I don’t think think the Eagles should consider trading Rodgers at this moment. DeJean just hasn’t had enough time to prove he’s ready both in health and ability. We’re going to play nickel 70 percent of the time so for now Mitchell will play mostly in the slot unless we’re ready to bank on DeJean immediately (doesn’t seem like a Fangio type of move) or play Maddox there. So Rodgers is going to play quite a bit. Now in a couple of months, maybe DeJean is ready to ball out and Fangio sees Ringo as basically equal to Rodgers. Even then, we’re still banking on Slay at 33 to stay healthy all year. 

It will be awfully tough to turn down our CB depth unless we get an overpay.

Something I’ve been wondering over the past couple of weeks: Are we sure Nolan Smith is better than Patrick Johnson?

7 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Something I’ve been wondering over the past couple of weeks: Are we sure Nolan Smith is better than Patrick Johnson?

Yes. Feel confident on this. 

Jalyx Hunt is a different matter though.

17 hours ago, Diehardfan said:

When I was in CO last week the Denver station was raving about his play in camp the same way the local guys are raving about Hurts. We'll see I guess. 

As far as sports fans go, in Denver they are a bunch of rubes.

7 minutes ago, RLC said:

Yes. Feel confident on this. 

Jalyx Hunt is a different matter though.

Man, I think Hunt might be better than Smith too. Neither has any pass rush moves, but Hunt can cover better. 

Smith has a really good burst off the line and I think he can be an explosive edge, but he seems to get engulfed. The question is, is the reason he's engulfed purely a size thing(stature, not muscle mass) or can he negate that by bulking up more and more each year? He looks so small out there.

59 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Man, I think Hunt might be better than Smith too. Neither has any pass rush moves, but Hunt can cover better. 

It will be interesting to see if Patrick Johnson sticks. I think he's a near roster lock with his ST ability, but I think he can contribute as a situational rusher. What's interesting to me is that Nolan Smith worked all off-season to get to 238 while Patrick Johnson not only got his weight up to 248, he dropped body fat % too and based on reports from practice, and what we've seen in games, he looks much more explosive because of it. Not all muscle mass gains are the same. With limited information, it sounds to me that PJ attacked his workouts to change his body composition and become more explosive, whereas Smith is just trying to get his weight up to be able to handle the edge.

In the long run, I think Hunt is the best of the bunch. Would be great if all 3 can contribute in some capacity though. 

 

7 hours ago, LeanMeanGM said:

Linval Joseph isn’t signing to play preseason #3 

I can’t imagine he signed without an amount of guaranteed money, probably characterized as a signing bonus.  That guarantee gets him paid for the PS game should they cut him.  Any vet with his tenure on a roster for the first game has their full season guaranteed.  Jerruh is pretty dumb but guaranteeing the full salary for a year for a 36 year old DT that hasn’t played a full season in two years. So Joseph may be more than willing to take that gamble.  Play one PS game to remind teams he is available and in playing shape.  Has a chance to stick.  Even if a first game cut, he has the opportunity to get picked up at any point by any team.  So he signed for all those opportunities but nothing is guaranteed past the last preseason game. 

1 hour ago, ManuManu said:

Something I’ve been wondering over the past couple of weeks: Are we sure Nolan Smith is better than Patrick Johnson?

No. But he is more athletic. 

3 more years for Lane Johnson?

 

 

Sign Lane to an extension tomorrow if we can.

Keys with Nolan Smith are he needs to play, and he needs to stay healthy.  Right now, he's an effort/convert "gimme" sacks at a high rate guy. He's 240 something lbs with average length, and he's barely played the last 2 years. We know he physically has insane bend, yet he clearly has no idea how to make it work for him on a football field.

If you think his season is 8+ sacks or bust, prepare to be disappointed.

20 hours ago, Texas Eagle said:

Wonder if we could pry Alec Pierce from the Colts

Kempski proposed this in his column yesterday (?) with the hook being Steen. I liked Pierce during the draft process and believe he’s a good fit in a vertical offense… but I feel like Becton will get hurt based on his history so the G depth will be tested. Is Keegan going to be ready, is Kinnard better on the inside? Toth is PS only.

A.Smith is making it harder recently for Howie to cut him (he’s probably looking for reasons not to anyway)… so does the team carry 6 WRs or figure out how to stash either of the rookies on IR…

1 hour ago, ManuManu said:

Something I’ve been wondering over the past couple of weeks: Are we sure Nolan Smith is better than Patrick Johnson?

I think the bigger question is whether either guy can play at an above-average NFL level.

It doesn't matter as much if Johnson and Smith (and Hunt for that matter) are equal if that means both guys are good. If both guys are liabilities, then that changes the conversation considerably.

I don't think either guy is an elite pass rusher in a vacuum. But in this defense the ability to play in space is almost as important. So a player's impact on the game is more than "can he beat a decent tackle in a 1v1 pass rush."

I don't think we have seen enough in the preseason to make a determination of how good or bad any of these players will be against elite NFL competition in the roles they will play in this defense, and I think the reports we get from practice are very unreliable, since you really need the all-22 film to see how a player is really doing.

Therefore, any opinion on this is simply a guess right now. But based on practice reps, Smith and Hunt seem to be ahead of Johnson. That could change between now and week 1, but it would surprise me if Johnson outsnaps Smith on defense week 1. 

   

If Lane plays 3 more years, we have 3 years to find an heir apparent RT. Get to work, Howie.

If Hunt developed into an above average pass rusher but was unusually elite in coverage for his position, who would be a good player comp?

2 hours ago, ManuManu said:

Man, I think Hunt might be better than Smith too. Neither has any pass rush moves, but Hunt can cover better. 

I expect a ton of zone blitzing - I wonder if either of the ILBs get more sacks schemed up then Nolan can get through hussle.

12 minutes ago, RLC said:

Sign Lane to an extension tomorrow if we can.

He's signed through 2027 as is. 

3 minutes ago, Sack that QB said:

If Lane plays 3 more years, we have 3 years to find an heir apparent RT. Get to work, Howie.

He said 2 to 3 more years. Which means next draft is the time…no later.   They did it right with Cam Jurgens.  Give the new player a year or two to learn with Lane

5 minutes ago, Saltpeter said:

If Hunt developed into an above average pass rusher but was unusually elite in coverage for his position, who would be a good player comp?

Idk, Carlos Emmons - he was excellent in coverage and was a decent pass rushing 3-4 OLB at PIT.

4 minutes ago, McMVP said:

He said 2 to 3 more years. Which means next draft is the time…no later.   They did it right with Cam Jurgens.  Give the new player a year or two to learn with Lane

Ideally, but also don't want them reaching for a RT either if the player doesn't justify it. 2024 was the OL class of the decade. Next year might not be as strong we'll see. It's supposed to be loaded with edge rushers though and I can guarantee that's going to be a huge immediate need next year, so I could see an edge being hard to pass up for them if a good one is available.

19 minutes ago, Saltpeter said:

If Hunt developed into an above average pass rusher but was unusually elite in coverage for his position, who would be a good player comp?

Seth Joyner was slightly shorter but could do everything. 

37 minutes ago, Saltpeter said:

If Hunt developed into an above average pass rusher but was unusually elite in coverage for his position, who would be a good player comp?

Pre-draft I kept saying Connor Barwin

9 minutes ago, HazletonEagle said:

Pre-draft I kept saying Connor Barwin