October 04, 2024
With the Eagles on their bye week, now feels like a good time to answer some questions, solicited from readers on Twitter. This will be Part I of a two-part mailbag. To note, there were a lot of questions about Nick Sirianni's job security. We'll get to those in Part II.
Question from @JackDespeaux: Davante Adams to the Eagles, solves all our problems?
When the Eagles were shopping for receivers at the end of training camp, a player like Adams would not have fit the profile of receiver they needed, because they already have two star receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith making a lot of money. When healthy, Brown and Smith dominate targets. The Eagles really just needed a third guy who could make the plays that come his way when he's the WR3, and who was capable of starting should Brown or Smith go down.
They of course dealt for Jahan Dotson, who cost them a third-round pick. In four games, Dotson has 5 catches on 9 targets for 25 yards (2.8 yards per target), so he hasn't exactly paid off yet, and I don't know that he will. But that's the guy the front office identified as an answer, gave up a decent enough resource to go get, and they're not going to give up on him after a month.
If there's a spot I think they could still look to address in the trade market, the obvious answer is edge rusher. But we're probably a month or so away from something like that happening. The trade deadline this year is November 5, just FYI.
Question from Taylor (via email): There are rumors that the Eagles could trade for Maxx Crosby. Is there anything to that?
I think that nonsense stemmed from this:
Everything negative – pressure, challenges, is all an opportunity for us to rise. 🦅💎
— Maxx Crosby (@CrosbyMaxx) October 3, 2024
Crosby is 27, he has a very manageable contract that runs through 2026, and he's one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Why would the Raiders trade him?
Question from @KingDro12: Of all the rookies, who do you think are gonna be long-term starters?
Quinyon Mitchell is already a good player, in my opinion. He's big, he's fast, he has instincts, ball skills, and he's a willing tackler. He's going to be a long-term starter. That pick looks like a hit.
I think we'll get to see Cooper DeJean starting in the slot soon enough. He's a little behind because he missed roughly the first month of training camp, but the Eagles can't continue to put Avonte Maddox out there in a prominent role. So we'll see how DeJean looks, maybe as early as their next game Week 6 against the Browns.
I also thought Jeremiah Trotter, Jalyx Hunt, and Will Shipley all showed something in training camp. They all have a chance to be starters or important role players at some point, but it's so hard to know until you see them in real games, which we haven't yet, aside from special teams.
Question from @IrishEagles: Other than Cooper DeJean, is there a player you think could see a significant uptick in playing time after the bye?
A.J. Brown. Ha, just kidding. I know what you mean.
This is going to be a very unsatisfying answer, but maybe Jack Stoll? Grant Calcaterra can't block.
I fully expect the Eagles to draft a tight end in 2025, by the way.
Question from @lookitssupergus: Hey Jimmy, first time X user, long time WIP avoider. Big fan of the O-Line, how do you think Cam Jurgens is doing to start the season. I'll hang up now and listen.
Hey Super Gus, same.
Jurgens has had some hiccups with snap counts and being down the field illegally on RPOs. He's a young, smart player and I believe he'll clean that up. But purely as a blocker, I think he's been really good so far.
Question from @MatthewTomarch: Where did the Eagles' obsession with the Fangio-style defense come from? For an organization that wants to be innovative at all times they are weirdly conservative on defensive philosophy, especially seeing the stuff in Minnesota that Brian Flores is running.
One of the philosophies that Howie Roseman has discussed in the past is falling behind when you try to copy what other teams around the league are doing.
"I think we spent a lot of time, (Nick Sirianni) and I talk about this all the time, if we're going to be the same as everyone else, we're probably going to finish in the middle of the pack," Roseman said in 2022. "Sometimes you have to take risks and you have to stand out there and do something different than everyone else."
They have certainly not applied this principle to their defensive coordinator hirings. Jonathan Gannon was a Fangio disciple, and when he left for Arizona, the Eagles seemingly had their minds set on a Fangio-style defense, and when Fangio himself slipped through their fingers they instead found Sean Desai, who was a branch on the Fangio tree.
Then when they had a chance to get Fangio himself this offseason, they pounced, even though the six teams that ran a Fangio-style defense last year underperformed. I've posted these before (so sorry for the repetitiveness), but here are the 2023 DVOA finishes of the Fangio disciples (and Fangio himself):
• Joe Woods, Saints: 15th
• Vic Fangio, Dolphins: 19th
• Brandon Staley, Chargers: 26th
• Joe Barry, Packers: 27th
• Sean Desai, Eagles: 29th
• Jonathan Gannon, Cardinals: 32nd
Even if Fangio is still good, it's a simple fact that offenses around the league often prepare for versions of this defense, and have found answers for it.
Question from @7heReason: The Titans are allowing the fewest passing yards, 4th in YPA, and 3rd in completion percentage. Did the Eagles let the wrong guy go?🤔
My friend here is referring to Dennard Wilson, who was formerly the Eagles' defensive backs coach on a track to someday become a defensive coordinator. If you'll recall, the Eagles had the No. 5 pass defense in the NFL in 2022 when Wilson was still in Philly.
In 2023, he was the Ravens' defensive backs coach, and they ranked 8th in pass defense. In 2024, Wilson got a defensive coordinator job with the Titans, and he's doing some good things there.
So, I think it's a fair question.
Question from @ChrisLuvGoBirds: How much do you attribute Bryce Huff's lack of production to him just maybe not being good, and how much is that he's just a bad fit for Fangio's defense? If it's more the latter, and given the Eagles generate zero pressure, can't Fangio adapt his scheme to a player who had 10 sacks last year?
To answer the first part of that question, Huff hasn't done anything well yet. I've seen some people dismiss his play on the premise that the Eagles aren't using him correctly. Certainly he has shown that you don't want him on the field on run plays, but he's getting opportunities to rush the passer, is he not? PFF has him down for 3 pressures on 71 pass rush snaps. That's nowhere near good enough, no matter how he's being used.
As for adjusting the scheme, I think that Fangio can and will tinker with it to better fit the personnel he has in place, but I don't think he's going to make significant changes to placate one badly underperforming player.
Question from @old_chester: With the new kickoff rules, Jake Elliott is hardly ever on the field. Why isn't he kicking kickoffs?
With the new kickoff rules, there's higher risk for kickers to be involved in tackles. It's reasonable to want to keep one of the best kickers in the NFL out of danger, in my opinion.
Question from @ShinStrider_x: Why do you keep doing the FeastingMeter™️ when it's obviously been broken for 2 years now?
Ha, well, in my weekly "five matchups" post, I always like to show what the opposing team's offensive line looks like (strengths, weakness, injuries, replacements, etc.), because, you know, the offensive line is kind of a big deal in football. And then of course I like to show where the Eagles might be able to take advantage, hence the FeastinMeter™️.
Spoiler: The FeastinMeter™️ will have a low number of turkey legs in most games the rest of the season, but that doesn't mean it's going away. You can't just look at the thermometer in the summer and then throw it out in the winter.
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