Eagles’ Ertz, McKelvin Suffer Injuries
We’re one game into the season and the Eagles are already a little bit banged up. Today, coach Doug Pederson told reporters that tight end Zach Ertz and cornerback Leodis McKelvin are both week-to-week after suffering injuries (Twitter link via Eagles’ team account). Ertz suffered an especially painful-sounding injury as one of his ribs has displaced itself under his collarbone. McKelvin, meanwhile, has a hamstring strain that could sideline him for multiple games. 
[RELATED: Eagles Notes: Johnson, Wentz, Fullbacks]
Ertz, the 35th overall pick in the 2013 draft, is coming off a career year in which he caught 75 passes for 853 yards in 2015. This offseason, he was rewarded with a lucrative extension that should keep him in Philly through the 2021 season. On Sunday against the Browns, Ertz caught six of his seven targets for 58 yards. The Eagles have Brent Celek and Trey Burton on the depth chart behind the 6’5″, 249 pound tight end.
In the case of McKelvin, the Eagles could simply promote from within by calling up C.J. Smith from the practice squad. Pederson acknowledge that as a possibility while also adding that the team will explore its options at cornerback if McKelvin has to miss significant time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Notes: Johnson, Wentz, Fullbacks
The Eagles are entering their Week 1 matchup with the Browns in an interesting position on their offensive line. Since the NFL has yet to announce the expected suspension for Lane Johnson, the team shelved a plan that included an alternate route at right tackle and will instead start Johnson on Sunday, Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
“Getting ready to play, man,” Johnson told media after Friday’s practice. “I didn’t think this day would come. This has been the biggest mental hurdle of my career.”
Johnson faces a 10-game suspension after his A sample tested positive for a banned substance. The delay for the league appears to stem from the results of his B sample not being retrieved. The fourth-year tackle intends to appeal any suspension, and with that process taking as many as several weeks, he may be available longer than expected this season. However, the loss of an appeal could sideline Johnson during more second-half games than anticipated since the ban won’t be starting Week 1 as he anticipated.
Here’s the latest coming out of Philly.
- Hours before the Eagles’ third preseason game, wide receiver Jordan Matthews told Howie Roseman that Carson Wentz was ready to see play now instead of being a quarterback-in-waiting, Zach Berman of the Inquirer reports. The rookie was then relegated to personal throwing sessions while recovering from injury, and while the third-year pass-catcher’s statement probably wouldn’t have proved as significant for the purposes of Week 1 had Teddy Bridgewater not gone down, the comment looks somewhat prescient now that Wentz is the starter and Sam Bradford‘s in Minnesota.
- Some in the Eagles’ organization are surprised by the Browns’ comments regarding Wentz, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports. Paul DePodesta recently revealed the Browns’ brass did not consider the North Dakota State product a potential top-20 NFL quarterback, and young defenders Carl Nassib and Ibraheim Campbell respectively called Wentz’s delivery and inexperience into question this week after it became known he would start the season for the Eagles. Wentz had read DePodesta’s comments before he was named the Eagles’ starter, Cabot writes.
- It doesn’t look like Doug Pederson‘s offense will be housing a pure fullback for a while, Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com writes. The team cut potential options Ryan Mueller and Chris Pantale. Many teams obviously go without pure fullbacks in today’s NFL, but the Andy Reid– and Pederson-run Chiefs employed one in Anthony Sherman during the three seasons that duo coordinated Kansas City’s attack. The Eagles have Andrew Bonnet on their practice squad and could use third tight end Trey Burton there, per new OC Frank Reich.
- Earlier today, former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook said some Philadelphia veterans aren’t on board with the Bradford trade.
Eagles Veterans Unhappy With Sam Bradford Trade?
The Eagles decision to trade Sam Bradford to the Vikings seemed to make sense on paper. The team received a haul for the quarterback, and they had second-overall pick Carson Wentz waiting in the wings. However, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, several of the team’s veterans weren’t happy with the front office’s decision to trade Bradford.
Former Eagles running back Brian Westbrook appeared on PFT Live recently to discuss the move. Westbrook noted that the team’s decision to opt for a rookie quarterback may indicate that the organization isn’t serious about competing in 2016.
“I kind of feel for those veterans like Jason Peters and Malcolm Jenkins, because I know and I was in the situation,” Westbrook said. “I had Donovan McNabb my entire career in Philadelphia but at some point they benched Donovan McNabb when we were in Baltimore and they put in Kevin Kolb. You just wonder, ‘OK, what are we doing here?’ Because we felt right now we had one of the better quarterbacks in the league in Donovan on the bench.
“It’s a little bit different situation with Sam Bradford because he hasn’t been one of the better quarterbacks on that same type of level as Donovan but if I’m on this football team here in Philadelphia right now and I’m a veteran I’m saying, ‘Well, hold on, timeout. We’re building for the future but that future does not necessarily include me and I have a problem with that.’ It’s good for the organization but not necessarily good for those veteran guys and so I would be a little disappointed.”
Well, that would seem like normal hyperbole, but Florio made a point of asking Westbrook outright whether some current Eagles had an issue with the trade.
“Definitely,” Westbrook said. “There’s no doubt about it and I’ve talked to a few guys that have expressed that. A few guys have said, ‘We’re trying to win this year because I don’t know if I’m going to play next year and I’m definitely not sure if I’m going to be able to be in Philadelphia next year. So as much as we want this young guy Carson Wentz to be successful we’re concerned about winning this year. We’re concerned about winning now.’ …
“I think that there’s an understanding from the fans, the coaching staff as well as the front office that, ‘Hey, we’re going to need to take some time to build this thing the right way.’ Unfortunately for some of the older players, some of the veteran players, that doesn’t necessarily mesh with what your goal is as far as winning right now.”
For what it’s worth, Bradford led his team to a 7-7 record in his 14 starts in 2015 (albeit in an entirely different scheme). The 28-year-old actually had one of his more productive NFL seasons, compiling a career-high 3,725 passing yards to go along with 19 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Eagles Re-Sign Najee Goode
The Eagles roster is now at 53 after the organization brought back a key special teams player. According to ESPN’s Tim McManus (via Twitter), the team has re-signed linebacker Najee Goode. The 27-year-old was cut by the organization last week.
Goode, a former fifth-round pick out of West Virginia, has been with the Eagles since 2013. The linebacker has appeared in 29 games through his three seasons with the organization, though he missed the majority of the 2014 campaign with an injured pectoral muscle. In his career, Goode has compiled 32 tackles, one sack, and four passes defended. Goode has also established himself as a main contributor to the Eagles’ special teams unit.
Goode was also cut by the Eagles during last season’s preseason, but he rejoined the team in late September. The linebacker actually inked a one-year extension back in February, but that was likely thrown out following his release by the team last week.
Darren Sproles' Role In 2016
- The Eagles’ Darren Sproles will act as more of a receiver than a running back this year, writes Paul Domowitch of Philly.com. Sproles led all running backs in receptions (232) from 2011-13 as a member of the Saints, but he wasn’t as involved in the Eagles’ passing game under now-former head coach Chip Kelly the previous two seasons. Sproles still caught 95 balls, including 55 last year, while combining for 140 carries. As a runner, he’s unlikely to approach last year’s 83-attempt mark in new head coach Doug Pederson‘s offense, per Domowitch, with Ryan Mathews and Kenjon Barner set to receive the bulk of the work. For his part, Sproles is content with taking on more of a pass-catching role. “They’re playing to my strengths,” he said. “I really like this offense.”
Tim Tebow, Mets GM On Minor League Signing
When Tim Tebow was last in the New York market, he was under center for the New York Jets. While the former University of Florida standout sold a whole bunch of No. 15 jerseys, he didn’t make a lot of plays for Gang Green and 2012 wound up being the last time Tebow was on an NFL regular season roster. After trying his luck with the Patriots and Eagles, Tebow turned his attention to broadcasting. After years of putting his charm, looks, and celebrity status to use on television, he is returning to professional sports in New York. This time, he’s trying to make it with the Mets organization as an outfielder. 
Tebow, 29, has not played baseball full time in more than a decade. In his recent audition for major league clubs, he reportedly struggled to hit off-speed pitches from former big-leaguers David Aardsma and Chad Smith. One scout told ESPN.com’s Jerry Crasnick that Tebow showed a below-average 40 grade arm on the 20-80 scouts scale – a reminder of why Tebow was never able to make it as a quarterback on the professional level. Even though he showed “undeniable hitting ability” in the view of Crasnick, one has to wonder how far Tebow can get given his age, rust, and athletic limitations.
Count Mets GM Sandy Alderson among those with faith in the polarizing athlete. Alderson told reporters on a conference call today that Tebow is not being brought in as a ploy to sell merchandise. While he recognizes that Tebow faces an uphill battle in many respects, the GM says that the Mets could not pass on “a tremendous opportunity for us to associate with excellence.”
“He has demonstrated through his personality a competitiveness that our players can see first hand,” said Alderson, who pointed to pitcher Seth Lugo and minor league standout T.J. Rivera as players who have come from obscurity to find success in the Mets organization. “I think any player evaluation starts with tools and from that standpoint, without grading everything out, suffice it to say that Tim has been a great athlete. He has demonstrated more than rudimentary baseball skills and we think with his commitment to success that this is an opportunity that we think is worthwhile. In terms of power, arm, foot speed, all of those things….we think he can be a baseball player. I think that is underscored by his competitiveness and his determination to succeed and improve.”
Alderson indicated that the Mets will be patient with Tebow as he refused to put a timeline on when the former Heisman Trophy winner could potentially reach the majors. The Mets will find out how ready Tebow is “over the next weeks, months, and possibly years,” though Alderson explained that he will be absent from his Instructional League commitments for “a few days each week” so that he can fulfill his TV obligations with the SEC Network.
So, why baseball and why now? Tebow explained that walking away from baseball was the “second hardest decision” he ever had to make and, in fact, he planned on making this switch more than a year ago.
“[Then Eagles coach] Chip Kelly called in the middle of baseball training and, to me, that wasn’t just any opportunity. I figured Coach Kelly’s offense might fit me really well. But, we all know how that turned out,” said Tebow with a self-deprecating laugh. “After that, I started doing a little [baseball] training. Then, after the season, I really picked it up and now we’re here.”
Tebow explained that as he traveled the country doing speaking engagements over the last few years, the itch to play baseball would move him to call up a local team and take batting practice with them. For UFC fans, this may be reminiscent of pro wrestler-turned-real fighter C.M. Punk telling the world that he has trained for MMA with the occasional jiu-jitsu class and a “background” in Kenpo karate. But, in both cases, one can’t help but be impressed by the athlete’s positive attitude, competitive drive, and willingness to take a monumental risk in a brand new endeavor. Punk does not speak of winning the welterweight title from Tyron Woodley and Tebow isn’t telling the world that he is an All-Star in the making. For Tebow, this is about pursuing a dream – perhaps a little late in his athletic life – and making sure that he does not wake up one day as a 50-year-old baseball fan with enormous regret.
“For me, I would consider success giving everything I have,” Tebow said. “That would be looking back on this journey and saying I did everything I could do to be the best I could be. I don’t necessarily view success as how many rings, championships, or promotions you get. I view it as whether I did everything I possibly could do to succeed.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NDSU Prepared Wentz To Start
- Carson Wentz ran a pro-style offense at North Dakota State, and the Eagles believe that has prepared him well to start right away in the NFL, as Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today writes. With the Bison, Wentz used a lot of play-action passes, shotgun plays, zone-reads, and power sweeps. “Some guys don’t even do half those things,” Wentz said in April. “A lot of the stuff we did (at NDSU) was similar to what you see in the NFL. We just called it something different..“Any time we were in two-minute, I called it. Unless it was a huddle play and I would get it from the sidelines. But even some of those calls, I could change at the line.” Last week, the Eagles’ faith in Wentz allowed them to trade Bradford to Minnesota for substantial draft pick compensation.
Eagles Trade CB Eric Rowe To Patriots
WEDNESDAY, 1:34pm: The fourth-round pick sent from the Patriots to the Eagles will become a third-round choice if Rowe plays in 50% of the team’s snaps in either 2016 or 2017, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
9:09am: The Eagles have confirmed the deal via press release.
TUESDAY, 6:06pm: As noted here, Kline will not be part of the return for Rowe, but it’s not due to a physical issue, tweets Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. The rest of the trade remains intact, so the Eagles will still receive a conditional fourth-round pick.
10:46am: The Eagles are trading cornerback Eric Rowe to the Patriots for offensive lineman Josh Kline and a draft pick, league sources tell Mike Reiss and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pick going from the Pats to the Eagles is a conditional 2018 fourth-round pick that can become a third-round choice based on Rowe’s play time in 2016 or 2017, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
During his rookie campaign, Rowe appeared in all 16 games (starting five), and played on about 40% of the Philadelphia’s defense snaps. In that time, Rowe posted one interception, five passes defensed, and 24 tackles. He didn’t appear ticketed for a starting job this year under new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, however, with Nolan Carroll, Leodis McKelvin, and Ron Brooks on the depth chart as the Eagles’ top three defensive backs.
The Patriots paid a hefty price for Rowe, a player who found himself on the bubble in Philadelphia this summer. By giving up a valuable future draft choice for him, the Pats are signaling that they have big plans for Rowe or – at the very least – they are badly in need of reinforcements in the secondary. Rowe’s deal carries cap numbers of $1.1MM in 2016, $1.3MM in 2017, $1.5MM in 2018.
For weeks, the Eagles have been shopping Rowe and they found a deal today that will bring them some much-needed help on the offensive line. Kline, 26, joined the Patriots in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Kent State. After getting four starts in his first two seasons, Kline became a full-time starter last year. In November, the Pats extended the guard through the 2017 season.
De facto GM Howie Roseman hasn’t been afraid to deal away players acquired by former head coach Chip Kelly, as he’s already shipped out Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso, and DeMarco Murray. Now, we can add Rowe to the list of Kelly guys jettisoned by the Eagles’ top exec.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Extend Caleb Sturgis
The Eagles have signed kicker Caleb Sturgis to a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Sturgis’ new deal calls for a base salary of $900K in 2017, $250K of which is guaranteed. Sturgis can also earn additional money through escalators. The team has confirmed the deal via press release.
[RELATED: Eagles Shopping Offensive Linemen]
Sturgis battled it out with one-time fantasy football hero Cody Parkey this summer and came away with the job. Now, the Eagles are making a significant commitment to him beyond the 2016 season.
Sturgis, 27 on Friday, has made 73 of his 93 career field goals, good for a career 78.5% mark. Last season, he sank 18 of his 22 tries for Philly, giving him a career-best 81.8% conversion rate. He also made 98.2% of the extended extra points.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Shopping Offensive Linemen
Earlier today, the Eagles were reportedly trying to trade offensive lineman Josh Kline, whom they thought they had just acquired from the Patriots. That deal hit a snag, and though the larger framework of the swap remains in place, Kline won’t be going to Philadelphia. The Eagles, however, are now shopping offensive lineman that they do have under contract, including interior options Stefen Wisniewski and Josh Andrews, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links).
[RELATED: Philadelphia Eagles Depth Chart]
Wisniewski, 28, signed a one-year, $1.51MM deal with the Eagles this offseason that contains $500K fully guaranteed. That guarantee all came in the form of a signing bonus, however, so any acquiring team would only be on the hook for minimum base salary and (perhaps) his $250K roster bonus, depending on when it was/is paid. Wisniewski can also earn another $1.25MM through incentives.
Although Wisniewski isn’t one of the NFL’s elite offensive linemen, he has been fairly consistent and reliable since entering the league. In 2015, Pro Football Focus viewed him as a middle-of-the-pack center, ranking him 19th out of 39 qualified players and assigning him an especially strong grade as a pass blocker.
Andrews, 25, is listed as Philadelphia’s third-string center behind Jason Kelce and Wisniewski. An undrafted free agent in 2014, Andrews is under contract for two more seasons at minimum salaries. He appeared in 13 games last season, but played only 59 total snaps, all on special teams.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.