Tag: Nicholas Morrow

15 biggest salary cap hits for the Eagles in 2024 after first wave of NFL free agency

We’re looking at the 15 biggest cap hits for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2024 after the first wave of NFL free agency

Change is always good for the soul, and after losing six of their final seven games, including a wild-card loss to the Buccaneers, Philadelphia has undergone a dramatic reconstruction that could pay off with championship dividends.

Offensive coordinators Brian Johnson (Commanders) and Sean Desai (Rams) have left, replaced by Vic Fangio (DC) and Kellen Moore (OC).

The Eagles have retooled their roster on both sides of the football after inking DE Bryce Huff, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Zach Baun, OL Matt Hennessy, WR DeVante Parker, S/CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Devin White, LB Oren Burks, DT PJ Mustipher, WR Parris Campbell, and CB Tyler Hall to deals during the first wave.

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott. 

Philadelphia currently has about  $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football.

The Eagles also have a Haason Reddick dilemma that’ll be resolved in the next week or more.

The biggest salary cap hits have changed, with Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox counting until they’re officially released on June 1.

With the first wave of free agency completed, we’re taking an updated look at the 15 biggest salary cap hits for the Eagles, according to Over The Cap.

Predicting Eagles’ starting lineups for Week 1 after first wave of free agency

We’re predicting the Philadelphia Eagles starting lineups for Week 1 after the first wave of 2024 NFL Free Agency

The Eagles have retooled their roster on both sides of the football after inking DE Bryce Huff, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Zach Baun, OL Matt Hennessy, WR DeVante Parker, S/CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Devin White, LB Oren Burks, DT PJ Mustipher, WR Parris Campbell, and CB Tyler Hall to deals during the first wave.

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott. 

Philadelphia currently has about  $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football.

The Eagles also have a Haason Reddick dilemma that’ll be resolved in the next week or more.

With the second wave of free agency set to begin, we’re predicting the starting lineup for Week 1 in Brazil.

PFF grades the Bills’ work in free agency

PFF grades the #Bills’ work in free agency:

The Bills have been active in the first wave of NFL free agency, addressing roster needs with players who can be valuable contributors and rotation players in all three phases.

Similarly, letting some players walk in free agency while releasing and trading others has created cap relief and added draft capital while freeing up money to add cost-efficient talent.

Headlined by the additions of WR Curtis Samuel and LB Nicholas Morrow, a mix of new and familiar faces have been signed and re-signed.

While it’s worth noting that additional signings have taken place, including DE Casey Toohill and S Mike Edwards, with more potential moves on the way as the team has reportedly met with S Julian Blackmon and DE Austin Johnson on free agency visits, and still have a number of their own free agents available as well.

Had they been factored in, Toohill, who’s had solid numbers as a depth and rotation player, and Edwards, who has the second most defensive TDs in the NFL since 2021 (5) and two Super Bowl championships with Tampa and Kansas City to his name, may have affected the grade.

Nonetheless, here is the Bills 2024 free agency grade prior to those additions, according to Pro Football Focus…

BUFFALO BILLS

Epenesa has two straight seasons with strong production as a pass rusher, notching pressure rates above 10% and pass-rush grades above 70.0. He’s a big edge who has gotten faster off the ball as he’s developed, and he’ll still be just 25 in Week 1 of 2024, so there could be more improvement ahead.

Jones came out of the gates of the 2023 season on fire as an interior pass rusher, and the continued growth of Ed Oliver has enabled the two to work off each other and weaponize twists and stunts on the interior more effectively. Oliver still has a quick get-off and a bursty second step in his 30s, and Buffalo needed to add more defensive linemen, so why not retain a player you know is a fit as a three- to five-technique?

Buffalo looks ready to move on from the dynamic duo of Jordan Poyer and Micah Hyde, who had an incredible run as the starting safety tandem for years. Rapp is a good box defender, and the Bills structured this deal in a way that they can approach it year to year while also buying out two additional years from Rapp.

PFF FREE AGENCY GRADE: B-

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Where do the Eagles rank in spending at each position after first wave of free agency?

We’re looking at where the Philadelphia Eagles rank in positional spending at each position after the first wave of NFL free agency

The Eagles have retooled their roster on both sides of the football after inking DE Bryce Huff, RB Saquon Barkley, OLB Zach Baun, OL Matt Hennessy, WR DeVante Parker, S/CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson, LB Devin White, LB Oren Burks, DT PJ Mustipher, WR Parris Campbell, and CB Tyler Hall to deals during the first wave.

Philadelphia then traded for quarterback Kenny Pickett while extending Landon Dickerson and Jake Elliott. 

Philadelphia currently has about  $33,657,986 in cap space per Over The Cap, and they’re spending about $100+ million plus on both sides of the football.  The offensive line and edge rusher positions carry the most significant cap space.

Overall positional spending has changed tremendously since Jalen Hurts signed a massive five-year, $255 million contract extension last spring.

This makes him among the four highest-paid players on average in NFL history.

The Eagles will again be a Super Bowl favorite in the NFC and have one of the most talented rosters despite being 17th in average positional spending.

Thanks to Over The Cap, here’s where Philadelphia sits in positional spending on both sides of the ball ahead of the season opener.

Updated status of every Eagles free agent after first wave of free agency

We’re looking at the status of every Philadelphia Eagles free agent after the first wave of NFL free agency signings

The offseason is in full swing, particularly for the Philadelphia Eagles, who have already made several roster and coaching moves this spring. Eagles GM Howie Roseman started free agency with a bang, agreeing to deals with Saquon Barkley (RB) and Bryce Huff (DE) while retaining Josh Sweat and punter Braden Mann. Philadelphia then signed Landon Dickerson to a monster contract extension and C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a three-year deal. The Eagles have been in nonstop action so far, and we’re taking an updated look at the current status of Philadelphia’s initial group of free agents.

2024 NFL Free Agency: Updated list of Eagles players who will hit the open market

We’re taking an updated look at the Philadelphia Eagles players who are testing NFL free agency

The Eagles are set for wholesale changes after finishing the 2023 season 1-6 after a 10-1 start.

The dominos are starting to fall as All-Pro center Jason Kelce and star defensive tackle Fletcher Cox have announced their retirements.

Brandon Graham, who turns 36 in April, is returning for one more final season, his 15th, and he’s one of the few guys on the roster deserving of writing his final script.

With the fans and media awaiting the start of free agency, we’re looking at an updated list of players hitting the open market.

9 pending free agents the Eagles should not re-sign

We’re looking at nine pending 2024 NFL Free Agents the Philadelphia Eagles should not re-sign

The Eagles have undergone wholesale changes. GM Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni shook up the coaching staff following Philadelphia’s historic collapse. The team finished the season 1-6 after a 10-1 start.

The first domino to fall is All-Pro center Jason Kelce, 36, retiring after 13 seasons with the Eagles.

Brandon Graham, who turns 36 in April, is negotiating with the Eagles for one more final season, his 15th, and he’s one of the few guys on the roster deserving of writing his final script.

Fletcher Cox could also retire, while several pending free agents will depart.

With the fans and media awaiting the legal tampering period, we’re looking at nine free agents who shouldn’t return.

A look back at Eagles 2023 NFL free agent class

With 2024 NFL free agency set to begin in less than two weeks, we’re looking back at the Philadelphia Eagles 2023 free agent class

Coming off of their Super Bowl LVII loss to the Chiefs, the Philadelphia Eagles lost several starting players to free agency — C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps, T.J. Edwards, and Kyzir White.

Howie Roseman helped alleviate some of that loss by adding six veterans on one-year deals to help the Eagles return to the postseason in 2023.

Philadelphia started 10-1, before losing six of their final seven games including a wild card loss to the Buccaneers.

One big reason for the collapse was the lack of production from each of those veteran additions.

Kansas City repeated as Super Bowl champions, and with all the attention now focused on 2024 NFL free agency, we’re looking back at the 2023 class.

Cowboys Free Agency Targets: 8 defenders who played for Zimmer, staff

When coaches find new digs, they often bring in former players to help lead in the new system. Here are some fun ideas for the Cowboys to consider as the league year approaches. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Dallas Cowboys have a brand new defensive staff, and with that they will have the opportunity to try and shore up the one issue the unit had in 2023; variance. The Dallas Cowboys had a ton of great performances under Dan Quinn over the last three seasons. Twice the led the NFL in turnovers and two different defensive backs had all-time great NFL seasons under Quinn. Trevon Diggs had the most interceptions in a single season in over 40 years in 2011 and DaRon Bland set the all-time Pick-6 record in 2023. But there were enough performances where the defense didn’t show up, most notably the wild-card loss to the upstart Green Bay Packers, that showed the unit was not all it was cracked up to be.

Now, Mike Zimmer is in charge and while the front office may not rain down on him with draft picks to improve his unit in Year 1, there’s probably a sizable free agent haul awaiting him and his new staff. Often times, coaches like to bring in players who are familiar with their systems and who they know they can trust as bridges to the other veterans they are inheriting.

Zimmer worked for Cincinnati as their DC from 2008 through 2013 and was the head coach of Minnesota from 2014 through 2021. Between his former players and those who suited up for new DL coach Jeff Zgonina (Washington 2020-2023, San Francisco 2017-2018) or run-defense coordinator Paul Guenther (Cincinnati DC 2014-2017, Oakland LB coach 2018-2020) there are a handful of current free agents who might be interested in reunions.

Here are the six names, and where they rank on PFF’s list of top 200 free agents heading into 2024. In addition, there are two players who are currently under contract but could be released before the new league year kicks in who would be under consideration.

Howie Roseman defends Eagles roster building approach, philosophy at LB position

Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman defended the Eagles approach and philosphy to building a roster and utilizing the linebacker position

The Eagles build through the trenches, choosing to stock up on elite pass rushers and defensive tackle talent while avoiding premium resources regarding the linebacker position.

During his end-of-season press conference, Roseman used typical GM jargon to describe his lack of urgency in addressing proper depth at the linebacker position.

“I feel like we’ve had a long history of success here building the team a certain way,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said on Wednesday. “And I think maybe there are some preconceived notions that at the linebacker position, that we don’t care who we play at linebacker. Again, our two Super Bowl teams over the last six years, the linebacker play was good from those guys.”

Roseman hit on undrafted free agent T.J. Edwards and signed Kyzir White to a team-friendly deal last offseason, as both players played critical roles in Philadelphia advancing to the Super Bowl.

Roseman then balked at paying both players, allowing Edwards and White to walk in free agency while putting his eggs in the basket that 2022 third-round pick Nakobe Dean would blossom into a field general and tackling machine in year two.

In addition to Dean, the Eagles signed former Bears linebacker Nicholas Morrow in free agency and then signed former Michigan State linebacker Ben VanSumeren after the draft.

Roseman added Zach Cunningham and Myles Jack during training camp on Aug. 6.

With the NFL offseason starting in March, we’re looking at where the Eagles will turn at the linebacker position.