Tag: Nate Gerry

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson test positive for Covid-19

Pederson shared the news with his players on Sunday night in an unplanned meeting after he was informed of his second positive test.

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has reportedly tested positive for the coronavirus per Tim McManus of ESPN.com.

According to McManus, another Eagles staffer was sent home as well as a precautionary measure, and the Eagles head coach now joins New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, as the only two head coaches to test positive for the virus.

Pederson shared the news with his players on Sunday night in an unplanned meeting after he was informed of his second positive test.

Pederson joins right tackle Lane Johnson as the only two Eagles to test positive thus far.

Pederson must now have two negative tests over a 72-hour time frame before he can be allowed back into team facilities, after which they will be tested daily for at least two weeks.

Former Eagles LB Nigel Bradham signs 1-year deal with the New Orleans Saints

Nigel Bradham signs 1-year deal with the Saints

Nigel Bradham will have the chance to show the Philadelphia Eagles that they made a huge mistake after the middle linebacker signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints.

The Eagles declined Bradham’s $10 million option on the 31-year-old linebacker after deciding to retool and add youth to the roster.

Bradham’s production had dropped over the past few seasons, but he still led the team in tackles since signing with the Eagles after leaving Buffalo as a free agent.

Philadelphia Eagles 53-man roster projection ahead of 2020 training camp

Eagles 53-man roster projection ahead of 2020 training camp

GM Howie Roseman stayed true to his retooling effort, forgoing big named free agents at specific positions to add youth and speed to the roster.

In the NFL draft, Roseman made waves by selecting a quarterback in the second round and then securing Carson Wentz some speed via trade (Marquise Goodwin) and three solid draft picks in Jalen Reagor, John Hightower, and Quez Watkins.

With the training camp here and set to start here’s a look at the Eagles projected 53-man roster.

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QB – 3 — Carson Wentz, Jalen Hurts, Nate Sudfeld

Sudfeld is the unquestioned backup, but the Eagles have made it clear that Hurts will be involved from the beginning, meaning he’ll likely make the roster every week, especially with it expanding two more players.

A huge battle to watch will be Sudfeld and Hurts, with the rookie possibly ascending early on or struggling to learn the ropes as an NFL passer. Either way, Hurts is apart of the Eagles’ future and apart of the present.

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EAST HARTFORD, CT – SEPTEMBER 29: Michael Warren II #3 of the Cincinnati Bearcats carries the ball during the first half against the Connecticut Huskies at Rentschler Field on September 29, 2018 in East Hartford, Connecticut. (Photo by Tim Bradbury/Getty Images)

RB – 4 — Boston Scott, Corey Clement, Miles Sanders, Michael Warren

The Eagles appeared prepared to enter the 2020 NFL season with three holdovers from last season and Elijah Holyfield was the third name. After bringing Corey Clement back in free agency and signing undrafted free agent Michael Warren, this group will look different. Sanders will be a year stronger, while the Eagles brass loves Boston Scott and what he brings.  Look for the undrafted rookie Michael Warren, to snag the role of goalline and short-yardage back if it isn’t Jalen Hurts there as well.

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Eagles’ linebackers land near the bottom in a PFF ranking of all 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season

Philadelphia Eagles are No. 27 in a PFF ranking of all 32 units entering the 2020 NFL season

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The Philadelphia Eagles have received scathing criticism from analysts and pundits for years over not properly addressing the linebacker position.

The Eagles let Nigel Bradham walk in free agency and have optimism in the position after drafting Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley, while also signing Jatavis Brown via free agency.

With all the criticism the Eagles receive for the play of their linebackers, the unit in Philadelphia isn’t the worst in the league according to this ranking from Pro Football Focus.

The Birds landed a low ranking in the bottom-five of the NFL, but they aren’t the worst, landing at No. 27 on the list.

27. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
There’s a new look to the Eagles’ linebacking unit as they added speed this offseason and will have a few new faces competing for playing time.

Nathan Gerry returns after playing 669 snaps last season — including the playoffs — and posting a career-high 62.2 overall grade. Gerry hasn’t been as effective in coverage as you’d expect to see from a college safety, and tackling has also been an issue given that he’s missed 17.8% of his attempts, ninth-worst in the league.

T.J. Edwards is the name to watch in this group as the former undrafted free agent has played well when called upon — he earned a 77.6 overall grade in the preseason and an 83.4 overall mark on 122 regular-season and postseason snaps. Edwards is below average athletically, and there may be some coverage limitations, but he’s been a productive player since his freshman year at Wisconsin.

Duke Riley carved out a niche on special teams and that’ll likely keep him on the roster, while Brown has speed and athleticism but has seen his play dip since 2016 rookie season, his best as a pro.

The two wildcards in the new hybrid style Eagles defense is Davion Taylor (third-round) and Shaun Bradley (sixth-round).

Taylor is still learning the game, but he’ll enter training camp as one of the Eagles fastest players (4.39 speed) and could transition into Philadelphia’s version of Deion Jones for Atlanta.

Bradley excelled at Temple in the open field and could become an option on third down when his coverages skills are most needed against opposing linebackers.

The Rams were last on the list at No. 32, followed by Cleveland (31), Cincinnati (30), Miami (29), and Green Bay (28) rounding out the bottom-five. Bobby Wagner and the Seattle Seahawks had the top linebacking corps on the list, followed by the Dallas Cowboys (2), Tampa Bay (3), Houston (4) and Indianapolis are your top-five.

The Eagles could easily move up this list as the season progresses.

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Moving on from Nigel Bradham deemed the Eagles riskiest offseason move

Nigel Bradham’s departure deemed the Eagles riskiest offseason move

In a cost-cutting move that would allow younger players to take his place, the Philadelphia Eagles allowed linebacker Nigel Bradham to walk in free agency despite having no one on the roster with his in-game experience.

Bradham started 58 games for the Eagles over the last four years and now after the Eagles allowed him to test free agency, Bleacher Report deemed moving on from the linebacker as the Birds riskiest offseason move.

The Eagles return the athletic and talented Nathan Gerry and have high hopes for 2019 undrafted free agent T.J. Edwards. Jatavis Brown was signed in free agency as well, but none of those players combined have Bradham’s in-game experience.

It’ll be interesting to see how the competition plays out and rookie Davion Taylor could be a name to watch as well.

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T.J. Edwards named a surprise starter who could emerge for the Eagles in 2020

T.J. Edwards named a surprise starter who could emerge for the Eagles this season

The Philadelphia Eagles linebacker corps is either extremely underrated or a serious problem for a talented defense based on which analysts or NFL expert you choose to listen to.

The Eagles got extremely faster and athletic at the position after they signed Jatavis Brown in free agency and then drafted Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley.

Even with the new moving parts, one name continues to emerge as a breakout candidate and that’s second-year linebacker T.J. Edwards who made the Eagles roster last season as an undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin.

Bleacher Report recently highlighted a surprise starter who could emerge in 2020 and Edwards was named the Eagles candidate.

Philadelphia Eagles: LB T.J. Edwards

The Philadelphia Eagles’ linebacker corps is concerning. A projected starting group of Nathan Gerry, Jatavis Brown, and possibly Alex Singleton doesn’t inspire much hope.

The younger options on the roster present some upside, though. The Eagles may be better off moving forward with T.J. Edwards, Duke Riley, and this year’s third-round pick, Davion Taylor.

Of the previously mentioned linebackers, Brown has the most starting experience. The 2016 fifth-round pick has also battled injuries throughout his four-year career. As such, Edwards could easily find himself running the Eagles defense as its “Mike” linebacker.

“He’s the kind of player that nobody in our scouting department gets excited about because he’s not fast or splashy, but he knows how to play,” an NFC linebackers coach told NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein before the 2019 NFL draft.

With the Eagles sometimes utilizing five or six defensive backs, Edwards’s savvy ability to sniff out the run and make stops at the point of attack could give him the upper hand in a position battle that will highlight the early portion of training camp.

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Eagles LB T.J. Edwards set to have a huge 2020 season

T.J. Edwards named the Philadelphia Eagles most underappreciated player

The Philadelphia Eagles catch a lot of flak for not placing a priority on the linebacker position but Howie Roseman’s latest undrafted free agent find could become a future Pro Bowler.

Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards is quickly building a name for himself in NFL circles and the former undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin is set to make the Eagles GM look like a genius.

NFL.com’s Cynthia Frelund broke down some of the most underappreciated players in the NFC and Edwards was the player she selected for the Eagles despite T.J. only playing 110 snaps as an undrafted free agent rookie in 2019.

This undrafted free-agent rookie signing last season paid huge returns for the Eagles’ defense in the form of the highest tackle rate among linebackers with a minimum of 100 snaps in the NFL (20 percent, or 22 tackles on 110 defensive snaps) and the second-best run defense grade among linebackers in the NFL per PFF’s grading system (90.3). A fun note here: His salary ranks 297 among 350 linebackers, per Over The Cap — but that will not be the case in his next contract, should he continue this level of production.

Pro Football Focus recently named Edwards as a potential second-year breakout candidate and the productive linebacker seems to have found a home in Jim Schwartz’s complicated defense.

Edwards will likely assume middle linebacker duties, while Nate Gerry, Shaun Bradley,, and Davion Taylor allow the Eagles to be even more versatile at linebacker.

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Eagles linebacker T.J. Edwards named a 2nd-year breakout candidate for the 2020 NFL season

Eagles LB T.J. Edwards named a 2nd-year breakout candidate for the 2020 NFL season

The Philadelphia Eagles added speed and depth to the linebacker position during the 2020 NFL Draft but their most important player could be an undrafted free signee from the 2019 class.

T.J. Edwards is an emerging presence on the Eagles roster and a thumper who’s sure to have a role in Jim Schwartz’s versatile and aggressive defense.

Edwards was a special teams dynamo for the Eagles in 2019, but Pro Football Focus is banking on Edwards taking the next step and having a breakout season in 2020 as the team’s middle linebacker.

Arguably the least proven player on the list, T.J. Edwards nevertheless earned an 86.6 overall PFF grade as a rookie, which would rank him among the best linebackers in the game if he played more than just 112 total snaps. Why this is interesting, though, is that he had back-to-back seasons with a grade above 90.0 in his final two seasons at Wisconsin before going undrafted due to mediocre measurables and athletic profile. His NFL preseason grade was also consistently good, meaning Edwards has been an exceptionally productive linebacker at every level we have seen. He also excelled in coverage — unusual for a player with athletic limitations. He has a real shot to start for the Eagles this season and could be one of the surprise breakout players in 2020.

Edwards will compete with Nate Gerry, Davion Taylor, Alex Singleton, Jatavis Brown, and Duke Riley.

Philadelphia Eagles’ projected depth chart post 2020 NFL Draft

Philadelphia Eagles’ way-early projected depth chart after the 2020 NFL Draft

As the Philadelphia Eagles continue their retool, the overall roster and depth chart is starting to take some shape as it’s unlikely they’ll add too many more free agents unless a big name or value becomes available.

We projected the 53-55 man roster a little earlier, and now we’ll a depth chart for the Eagles heading into the virtual offseason workouts.

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Jul 26, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nate Sudfeld (7) runs drills during training camp at Novacare Complex. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

QB: Carson Wentz (Starter) — Nate Sudfeld — Kyle Lauletta

Went is entering his fifth year in the NFL and after getting over some humps in 2019, this will likely be his best year as a pro.

Hurts and Sudfeld will likely be active on gameday with the Eagles rookie having about 9-15 plays a game in a special package, including goal lines and short-yardage situations.

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Eagles select LB Davion Taylor with No. 103 overall pick in 2020 NFL Draft

Eagles select linebacker Davion Taylor out of Colorado

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The Philadelphia Eagles finally addressed the defensive side of the ball in the NFL, selecting Colorado linebacker Davion Taylor with pick No. 103 in the third round of the NFL Draft.

The Eagles have had constant contact with the undersized linebacker throughout the NFL Draft process, starting at the Senior Bowl.

The Eagles were scheduled to host a top-30 predraft visit with Taylor before the Covid-19 crisis stopped all travel.

At Colorado, Taylor was used as a hybrid safety/linebacker and he could be a perfect replacement for Kamu Grugier-Hill.

Taylor was unable to play football in high school due to religious reasons and after some junior college success, he moved onto Colorado in 2018.

With the Buffaloes, Taylor appeared in 24 games, racking up 129 total tackles, 18 tackles for loss, six passes defended, and two sacks.

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