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Latest On Eagles’ Secondary

August 25th, 2024 at 6:02pm CST by Adam La Rose

Avoiding a repeat of last year’s defensive collapse was a top priority for the Eagles this offseason. Efforts on that front included several moves affecting the secondary, a unit which will look much different in 2024 than it did in 2023.

Each of Philadelphia’s top two draft picks were used on cornerbacks. The first of those – Quinyon Mitchell – has impressed during his first NFL training camp. The Toledo alum was one of the top prospects at his position this year, and he has long been expected to serve as an immediate starter with the Eagles.

Mitchell has seen time on the outside this summer, but as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes, he has also been used in the slot in other packages. The 23-year-old is thus in line for a workload keeping him on the field for all three downs during his rookie campaign, a sign of confidence the team has in him but also of the lack of proven options Philadelphia has at nickel. Avonte Maddox was released and later brought back this offseason, but The Athletic’s Brooks Kubena writes he has transitioned to safety in 2024 (subscription required).

Mitchell being used on the inside could lead to considerable playing time for Cooper DeJean, the Eagles’ second-round selection. Upon returning to health from the fractured fibula which ended his decorated college career, the Iowa alum has represented another contributor at multiple secondary spots. DeJean played corner as well as safety during his time with the Hawkeyes, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio confirmed (via Kubena) he was selected with the intention of being used at cornerback.

DeJean’s workload at the start of the season could be limited considering the practice time he missed before being activated from the NFI list earlier this month. Still, having him as an option on the perimeter opposite Darius Slay will provide the Eagles with valuable flexibility in the secondary once he is up to speed. The Slay-Mitchell-DeJean trio is set to serve as the nucleus of Philadelphia’s CB room for at least the next few years.

James Bradberry operated as a corner during each of his two Eagles campaigns, but this offseason saw him begin working at safety – a move he suggested. That transition likely had his roster security in mind, but Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated writes Bradberry could still be a trade chip while roster-cutting season takes place. The 31-year-old struggled mightily in coverage last season, and he is on the books for two more years. The first void year of his pact also calls for a cap hit just under $21MM, so it would come as a surprise if Bradberry were to draw major interest on the trade market.

In any case, Philadelphia’s secondary – which of course also includes C.J. Gardner-Johnson at safety once again – will face high expectations for the 2024 campaign. The team’s ability to succeed under Fangio will dictate much of their overall performance this year, and the play of the revamped cornerback room in particular will be worth watching closely.

Eagles Acquire WR Jahan Dotson From Commanders

August 22nd, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

An intra-divisional trade is set to provide Jahan Dotson with a change of scenery. The former first-round receiver is being dealt from the Commanders to the Eagles, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. The deal has now been confirmed by the teams.

Here are the full trade terms, with details from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network:

Eagles receive:

  • Dotson
  • 2025 fifth-round pick

Commanders receive:

  • The higher of Philadelphia’s two 2025 third-round selections
  • The lowest two of Philadelphia’s four 2025 seventh-round picks

Dotson entered the league with high expectations as a deep threat. The Penn State alum averaged 15 yards per catch in college and racked up 20 receiving touchdowns across his final two campaigns with the school. During his first two seasons with Washington, he served as a full-time starter and received 144 total targets. Dotson has struggled with consistency, recording a catch percentage of just 58.3%.

The 24-year-old posted 523 and 518 yards in his Commanders campaigns, although he totaled 11 touchdowns in that span. Despite having two years left on his rookie contract (with the potential for another via the fifth-year option), the Commanders are electing to move on. Of course, the organization’s power brokers (owner Josh Harris, general manager Adam Peters, head coach Dan Quinn) are not the ones who were in place when Dotson was drafted.

Washington has Terry McLaurin comfortably atop the receiver depth, and the Pro Bowler is on the books for the next two years. Questions have been raised about who will take on the other starting spots in 2024, however, and Dotson’s heavy usage in the first week of the preseason suggested the Commanders would be open to dealing him. Trade interest picked up in recent days, Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post confirms. The team will now move forward with an ongoing WR2 competition while newly-signed veteran Martavis Bryant aims to earn a 53-man roster spot.

For Dotson, a spot in the top two of the wideout pecking order is not attainable. The Eagles have A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith attached to new deals worked out this offseason; Brown sits second in receiver AAV while Smith is currently ninth. The No. 3 role has been up for grabs during the offseason, though, and Dotson will have the chance to earn it during the final weeks before Week 1.

Philadelphia’s search for depth included the addition of Parris Campbell and John Ross. Both players’ skillsets profile them as a potential deep threat, so Dotson (who has averaged 12.3 yards per catch in the NFL) will have competition from those two, along with the likes of rookies Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith. The winner of the WR3 competition will also have to deal with tight end Dallas Goedert and running back Saquon Barkley while looking for targets, of course.

A decision on Dotson’s fifth-year option will need to be made after this coming season. How he performs with his new team will dictate his financial future, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in with Philadelphia. The Commanders, meanwhile, will turn their attention further to receiver options added by the new regime.

Mekhi Becton On Track To Land Eagles’ Right Guard Job

August 22nd, 2024 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Initially seeing work at guard as a potential swing option, Mekhi Becton has pushed this experiment to an unexpected place. The former would-be Jets long-term left tackle is poised to open the season as an Eagles guard starter.

Becton has all but locked down Philly’s right guard gig, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. The player with whom Becton was primarily competing, Tyler Steen, sustained an ankle injury during the Eagles’ second preseason game. Becton had already been tracking to win that job.

[RELATED: Lane Johnson Expects To Play Into Late 30s]

This will represent a fascinating rebound opportunity for Becton, who did not command a big market after injuries threw his career off track in New York. Becton scored a one-year, $2.75MM deal from the Eagles in May. He is well behind 2020 first-round classmates Andrew Thomas and Tristan Wirfs, and Jedrick Wills — whenever he should return from a lingering knee injury — remains the Browns’ left tackle. Becton’s bounce-back bid will instead come at guard on what has been one of the NFL’s premier offensive lines over the past several years.

The Eagles need a new right guard due to Jason Kelce‘s retirement, with 2023 RG Cam Jurgens kicking inside to center. The Eagles have replaced previous exiting interior linemen with in-house solutions. Landon Dickerson replaced Brandon Brooks in 2021, while Jurgens stepped in for Isaac Seumalo in 2023. Steen appeared ticketed to be the latest in-house blocker elevated into the lineup, but Becton changed those plans.

Becton, 25, has never played a guard snap in an NFL game. Louisville deployed him at tackle as well. But the Eagles slid the former No. 11 overall pick inside during their offseason program. Early in camp, Becton gave way to Steen. But the 2023 third-rounder’s initial ankle injury sustained in camp accelerated Becton’s climb. He appears unlikely to give the job back before Week 1.

Veterans Brett Toth and Nick Gates are in the mix for backup jobs; the team also has fifth-round rookie Trevor Keegan on track for a second-string role. Becton left Sunday’s practice with a leg injury, prompting Toth to step in. But the 6-foot-7 blocker returned Tuesday. Injuries kept Becton off the field for 33 games from 2021-22, with weight issues hindering him in New York as well. Ballooning to around 400 pounds early his career, Becton slimmed down to nearly 340 pounds last year. After winning the Jets’ RT job, Becton split time between New York’s tackle posts and missed only one game.

Becton’s injury past presents warning signs to the Eagles, but the team has stockpiled some options in the event the fifth-year blocker encounters another setback. As it stands, the right side of Philly’s O-line will be comprised of first-rounders, with Lane Johnson entering Year 12.

Eagles RT Lane Johnson Addresses Playing Future

August 22nd, 2024 at 12:48pm CST by Adam La Rose

Following the 2023 season, Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox retired. Those decisions ended the careers for two of Philadelphia’s ‘Core Four’ players, but Brandon Graham and Lane Johnson remain in the fold.

[RELATED: Mekhi Becton On Track For Starting RG Spot]

The latter made it clear in the aftermath of the Eagles’ wild-card loss that he would not give consideration to retiring. Johnson’s latest comments on his future confirm that stance, although the five-time Pro Bowler is aware his decorated career is winding down. For the time being, at least, he can be penciled into the starting lineup up front.

“I think physically, I can do what [Andrew] Whitworth did and [Jason Peters], I can play until I’m 40,” Johnson said (via PHLY’s Zach Berman). “With my movement, you ask coaches, you ask players, I think physically I can do it… I’m thinking two to three more years, realistically. But we’ll see. It’s hard to step away from something you love, and something you’ve done for so long.”

At the age of 34, Johnson has a long way to go if he is to seriously contemplate matching what Whitworth and Peters were able to accomplish. Citing his family as a reason for stepping away from football relatively soon, though, his given timeline would set him up to retire well before reaching the age-40 mark. The two-time All-Pro is under contract through 2026.

Johnson’s deal calls for cap hits ranging between $15.87MM and $18.7MM during that span, and he is owed $20MM each pf the next three years. Option payments are due on September 1 for all three years before the contract voids, a setup which had his future retirement in mind when the pact was worked out last year. The Eagles are set to carry signficant dead money charges after Johnson hangs up his cleats through the addition of void years, but alterations could of course be made depending on his playing future.

The Super Bowl LII winner is among the highest earners for offensive linemen in NFL history, but his continued strong play deep into his career has him positioned to remain an unquestioned RT starter for the next few years. Johnson’s decision on his playing career will likely remain a talking point for him and the Eagles, although for at least the time being retirement may not be a front burner issue.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/24

August 21st, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s mid-week minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

  • Waived (with injury designation): WR Jaaron Hayek

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Released (with injury settlement): CB Tyler Hall

Washington Commanders

Interesting move up in Green Bay, where the Packers are essentially swapping out which player will qualify as the 17th member of their practice squad through the International Player Pathway program. They’ll waive the Nigerian, Odumegwu, who joined through the league’s IPP program last year, and assign the international exemption to the Australian kicker, Hale.

It’s unfortunate news for Keene, who doubled in his offensive duties as fullback at times for the Texans. Keene reportedly tore his ACL in Houston’s second preseason game last weekend, per Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2. His placement on injured reserve today will end his 2024 season.

Eagles Release TE C.J. Uzomah

August 21st, 2024 at 9:14am CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles signed C.J. Uzomah in early April. After four months to make an impression, the veteran tight end is returning to free agency. Philadelphia cut Uzomah on Wednesday to make room for offensive lineman Jason Poe.

This marks the second time this year a team cut Uzomah. The Jets released the former Bengals starter in March. The Eagles doing so nearly a a week before cutdown day stands to give Uzomah a better chance to catch on elsewhere, but his chances of making a notable contribution to a team in 2024 are trending in the wrong direction.

Uzomah, 31, entered the offseason attached to the three-year, $24MM Jets deal he signed shortly after he started in Super Bowl LVI. As Zach Wilson‘s struggles persisted, Uzomah did not make an impact with the Jets. Gang Green had signed both Uzomah and Tyler Conklin during the 2022 offseason; the latter remains with the team ahead of what is poised to be Aaron Rodgers‘ first starter season in New York.

Philly guaranteed Uzomah $718K at signing; that will turn into dead money. The 10th-year veteran is coming off a season-ending knee injury. Uzomah’s Jets run halted when he sustained MCL and meniscus damage in December; that setback also involved a tibial plateau fracture. Uzomah described his rehab from this injury as “way worse” than recovering from the Achilles tear that ended his 2020 season two games in.

While Conklin excelled last season, Uzomah totaled just 58 receiving yards in 12 games (eight starts). He compiled 232 receiving yards in 2022. The Bengals had given Uzomah an extension back in 2019, as Tyler Eifert continued to battle injuries, and they received a 493-yard, five-touchdown season from the former fifth-rounder in 2021. Uzomah sustained an MCL injury during that season’s AFC championship game but rehabbed in time to start in the Super Bowl.

In addition to Dallas Goedert, the Eagles have 2023 trade pickup Albert Okwuegbunam, 2022 sixth-round pick Grant Calcaterra and ex-Commanders option Armani Rogers. The team claimed rookie UDFA Kevin Foelsch off waivers earlier this month. The team is light on proven options behind its starter, however. Calcaterra and Okwuegbunam combined for just 175 offensive snaps last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/24

August 18th, 2024 at 7:36pm CST by Adam La Rose

Sunday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago Bears

  • Activated from active/NFI list: T Kiran Amegadjie

Cleveland Browns

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers 

  • Activated from active/NFI list: Tanner Taula
  • Waived (injury designation): DL Eric Banks

Washington signed in late July, but his Falcons tenure has proven to be brief. The 28-year-old was let go to clear a roster spot for Justin Simmons‘ arrival. Washington last played a regular season game in 2022, and he will now look to find another opportunity ahead of roster cutdowns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/24

August 17th, 2024 at 6:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

Saturday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Claimed off waivers (from Panthers): LB Jackson Mitchell

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Eagles Activate DB Cooper DeJean

August 13th, 2024 at 1:50pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles’ new-look secondary should be at full strength in time for the start of the regular season. Second-round rookie Cooper DeJean was activated from the active/NFI list on Tuesday, per a team announcement.

Philadelphia’s ability to improve against the pass compared to 2023 will be key factor in the team’s success this season. DeJean figures to have a role in that regard, even if he does not earn a starting gig right away. The Iowa product has experience at both corner and safety dating back to his college career, one which ended with a fractured fibula. That ailment delayed his pre-draft workouts but it did not do much damage to his stock. He had been rehabbing a hamstring injury prior to today’s activation.

DeJean was selected with the No. 40 pick, Philadelphia’s second selection (and one which the team traded up to acquire). The first was used on cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who is likely to handle first-team duties during his rookie campaign. Mitchell is capable of playing on the boundary opposite Darius Slay or in the slot, a spot typically reserved for Avonte Maddox. James Bradberry remains in the fold, but he is transitioning from corner to safety.

The Eagles brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson this offseason, and he is set to log a heavy workload at safety. Philadelphia also has Mekhi Garner and Sydney Brown at that spot, although they are all dealing with injuries for the time being. Caden Sterns was added this weekend, so DeJean will have plenty of competition for playing time if he is used at safety upon returning to action.

The All-American racked up seven interceptions and 13 pass breakups over the past two years, demonstrating his production when healthy. DeJean will now have a brief stretch to prepare himself for his NFL debut in Week 1. He indicated (via PHLY’s Zach Berman) the Eagles’ third preseason game is a realistic target to return to action in advance of playing at full health in September.

Eagles Sign S Caden Sterns

August 11th, 2024 at 8:32am CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles have signed free agent safety Caden Sterns, the team announced. Philadelphia cut linebacker Shaquille Quarterman in a corresponding move.

It has been a busy week for Sterns, who was waived by the Broncos on August 5, claimed by the Panthers on August 6, and subsequently put back on the waiver wire when he failed a physical with Carolina. He cleared waivers and was free to sign with any club, and as many expected, he chose the Eagles as his new employer.

Denver’s former fifth-round pick has shown potential when on the field, particularly during his rookie campaign in 2021. Sterns totaled a pair of interceptions and five pass deflections that season, and while he nearly matched both of those figures the following year, he played in just five games due to a hip ailment. Availability remained an issue for Sterns in 2023, as he suffered a torn patellar tendon in the regular season opener and was shelved for the rest of the year.

Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was Sterns’ head coach in Denver in 2021, and when speaking to reporters immediately after today’s acquisition, Fangio praised the 24-year-old DB’s instincts (video link via Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com). Fangio added, however, that Sterns will not practice for a week or so as he continues to recover from last year’s injury.

Nonetheless, Shorr-Parks believes Sterns has a real chance of making the roster, because in his estimation, Philadelphia would not have signed a player who is not yet ready to practice if the club did not think highly of that player and have a real vision for his fit on the team. Additionally, the Eagles need safety depth since C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Mekhi Garner are dealing with their own injury problems and since Sydney Brown is on the PUP list and James Bradberry is still learning the position after transitioning from cornerback (though Fangio said Bradberry is doing “pretty damn good” in that transition).

Quarterman, meanwhile, signed with Philadelphia just last week in an effort to crack the team’s LB rotation and to serve as a key special teams contributor after spending most of his first four years in the league as a third phase stalwart for the Jaguars. He will now need to seek an opportunity elsewhere.

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