Eagles News: Quez Watkins Ranked Second Among NFL Players In Failed Reception Rate

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

2022 Failed Completions: Justin Herbert Aims for the Record – Football Outsiders
And so, Greg Dortch led all receivers with a 46.2% failed completion rate, the worst we have seen since Steven Sims in 2019. Here’s hoping Arizona actually lets him run a regular route or three in 2023. Dortch is joined high atop the list by Rondale Moore, returning from the 2021 leaderboards. We said last year that it felt like Moore could be salvaged with better play design. The fact that Kingsbury was given a one-way ticket to Thailand after the season tells you how that went. Other returnees include Conklin and Noah Fant as safety valve tight ends, plus Quez Watkins, the only Eagles receiver not to benefit from Philadelphia’s greater passing focus in 2022. [BLG Note: Quez was right behind Dortch at 42.4%. Jalen Reagor notably ranked high in failed reception rate in 2021.]

Lamar Jackson, Dalvin Cook among 14 trade candidates who could be shopped before, during 2023 NFL Draft – CBS Sports
QUEZ WATKINS: After a solid 2021 season in his first year under Nick Sirianni (43 catches, 647 yards), Watkins’ speed didn’t match his production as the No. 3 behind A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith during the Eagles’ Super Bowl bid. His iffy hands could convince hyperactive GM Howie Roseman to offload him ahead of a contract year, saving an immediate $2.7M. Logical landing spots: Chargers, Colts, Falcons, Titans.

Your undisputed, totally perfect, unchallengeable ranking of the top NFC quarterbacks – BGN
1. Jalen Hurts. The unquestioned No. 1 QB in the conference, we’re all just wondering what he’s going to do next. Can he top a season in which he threw for 3,701 yards, 22 TDs and 6 interceptions and added another 760 yards on the ground with another 13 TDs? Can he do better than two very good performances in the playoffs and then an outing for the ages in the Super Bowl on the world’s biggest stage? Maybe not, but even if he doesn’t, he’ll likely come close and be better than anyone else listed below.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.105: The offseason rolls on – BGN Radio
Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) and RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) discuss the biggest storylines in the division.

Nick Meets the Media – Iggles Blitz
Sermon had a terrific college career, but he was disappointing in SF. He’s 43-186-1 for his career so Sermon has shown flashes of ability. He just hasn’t been able to get on the field and stay there. I expect the Eagles to add a RB in the draft. That will give them a full group heading into the summer. Sermon will have to earn his roster spot. If he does that, maybe he’ll finally get on the field and show us what Sirianni has talked about.

6 takeaways from the Jeffrey Lurie State of the Eagles address – PE.com
“I don’t know if [Nick Sirianni] told you, but when he was interviewing for linebacker coach recently, and I think defensive backfield coach, too, he called me and said, yeah, I just finished my 12th interview for the linebacker coach. Twelfth interview! And these are not short interviews. These are grinding interviews. He knows more than I would know about what those interviews are like, but they’re not ‘Hi, nice to meet you.’ They’re grinding interviews. He did 12 for the linebacker position. Found his guy (D.J. Eliot) and he just did the same with a defensive backfield coach. I love that. That’s much more what I believe in. That familial kind of approach or nepotistic type of approach, you see it a lot, and you’ve got to try to avoid that. There’s so many great coaches. Another plus for him was bringing in Brian Johnson, who he didn’t even know, and we got into this position where Shane got hired and we’ve got an outstanding young coach there.”

‘No doubt’ — Sirianni expresses confidence in Eagles’ young safety – NBCSP
The undrafted rookie from Middle Tennessee State played a bunch of snaps and even started four games for the 2022 Eagles. And his emergence is part of the reason there doesn’t seem to be much panic after the Eagles lost both of their starting safeties in free agency. “I think Reed did a nice job last year of playing a lot of meaningful plays and starting games last year,” Sirianni said at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday morning. “So no doubt do we have confidence in him. We have confidence in him on a 16-4 team last year to start games. We have a lot of confidence that he can do the same thing this year.” The Eagles made an attempt to bring back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency but ultimately he ended up in Detroit on a one-year deal. And Marcus Epps signed with the Raiders before that. Those losses left the Eagles pretty light at safety but it’s possible that they always viewed Blankenship as a potential starter in 2023.

NFL Betting 2023: Surveying the division futures landscape after free agency’s initial wave – PFF
Despite a number of departures in free agency, the Eagles remain the favorites to win this division. But, in a division that sports three playoff teams from this past season, this will be a closer race than the odds suggest. The Giants look to be a considerable value at +500. Some bettors may overlook them due to the lukewarm reception of the Daniel Jones extension, but further time in Brian Daboll’s system can only help with Jones’ production and development. The Giants do need to address some holes in the draft, namely receiver, which could further shorten their odds.

Owners table fourth-and-20 onside kick alternative – PFT
It marks the second time owners have tabled the proposal. The Eagles presented a similar proposal in 2021 that was tabled before coming to a vote.

Where to Eat at Citizens Bank Park, Home of the Phanatic (and the Phillies) – Eater Philly
WhetherWhether you’re a devoted Philadelphia Phillies fan or just in it for the pageantry and the Phanatic’s iconic antics, there’s nothing quite like catching a baseball game at Citizens Bank Park. Located in South Philly in a stadium complex that’s also home to Lincoln Financial Field, the Wells Fargo Center, the Live! Casino and Hotel, and the Xfinity Live! bar, Citizens Bank Park is an easily accessible ballpark that’s also a ton of fun. You’ll never go hungry while taking in a Phillies game — just don’t forget to snag a tiny plastic baseball helmet filled with soft serve. It’s not quite baseball season without one.

Las Vegas Raiders 2023 NFL free agency tracker – Silver And Black Pride
The Raiders have a new wide receiver and returner, DeAndre Carter. [BLG Note: Former Eagle alert.]

Here is why the Dallas Cowboys need to get an extension done with Dak Prescott as soon as possible – Blogging The Boys
The first reason why Dallas has to sign Prescott as soon as possible is the market cost for quarterbacks exponentially climbs as we have seen with other signal-callers. When Prescott first signed his last contract, many were staggered by the average salary of $40M per year; however, since then that has become the norm for new quarterback contracts. Josh Allen ($43M), Deshaun Watson ($46M), and Kyler Murray ($46M) have all surpassed that number. If you’re a skeptic that Prescott is on the level of those quarterbacks, which I’d argue he is, hopefully, we’d agree that Derek Carr and Daniel Jones are not. Daniel Jones was a much-maligned first-round pick that didn’t show very much consistency until last season and after his fifth-year option was declined by the New York Giants. Still, he was able to secure a $40M contract from the team earlier this month.

John Mara, Brian Daboll show interest in Odell Beckham – Big Blue View
Former New York Giants star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was the subject of plenty of speculation in 2022. Unsurprisingly, his name has also popped up quite a bit in press conferences around the 2023 NFL Owner’s Meetings. He was brought up with John Mara on Monday, and he certainly seemed open to bringing Beckham back into the fold. “We certainly haven’t closed that door,” Mara said with regards to signing Beckham. “That’s going to be up to Joe and Dabes. “I certainly would be in favor of that if they can make it work. That’s always the trick.”

Commanders Sale News: Josh Harris/Mitchell Rales/Magic Johnson submit bid that meets Dan Snyder’s $6 billion minimum price – Hogs Haven
Update: Josh Harris’ group has submitted the only offer with the financial resources needed to be approved by the NFL.

Ben Simmons ruled out for season with back injury; Josh Harris in on group bid to buy Commanders – Liberty Ballers
It’s at least a little odd to picture Harris owning a rival of the Philadelphia Eagles. Eagles players are routinely spotted sitting for Sixers games, and occasionally serve as Bell Ringer. To think that Harris would be rooting against Philly (in football) is funny. Harris is a native of the D.C. Area, and we’ve heard rumors that something like this might happen:

2023 NFL Draft: Strongest position group? Weakest? – NFL.com
1) Cornerback. We saw 12 cornerbacks go in the first three rounds last year, including Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner. There might not be a Sauce in this year’s class, but there appears to be a higher number of players who will be starters in the NFL. In fact, there will be big, long, explosive perimeter cornerbacks available in each of the first four rounds. I expect Christian Gonzalez and Devon Witherspoon to be the first two players drafted at the position, but we should see five, maybe even six, taken in the first round. […] 11) Linebacker. This is not the greatest year to be in need of help at linebacker. However, I am much higher on Arkansas inside linebacker/rush specialist Drew Sanders than some of my fellow draft analysts. I think he fits today’s model of the versatile athlete teams seek. After Sanders, I believe the pickings get slim in a hurry. There is below-average depth, with many prospects projecting as special teams contributors who are unlikely to develop into starters.

The Jets lost their leverage in an Aaron Rodgers trade – SB Nation
The New York Jets and Green Bay Packers seem to be locked in some sort of Texas standoff in the Aaron Rodgers trade. Neither side moving an inch, neither side getting up from the table but making it very clear that compensation is the only thing holding up this trade. With both sides seemingly staring at each other like anxious middle schoolers at a dance, the topic of “leverage” has come up. Who has the upper hand in this acquisition of the future Hall of Fame QB? What will the compensation be? Then the Jets happened. The Jets spoke to Aaron Rodgers first before going to the Packers with any actual compensation or a deal in place, nullifying their leverage (the Packers did grant the Jets the ability to talk to Rodgers). They put the cart before the horse, and by doing that ensured that the Packers would hold all the cards at this table.

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