The Eagles could have gone in a number of directions at quarterback this offseason, but few expected things to play out the way they did. Are the Eagles now better off under center than they were last year? CSNPhilly.com’s Andrew Kulp says yes, even though he sees the change from backups Mark Sanchez and Thad Lewis to Chase Daniel and Carson Wentz as something of a wash.
The difference, in his mind, is the status of starter Sam Bradford, who should be in a better spot than he was in 2015. This time last year, the veteran was coming off of a torn ACL and hadn’t played a meaningful NFL game in nearly two years. Now, Bradford has a year of experience in Philly under his belt and he should be a little more comfortable now that the new regime is allowing him to call audibles.
While we wait to see how the QB situation plays out in Philadelphia, here’s a look at the NFC East:
- Olivier Vernon signed the biggest deal of the offseason with the Giants, but Todd Archer of ESPN.com still sees Redskins cornerback Josh Norman as the best addition to the NFC East. The division offers up formidable receivers like Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., and Jordan Matthews, which underscores the importance of a cornerback who can hold his own in one-on-one matchups. Norman also has a fearless approach to the game which could be infectious for the Redskins’ D. On the flipside, Archer voices some concern over whether Norman is a true No. 1 corner and also wonders if Washington’s front seven can offer the same kind of support as Carolina’s did in 2015.
- Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com looked at the Eagles‘ kicker battle between Cody Parkey and Caleb Sturgis. Recently, head coach Doug Pederson explained that it’s an active battle between both players with no clear leader at this time. “Again, that’s a great battle going on right there,” Pederson said. “We know Cody is coming off the injury from last year and he’s still working himself back into shape, so to speak. But it’s going to be a great competition going into camp. You know, not making any decisions today on that spot, but I like what I’ve seen out of both of them.”
- You won’t see many roster battles when it comes to the Giants‘ special teams unit, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. The Giants extended kicker Josh Brown earlier this offseason and, just this morning, they extended punter Brad Wing through the 2019 season. Beyond those two, long snapper Zak DeOssie and return specialist Dwayne Harris are locks to keep their jobs, barring injury. For a full rundown of the Giants’ depth chart, check out their page on Roster Resource.
- On Monday morning, it was reported that the Cowboys are talking with linebacker Justin Durant.
Let’s see if Big mouth Norman shows up this season
But OBJ was the big mouth in the game against the Panthers. Let’s not completely forget that OBJ tried to deliberately injure Norman by diving head first into Norman’s head. Not a Redskins fan, but let’s see if OBJ actually shows up when they the Redskins.