Good point about Roseman.
I put the 49ers above them, especially after drafting Piersall. First round White receiver, McCaffrey, Kittle, Juice, Purdy, my favorite offense since the heyday of the Patriots. Vikings too are looking good, esp. on defense.
Gainwell is nothing special, more a beneficiary of eagles o-line than his ability. Shipley has way more talent than him and cutting gainwell in favor makes sense from a roster building standpoint, but not from a caste standpointFrom a report on the Eagles' OTA practice:
• Rookie fourth-round pick Will Shipley played some slot receiver. And by that I mean the Eagles had another running back on the field along with Shipley, and Shipley lined up at receiver. Shipley caught 69 passes his last two seasons at Clemson, so he has some receiving chops. He struggled a bit catching the football on Wednesday, but the more noteworthy point here is that the team views him as a potential weapon from the slot.
- Cooper DeJean played both at slot corner and at outside corner. I've seen a number of fans project him to safety, which I understand because the team has a lot more corner depth than safety depth. And sure, if at some point down the road it makes sense for DeJean to play safety, one of his best traits in college at Iowa was his versatility. But the team drafted him to play corner, and that is where they are initially playing him.
• I mostly liked what I saw from Kenny Pickett. He threw with more zip than I was anticipating, and he was mostly accurate. Two throws stood out: He hit Albert Okwuegbunam on the money on a deep ball down the seam. (Albert O. later had a bad drop.) He put a back shoulder throw in a perfect spot in the end zone to Kenny Gainwell who was being guarded by Ben VanSumeren.
Eagles OTA practice notes: Defensive versatility likely to be a theme under Vic Fangio
Players like Cooper DeJean, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Avonte Maddox, Zack Baun and more will be versatile pieces on the Eagles' defense.www.phillyvoice.com
I also read another article concerning a rumor that Philly may cut Kenneth Gainwell for salary cap reasons. That would be great for Shipley as most DWFs and media "experts" naturally assume that he's currently stuck behind Gainwell. Shipley is more talented than Gainwell in every area and hopefully will start the season behind only the somewhat injury prone Barkley.
I've been posting some of those reports in this thread.
Agreed
www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com
To me what’s “crazy” was the eagles thinking jalen raegor was an nfl receiver, let alone a first round talent. If covoy was black there would have been calls by dwf and media to “get that speed on the field” but he’s white so nothing but crickets. With the wr talent the eagles have covoy could get some good opportunities, and nobody around here will be surprised if he takes advantage of itA couple Eagles tidbits: Britain Covey is the third best receiver on the team and would be a terrific "slot machine" if given the opportunity. The writer linked below thinks he might be "crazy" by stating the obvious:
"9A. Maybe I’m crazy, but if the Eagles ever needed to use Britain Covey in the slot I’m convinced he could handle it. The dude has some zip running routes, he catches everything thrown his way and he’s quick and elusive with the ball in his hands. He’s been getting a healthy dose of reps on offense, so maybe we’ll see Covey this year as more than a punt returner. Covey has only played 77 offensive snaps in two seasons, but he did catch three passes for 35 yards in the regular-season finale disaster against the Giants in January. One thing we've learned about Kellen Moore is that he wants to use every single possible skill guy in a variety of roles, and that just may include Covey this fall."
And for the hard-core folks who are into knowing each team's backup tight ends, according to the same writer Grant Calcaterra is way ahead of three non-Whites to be the man behind Dallas Goedert:
"4. We’re only a few days into camp, but Grant Calcaterra has already gapped the field – C.J. Uzomah, Albert Okwuegbunam, E.J. Jenkins – for the No. 2 tight end spot behind Dallas Goedert. Calcaterra is in his third year as a 6th-round pick, and his snaps dropped from 227 as a rookie to 118 last year. He’s only got nine career receptions, including a 40-yarder as a rookie. There’s not a huge body of work, but we know Calcaterra has good hands and can run. It’s just a matter of whether he can block well enough to not be a hindrance in the running game. You can't just throw when TE2 is on the field. “Grant has really done an excellent job to be the second tight end currently,” Kellen Moore said Thursday. “His consistency throughout OTAs, early in training camp. He has a great awareness and understanding of the game. He teams up with Dallas really, really well, and so we're excited about that.”
In Roob's Eagles Observations: Early impressions of Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts
The biggest difference in Jalen Hurts, an Eagles Olympic star you may not have heard of and more in our initial training camp set of Roob’s Random Observations.
Was there any indication of how he performed?
It sounds like he made a big impression catching the ball.
Thanks Booth. I read the article and at the end it said his versatility COULD be what lands him a spot on the 53-man roster. Really?
insidetheiggles.com
Definitely gainwell’s last year, and I can see by november shipley getting more snaps than him. Shipley is already the more talented player but the eagles will give gainwell the benefit at firstShipley is a better RB than Kenneth Gainwell in every way, but even if Gainwell remains the second back behind Barkley this season it's likely his last one in Philly. And I do expect Will to eventually surpass Gainwell in touches as the season goes on. And Barkley's injury history is well known.
Kenneth Gainwell
The announcement of Kenny Gainwell's acquisition as a fifth-choice in 2021 made many feel like Philly hadn't gotten a steal by selecting him there. He's not as bad as some of his detractors seem to think he is, but he probably isn't talented enough to be a full-time and/or long-term starter.
Saquon is signed for two more seasons after his current one ends. Philly invested draft capital in Will Shipley. There are more than 30 players on expiring or one-year deals including Josh Sweat and Milton Williams, and they are both higher-priority signings than Kenny G.
This could be a swan song.
Players who are probably entering their last year with the Eagles
There are quite a few Eagles playing on one-year or expiring deals. It's possible that this could be the last ride for many of them.
insidetheiggles.com
