In our weekly Eagles chat on Thursday, there were a lot of questions that we could not get to in time, or other questions we did answer but could use more color. And so, let's do a mailbag post to answer some of the overflow.
Question from Hinkie: Yes or no, are the following players on the team next year: Alshon Jeffery, Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Vinny Curry, Beau Allen, Trey Burton, Donnel Pumphrey?
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• WR Alshon Jeffery: Jeffery signed a "bet on myself" one-year contract after missing a chunk of the Bears' season last year because of a suspension for PEDs. He got off to a slow start this season, but has picked it up over the last two games, catching 8 passes for 146 yards and 3 TDs. The more he produces down the stretch and into the playoffs, the more his price tag will rise. With the lack of production from Torrey Smith, the Eagles probably don't want to have to replace two receivers in one offseason once again, so I would guess that they would like to get something done with Jeffery.
• LB Nigel Bradham: Bradham has become a solid player in the Eagles' defense, where he is a good fit. Because Bradham still has a potential suspension from the NFL on the horizon, other teams around the league may be leery of signing him. With Jordan Hicks' recovery in question, I think the Eagles can bring Bradham back at a reasonable cost, and will.
• LB Mychal Kendricks: Kendricks will count for $7,600,000 against the cap in 2018. While he has played better this season than he has in years, is he really worth that cap hit? Probably not. If the Eagles were to cut or trade Kendricks next offseason, they would save $4,400,000. I don't think they would cut him, but after having played a good season, maybe the Eagles would bite on better offers than they received for him last year.
• DE Vinny Curry: The Eagles have the very promising Derek Barnett waiting in the wings, and what can be a decent backup in Steven Means, who is a healthy scratch most weeks because of an over-abundance of depth. If they let Curry go, they could certainly survive that loss.
Curry is going to count for $11 million against the cap in 2018, $5,000,000 of which they'll save if they cut or trade him. Like Kendricks, Curry has been a much better player than he's been in recent years, but is not worth his price tag. Maybe the Eagles can get Curry to take a pay cut.
• DT Beau Allen: When the Eagles re-signed Timmy Jernigan, some believed that Allen, who is a free agent next year, could be a goner. The Eagles were in talks with Allen for a contract extension early this offseason, when Allen tore his pectoral muscle. The Eagles later traded for Jernigan to sure up that DT spot.
Allen is nice role player with can stuff the run on early downs, but is not a guy who is consistently disruptive against the pass. The reality is that those guys don't make bank. The Eagles should try to re-sign Allen, as DT depth is important, but should also be smart about how high they'll go.
• TE Trey Burton: Burton is another nice role player with some versatility and special teams value. He got a nice raise this past offseason, when he made $2,746,000 as a restricted free agent. There's also perhaps some logic in Burton getting a bigger role in 2018 if Brent Celek is no longer with the team, but again, while Burton is a nice role player, you don't want to have to overpay him to keep him.
• RB Donnel Pumphrey: Pumphrey sticking with the team would be all about whether he's good enough to make the final 53-man roster next year. I'm not optimistic about his future, but he may be a guy who gets a long leash as a fourth-round pick..
Question from “Dak had to deal with injuries”: Do you believe in losing a game late in the year, just to slightly ”focus” this team for the playoff, or would you rather them win out?
I’ve never bought that premise, and I never will.
Question from Donta Stallworth: Should Smallwood get more opportunities? I was big on Corey Clement making the team and I’m happy for him getting his hat trick last week. But Smallwood is clearly the better back. Even in garbage time he showed way better vision than Clement and he runs just as hard, despite being smaller, and he’s definitely faster. Thoughts?
I completely agree that Smallwood is a better runner, but for some reason, it would appear that he’s in the dog house. It’s also notable that Clement has been in the game when the Eagles have kept their back in to block in pass protection. Maybe they just see Clement as a more capable blocker.
Question from MFlick: Which player is the front-runner for next year’s training camp Nelson Agholor Award? Donnel Pumphrey? Shelton Gibson?
I’ll go with Smallwood, who I believe has ability, but for whatever reason just hasn’t put it all together yet.
Question from Roger Goodell: What would you do if Jerry Jones walked into the press box on Sunday and bitch slapped you?
He has no idea who I am, but to answer your question, I’d wholeheartedly welcome that. I’d be rich. Jerry and I have crossed paths many times. I held the door for him at the Combine once. He didn’t thank me.
Question from KJ: What’s the cutoff for having too many players with dreads on the team?
KJ is, of course, referring to the abnormal number of players with dreads that have been added to the roster recently. By my count, since May, the Eagles have added five players with dreads to their 53-man roster – LeGarrette Blount, Ronald Darby, Jay Ajayi, Dannell Ellerbe, and most recently, Will Beatty. If the Eagles add Sidney Jones sometime in the next few weeks, that’ll be six.
It’s working so far, so keeping adding them, Howie.
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