have to focus on other than him. In New York, all eyes were on him. In Philadelphia, he may be option No. 3 or 4 at times. Some believe the offense will run through Barkley, but whether that’s true or not, I’m most excited about a potentially monstrous season from him.
Game Week – Iggles Blitz
I am most excited to see Saquon in action. I watched him for three years at Penn State. He was a special player there and has done some special things while trapped as a member of the Giants. Saquon finally gets to be part of a good team. He has good blocking. He’s part of a good passing attack. All of this could bring out the best in him. Saquon could have a special season. Special Teams is an x-factor every season. With the new kickoff rules that could be especially true. Michael Clay did a terrific job with the STs last year. Let’s hope he can repeat that. This team should once again be a Super Bowl contender. They need to stay relatively healthy. They need Jalen Hurts to play like he did in 2022. And they need the defense to be good enough. This offense can be special, but they can’t be in a shootout on a weekly basis. 2024 should be a fun season. At the very least, it will be interesting.
Eagles-Packers player matchups to watch in Week 1 in Brazil – NBCSP
Jalen Carter vs. Jordan Morgan. The Eagles are expecting big things from Jalen Carter this season. Carter flashed enough last season to show an All-Pro ceiling. There’s a strong argument to be made that he’s the Eagles’ most important defensive player in 2024. And Carter will likely get to face a rookie in Week 1. The Packers drafted Jordan Morgan with the No. 25 overall pick in April and moved the former Arizona left tackle to right guard this summer. Morgan didn’t get to play in the preseason because he was dealing with a shoulder injury. So not only is he flipping sides of the line and changing positions, but Morgan missed some time in training camp and wasn’t able to play in the preseason. His first game action in the NFL is coming at a new position and against a guy who could be an All-Pro in 2024.
NFL QB Index, Week 1: Ranking all 32 starters entering 2024 season – NFL.com
10) Jalen Hurts. Here’s where I’m going to end up drawing the ire of Dolphins fans (again), who, honestly, have a case for their QB being in the top 10. But I feel confident in placing Hurts here for one key reason: We still don’t know what on earth happened with the 2023 Eagles. I firmly believe that, by the end of 2024, we’ll be able to reach one of two conclusions: The back half of last season can be tossed out as an anomaly, or it was the first sign of the Eagles’ downfall under Nick Sirianni. At this point, I’ll rely on prior evidence and predict they’ll get it right this season, with Hurts returning to the elite tier he occupied through 2022 and into the first half of 2023. When empowered and composed, Hurts is a special quarterback whose play is worthy of the $51 million he’s making per year. He’s only 26 years old and has his whole career ahead of him — and I, for one, can’t wait to watch it unfold.
NFL execs rank NFC teams: 49ers still reign, but could the Packers overtake the Lions? – The Athletic
One exec noted that new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio brings a strong personality to a staff led by a head coach (Nick Sirianni) whose seat warmed last year. Another said a motion-heavy offense under new coordinator Kellen Moore might not fit seamlessly with acclaimed incumbent line coach Jeff Stoutland, who might prefer simpler looks for blockers to execute cleanly. “The new system also could put more on (quarterback) Jalen Hurts,” this exec said. “Without (retired center) Jason Kelce being that bridge, that is pretty interesting to me as to how all those pieces come together.” It all looks good — on paper. “I have a lot of respect for Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio,” one of the execs projecting Philly third said. “That offense was broken. To get someone with a good track record with his Dallas offenses, to add Jahan Dotson and Saquon Barkley to DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown and (Dallas) Goedert, they might have the best weaponry in football.”
This Eagle’s mother thrilled to see her son smiling again after turbulent times with former team – NJ.com
“He’s still adjusting,” Mailata told NJ Advance Media. “I’m not going to sit here and blow smoke up his a** and say he’s figured it all out — he hasn’t. It’s a huge adjustment. He’s come a long way, though. Oh my God, he looks great, he looks great. But just like me, there’s always room for improvement. That’s really where we have to keep coming in here. That’s where I hold Mekhi on that standard. … He had a great week this week, man. We talk about coming out of camp and coming into the first week, we’re stacking some days now. That’s what you want to see headed into the first game. I’m excited.”
Spadaro: Eagles-Packers an underrated rivalry – PE.com
1960 NFL Championship Game: Eagles hold on to beat the Packers. The game at Franklin Field the day after Christmas in 1960 literally ended with Eagles linebacker Chuck Bednarik sitting on top of Green Bay running back Jim Taylor as the clock ticked to zero and the Eagles won their first NFL Championship since the 1949 season. The 17-13 victory was a thriller, featuring a Tommy McDonald touchdown catch and a Ted Dean touchdown run and the Eagles turned away a Green Bay team that eventually sent 11 members of the team (including Head Coach Vince Lombardi) to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It was the only playoff loss of Lombardi’s brilliant tenure.
Packers Injury Report: TE Tucker Kraft has back injury – Acme Packing Company
If Kraft is unable to suit up against the Eagles, there’s a chance that fullback Andrew Beck, who can play a hybrid role at 6’3” and 252 pounds, could be promoted off of the practice squad. Beck is one of the more veteran players on the Packers’ practice squad, as he’s played in 66 games (22 starts) over his NFL career.
Cowboys, Mike McCarthy are very familiar with Browns DC Jim Schwartz – Blogging The Boys
This familiarity goes both ways, of course. Schwartz has schemed against QB Dak Prescott plenty of times and had success against him. Some of Prescott’s lowest-rated performances in those first four years came against the Eagles, so Schwartz knows how to frustrate him. While Prescott is an older and wiser passer now, and he’s not running Scott Linehan’s offense anymore, we’ve also noted tendencies that have never left him since entering the NFL. This will be just the fifth meeting between Dallas and Cleveland since the year 2000, so a lot changes between each game. The Browns are almost an entirely different team now than the one we saw in 2020, but Jim Schwartz provides at least one known element for the Cowboys and Mike McCarthy. We’ll find out soon how that knowledge benefits one side or the other.
Did Hard Knocks catch Joe Schoen scouting quarterbacks? – Big Blue View
Scouting the upcoming quarterback class is prudent for several reasons. And we know that Schoen scouted last year’s class very heavily, watching each of the top prospects in person at least once. But we also should be careful not to read too much into this. Just because Schoen is scouting quarterbacks doesn’t mean the team will draft a quarterback. Jones could thrive in his renovated surroundings, or the team could decide that an imperfect Jones is still better than their options in 2025.
Film Session: Why Commanders WR Olamide Zacchaeus’ skillset is being undervalued – Hogs Haven
In its newest unofficial depth chart, the Washington Commanders listed Olamide Zaccheaus as a starting wide receiver. Sure, there will be a lot of rotation amongst the receivers on a given game day, but Zaccheaus can capitalize significantly on the opportunity he has earned with Washington. Last year was a wasted season for Zaccheaus, hauling in just ten catches on 20 targets in 17 games played. However, in his previous two seasons before making the unfortunate decision to sign in Philadelphia, he had shown to be an ascending player for the Atlanta Falcons.
Commanders suspend VP for comments on players, Jones, Goodell – ESPN
The Washington Commanders have suspended an employee who made comments about the team’s players being anti-gay, accused Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones of being racist and anti-gay and called NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a “$50 million puppet.” The team said it has suspended its vice president of content, Rael Enteen, who has been with the organization for four years, for comments he made to an undercover reporter for the O’Keefe Media Group.
The Jaguars’ 2020 draft class is truly the worst in NFL history – SB Nation
4th round, No. 137: CB Josiah Scott, Michigan. Scott lasted one season on the Jaguars before being cut. He signed with the Eagles, played in several games — but currently he’s unsigned.
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