time2rock Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 Grotz: For value to Eagles, hard to beat Haason Reddick Beyond QB Jalen Hurtz, Haason Reddick is most central to Birds Choosing the most valuable Eagle other than quarterback Jalen Hurts is anything but a slam dunk. Media friends argue for receiver A.J. Brown and center Jason Kelce on offense, and deservedly so. Brown gave the Eagles an attitude and a career season in 2022. Kelce is the heart and soul of the offense. If his consecutive games played streak ends, so does the dominance of the offensive line. Then there is pass rusher Haason Reddick, the product of Temple by way of Camden, N.J. With 16 sacks, second in the NFL last season, Reddick basically was the Eagles’ defense. There is no way Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat and Javon Hargrave (who left for the 49ers) all would reach 11 sacks without Reddick. Reddick also played many more snaps than any of the pass rushers. Who can the Eagles least afford to lose besides Hurts? Here’s a vote for Reddick and the relentless play that turned then defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon into a head coaching candidate. The Eagles couldn’t stop the run last season. At times it looked like they didn’t care. Certainly, that indifference cost them in their 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. But with Reddick, the Eagles got after the quarterback. If rookie first-round draft picks Jalen Carter (6-3, 313) and Nolan Smith (6-3, 235) of Georgia can stay healthy, the pass rush should improve. But it starts with Reddick. *********************************************************************************************************************************************************************** Speaking of the Eagles, the biggest question entering training camp isn’t who the starting running back or third wide receiver will be. What the Eagles do at right guard remains of utmost concern. Eagles players and coaches have their fingers crossed that Cam Jurgens can make the jump from center to guard, and to be sure, unless the second-year pivot out of Nebraska gets hurt, that competition won’t be apparent until preseason at the soonest. Rookie offensive lineman Tyler Steen (6-5, 315) has the work ethic to move inside to guard and has a certain degree of pedigree as a third-round pick. Expecting him to transition into a plug-and-play guard is a reach, though. Veterans Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta have experience. Skilled as Driscoll is, he’s had issues staying healthy. Opeta is closer to the fringe of the roster than the starting unit. That guard spot is critical to the success of the offensive line. Additionally, what happens in the unlikely but plausible event that the 35-year-old Kelce finally misses time? If Jurgens wins the guard job, would he go back to center if Kelce needs to be spelled? Does left guard Landon Dickerson move to the pivot, where he played at an elite level for Alabama? The Eagles loathe juggling players around on the line because it disrupts continuity. If the Eagles determine they need reinforcement, keep an eye on veteran La’el Collins of the Bengals. Though the signing of free agent left tackle Orlando Brown initially angered incumbent Jonah Williams, the latter is embracing a move to right tackle. And that makes Collins expendable, lacking a starting spot as it stands. Collins, 29, can play guard and is expected to recover from injured knee ligaments last December. As for the other questions: The Eagles’ lead running back job is Kenneth Gainwell’s to lose. Same with Quez Watkins at the third wide receiver job. https://www.delcotimes.com/2023/07/08/grotz-for-value-to-eagles-hard-to-beat-haason-reddick/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Reddick was incredible last year and we need him to step up again this year and deliver. Hopefully last year wasn’t an outlier in terms of being a top 5 edge rusher in the league. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted July 13 Author Share Posted July 13 On 7/12/2023 at 5:42 AM, UK_EaglesFan89 said: Reddick was incredible last year and we need him to step up again this year and deliver. Hopefully last year wasn’t an outlier in terms of being a top 5 edge rusher in the league. He logged double digit sacks the previous 2 years (11 in 2021, 12.5 in 2020) so I don't think 2022 was any kind of fluke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted July 14 Share Posted July 14 22 hours ago, time2rock said: He logged double digit sacks the previous 2 years (11 in 2021, 12.5 in 2020) so I don't think 2022 was any kind of fluke. I don’t think it was a complete fluke but he was a top 5 DE last year. Can he repeat that? We shall see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
time2rock Posted July 14 Author Share Posted July 14 1 hour ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said: I don’t think it was a complete fluke but he was a top 5 DE last year. Can he repeat that? We shall see. For comparison purposes: The 12.5 sacks he logged in 2020 would have had him tied for 8th in 2022. The 11 sacks in 2021 would have had him tied for 14th in 2022. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UK_EaglesFan89 Posted July 15 Share Posted July 15 On 7/14/2023 at 11:45 AM, time2rock said: For comparison purposes: The 12.5 sacks he logged in 2020 would have had him tied for 8th in 2022. The 11 sacks in 2021 would have had him tied for 14th in 2022. Oh really? Ok well thank you as I stand corrected! ☺️ 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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