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05	September 2019

It�s been too long since I�ve done one of these.

Mailbag Q&A."Welcome back to the Bleeding Green Nation mailbag! I recently put out a call for some Philadelphia Eagles questions with the intent of answering them on the latest BGN Radio podcast but I�ll be answering them here instead. Let�s get started.@_CaseyYoung asks: Which draft pick from the Howie Roseman/Doug Pederson regime makes the biggest jump this year? Who does it NEED to be to maximize success? 2016 to present. Carson Wentz doesn�t count.@Randyljobst asks: Which Eagle Randall Cunningham Jerseys 2019 , outside of Carson, has the most pressure on them this season?I�m combining these questions because I think there�s one obvious answer to all of them: Derek Barnett.There�s a lot of pressure on the No. 14 overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft to step up as he enters the third season of his career. Think back to how crucial a strong pass rush has been to the Eagles� success. Long pressured Case Keenum into throwing a pick-six that sparked Philadelphia�s 2018 NFC Championship Game blowout victory. Brandon Graham strip-sacked Tom Brady to essentially clinch the team�s first Super Bowl win. That pass rushing unit wasn�t just merely good; it was elite. The 2017 Eagles ranked first overall in total pressure generated. The 2018 Eagles finished second.But now Michael Bennett is gone. And it�s sounding like Chris Long won�t be back, either. Those are hardly small losses. Bennett ranked 21st out of 109 edge defenders in pressure rate last year and Long ranked 35th. Both players finished top six in quarterback hits. It�s up to Barnett to pick up some of that slack. As BGN�s Benjamin Solak would tell you, there�s reason to wonder if Barnett can be a big difference maker for Philadelphia. Barnett only ranked 46th in PFF�s pressure rate as a rookie before actually dropping to 51st in 2018. He doesn�t have the most athletic profile for an edge rusher.There�s also reason for optimism. Barnett was extremely productive in college and he only turns 23 in June; that�s younger than a number of 2019 NFL Draft prospects. His body should be stronger after physically maturing and spending two full offseasons in an NFL training program. Barnett, a maximum effort player, showed progress in Year 2 despite playing through a shoulder injury that ultimately ended his season early.Whether you�re a Barnett believer or not, the bottom line is that the Eagles really need him to produce. A strong pass rush is vital to their defensive success. If Barnett can�t deliver, it�s not like the Eagles can simply rely on the guys (Vinny Curry, Josh Sweat, Daeshon Hall, Joe Ostman, Shareef Miller) behind him and Graham to play huge roles. I�m optimistic about Barnett�s development heading into 2019.@kapler_gabe: Which of the cornerbacks do you think is most likely to go if a trade happens?I don�t think the Eagles will be rushing to trade one of their corners. Look at all the injuries they sustained at that position during the season last year. To answer your question, though ... I think it�d have to be Rasul Douglas or Cre�Von LeBlanc.It�s not Jalen Mills or Ronald Darby. Both of those players are still recovering from 2018 injuries. They�re also both set to be free agents after 2019. It�s not like they have a ton of trade value. I can�t see the Eagles wanting to trade them anyway. The coaching staff loves Mills and they made a significant effort to re-sign Darby.Selling low on Sidney Jones wouldn�t make a ton of sense. His value can�t be very high after only playing in 28% of possible games since being drafted. The Eagles� regime seemingly still has some hope for him.Avonte Maddox obviously isn�t getting traded. Josh Hawkins has no trade value.And so that leaves Douglas and LeBlanc. Douglas has played well enough in relief duty where he might have some trade value. He also has two years left on his rookie deal. I�d much rather the Eagles hold on to him; I think he could earn a starting job this season. At the very least he�s nice depth to have with Mills and Darby coming off injury. The basis for a Douglas trade is some kind of numbers crunch at the position and/or the Eagles feeling like he�s more of a backup than a long-term starter. Again, I�d rather just keep him.I�d also like the Eagles to keep LeBlanc. I mean, how can you not love Strap? If some team gets desperate for a nickel corner in August when their �starter� at that spot goes down for the season, though, maybe they come calling for LeBlanc. He has a very inexpensive salary for 2019.@E_Creator asks: Between taking running back at No. 2 and Daniel Jones at No. 6, what has been Dave Gettleman�s most impressive move?It has to be drafting Jones. I mean, just look at this guy!@KCraigLTMR asks: Hear anything on Darren Sproles? Is Nico Evans the sleeper for the 4th RB spot? Will Dallas Goedert actually get involved this year?Nothing new on Sproles. I think he�d like to play. I think Doug Pederson would like to have him on the team. I don�t think the front office is so keen on re-signing him. Evans is more of a practice squad guy, if anything. I think Wendell Smallwood wins the fourth running back spot over Josh Adams and Boston Scott, though. The year will be 2049 and he�ll still be the fourth running back. Goedert certainly SHOULD be more involved in 2019. Doug Pederson has said the coaching staff is using the offseason to gear up for more 12 personnel packages. I sure hope that�s not lip service and he actually really means it. @gotthatfiiire asks: Why would we tell Chris Long he wouldn�t have his role from last year? Are we really that confident about Josh Sweat, Vinny Curry and Shareef Miller at rotational pieces?The Eagles told Long he wouldn�t have his role from last year because his playing time benefited from Barnett being hurt. Can�t just count on that to happen again.@ElevenTheGoat asks: Will Donnie Pumps make the Pro Bowl?Donnel Pumphrey won�t even make the team, so I�ll have to say ... no. @Pdudley243 asks: Mustard or ketchup?Unpopular opinion alert: neither, mayo. Ketchup is too sweet. Mustard is too strong. Mayo gets a lot of hate, which is dumb. @NottsJuventino asks: If an orange is orange, why isn�t a lime called a green?A question that interests me more: �What is the color of a tennis ball?�@JohnWalsh_ asks: What is the meaning of life?42@BenjaminSolak asks: Who do you think you are? What gives you the right?I agree, Ben. The Office is the best show of all time.Do you think the Eagles are better or worse than they were last year? What does the current Philadelphia Eagles opening day roster look like compared to last year�s version? Have the reigning Super Bowl champions improved, stayed the same, or gotten worse? Read on for a position-by-position breakdown.QUARTERBACK2018: Carson Wentz, Nick Foles, Nate Sudfeld2017: Carson Wentz, Nick FolesKind of a tricky one here since we don�t officially know when Wentz will be back. And even when he does return, will he be 100%? Will he regress a little from last year? I�m not down on Wentz by any means. He could take a little step back and still have a great season. There�s just some uncertainty here. The same uncertainty applies to Foles being a real high variance quarterback. I will say that the Eagles� depth improved now that Sudfeld has had a year in the scheme. You have to feel better about him backing up Foles than you did at this point last year. Overall, though, I think I have to say they�re worse here. Again, that doesn�t mean I think they won�t be fine here. It�s just that they were SO good at this spot in 2017 that I think they�re naturally bound to see some kind of drop off. Verdict: WORSE.RUNNING BACK2018: Jay Ajayi, Darren Sproles, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood2017: LeGarrette Blount Black Ron Jaworski Jerseys , Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, Corey Clement, Donnel PumphreyRemember when the Eagles kept FIVE running backs on their original 53-man last year? Fun times. I think the Eagles are in much better shape now with Ajayi, Sproles, and Clement as their main three. And that�s no disrespect to LG, whom I�ll always have lots of love for. But Ajayi could be really good; he averaged 5.8 yards per carry in the regular season last year. Sproles still looks like Sproles. Clement improved so much from Week 1 to the Super Bowl last year. He�s poised to be even better in Year 2. You could do worse than having Smallwood as a fourth guy, I suppose.Verdict: BETTER.WIDE RECEIVER2018: Alshon Jeffery, Mike Wallace, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson, DeAndre Carter, Markus Wheaton2017: Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Marcus Johnson, Shelton GibsonAnother tricky one because Jeffery will likely miss at least two games. Hollins is also out for Week 1. I do think Wallace is a definite upgrade on Smith. I also think Agholor could be even better than he was last year since he�s had an awesome offseason. He could very well lead this team in receiving. Gibson had a strong preseason; he definitely took a step forward. I feel good about Carter and Wheaton as depth players. I will say this group is better than last year�s once they get back to full force. Keep in mind the injury Jeffery is still recovering from is the one he had to play through all last year. Maybe he can be more effective once he moves beyond that.Verdict: BETTER.TIGHT END2018: Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Joshua Perkins2017: Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Trey BurtonErtz has had a strong offseason and I feel confident the 27-year-old will give the Eagles good production yet again. Rookie tight ends notoriously take time to develop but Goedert might be able to buck that trend because he looks pretty unstoppable at times. At the least, I think he�s an upgrade on Celek. Richard Rodgers would�ve been the tight end here if he didn�t get hurt. Instead, it�s Perkins, who is definitely a downgrade from Burton. I think Goedert > Celek and Perkins < Burton cancels out to make this group the same as last year.Verdict: SAME.OFFENSIVE LINE2018: Jason Peters, Stefen Wisniewski, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Isaac Seumalo, Chance Warmack, Matt Pryor, Jordan Mailata2017: Jason Peters, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson Ron Jaworski Jerseys 2019 , Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Stefen Wisniewski, Chance WarmackThe Eagles arguably had the best offensive line in the NFL last year and they�re one of just a handful of teams returning all five starters. I�d say that�s a pretty good situation. Although Big V certainly isn�t without his struggles, he did play well enough that the Eagles were still able to win a Super Bowl with him starting at left tackle. Seumalo might be improved from last year. Overall, I don�t think there�s enough improvement to say that the entire group is better, but that�s fine, because there wasn�t much room for them to go up anyway. Verdict: SAME.DEFENSIVE END2018: Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Michael Bennett, Chris Long, Josh Sweat2017: Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Derek Barnett, Chris Long, Steven MeansGone is Curry and in is Bennett. It can be easy to underrated Bennett�s ability since he won�t even necessarily be �starting� for this squad. Making him a rotational player could be a wise move since he�ll be required to play fewer snaps. Graham is coming off offseason surgery but he should be motivated as ever as he enters a contract year. Barnett could take a step forward. Long figures to be a really good player. Sweat likely won�t play much, if at all, in 2018 but he has potential. Overall, this group looks better to me, and Bennett has a lot to do with that.Verdict: BETTER.DEFENSIVE TACKLE2018: Fletcher Cox, Haloti Ngata, Destiny Vaeao, Bruce Hector, [Timmy Jernigan on NFI]2017: Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Beau Allen, Destiny Vaeao, Elijah QuallsAfter winning the Super Bowl, Cox said his next goal is to win Defensive Player of the Year. Given the way he looked unstoppable in the preseason, I don�t think he was joking around. He might be in for a career season. The defensive tackles outside of Cox are not so inspiring. I think Ngata can be solid but it�d be much more ideal if he was a No. 3 guy in Beau Allen�s old role as opposed to having to start. Missing Jernigan for at least six weeks (and maybe even the entire season?) hurts this group. Vaeao doesn�t do a ton for much and Hector is an undrafted rookie free agent. It�s easy to say the Eagles got worse here.Verdict: WORSE.LINEBACKER2018: Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham (suspended Week 1), Kamu Grugier-Hill, Nathan Gerry, LaRoy Reynolds2017: Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham, Mychal Kendricks, Najee Goode, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Joe WalkerHaving Hicks big is pretty significant. I feel like people might be sleeping on his presence. Yes, he gets hurt a lot Black Jay Ajayi Jerseys , but he�s damn good when healthy. Thankfully Bradham will only have to miss one game, but it�s still a factor here. It�s hard to say for sure we know Grugier-Hill and Gerry will be better than Kendricks, who turned in a good effort in 2017. I think I�ll have to say the Eagles are worse off with Kendricks gone and Bradham missing a game. I don�t think it�s dramatically worse but I can�t say �better� and �same� just doesn�t seem accurate.Verdict: WORSE.CORNERBACK2018: Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Sidney Jones, Rasul Douglas, Avonte Maddox2017: Ronald Darby, Jalen Mills, Patrick Robinson, Dexter McDougle, Rasul Douglas, [Sidney Jones on NFI]Darby and Mills both had fantastic offseasons. They were among the top performers frompractices and preseason games. I feel good about both of them potentially being better than last year. Darby will be especially motivated since he�s in a contract year. I think having him for a full year in the system (as opposed to last year) also really helps. The area where the Eagles likely got worse is at slot corner. That�s not even a knock on Jones; it�s just that Robinson was SO GOOD as the nickel in 2017. Jones is talented, without a doubt, but he could go through some growing pains. I like Maddox as depth player more than McDougle and I think Douglas, while he has his ups and downs, has made some progress since being a rookie. Overall, this is an improved group.Verdict: BETTER.SAFETY2018: Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham, Tre Sullivan, Deiondre� Hall (one game suspension), [Chris Maragos on PUP]2017: Malcolm Jenkins, Rodney McLeod, Corey Graham, Chris Maragos, Jaylen WatkinsNot a lot of change here. The top three guys are really the only ones who will play (barring injury). I think it�s fair to say this group is the same as last year. Verdict: SAME.SPECIALISTS2018: Jake Elliott, Cameron Johnston, Rick Lovato2017: Caleb Sturgis, Donnie Jones, Rick LovatoI�d say this group has the potential to be worse with the punter change. Jones was the best punter in franchise history, statistically speaking at least. I�ll give Johnston the benefit of the doubt since I thought he showed up in preseason games. He�ll need to maintain that consistency to keep his job safe each week. I don�t think he has an incredibly long leash when it comes to making mistakes. Verdict: SAME.OVERALLOut of 11 positions listed here, I think four are better, three are worse, and four are the same. Last year at this time I thought eight were better and three were the same. But the Eagles were also coming off a 7-9 season and not a Super Bowl win. There was a lot more room for improvement back then.Overall, I still feel pretty good about this Eagles team. You have to consider that there are many ways in which they�re in better shape than a lot of teams out there. The Vince Lombardi trophy is a nifty reminder of that very fact.