The Linc

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2024 NFL trade deadline: Top candidates to move, team fits – ESPN+
1) Devin White, Philadelphia Eagles. The 26-year-old former Buccaneers star signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Eagles this offseason, but he lost the starting middle linebacker job to Nakobe Dean. He sat out the first game of the season because of an ankle injury but was a healthy inactive for the Week 2 Monday night game against the Falcons. Of the $4 million the Eagles gave him, more than half was in the form of a signing bonus, so he’d be an extremely cheap veteran option for a team in need. White had 83 tackles and two interceptions last season in Tampa Bay. Potential landing spot: Buffalo Bills. They lost Matt Milano to a torn biceps in the preseason and Terrel Bernard to a pectoral strain in Week 2 against Miami. Buffalo could use more veteran support on the second and third levels of the defense. The Raiders and Patriots also make sense. […] 2) Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals. Unsigned beyond this season, Baker would be an impact player for any team needing safety help at the deadline. He has 18 tackles, three tackles for loss and a pass breakup over two games. The Cardinals would have to be out of contention to consider it, and Baker’s $14.2 million salary wouldn’t be a piece of cake to move. But unless the Cards extend him at some point, you have to think they’d take the call. Potential landing spot: Philadelphia Eagles. It seems Philly is perpetually on the lookout for safeties, and it is always one of the most active teams on the trade market. The Eagles love to bring in big-name veterans at midseason. Watch the Jets and Browns, too, if Baker were to become available.

Eagles Film Analysis: Offense takeaways from the loss to the Falcons – BGN
Sometimes, the sequencing of plays can be really hard to spot. This is about as easy as it gets, though! In the play above, the Falcons follow the motion with a linebacker, which creates a light bo. The next play, the Falcons bring a safety down and leave the linebacker in the box so the Eagles throw it. Although this play had a positive outcome, I would have liked the call even if it hadn’t. Sometimes, you do something to set something else up later, which gives Kellen Moore the idea that he can use this motion to create single-high coverage later in the game. I’ve seen a lot of comments about this being Jahan Dotson’s only coverage, and while I agree it is a bit weird, I would assume he is still getting up to speed with the offense and earning Jalen Hurts’ trust. I hope he has a few more opportunities this week.

Eagles at Saints: Five matchups to watch – PhillyVoice
“I think this offense really suits him,” Fangio said. “He’s always been one of the most talented passers in the league. He throws it short, intermediate, and deep very, very well. Throws a great deep ball. They’re max protecting a lot, giving him time. They’re running boots. They’ve got the running game going. I think this offense and him is a really good marriage.” The Saints’ offense is playing at an extremely high level, while the Eagles’ defense looks a lot like it did to close the 2023 season.

2024 NFL defensive line rankings ahead of Week 3 – PFF
21) Eagles. The biggest story for the defensive line is Jalen Carter’s noticeable decline in performance. After earning an impressive 89.5 grade as a rookie, he currently holds a 38.6 grade. His game grades of 30.0 and 56.7 to start the season are lower than all but one of his games in 2023. Best Player: Brandon Graham. Graham continues to deliver strong performances, boasting an 18.8% pressure rate and a 15.6% pass-rush win rate, all while maintaining a high level of run defense.

How worried should we be about Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith? – NBCSP
Two games in, Carter, Davis and Smith don’t have a sack and don’t have a tackle for loss. Davis has no solo tackles and one quarterback hit. Davis has one solo tackle and no quarterback hits. And Smith has one solo tackle and no QB hits. Thomas Booker, a futures contract player who’s only played 17 snaps, has more tackles than all of them combined. Carter and Davis have had some flashes. They’ve both gotten double teamed at times, and Carter had his hands full with a two-time Pro Bowl guard in Chris Lindstrom Monday night. But the bottom line is they were brought here to dominate, they’ve played a total of 215 snaps and not one of them has made a single impact play. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said the three Georgia guys won’t be able to make those sort of game-changing plays until the Eagles are able to stop the run, his logic being that it’s difficult for defensive linemen to get tackles for loss, hurries or sacks when teams are rarely in third-and-long.

Eagles’ dysfunction on RPOs can be fixed, according to this OL: ‘It’s not that complex of an issue’ – NJ.com
“It’s just a timing thing on our own end,” Eagles offensive tackle Jordan Mailata told NJ Advance Media on Thursday. “It’s a simple fix. Put a tag on the play call so we know that we need to hold onto the blocks a little longer. That’s pretty much it. It’s not that complex of an issue. It isn’t.” “Again, once you add that tag, you become more clearer on what read comes first and what you need to do as an offensive lineman. It’s not that deep. Everybody’s making a big deal about it, but it’s not a big deal on how to fix it.”

NFL QB Index, Week 3: C.J. Stroud vaults Josh Allen; Kyler Murray soars – NFL.com
13) Jalen Hurts. There are two sides to the coin that was the Eagles’ Week 2 outing. First, Hurts remains a magician when it comes to creating out of structure. His two scrambles on a second-quarter touchdown drive were both thrilling and incredibly impressive, especially because of the toughness and quick thinking required to pull them off. Hurts made a few high-level throws in the game, too, but the Eagles are asking a bit too much of him, especially when they have Saquon Barkley at their disposal. We all know how the game ended, but that’s not what I’m focusing on. I’m more worried that the Eagles’ offense still looks as disjointed as it did during the team’s collapse in 2023. If they iron things out, Hurts should take off. He certainly did enough to deserve a win Monday night, even if those hopes ended with an interception thrown out of desperation.

Bill Belichick talks Eagles, Bryce Huff, and Haason Reddick on this week’s ‘Let’s Go!’ podcast- Inquirer
Belichick, who is cohosting the Let’s Go! podcast this season alongside Jim Gray, Peter King, and Maxx Crosby, had an interesting answer when asked this week by his former quarterback, Tom Brady, which NFL organizations outside of the Kansas City Chiefs he thinks are operating “a bit above everyone else.” Belichick listed the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles, the Detroit Lions, and the Houston Texans as teams he thinks are managed well. “Philadelphia is also in that division, and they’ve also put together a pretty good roster,” Belichick said. “They continue to make great moves like signing Bryce Huff and trading away Reddick and giving that problem to somebody else.”

Which former Eagles are Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees? – PE.com
The Pro Football Hall of Fame announced its initial list of 167 modern-era nominees for the Class of 2025. Former Eagles running back Darren Sproles is one of 20 players on the list with ties to the franchise. Sproles, who spent the final six seasons of his 15-year NFL career with the Eagles, was acquired in a trade with the Saints in 2014 and was the NFL’s best punt returner, earning three consecutive Pro Bowl bids to kick off his tenure with the Birds. Sproles led the league in both punt return yardage and touchdowns in 2014 and ‘15.

A deep dive into Derek Carr’s hot start to 2024 – Canal Street Chronicles
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you probably have heard that Derek Carr and the New Orleans Saints offense are off to a historic start to the 2024 season. Through two weeks, the Saints have scored 91 points, tied for the second most in NFL history through the first two weeks of a season. You know who’s first? The 2009 Saints with 93. Klint Kubiak came in and instantly turned the Saints offense around. Last year, the Saints used play action less than any team in the league, but this year they’re using it at a 51.2% clip, which is the most of any team in the league. He’s also brought with him a shiny new run game which is predicated on getting Alvin Kamara outside so he can work his magic in space. Currently, the Saints are lining up under center on over 70% of their plays, which is a number we haven’t seen anybody have in decades. Needless to say, it’s been a hot start for the Saints offense, and more specifically Derek Carr.

Washington Commanders vs Cincinnati Bengals Thursday Injury Report – Hogs Haven
The other new injury on today’s list is Benjamin St-Juste who was limited with a groin injury. St-Juste had his best game in a while against the Giants last week and will be needed on Monday night against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals. Emmanuel Forbes Jr had thumb surgery for a torn UCL, but wasn’t placed on injured reserve.

Cowboys fans have no confidence in the franchise, don’t think they will win Week 3 – Blogging The Boys
Dallas Cowboys fans are down. Seriously down. They have lost all faith in the franchise, and only a small number think they will win on Sunday versus the Baltimore Ravens. The absolute annihilation at the hands of the New Orleans has only served to cement the offseason of our discontent.

Should the New York Giants trade for Panthers QB Bryce Young? – Big Blue View
The New York Giants could be in the market for a long-term replacement for Daniel Jones at quarterback after this season. With the Carolina Panthers having benched 2023 No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young already, an intriguing option could now be available on the trade market at a vastly discounted price. Should the Giants trade for Young? We put the question to our Big Blue View writers this week in the form of a round table. Here is what they said. Vote in the poll at the end of the post to let us know what you think.

3 NFL upset picks for Week 3 – SB Nation
Would I bet money on the Giants? No chance. Do I think New York will win in Week 3? Not really. Is it possible? Very much so and for very a very simple reason: The Giants strength is the Browns biggest concern right now. With final practices coming up on Friday, Cleveland could have one, two, three or four of the following players starting at left or right tackle: Jed Wills, Jack Conklin, Dawand Jones and James Hudson III. From a health perspective, Hudson, who has gotten beat quite easily the first two weeks, is the most likely player to be active Sunday. Jones sat out practice early this week, Wills has been limited and Conklin is hoping to return for the first time from a Week 1 injury last year and could play left tackle for the first time since 2016-2017 when he played a total of 67 snaps. On the other side of the ball are Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux on the outside and Dexter Lawrence up the middle. New York may not have many other strengths but many teams would beg for those three to be on their defensive line. Cleveland has allowed 33 pressures in just two games so far. Facing that trio with uncertainty at both starting tackle spots is a recipe for disaster that could lead to an upset.