16 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

That was probably the deal Justin Simmons was waiting to see before he signs. 

Big moves coming. 

If Howie isn’t paying 17m$ AAV for 24 year old Xavier McKinney, then this money worries me a bit about Simmons

If Steen is out of the picture at guard as the tea leaves suggest, I’m comfortable with him as our backup swing tackle. 

3 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

If Steen is out of the picture at guard as the tea leaves suggest, I’m comfortable with him as our backup swing tackle. 

They’re giving up on him already? How much of a chance did he really get? And was he drafted to be a swing tackle or RG?

24 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

That was probably the deal Justin Simmons was waiting to see before he signs. 

Big moves coming. 

Hes not sniffing that at his age

20 hours ago, Random Reglar said:

 

ah.  did not know that.  was not paying attention back then.

Point is the same though.   Spend big money on proven pro bowl talent,   starts immediately,  works.

The Eagles have $18 Million set aside for Lane in 24, 25, 26,   and if Lane wants to retire before one of those seasons,  they can give that money to a proven pro bowl talent,  if that's the direction they want to go.

The Peters model,  the Lane model,  the Mailata model - all work.
The Dillard model did not work.

My preference is for the Mailata model,  which fits with the fact that the Eagles have no need at this point for a starting Tackle.

I'd rather have quality backups who were not costly,  great Mailata like backups,  who were coached by Stoutland to NFL quality,  than costly players like Dillard who are sitting around doing nothing until they leave.

2024 - day 3 hi ras athlete who didn't play OL in high school (Lane Johnson,  Mailata, Peters - 100% of the great Eagles Tackles did not play OL in HS - 1 didn't go to college and play football - one - Peters - was a Tight End in college - one started as QB in college, became TE, then OT)  
2025 - same thing
2026 - same thing

2027 - look and see how those hi ras athletes are doing.   If they're good enough,  go with one.   If not,  draft day 1 starter or FA day 1 starter.

None of the great Eagles OTs had much experience before the NFL at Offensive Line at all.  And those are the players I like the most - the versatile ones,  the ones who can do something else while waiting 3, 2, 1 years for Lane to retire.   QB, TE, rugby.  

There wasn't a Malta model, the dude wasn't even a football player when we drafted him in round 7. He was a complete flier that Stout wanted and then created. If you want to call it a model then that means we draft a day 3 OT that Stout selects and he tries to develop. That's fine by me, as long as it's not a pure RT in round 1 that sits for years. I'll even throw a couple day 3 names we can look at, Frank Crum, Anim Dankwah. 

Peters was a quality young OT in his prime that we traded a first rounder for. I'm fine with that model as well once Lane retires. 

27 minutes ago, TEW said:

There are two Mailata type prospects in this draft:

1) Giavani Manu — 6’7” 350 pounds, 4.96 forty at his pro day with a 33(!) inch vertical jump at that size. He played Canadian college football, so he’s not entirely new to the sport, which makes you wonder how he didn’t get an American college offer. There were 16 teams ant his pro day, but the Eagles were not among them. Apparently we did scout him last fall, but I couldn’t find any other details on it.

2) Travis Clayton - 6’7” 300 pounds with 35 inch arms and a 4.8 forty. He’s a former British rugby player, boxer and played tennis in his youth, so presumably he is a good athlete with professional level work ethic. Only 22 years old which helps. He’s going through the NFL international player pathway like Jordan. I can’t seem to find any information on which teams have scouted him though.

I think both of these guys have a shot to get drafted, especially Manu. It seems like every team in the NFL has taken an in person look at him, and he’s played football so the learning curve shouldn’t be as steep. Clayton would be a multi-year project as he adds weight to a leaner frame and learns the game, but certainly the tools seem to be there.

Add Frank Crum from Wyoming to that list. 4.94 forty. Four year starter at RT.  Would be curious what he can do with a top flight training group and Stout.  Priority UDFA or late third day pick. 

4 hours ago, McMVP said:

If Lane is starting here 3 seasons from now then it’s likely a case where they are keeping him for emotional reasons rather than his level of play.  Not everyone is Jason Peters.  I seem to recall a lot of people complaining about Peters play dropping off his last few years here.  Just because it’s possible Lane can still be playing at 37/38 years old, that doesn’t mean the Eagles couldn’t get better performance from another player during these later years.  
 

Peters had 6 AP seasons and 8 straight Pro Bowl seasons.  His last AP season was at age 32, his last PB season was at the age of 34.  Yeah, he played for 7 more seasons.  
 

 

It isn't clear to me from reading spotrac whether the $18 Million option bonus in 2026 is guaranteed.

 Contract Notes:

    Signing Bonus: $18.835M
    2024 Option Bonus: $18.79M (3/13/2024)
    2025 Option Bonus: $18.745M
    2026 Option Bonus: $18.7M

https://www.spotrac.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/lane-johnson-12284/

Issac Seumalo could not play in year 1. He sucked so much in year 2 that we had a LG rotation, that Wiz won. Seumalo then became a good starter in year 3, and throughout his entire tenure in Philly.

Lots of time left with Steen, but it may not be in 2024.

5 hours ago, McMVP said:

If Lane is starting here 3 seasons from now then it’s likely a case where they are keeping him for emotional reasons rather than his level of play.  Not everyone is Jason Peters.  I seem to recall a lot of people complaining about Peters play dropping off his last few years here.  Just because it’s possible Lane can still be playing at 37/38 years old, that doesn’t mean the Eagles couldn’t get better performance from another player during these later years.  
 

Peters had 6 AP seasons and 8 straight Pro Bowl seasons.  His last AP season was at age 32, his last PB season was at the age of 34.  Yeah, he played for 7 more seasons.  
 

 

I thought we were talking about Lane retiring.

14 minutes ago, BigEFly said:

Add Frank Crum from Wyoming to that list. 4.94 forty. Four year starter at RT.  Would be curious what he can do with a top flight training group and Stout.  Priority UDFA or late third day pick. 

There are a pretty good number of players like that this year.   Raw,  project, swing tackle, day 3 or udfa.  The Eagles should get one like that.  I like Tylan Grable,  as his resume / size / ras,  etc,  is very similar to Lane's.    Lane, Mailata, Peters,  all have the commonality of not playing OT in HS.   And only Lane played OL in college,  at all.  So,  I'm in favor of cheap, raw, project.   That's what the Eagles have done with great success.

54 minutes ago, Texas Eagle said:

They’re giving up on him already? How much of a chance did he really get? And was he drafted to be a swing tackle or RG?

He was drafted to be a guard, but we’re bringing in a ton of guard prospects for 30 visits and Sirianni legitimately forgot to even mention him when taking about the right guard competition. 

26 minutes ago, RLC said:

Issac Seumalo could not play in year 1. He sucked so much in year 2 that we had a LG rotation, that Wiz won. Seumalo then became a good starter in year 3, and throughout his entire tenure in Philly.

Lots of time left with Steen, but it may not be in 2024.

If we draft a guard in round 2, it’s probably over for him as a guard here. He’ll be the swing tackle. 

 

1 hour ago, HazletonEagle said:

That was probably the deal Justin Simmons was waiting to see before he signs. 

Big moves coming. 

Word is out there that Simmons and Vic have no interest in pairing up again. Seems like that has come out a bit this year with multiple guys who have no interest in playing under Fangio. I do still want Simmons, I think that would be a great move leading up to the draft, but I have no reason to believe that will happen based on his cost vs age, combined with the other things mentioned.

Does anyone think there is one aspect of the defense the Eagles have definitely significantly upgraded so far?

Edge: wash -Reddick +Huff. Baun doesn't move the needle.

DT: minus Cox and not really adding anyone of note = downgrade

LB: Potential for an upgrade if Devin White plays like he did in 2020. If he plays like he did last season it probably is a wash or a very minor upgrade. If he plays like 2021 or 2022 a medium sized upgrade maybe. Oren Burks is solid depth, but doesn't move the needle.

Safety: this is the closest. I think CJGJ can be a sizeable upgrade over Edmunds and then Byard. But Eagles need things to go right like he stays healthy. And I know I'm actually higher than others here on CJGJ, so other people here may not even consider it a significant upgrade. I think it's probably right below what I'd deem significant, but I think it has potential to be if he plays like 2022.

CB: Nothing significant. Might have Rodgers, added Hall, kept Maddox. Other than that no notable additions. I don't think Rodgers or Hall are significant.

That doesn't mean collectively medium sized upgrades or small upgrades here or there can't add up to overall defensive improvement, but for this particular question, analyze each area individually, I'm curious if anyone thinks the Eagles have significantly upgraded any area so far?

1 hour ago, BigEFly said:

Add Frank Crum from Wyoming to that list. 4.94 forty. Four year starter at RT.  Would be curious what he can do with a top flight training group and Stout.  Priority UDFA or late third day pick. 

I consider Crum a bit different since he has been in the sport so long. Certainly he is a day 3 high upside type of pick, but I wouldn’t compare him to Mailata.

Manu and Clayton fit the "new to football” model. Clayton especially. Manu has a bit of experience and is projected to be a first or second round pick for the CFL if he doesn’t go the NFL.

1 hour ago, Texas Eagle said:

Hes not sniffing that at his age

Twas a joke. 

As much I wouldn't mind having Simmons, Howie will be shopping in the bargain bin only, from here on out. Giving 1 year deals for potential rebound candidates from either injury, increased age or off years. He will throw some crap against the wall and see what sticks. It's a long offseason, and you can't blow your load all at once. I still a see Superbowl contender by the time September hits. Division is ours with the way this Cowgirls offseason is shaping up. HFA should be attainable for next year's playoffs. Think 49ers are quietly aging and have peaked. They will have a hard time rebounding from that Superbowl letdown and disaster. 

1 hour ago, TEW said:

There are two Mailata type prospects in this draft:

1) Giavani Manu — 6’7” 350 pounds, 4.96 forty at his pro day with a 33(!) inch vertical jump at that size. He played Canadian college football, so he’s not entirely new to the sport, which makes you wonder how he didn’t get an American college offer. There were 16 teams ant his pro day, but the Eagles were not among them. Apparently we did scout him last fall, but I couldn’t find any other details on it.

2) Travis Clayton - 6’7” 300 pounds with 35 inch arms and a 4.8 forty. He’s a former British rugby player, boxer and played tennis in his youth, so presumably he is a good athlete with professional level work ethic. Only 22 years old which helps. He’s going through the NFL international player pathway like Jordan. I can’t seem to find any information on which teams have scouted him though.

I think both of these guys have a shot to get drafted, especially Manu. It seems like every team in the NFL has taken an in person look at him, and he’s played football so the learning curve shouldn’t be as steep. Clayton would be a multi-year project as he adds weight to a leaner frame and learns the game, but certainly the tools seem to be there.

 

Good Post - I didn't know either of those guys,  and those are the ones the Eagles should be looking for.  If it works, it works,  and both players have huge upside,  and if it doesn't work,  you didn't spend a valuable pick and you can just draft a OL in the first, or trade for a great OL,  when that is needed.

https://steelersdepot.com/2024/04/a-tongan-ot-the-steelers-scouted-and-two-other-international-draft-prospects-worth-knowing/

this article has both your guys.

"This October article from 3 Down Nation notes a Steelers scout stopped by his
school at some point, joining the Philadelphia Eagles, who are trying to find their
next Mailata."

The guy from England needs to lift more weights.  19 bench and 26 vert won't do it.   4.81 will do it.  Played rugby,  should mean blocking TE. 

That Manu guy though.   He's not in the ras database,  but this article has him with 6073 352 and 4.96 40.  33.5 vert.    DRAFT DAY 3.   Played more often than Mims and better numbers than Mims.   And,  most importantly,  much cheaper than Mims,  especially for a position where there is no actual need,  except that every position might as well be filled by versatile freakbeasts sitting and waiting their turn. 
 

 

 

So no lock to make the team.

5 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

 

I always thought a guy like Randy Gregory or Dante Fowler would make sense as a veteran pass rusher who can bring some juice in a limited role. 

Steen was basically their second round pick.  They traded out of their 2 into the top of the 3rd round for pocket change.  You don't spend a pick that rich on a swing tackle.

If they already have no plans for him as an OL starter after 1 year, that's a pretty big disappointment.  

6 hours ago, McMVP said:

If Lane is starting here 3 seasons from now then it’s likely a case where they are keeping him for emotional reasons rather than his level of play.  Not everyone is Jason Peters.  I seem to recall a lot of people complaining about Peters play dropping off his last few years here.  Just because it’s possible Lane can still be playing at 37/38 years old, that doesn’t mean the Eagles couldn’t get better performance from another player during these later years.  
 

Peters had 6 AP seasons and 8 straight Pro Bowl seasons.  His last AP season was at age 32, his last PB season was at the age of 34.  Yeah, he played for 7 more seasons.  
 

 

Jason Peters was a liability for his last few years here.  He's the epitome of someone kept for emotional reasons.  He was either replaced or a replacement level LT after the age of 34.

I think it's unreasonable to expect much from Lane beyond 2024.  However, he is in MUCH better shape than Peters was at the same age.

2 hours ago, greendestiny27 said:

Which o-lineman would you want that can start day 1, because Mims and Guyton aren't. 

The Eagles don't need an OT to start day 1.   I also think,  now that TEW found MANU!!!,  that the Eagles should forget about Mims and Guyton.

Manu is what some people say Mims is.   Manu is 12 pounds heavier,  .11 faster 40,  and 33.5 vert vs Mims 26.   Better across the board.  And he's largely unknown, and cheap.

If anyone says "oh wow,  look at Mims athleticism,  insane"  the answer is Manu is much better.   Manu is like Jordan Davis on athleticism.  Top of the line. 

The Eagles need to add 2 OL.   3 OL are out,  1 OL is in.  The starters are set for years.

I like Tyler Grable,  who has pretty much Lane's resume.  HS QB,  then TE,  then OT at a Big 12 school.   But now I like Giovanni Manu.   352 pounds and 4.96 40 and 33.5 vert.  Better than Mims,  who people are talking about because his numbers are good, not because he played college football all that well.   Manu is like a better version of Mims,  and Grable is similar to Guyton.   Guyton gets points over Grable in that Guyton was a Sooner.  Both Mims and Guyton are unnecessarily expensive for a team who won't need a starting OT for quite a while,  and have a swing tackle (Steen - who might be starting RG).

When you have both OTs signed for 3 more years,  you should be filling your roster with more raw, top athletes,  high ceilings,  positional versatility, like Grable and Manu.   I'd say draft both,  and that other one,  Clayton,  who is too light and not strong enough to play OT at this point, can be udfa on practice squad.  I'm good with that.