Tag: DeSean Jackson

Howie Roseman says his priority is to protect Carson Wentz while surrounding him with playmakers

Howie Roseman looking to provide Carson Wentz with playmakers

Carson Wentz is the Eagles franchise quarterback and after a breakthrough season that saw him become the team’s first 4,000 passer in a season, Howie Roseman isn’t taking his foot off the gas.

While addressing the media at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, Roseman spoke on a litany of subjects, none more important than quarterback Carson Wentz.

When asked about his top priority this season, Roseman made it clear to Pro Football Talk that his intentions were to protect Wentz so he can remain healthy, while surrounding him with some quality playmakers.

“We have a quarterback that we think is a tremendous player, tremendous leader, and so we’ve got to make sure he’s protected first and foremost, so we’ve put so many investments in the offensive line,” Roseman said. “And that he’s got playmakers at his disposal. Always looking to surround him with playmakers.”

Roseman believes the Eagles are headed in the right direction and use the team’s three straight playoff appearances as proof.

The Eagles are one of only four teams in the league who have been to the playoffs each of the last three years and the retool should ensure another three or four-year run.

Eagles passing game coordinator Press Taylor to have a vital role in shaping the offense

Press Taylor to have a vital role in shaping the Eagles offense

The NFL is big on innovation in the league and Doug Pederson took a step back during his coaching search to insert some fresh idea into his offense.

Pederson brought on Rich Scangarello as a senior offensive assistant, but his biggest and most important move could be the promotion of Press Taylor to passing game coordinator in Philadelphia.

The brother of Bengals head coach Zac Taylor, Press is gaining accolades from around the league for his football intelligence and according to The Athletic, he’ll play a “vital” role shaping the Eagles offense this season.

Taylor became quarterbacks coach in 2017 when John Defilippo moved on and Pederson had the insight to know that he needed to give his young assistant coach more responsibility or risk losing him.

“I really feel like in order for Press to grow, I’ve got to give him more as a coach,” Pederson said. “I’ve got to put more on his plate.”

“I’m gonna lean a little more on Press,” Pederson said. “I feel like Press has a bright future as a coordinator. And so I’m trying to groom him. I think about what Andy did with me, and how he brought me along. Obviously, he made me the coordinator. He called plays. But, at the same time, he allowed me to run the meetings, run the staff meetings, things like that. And so I’m leaning toward Press to handle that this spring.”

According to Pederson, Taylor was in charge of last season’s red-zone package, and that’s where Carson Wentz made his money late in the season.

With Taylor calling the plays inside the 20, the Birds averaged 5.56 points per red zone trip in 2019 — first in the NFL.

Taylor and Wentz have a strong connection and the promotion should only make the Eagles passing game that more dangerous.

Penn State WR KJ Hamler hoping to emulate DeSean Jackson’s speed and “dog mentality”

Former Penn State wide receiver KJ Hamler hoping to model his game after DeSean Jackson

The Philadelphia Eagles looked like a completely different team without DeSean Jackson this season and the Birds will enter the 2020 offseason looking for more speed.

Jackson will be back in 2020, but the Eagles could have a DeSean 2.0 in Miles Sander’s best friend and former Penn State teammate, KJ Hamler.

The speedster is a huge DeSean Jackson fan and at the NFL Combine on Tuesday Hamler told the media that he patterns his game after the Eagles star.

The 5-foot-8, 178 pound Hamler had 56 catches for 908 yards and 8 touchdowns last season for the Nittany Lions.

Hamler is set to meet with the Eagles on Wednesday at the combine.

Eagles QB Carson lands a top-10 ranking in deep ball accuracy for 2019

Carson Wentz ranked No. 9 in deep-ball accuracy in 2019

Carson Wentz can sling the football around with the best of them and despite a poor year from the weapons around him, the Eagles star still stood out statistically.

Wentz had a career year in spite of his receiving corps having no player with more than 500 yards through the air.

Even with the Eagles being among the league leaders in dropped passes, Wentz ranked No. 9 for the second straight season in the NFL for deep ball accuracy in 2019 according to the 2019-2020 Deep Ball Project.

“There are a couple rough spots with Wentz’s deep accuracy. He was sensational throwing to his left (finishing 2nd), but was closer to the bottom throwing to the middle (29th) and to the right of the field (26th). As a tight window passer he again finished 26th.

However, Wentz’s deep accuracy remains high in spite of a 31.37 completion percentage thanks to 12 Accurate Incompletions that came through the hands of his Hallmark Channel receiving talent. He stood out throwing 26-30 yards (5th) as well as 41+ yards (7th), and was great against edge pressure and outside the pocket (ranking 6th in both categories).”

Wentz ranking should be encouraging for Eagles fans, as he was one of the best long-ball throwers who was able to be successful without a true deep threat to depend on outside of the season opener.

The Eagles signal-caller should be land near the top of the rankings if the Eagles can secure a young deep threat in the NFL Draft.

Breshad Perriman to the Eagles deemed a good fit by PFF

Breshad Perriman could be an option in free agency for the Philadelphia Eagles and has been deemed a good fit by Pro Football Focus

The Philadelphia Eagles are in need of a deep threat on offense and a former first-round pick could be just the answer at a low price.

Breshad Perriman had a redemptive season in 2019 for the Buccaneers after Mike Evans and Chris Godwin both went down with injuries. Helping Jameis Winston eclipse 5,000 yards passing, Perriman had his best NFL season, catching 36 passes for 645 yards (17.9) and six touchdowns after bouncing around on three different teams over the past few years.

With Perriman having found his rhythm in the league, Pro Football Focus projects him as a perfect free-agent target for the Philadelphia Eagles.

38. WR BRESHAD PERRIMAN – PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Projected contract: 1 year, $7 million (fully guaranteed)
After leaving Baltimore following the 2017 season, former first-round pick Breshad Perriman finally found some success. He posted a 76.0 receiving grade in 2018 with Cleveland and a 72.3 receiving grade with Tampa Bay in 2019. Over that stretch, he dropped just one of his 90 targets — something we all know the Eagles’ receiving unit had troubles with last season. The free agency market at receiver is top-heavy, but Philadelphia — which owned the worst wide receiver unit grade of 2019 — would get great value in Perriman.

A more affordable option in free agency, the (6-2, 215) Perriman is a home run threat and was drafted by the Ravens in 2016 when current Eagles VP of player personnel Andy Weidl was a regional scout with Baltimore.

Potential Eagles draft target Laviska Shenault won’t need surgery for groin injury

Laviska Shenault won’t need surgery on a nagging injury

The Philadelphia Eagles have a need for a dynamic playmaker and one of the NFL Draft’s most athletic stars avoided surgery on a groin injury.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Colorado’s Laviska Shenault, one of the top wide receivers in the upcoming NFL draft, has been diagnosed with osteitis pubis — inflammation of the pubic bone — but won’t require surgery.

According to Schefter, Shenault suffered a similar core muscle to the Eagles DeSean Jackson, and league officials were nervous that it was a reoccurring injury.

Shenault has been rising up draft boards and is presumed to be a first-round pick in the latest mock drafts by ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay.

9 Eagles among the top 200 fantasy players heading into the 2020 season

9 Philadelphia Eagles are among the top 200 fantasy players of 2020

The 2019 season saw several young Eagles players emerge on the offensive side of the ball and they project positively towards providing more playmakers for the 2020 season.

In a list of the Top 200 NFL Fantasy Players for 2020 compiled by Michael Fabiano of the NFL Network, the Philadelphia Eagles had nine offensive players named, with Miles Sanders headlining that group at No. 26.

Here’s a breakdown of the nine players cited by Fabiano.

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Dec 22, 2019; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders (26) runs for a touchdown past Dallas Cowboys cornerback Anthony Brown (30) during the third quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

22. Miles Sanders

At the end of November, Sanders led ALL NFL rookies with 709 all-purpose yards and became the first NFL running back since Adrian Peterson, to amass 500+ scrimmage yards and 250+ return yards in his first 8 career games.

When November ended, Sanders was the only NFL rookie this season, to amass 200+ rush yards and 200+ rec. yards as well.

Sanders finished his rookie season with 179 rushes for 818 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns. Sanders was equally dangerous as a wide receiver, posting 50 catches for 509 yards and 3 touchdowns.

He’ll look to improve on those numbers in his second season.

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Pro Football Focus names the Eagles three biggest offseason needs

The Eagles have several big needs but a field-stretching wide receiver is the teams biggest needs

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2020 offseason looking to make major changes on both sides of the ball, with the goal being to get younger and more athletic quickly.

The Eagles are likely to address their needs via the early stages of free agency and with their 10 likely picks in the NFL Draft. With Carson Wentz needing weapons and more help, Pro Football Focus named the biggest offseason needs for all 32 teams.

For the Eagles, the needs were obvious and straight to the point.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: A FIELD-STRETCHING WIDE RECEIVER

Secondary needs: cornerbacks, safety

The existence of a deep passing game disappeared after DeSean Jackson injured his abdominal muscle twice in 2019, relegating the Eagles offense to a plodding attack at times. Even with Jackson returning, it’ll be imperative for the Eagles to target two or three dynamic playmakers, via the draft.

On the defense, the Eagles have a solid core with their front seven, but Howie Roseman and company will attempt a massive overhaul in the secondary, after the cornerback’s severe struggles over the past two seasons.

Eagles could be one of the NFL’s healthiest teams in 2020 after two key additions

Eagles add Tom Hunkele, Ted Rath to the football operations department

On Thursday, the Philadelphia Eagles officially announced multiple changes to the 2020 coaching staff and on Friday, the front office and training staff received an overhaul as well.

Two of the additions made by Howie Roseman, Tom Hunkele, and Ted Rath, could ensure that the Eagles avoid being ravaged by injuries in the coming seasons.

On Friday, the Eagles hired Tom Hunkele as director of sports medicine and Ted Roth as director of sports performance.

Hunkele has spent the last decade and a half with the Minnesota Vikings and has ties to the area as a Reading native. Hunkele has been honored for his training and rehabilitation methods, while also being lauded for his proactive approach to treatment.

Rath joined the Rams after eight seasons as a Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions assistant.

Rath and Jim Schwartz have a prior relationship and his recent stint with the Rams resulted in LA having one of the healthiest teams in the NFL.

Rath is to like utilizing analytics, wellness checks and recovery plans to keep players healthy while using a digital questionnaire — similar to a short quiz — to stay updated on his player’s health.

With injuries playing a major part in Philadelphia’s struggle to reach the playoffs, these two changes to the personnel and training staff could pay huge dividends going forward.

Eagles to hire Aaron Moorehead as wide receivers coach

Eagles to hire Aaron Moorehead as wide receivers coach

The Philadelphia Eagles are starting to add the final pieces to their coaching staff. On Wednesday, the Eagles promoted Press Taylor to the passing game coordinator.

Now according to Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice, the Eagles and Doug Pederson will name former NFL player, Aaron Moorehead wide receivers coach.

Moorehead was the wide receivers coach for Vanderbilt and has had previously coached the wide receivers at Texas A&M and Virginia Tech.

The former NFL wideout went undrafted in 2003 out of Illinois but had a solid career for the Indianapolis Colts, amassing 85 catches for 1,293 yards and nine touchdowns in five seasons with Peyton Manning.

Moorehead will now be tasked with getting the most out of JJ Arcega-Whiteside after a rookie season that saw him only amass 10 total catches in 16 games.