Apparently Adam Caplan doesn’t see the Eagles spending huge money to land FS Dashon Goldson. BGN has the details on the report.
Goldson is looking for mega-bucks. For whatever reason, I’ve just not gotten the vibe that he would be an Eagle. They will spend big, but normally want that money to land them an elite player. Goldson is good, but he’s not special.
We’ll find out in 24 hours.
That sounds like a terrible Italian horror movie, huh? Instead it is a report from Pro Football Talk and is dead on the money. The Eagles did go down to Morgantown, WV to take a look at QB Geno Smith, widely considered the top QB prospect in the draft.
Chip Kelly went. And Howie Roseman. And Jeff Lurie. Could it be that the Eagles are considering Geno at #4?
In my opinion…no. This is an elaborate production to make teams in the 6 to 15 range think they need to trade up for Geno if they want him. The Eagles would love to trade back with Arizona (7) or Buffalo (8). The team would add as much as a 2nd round pick, or possibly a 3rd and 4th rounder. Since the Eagles are more than one player away from the Super Bowl, moving back and adding picks is the way to go.
Smith is a talented QB and would fit Chip Kelly’s offense. This is a smart ploy by the team to check him out and to try and create the impression that they’re interested. It is also good for Kelly to go to a few of these workouts so that he’ll start to get a feel for them and what to really look for. He’s new to the NFL Draft and the process behind it. Chip had a Pro Day every year at Oregon of course, but never had an elite QB. Those workouts take on a whole other level of importance.
If we know this is probably not real interest by the Eagles, don’t the other 31 teams? Yes. But this turns things into a game of chicken. Those teams who do want Geno have to be so sure the Eagles aren’t interested that they trust he gets by the #4 pick. If you see Geno as the key to your draft, do you take that chance? It is kind of a dumb game, but can work. Certainly worth doing.
Eagles Live is underway. Dave has shared a couple of good nuggets. The big news is that he says the Danny Amendola rumors are false. “Will not happen.”
Dave also said he expects LS Jon Dorenbos to re-sign. Jon is good on and off the field so I hope he is back.
1-year starter from Arizona. Mid-round target.
4 and half hour flight to Philly!! I cant wait to land and I ain’t even left yet
— Matt Scott (@mscottqb10) March 11, 2013
Scott is the kind of athletic QB that Chip Kelly has worked with in the past. Real interesting prospect.
Here are some items of interest.
I have heard the Eagles have definitely targeted one of the FA corners, which is no big surprise. Don’t know which corner yet.
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) March 11, 2013
All respect in world to @geoffmoshercsn, but I am NOT hearing Eagles want to sign Danny Amendola. So let’s hold off on selling Avant’s house
— Les Bowen (@LesBowen) March 11, 2013
And Tim McManus talked to James Harrison’s agent for an update. The agent said the Eagles are a team that Harrison is interested in. I still have doubts if the feeling is mutual.
“They are one of the teams that we have talked about,” said Harrison’s agent, Bill Parise. “I think the Eagles would be a good fit with his skill set and what they want to do there.”
The Eagles watched Justin Pugh at the Senior Bowl. They met with him at the Scouting Combine. And last week they worked him out at Syracuse.
Pugh makes a lot of sense. He played LT at Syracuse. He’s tough enough to slide inside to OG and play there. Pugh has good feet, but is also a tough run blocker. The one knock on him is that he’s got short arms. Pugh could be a backup LT and challenge for the RG spot.
Per Adam Schefter, former Eagles SS Quintin Mikell is going to be released by the Rams on Monday. It is hard to believe, but he’s been in the league for a decade. I hope he’s able to catch on somewhere. Q is the kind of guy you can’t help but root for.
Would the Eagles have interest? Probably not. He’s got no ties to the coaching staff. He’s older. He’s also not a big guy. I think they’ll go for big DBs (6-2, 6-3). Mikell might be a 1-year stop gap type, but just doesn’t seem a likely target.
Cullen Jenkins, recently cut by the Eagles, was signed by the Giants to a 3-yr, $8M deal. They only had 33 sacks last year and would like more push up the middle. The ironic part of this is that Jenkins always seemed to play a step faster against the Giants. His top tackle game in 2012 was against the Giants. 1.5 of his 5.5 sacks in 2011 came against the Giants. If those helmets bring out the best in him, maybe he’ll be unblockable in practice.
It will be interesting to see how he plays. There were times when he looked very good. There were other times when he was a non-factor.
The Giants signing CuJo does help the Eagles out.
“Btw Eagles are officially off the hook on $ owed Jenkins. He had an offset on the $1.5m guaranteed. Giants pick up the tab. Nice of them.”
LB Jarvis Jones is a very good prospect in the upcoming draft. One of the huge factors that will affect his value is medical reports. Jones started off at USC, but had to transfer when their doctors wouldn’t clear him to play due to concerns over spinal stenosis. Jones was great at Georgia. Since NFL teams don’t just have a scholarship at stake, NFL doctors have to make a tougher call. Is he worth a high pick and big salary?
There is a report in today’s National Football Post saying that Jones has been cleared. Take this with a grain of salt. This is an evaluation from an independent doctor. His words mean nothing. Team doctors are the ones to listen to. It is encouraging to hear the “news” and I certainly hope that Jones gets a clean bill of health from NFL teams, but it is likely that this doctor was hired by Jones agent and that means there is an agenda. I’m certainly not saying the doctor is lying, but I think we have to be highly skeptical of anything from the player’s camp.
I don’t consider Jones a likely Eagles target because of his size. He is 6-2, 241. I think they prefer a SAM that is 6-3, 260 or so. Jones production could make them change that opinion. In 2 years at Georgia he had 28 sacks. Just this year he had 7 FFs. He also added an INT. Jones had a great college career.
Matt Barrows writes for the Sacramento Bee and says so.
The #Eagles are one of the teams that have showed interest in #49ers free agent DL Ricky Jean Francois, source says.
— Matt Barrows (@mattbarrows) March 10, 2013
RJF would replace DRC as a defensive player with 3 initials. He would also be helpful on the field. RJF can play DE, DT, or NT. He started 3 games in 2012. 2 of them were at DT, one at NT. While he’s only got 5 career starts, RJF has played in 48 straight games is a valuable member of the DL rotation.
The Eagles could see him as a NT or DE. Right now we’re all playing the guessing game with what the Eagles want to do on defense. RJF lists at 6-3, 295, but those were his dimensions coming out of LSU. I’m betting he’s added 5 to 10 pounds in his 4 NFL seasons. With that size he could fit in at NT or DE. And that versatility may be part of what attracts the Eagles to him.
