Eagles News: Jalen Reagor leads the NFL in failed reception rate

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Eagles News: Jalen Reagor leads the NFL in failed reception rate

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 10/21/21.

By Brandon Lee Gowton@BrandonGowton  Oct 21, 2021, 6:00am EDT 

 

Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

 

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Empty Receiving Calories with Jaylen Waddle and Jalen Reagor - Football Outsiders
Now, this is more like it. Waddle still appears in the top 10 in failed reception rate, but it’s Jalen Reagor who ends up holding the lead catch-for-catch. While Reagor can’t touch Waddle’s target volume, he has the questionable quarterback situation to match, and has an even better aDOT on his completions—just 2.9 yards, second-worst in the league for a wideout. It’s not like the Eagles aren’t trying to get Reagor involved—and, in fact, he drew a pair of 45-plus-yard DPIs against the Buccaneers—but so far, so little for the second-year receiver. It would be one thing if these short passes to Reagor were producing big plays, but they’re really not. Reagor has 10 targets within 2 yards of the line of scrimmage. One broke for a 23-yard touchdown; two more were modest successes, gaining 6 to 10 yards without picking up the first down; and the rest were failed completions. By comparison, Waddle has two touchdowns and four first downs on his 16 screens. And Rondale Moore, who is last in the league with a 1.8-yard aDOT on his completions, has picked up seven first downs on his 20 screens with a success rate of 60.0%, giving at least an occasional return on investment for what is typically a low-percentage play. Wide receiver screens are typically low-risk, low-reward sorts of plays, but Reagor and the Eagles are exploring new depths to the concept of "low reward.”

Report: Eagles had "recent discussions” with Texans about Deshaun Watson trade - BGN
The Dolphins trading for Watson would be of interest to the Eagles for two reasons. 1) It would confirm that Watson won’t be heading to the Eagles. Philly was heavily connected to Watson in the offseason. 2) Assuming Watson is permitted to play (he’s yet to face any discipline despite facing no shortage of sexual assault allegations), he makes the Dolphins a better team. And Miami getting better would be bad for the Eagles since Philly owns Miami’s 2022 first-round pick. But apparently Watson to the Dolphins might not be a guarantee. The Athletic’s reporting acknowledges Houston’s talks with Miami are "serious” but "a deal does not appear to be imminent.” The Athletic also notes that two other teams might still be in the mix. You’re probably familiar with one of them.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.27: It’s Dallas and then everybody else - BGN Radio
At this point there’s no way any of the teams in the division are catching up with Dallas. RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton question why people are fans of the Washington Football team, the Giants whose market is arguably soft and discuss the latest news surrounding the Birds.

Early look at wild NFL QB carousel in 2022: Seahawks, Eagles, Steelers among 12 teams most likely to seek move - CBS Sports
Jalen Hurts has been dealt a raw hand. Rookie head coach. Total disregard for the run game. But he misses a lot of easy passes and Philly ain’t the most patient place and who knows how long Nick Sirianni’s run is there. They could end up with three first-round picks in the top half of the first round, and as much as management would love to see Hurts grab the reigns and cement his status, that is far from a sure thing. Seems a little unlikely right now, frankly.

Triple threat: Eagles could make history in 2022 NFL draft - ESPN
Eagles faithful might want to avoid looking at the standings altogether this season, but if they must, it’s best viewed from the bottom up. Thanks to offseason trades with the Miami Dolphins and Indianapolis Colts, and slow starts from all parties involved, the Eagles are currently projected to have the sixth, 10th and 15th picks in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI). But if the season ended today, the Eagles would have the second, eighth and ninth picks. How rare of territory is that? Well, no team in the Common Draft Era (beginning in 1967) has had three top-10 picks in a single draft, according to ESPN Stats & Information research. The closest a team got to that was the 1967 Vikings, who picked three times in the top 15 (Alan Page, Clint Jones, Gene Washington).

Gannon defends Kerrigan’s production through 6 games - NBCSP
In six games this season, Eagles free agent pickup Ryan Kerrigan has played a total of 152 defensive snaps. He has one tackle. So why hasn’t Kerrigan been productive? "On the stat sheet you mean?” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon fired back. "Because in my opinion, he has been productive.” OK. Then how would you quantify that production? "How would I quantify that is he lines up,” Gannon said, "he gets aligned the correct way, he plays with his eyes the right way, he’s asked to do the techniques that we’re asking him to do and he’s playing winning football within his role.”

Eagles film: Jonathan Gannon needs better linebackers for his zone defense - Inquirer
They have all had their ups and downs stopping the run, whether in filling gaps or fighting off blocks. But covering has been especially difficult because Gannon’s soft zones have asked the linebackers to account for more space. Safeties Rodney McLeod and Anthony Harris have been rendered almost useless with both often 15-20 yards off the ball. Outside cornerbacks Slay and Steven Nelson hardly press and have played zone more than any starting pair in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. Slay is the fifth highest-paid cornerback in the NFL and he’s played man defense — his specialty — on only 8.4% of cover snaps. If there were a full-proof defense, every team would use it. Gannon talked up versatility and diversity in scheme before the season, and yet no other defense has been in zone as often or blitzed as little as the Eagles.

Quez Watkins channels the mindset of an NBA legend - PE.com
Watkins has seen his snap count increase, along with his production. A young player who idolized former NBA great Michael Jordan growing up and who has studied game film of the likes of fellow wideouts Calvin Ridley, Stefon Diggs, and Davante Adams, Watkins has worked hard at his craft to get to where he is today. What’s exciting is that as promising as Watkins has been through six games, he feels like he’s just now heading to where he wants to go. "Every play I’m out there I think I can make something happen,” he said. "That’s just the mindset to have. Michael Jordan, he’s a guy who knew he was going to be double-teamed every night. Defenses targeted him every time down the floor, and he still made big shots and won games. That’s the kind of mentality you have to have.”

Fantasy Football: NFL Week 7 predictions for every quarterback - PFF
Most likely to make at least a few great throws: Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr vs. Philadelphia Eagles. Nobody has more big-time throws (23) than Carr this season. Not a fan of analytics? Watch the film. Carr rebounded from back-to-back average performances in Weeks 4-5 with a truly great effort against the Broncos. It’s hard to see an Eagles defense that has allowed at least 28 points in three of their last four games truly corralling Carr and company if they’re able to operate at their highest level.

Mailbag: Has the Media Been Unfair to Tua Tagovailoa? - Sports Illustrated
Under your scenario, the Colts miss the playoffs, which means the second-rounder the Colts sent the Eagles would become a first-rounder if he plays 75% of their snaps. Seventy-five percent of a 17-game season is 12.75 games. So, to be safe, I think we’d be talking about shelving Wentz for five games here. What’s interesting then is that the Colts’ bye doesn’t come until Week 14, which puts the fifth-to-last game right in front of the week off. I’d think, at that point, the Colts would have to be around 4–8 to consider it. That’d mean going 2–4 over the next five weeks. They play the Niners, Titans, Jets, Jags, Bills and Buccaneers between now and their Week 13 game in Houston, on Dec. 5. So being 2–4, given the team’s injury issues, is plausible, with the wins coming over the Jets and Jags. Would 5–7 do it, if Wentz isn’t playing well? I’m not sure. And really, to me, much of this should come down to how Wentz is playing. To me, if he keeps going the way he’s going, regardless of record, getting him all those reps going into 2022 would have great value. If he’s struggling, or banged up, we’re talking about something else. Which is to say it’s a complex situation, and this isn’t just a yes-or-no question.

2021 Fantasy Football Rankings: Wide Receivers for Week 7 - Fake Teams
WR21) DeVonta Smith — Hurts has struggled in recent weeks, which has hurt Smith’s value in recent weeks. Smith is still capable of having a big week with a couple of deep catches against LV.

State of the NFC East: It’s the Dallas Cowboys and then there is everybody else - Blogging The Boys
Remember that the Eagles own Miami’s (second), their own (eighth), and Indianapolis’ (ninth) first-rounders this year, although the one from the Colts is subject to change. Carson Wentz has to play 75% of Indy’s snaps this season for the pick that Philly earns to become a first-rounder (or 70% if the Colts make the playoffs) and given that he has played every game this year it certainly seems likely that he will meet the threshold. Needless to say we are all rooting for the Colts for the remainder of this season to push that likely first-rounder as far back as possible given that the ones belonging to the Dolphins and Eagles themselves are likely going to be rather high. Also of note, the Eagles traded Zach Ertz to the Arizona Cardinals last week. We will see him in Week 17. And finally, Trevon Diggs has caught more passes for touchdowns this season than both DeVonta Smith and Jalen Reagor.

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs notes how ‘calm’ sideline was in first game without Jon Gruden - Silver And Black Pride
It will be interesting to see as the season goes on whether the absence of Gruden’s explosive energy will help or hinder the team. For now, it seemed like it was a refreshing change for one player at least.

Zach Ertz glad he joined up with Cardinals in Cleveland to jump start learning process - PFT
Ertz had played in the Eagles’ Thursday night game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being dealt to the Cardinals last Friday. Being ineligible to play Sunday in Cleveland anyway, Ertz could have just waited for the team to return from their victory over the Browns to start getting up to speed with his new team. Instead, Ertz joined up with the team in Cleveland to get a jump start on learning his new teammates and playbook.

Is Trevon Diggs Really This Good, or Just Lucky? Yes. - The Ringer
The Cowboys defensive back has seven interceptions in the team’s first six games, including at least one pick in each contest. How long can he keep this up?

Giants’ Jabrill Peppers mum on whether he wants to stay with team - Big Blue View
Jabrill Peppers, in the final year of his contract with the New York Giants and usually mentioned as a candidate to be moved with the trade deadline in less than two weeks, refused to say on Wednesday whether or not he wanted to remain with the team. Asked directly if he expects to or wants to remain with the Giants past the Nov. 2 trade deadline, Peppers did not answer the question. Or, maybe he did. "I just want to win, baby,” he said. "I want to make plays, go out there and win ball games.” That’s a far cry from pledging allegiance to the Giants and saying you want to be part of the solution for a struggling franchise. Peppers, normally a player who is cooperative with the media, gave a series of terse answers to questions on Wednesday.

Why Scott Turner’s offense is struggling against top tier teams - Hogs Haven
While Scott Turner and company have been playing well against the likes of the Giants and Falcons, there has been a noticeable drop-off in efficiency against the upper echelon teams in the NFL. Why is that the case?

Deshaun Watson trade rumors: Miami Dolphins completing deal this week? - The Phinsider
Miami could be getting desperate, however, as the team has lost five straight games - including last weekend’s loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars who were 0-5 on the season heading into the game and on a 20-game losing streak. The Dolphins were expected to be a playoff contender this year, but now appear headed for another losing season where the could earn a top-10 draft pick - though that pick belongs to the Philadelphia Eagles as part of a trade during this year’s selection process.

Colts Injury Report: 8 Colts Miss Practice On A Busy Report - Stampede Blue
Wide receiver TY Hilton missed practice today with a quad injury. Hilton returned from injured reserve last week and played his first game of the season but couldn’t finish it as he injured his quad. Hopefully isn’t nothing too serious as Hilton showed Sunday how important his is to the Colts offense.

NFL University #12: MVP Lamar, the Unstoppable Derrick Henry, & Cardinals without Kliff - The SB Nation NFL Show
Welcome back to another edition of NFL University! Stephen Serda, Kyle Posey, and Justis Mosqueda have a discussion on the special football we’re seeing from Raven’s quarterback Lamar Jackson. Derrick Henry is unlike any running back in NFL History, and Justis gets a minute to own the Bears. Did you notice Kliff Kingsbury wasn’t coaching the Cardinals over the weekend? We finish things up with a discussion on Patrick Mahomes’ turnover problems this year.

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