Darby Won't Be Disciplined For Role In Winston Case
More information continues to trickle out about the suspensions handed down this week. One part of the Jameis Winston case that flew a bit under the radar was the involvement of Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby. When the allegations against Winston first surfaced last November, Darby came to Winston’s defense and insisted that Winston was innocent and said he was in the car during the Uber ride in question.
NFL To Suspend Eagles LB Nigel Bradham
Having already released Mychal Kendricks, the Eagles will see their linebacking corps further thinned out to start this season. Nigel Bradham is facing a one-game suspension, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports (on Twitter).
Bradham is an unquestioned Eagles starter and just re-signed to stay in Philadelphia long-term. He and Jordan Hicks are expected to be the defending Super Bowl champions’ primary every-down linebackers this season, but for Week 1 — expected to be Hicks’ first game back after ending last season on IR — could well force Philly to get creative.
This suspension could be coming for Bradham as a result of a 2016 incident involving an alleged assault at a hotel. Bradham turned himself in to police in July 2016 and was charged with aggravated battery. However, the veteran off-ball ‘backer avoided jail time in this case. The NFL’s personal conduct policy, though, does not require the burden of proof to be nearly as high as the country’s legal system does.
Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets this ban indeed stems from that 2016 incident in south Florida, and Bradham himself confirmed this (on Twitter), adding that the matter has been resolved legally.
Having re-signed the 28-year-old defender on a five-year, $40MM deal, the Eagles are counting on him to play a key part in their title defense this season. Bradham’s been a full-time starter for the Eagles the past two seasons. His 2016 arrival coincided with Kendricks being relegated to a part-time player. With Kendricks gone and Hicks being an injury risk, Bradham represents the most stable linebacker on Philadelphia’s roster.
Beyond Bradham, the Eagles have the recently signed Corey Nelson, converted safety Nate Gerry and Kamu Grugier-Hill. Those three are vying for Kendricks’ old job, and it’s likely one will now have to join Hicks in the Eagles’ nickel set when they face the Falcons on opening night.
Eagles' Jones Says It's His Last Chance
- Eagles running back Matt Jones knows that he needs to get it together if he wants to stick in the NFL. “It could be [my last chance],” Jones said (via Tom Moore of The Morning Call). “That don’t scare me at all. I got my eyes on the prize. I’m here and I’m ready to work.” Jones inked a two-year, $1.5MM deal with the Eagles this offseason, but the contract contains zero guarantees.
Eagles’ Jay Ajayi Changes Agents
Eagles running back Jay Ajayi has changed agents in advance of his walk year. Ajayi has left Select Sports Group to join up with Drew Rosenhaus, according to an announcement from his agency. 
Ajayi played well after coming over in a midseason trade with the Dolphins. With Miami, he gained just 3.4 yards per carry. In Philly, he averaged 5.8 yards per carry in seven regular season games and was also effective in the postseason.
The Eagles would probably like to keep him for the long term, but that’s easier said than done. The Eagles have one of the tightest cap situations in the NFL and Ajayi will likely command a deal that will put him near the top of the running back market. As a former fifth-round pick, Ajayi is averaging $625K per year on his four-year rookie deal. That’s well below the league average of $1.38MM for running backs and far below what he’d command as a free agent. His alignment with Rosenhaus is a signal that he’s looking to get the biggest payday possible.
The Eagles may have an in-house replacement for Ajayi in Corey Clement, but they’d have to give him a larger workload this year in order to find out if he’s a potential third-round back. Otherwise, the Eagles may have to look elsewhere to find a new No. 1 running back next year.
Nick Foles Discusses Signing With Eagles
Last offseason, Nick Foles considered several opportunities before ultimately joining the Eagles. This included a chance to sign with the Buccaneers, where head coach Dirk Koetter was heavily pursuing him. During an appearance on SiriusXM Radio, the quarterback discussed his decision to join Philly.
“Initially we were trying to stay (in Kansas City),” said Foles (via Ed Kracz of TheEaglesWire.com). “We loved Kansas City. I never thought I’d handle being a backup because I always like being on the field, but my heart had changed. Those were my favorite years of football being in Kansas City. We loved being there, loved the barbecue, loved my teammates. We tried to work it out but couldn’t.
Well, we all know how that ended up. Foles joined the Eagles and was forced into the starting lineup following a season-ending injury to Carson Wentz. The 29-year-old ended up starting all three of the Eagles’ playoff games en route to a championship and a Super Bowl MVP.
- Meanwhile, during an appearance on FS1, Foles discussed his backup role and his revised contract with the Eagles. “I would love the opportunity to lead a team,” Foles said (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). “Now, let me also say this, I’m not just going to go to a team and say, ‘Hey, I want to lead this team,’ and not see where they are. It’s about an environment. . . . So if that does come to be, I want to find the right [place], be with the right team, a team like the Philadelphia Eagles organization…They had me under contract this year. Everyone wanted to know where I was going to be. I’m grateful to be a part of it. They restructured my deal. They wanted me there. I wanted to be there this year. We’ll see what happens after the season, but I’m excited about this 2018 Eagles season. I get to wear that jersey at least one more year, and I’m super excited about wearing it one more year.” Back in April, Foles and the Eagles agreed to a reworked deal that included a mutual option for 2019.
Poll: Which NFC East Team Had The Best Offseason?
Over the past couple weeks, we’ve asked you which teams from the AFC North, AFC East, AFC West, NFC West, and NFC North had the best offseasons. Today we’ll be looking at the offseason each team from the NFC East had, another division with a lot of moving parts.
The Redskins may have had the most tumultuous past couple months of any team in the division. Their years long drama with Kirk Cousins finally culminated in the team trading for Alex Smith and allowing Cousins to walk in free agency. Coach Jay Gruden has been adamant that there will be no downgrade from Cousins to Smith, and that the team is very high on Smith. Washington’s receiving corp will look quite different, with Terrelle Pryor and Ryan Grant gone, and Paul Richardson brought in from Seattle in their place. They added defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne with the 13th overall pick to help shore up their run defense and selected running back Derrius Guice in the second round. Guice was viewed by most as a first round talent who fell into the Redskins’ laps due to off-field concerns. They also signed cornerback Orlando Scandrick and linebacker Pernell McPhee in free agency, and will return several key players from injury, like defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. It was an offseason of change for the Redskins, and the team will have to hope Smith can carry over his play from last season when he was the best of his career.
The Giants’ 2017 season went off the rails fast. After a playoff appearance in 2016, the team started the year 0-4, which quickly led to infighting. Both head coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese, replacing them with Pat Shurmur and Dave Gettleman respectively. The team ultimately passed on taking a successor to Eli Manning with the number two overall pick, instead taking running back Saquon Barkley and signing the veteran Jonathan Stewart to be his backup. The team made Nate Solder the highest paid tackle in football, signing him away from the Patriots to help bolster their offensive line, and area of weakness the past few seasons. They also drafted guard Will Hernandez 34th overall to help along the interior. While the team has announced they plan on riding Manning for the foreseeable future, they did take the intriguing small-school quarterback Kyle Lauletta in the draft. They traded Jason Pierre-Paul to the Buccaneers in March, leaving a hole at pass-rusher. Overall, the Giants 2018 season will depend on how much Manning can bounce back from his poor 2017. If Manning and Odell Beckham Jr. can both return to form, the Giants could sneak back into the playoffs.
The Cowboys didn’t add many major pieces this offseason. The biggest storyline surrounding the team was the release of Dez Bryant. The Cowboys were apparently fed up with Bryant’s antics and his on-field production no longer justified keeping him around. They signed Allen Hurns from the Jaguars to replace him and step in as their new number one receiver. Dak Prescott‘s receiving options will look a lot different next year as they also lost Jason Witten to retirement and Brice Butler in free agency. They drafted linebacker Leighton Vander Esch in the first round to strengthen the defense. Other than their pass-catchers, the 2018 Cowboys will look fairly similar to last year’s underachieving squad. They’ll have Ezekiel Elliott for the full season after he was suspended for part of last year, and will look to recapture the magic of their 13-3 2016 season.
The Eagles went into the offseason riding high off their Super Bowl victory. They lost several players, but moved quickly to replace them all. When defensive linemen Vinny Curry and Beau Allen left in free agency, they promptly traded for Michael Bennett and signed Haloti Ngata. They lost offensive coordinator Frank Reich who took the Colts’ head coaching job and quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo who left to become the Vikings’ offensive coordinator. LeGarrette Blount left to sign with the Lions, but the Eagles have a deep running back depth chart still. The team rewarded Super Bowl hero Nick Foles with some extra incentives in his contract, although he still could possibly be dealt at a future point. They re-signed linebacker Nigel Bradham and added Corey Nelson and Paul Worrilow in free agency to further strengthen the linebacking corp. The biggest storyline for the defending champions this summer will continue to be the progress of Carson Wentz as he rehabs from a torn ACL. If Wentz is healthy, with all the pieces added to the defense this spring, the Eagles should be able to compete for another Super Bowl in 2018.
Which NFC East Team Had The Best Offseason?
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New York Giants 34% (510)
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Philadelphia Eagles 30% (451)
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Washington Redskins 20% (298)
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Dallas Cowboys 16% (236)
Total votes: 1,495
Eagles Notes: Brandon Graham, Alshon Jeffrey, Johnston
While defensive end Brandon Graham is set to be a free agent at the end of the year, it doesn’t appear the Eagles are in any rush to lock him up, writes Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Shorr-Parks thinks it’s “unlikely that Graham gets a new deal before the season.” He adds that the ankle injury Graham is currently recovering from may play into the team’s reluctance to get something done this offseason.
Graham has been with the Eagles since he was drafted in the first round by the team back in 2010. Since then, he’s racked up 38.5 sacks, including 9.5 last season. He notably strip sacked Tom Brady in this year’s Super Bowl to help seal the Eagles’ win. Despite his Super Bowl heroics, Shorr-Parks say “all indications still point to Graham becoming a free agent next offseason” rather than receiving an extension.
Here’s more from Philadelphia:
- Speaking of Graham, his status for week one remains unclear, according to Shorr-Parks. He had ankle surgery in April and is “still walking in a boot and using crutches to get around.” Teammate Alshon Jeffery, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, “seems to be a much safer bet to play in Week 1” writes Shorr-Parks, who adds “all indications are that he will be ready.”
- The Eagles moved on from punter Donnie Jones this offseason and replaced him with second-year player Cameron Johnston. While the Eagles are happy with Johnston, who hasn’t attempted a regular season punt in his career, Shorr-Parks thinks it “wouldn’t be surprising” if the Eagles had a veteran punter on standby that they could sign in case Johnston falters this preseason.
- In case you missed it, the Eagles have reportedly been impressed with backup quarterback Nate Sudfeld this offseason.
Latest On Sidney Jones, Eagles' Secondary
- Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones had a strong offseason, but as Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com observes, Jones spent the last three practices of the spring on the sideline with soreness in his lower body. Philadelphia has said that soreness is wholly unrelated to the Achilles injury that forced Jones to miss almost all of his rookie season, but Shorr-Parks says the fact that the Washington product was forced to miss the most important practices of the spring with a vague injury is noteworthy. The team needs Jones to live up to his collegiate potential, which would have a positive trickle-down effect on the rest of a secondary that needs to replace Patrick Robinson (as of now, Shorr-Parks says, Jalen Mills is the favorite to serve as the Eagles’ nickel corner, a role that Robinson filled so admirably last year).
Eagles Notes: Ajayi, Darby, Sudfeld, LBs
The Eagles‘ current plan does not involve a running back-by-committee approach. Instead, Jay Ajayi is the clear No. 1 ball-carrier coming out of Philadelphia’s offseason activities. Corey Clement, Darren Sproles and a to-be-determined cog will fill out the backfield behind the former Dolphins starter.
“Came in last year and obviously proved to us that he can handle it,” Doug Pederson said, via Zach Berman of Philly.com. “He’s definitely going into camp as the No. 1 guy. It takes nothing away from what Corey did or what Sproles has done here, Wendell [Smallwood], [Donnel Pumphrey] is coming back, Matt Jones. You’ve got guys that are going to compete in that role.”
Ajayi played well post-trade last season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry after gaining just 3.4 per tote in seven games with the Dolphins in 2017. No Eagle back averaged more than 11 carries per game last season, but Berman expects Ajayi to exceed that mark this year. Berman, though, does not anticipate the Eagles will re-sign Ajayi after this season due to the money he could well command after his contract year. This scenario would leave the Eagles in need come 2019, unless they view Clement as a potential every-down back.
Here’s the latest from the defending Super Bowl champions:
- Nate Sudfeld has impressed during the Eagles’ offseason program. The No. 2 quarterback while Carson Wentz recovers, Sudfeld has given the impression he could handle backup responsibilities, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia writes. This would come into play if the Eagles do decide to trade Nick Foles — for what would have to be a hefty haul considering their offseason-long reluctance on this front. But Sudfeld, a former Redskins sixth-round pick, has only thrown 23 passes — all in Philly’s Week 17 game last season. He did serve as the Eagles’ backup during the Super Bowl run, which is a fairly strong indicator of the franchise’s view of him at this point.
- The Eagles finally moving on from Mychal Kendricks has left them a bit thin at linebacker. Although Jordan Hicks is currently expected to be back and resume a three-down role, his injury history (having missed 17 combined games in his three-year career) can’t leave Philly too comfortable. However, converted safety Nate Gerry is firmly in the mix to claim Kendricks’ old job at weakside ‘backer, per Zangaro. A college defensive back, Gerry spent last season on Philadelphia’s practice squad. He, former Broncos special-teamer Corey Nelson and Kamu Grugier-Hill represent the viable competitors to line up in base sets alongside Hicks and Nigel Bradham, Zangaro notes. A 2016 Patriots sixth-rounder, Grugier-Hill’s worked as a special-teamer for the Eagles the past two years.
- Ronald Darby‘s experience, and the Eagles’ positioning as one of the favorites to win Super Bowl LIII, doesn’t add up to a preseason trade, Andrew Kulp of NBC Sports Philadelphia writes. The Eagles have Darby under contract for one more season, at an affordable $1.1MM, and boast a less experienced cornerback contingent than last season’s. Patrick Robinson departed, and Sidney Jones has played in one game. Darby inserted himself in the Jameis Winston saga, perhaps creating a slight off-field hiccup. But the former Bills starter graded as by far the Eagles’ best corner last season, in the view of Pro Football Focus.
Eagles' Josh Adams Among Top UDFA Earners
- NFL.com’s Gil Brandt observes (on Twitter) that there were 32 undrafted rookies to make bonuses of $15K or more. The top earners were Eagles running back Josh Adams, Giants cornerback Grant Haley, and Raiders kicker Eddy Pineiro, with the trio each making $25K. Generally, it’s assumed that the highest-paid undrafted free agents have the best shot of making the regular season roster.
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