Sports blog information from USA TODAY.
15 takeaways from the Eagles joint practices with the Patriots
The Eagles hosted the Patriots on Tuesday morning for the second of two joint practices before both teams meet on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field.
After two days of sessions and intense competition, we’ve come away with 15 takeaways and observations.
Former Broncos WR Eddie Royal joined a Colorado radio show to speak on Denver’s first-round draft pick Jerry Jeudy, and predict his season.
Former Denver Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal was recently a guest on a local sports radio station in Colorado, 104.3 ‘The Fan,’ where he spoke about his former team’s addition of former Alabama star receiver Jerry Jeudy.
Royal played on three different NFL teams, the Broncos, Bears and Chargers. His most notable season was his rookie season with the Broncos in 2008, where he had 91 receptions for 980 yards and five touchdowns – his receiving yards and touchdowns were team records for rookies.
“Look at what [Jeudy and Hamler] did in college, Jeudy got a lot of attention from what he did playing at Alabama, being a guy that can run every route, play inside and outside,” Royal says. “I mean, his route running ability, as we’ve seen on Twitter and Instagram, it’s just through the roof. I’m still shocked that he was there for the Broncos to take, so he’s one of the steals of the draft.”
Royal also had high praise for Jeudy’s abilities and how far it will take him in the NFL.
“For me, I think he’s going to be a Pro Bowl guys early in his career,” says Royal. “So, I think that he’s going to be great, right off the bat.”
The former Broncos star also believes that Jeudy, the 2018 Biletnikoff award winner, can break his own record, depending on the number of targets.
“It’s just about how many targets he’s going to get,” says Royal. “You got a lot of weapons on that offense, so, how many targets is he going to get? That’s going to determine if he’ll break the record or not.”
Roll Tide Wire will keep you updated on Jeudy’s rookie season in the NFL with the Denver Broncos!
Eddie Royal says the Broncos’ new offense is going to be “crazy,” as in crazy good.
Denver Broncos general manager John Elway has done an excellent job building a young, exciting offense.
Elway drafted quarterback Drew Lock, offensive lineman Dalton Risner and tight end Noah Fant last year. The year before that, he drafted wide receiver Courtland Sutton, who made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 2019.
This offseason, Elway signed Melvin Gordon during free agency, adding a second Pro Bowl running back to complement Phillip Lindsay.
Then, on Thursday evening, Elway drafted Alabama wide receiver Jerry Jeudy, adding another explosive playmaker to Denver’s offense.
Broncos fans were thrilled with the pick and former wide receiver Eddie Royal chimed in on Twitter:
The Broncos offense about to be crazy!!!
— Eddie Royal (@EddieRoyalWR) April 24, 2020
Royal is clearly impressed with the offense Elway is putting together.
I need season tickets to the @Broncos I can’t wait to see this group out on the field
— Eddie Royal (@EddieRoyalWR) April 24, 2020
Royal was drafted by the Broncos in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He was an explosive returner and dynamic receiver in Denver from 2008-2011, totaling 1,829 all-purpose yards and five touchdowns as a rookie.
Royal last played in the NFL in 2016 with the Chicago Bears.
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Bears GM Ryan Pace has had major hits and huge misses in free agency. But how does each of his FA classes stack up against one another?
There’s no doubt that NFL free agency is one of the most exciting time of the year for football fans. It’s the first major opportunity for teams to find new talent, shuffle their roster, and make the necessary changes to contend for a playoff spot in the season to come.
However, while a free agency class can take a team to the next level, another can cripple them financially and pull them down to the bottom of the division. When it comes to the Chicago Bears and general manager Ryan Pace, they’ve experienced both situations.
Pace, now in his sixth season leading the Bears, has had major hits and huge misses in free agency. But how does each of his free agent classes stack up against one another? Below is a ranking from Pace’s worst to best free agent groups between 2015 and 2019.
What a group, huh? When free agency officially opened, Pace inked Glennon, Demps and Sims to three-year deals right off the bat, possibly becoming one of the worst “big three” ever assembled in sports. Glennon, signed from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, was given the opportunity to start but only lasted four games before rookie quarterback and first-round selection Mitchell Trubisky took the reins.
Demps, meanwhile, truly only had one memorable play as a Bear which took place in week one when Atlanta Falcons tight end Austin Hooper stiff-armed the veteran to the ground on his way to an 88-yard score. Demps went on injured reserve just two weeks later. Both only lasted one season in Chicago.
Sims at least made it through two seasons, but was lackluster at best. Other signings such as receiver Markus Wheaton, who caught three more passes than I did for the Bears and cornerback Marcus Cooper, who’s most memorable moment in Chicago was showboating after an interception, turning a pick-six into a pick-three.
The only true standout from the class was cornerback Prince Amukamara, who was a consolation prize for the Bears after other corners such as A.J. Bouye and Stephon Gillmore spurned them for other teams. Amukamara became a solid starter for an eventual playoff team and turned his tryout into a bigger contract. But overall, this class was a colossal failure for Pace.
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