Let’s get to the Philly Eagles Left …
Jessie Bates contract drama: Eight potential trade destinations for Bengals’ disgruntled star safety – CBS Sports
1. Eagles. If there’s one team that’s made a big move at pretty much every position of need this offseason, it’s the Eagles, who addressed holes at receiver (AJ Brown), defensive tackle (Jordan Davis), pass rusher (Haason Reddick), linebacker (Kyzir White) and cornerback (James Bradberry). The last one left is safety, where Jaquiski Tartt has come aboard as camp competition but Anthony Harris and Marcus Epps are serving as placeholder starters. Trade-happy GM Howie Roseman has admittedly struggled to identify long-term answers at safety via the draft, and he practices and preaches the importance of patient roster-building. So Bates, who played on a Bengals team that employed current Eagles assistant head coach Jemal Singleton, represents the ideal solution for a quiet NFC East contender.
Kaye’s Take: Why potential trade of Bengals’ Jessie Bates III could be difficult to pull off – Pro Football Network
This week, the franchise-tag contract extension deadline passed, meaning that Bates can only play on a one-year deal this season. While the Bengals or a team acquiring him can rework his franchise tag — worth $12.9 million — into a different one-year deal, he can’t receive a multi-year contract until the conclusion of the 2022 season. The mechanism of the contract extension deadline is used to force a long-term deal or resolution of the situation ahead of training camp. Well, Bates hasn’t signed, so there’s no resolution as of now. And Bates’ value is in an awkward spot on the trade market as a result. Bates is a top-tier safety and is worth top-tier compensation. But, with a one-year deal stuck in stone, his trade outlook isn’t really easy to figure out. Typically, teams want to sign a player to an extension when they trade a premium asset for them. Due to the passed deadline, that function isn’t attainable with Bates. So, a team is essentially trading an asset for a player who could be one and done. Sure, the acquiring team could use the franchise tag as protection next year, but that’s not an ideal situation — from a cap or relationship perspective.
The Eagles will finally maximize Dallas Goedert – BGN
For the first time since being selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, Goedert will enter an Eagles season as the team’s undisputed top tight end. No more splitting time with Zach Ertz. Not surprisingly, Goedert thrived following Ertz’s departure. From our 2021 season review: Goedert’s stats from nine games played after the Ertz departure: 62 targets, 44 receptions, 636 yards (14.5 average), two touchdowns. Extrapolate that pace over the course of a 17-game season and Goedert would be looking at 117 targets for 83 receptions, 1,202 yards, and about four touchdowns. To put those numbers in context, realize that Mark Andrews led all tight ends in receiving yards with 1,361 while Travis Kelce was second with 1,125. Goedert is poised to post big numbers this year. One should reasonably expect him to go over 1,000 yards en route to pushing for his first career per bowl berth.
Eye on the Enemy #100: Jeff Kerr on what the Kyler Murray contract extension means for Jalen Hurts’ future – BGN Radio
John Stolnis talked with CBS Sports NFL Writer Jeff Kerr about the Kyler Murray contract extension and what it means for Jalen Hurts’ future, the Jessie Bates-to-the-Eagles rumors, top training camp storylines and key milestones that will be reached by some NFL players this year.
Which quarterbacks are next up for new deals? – PFT
Jalen Hurts. The Eagles have sent mixed signals, publicly and privately, regarding their commitment to Hurts. The commitment to the 2020 second-round pick apparently was made when the Eagles traded for receiver AJ Brown. Here’s the question. Will Hurts deliberately take a second-tier deal in order to ensure that the Eagles will always have a solid team around him? The fact that he wasn’t a first-round pick will bring his long-term status to a head sooner than otherwise. He’ll be a free agent in March 2024, unless the Eagles apply the franchise tag. His performance this season will go a long way toward helping the Eagles peg his future value. The challenge then will be getting on the same page with Hurts.
3 position groups that will have to exceed expectations for Cowboys to stay atop NFC East – Blogging The Boys
There is real merit to this team still being built to run the football, and they invested in this strength with first-round pick Tyler Smith. With a focus on getting the most out of this current roster, Smith’s flexibility to play tackle hopefully doesn’t come into play, as the Cowboys will need both Tyron Smith and Tyler Smith’s run blocking ability. Whether or not Elliott can still prove to be a workhorse back that helps the Cowboys control the tempo of games and keeps Dan Quinn’s defense fresh needs to be determined early in the season. The Cowboys have a talented, versatile, but underutilized running back in Tony Pollard that could well prove the future at the position if given the chance. It may come out of necessity rather than a true shift in philosophy, but with some new skill position players, the Cowboys may finally be forced to give Pollard a bigger role in this offense. Expectations are high for Pollard to help both the ground and air game, but he’s as unproven in those shoes as Elliott is when it comes to being one of the league’s best backs currently. The Cowboys could easily be contenders again this season if the running game gets off to a hot start, or it could be an Achilles heel they’re not built to overcome.
What does a “Worst Case Scenario” look like for the Commanders in 2022? – Hog’s Haven
With Wentz and Heinicke going down early in the season, the team struggles to muster almost any offensive production. The defense continues to look disorganized and underperform, given its talent level, for a second year in a row. Ultimately, the team ends up 5-12, and has to look for a starting QB in the 2023 draft. Though not forced out by Dan Snyder, Rivera decides that he has had enough, with Turner leaving for greener pastures and his good friend John Matsko deciding on retirement. He waives the final year of his contract and gives his full endorsement to turning over the head coaching reins to Jack Del Rio for 2023.
Worst to first? Could the Giants really pull that off? You never know – Big Blue View
It’s certainly a stretch to imagine the Giants making the playoffs this year after a 4-13 finish and non-competitive play at the end of the 2021-2022 season. There are some optimists out there in BBV fandom, though, 14 percent of you to be precise. It’s not as improbable as winning the lottery. The 2022 Giants do have some things in common with many of the rags-to-riches NFL stories of the past five years.
NFL could have sold 3 million tickets for its regular season debut in Germany – SB Nation
The NFL International Series will expand into Germany later this year, with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers other Seattle Seahawks set to face off in Munich in November. To say that fans are already excited about that game would be an understatement. Not only did the contest at the city’s Allianz Arena sell out within minutes, the league would have been able to fill a lot more seats than the 75,024 available — A LOT more. According to Alexander Steinforth, head of NFL Germany, three million requests were processed. That would be 40 Allianz Arenas worth of fans.
The Look Ahead #97: Were the Cards right to play Kyler + Lamar Jackson’s future – The SB Nation NFL Show
Rob “Stats” Guerrera and RJ Ochoa react to Kyler Murray’s new contract with the Cardinals and wonder what it means for Lamar Jackson’s future in Baltimore. Baseball bet between Stats and RJ (5:58). Jets announce new black helmets (7:00). Kyler Murray gets a new deal, but was it a good move by Arizona? (10:29). Stats’ one big problem with Kyler Murray (13:18). Did the Cardinals’ history factor into giving Murray this deal? (19:32). How much do we believe in Kyler, Kliff, and Kiem? (28:55). How will Murray’s deal impact Lamar Jackson’s upcoming deal? (36:36). Stats explains why he was never a Lamar Jackson hater (40:03). How the outcome of an Astros/Mariners series will change next week’s Look Ahead (42:19).
…
Social media information:
BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page
BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen
BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta
BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton
BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio
BGN cameo: Click here for a personalized video message
