topic Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!! in Sports

NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 13:55:09 GMT

With the Super Bowl now behind us, the season is over and the offseason begins. The Eagles have a lot of work to do, starting with filling out the offseason roster. Most of the guys now on the practice squad will likely get re-signed. And they'll likely add a few guys from outside the practice squad.

The Eagles have eighteen free agents they need to make decisions on. Zach Baun, Mekhi Becton, Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, and Kenny Gainwell being the bigger names. The Eagles will make offers to most of those guys at a price they feel is reasonable and fits their cap model. The offers will likely be a bit lower than the players could get by leaving in free agency.

Josh Sweat seems likely to eschew the Eagles' offer and test the market. I'm pretty much assuming he's gone. Bryce Huff (largely invisible in 2024 due to injuries) and rookie Jalyx Hunt can fill that void. Zach Baun and Mekhi Becton will be more interesting. Both could get more money elsewhere but both feel at home in Philly for the first time in their careers. I suspect the Eagles would like both of them back but at their price. If the players move on, Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Tyler Steen are ready to take over for them. Kenny Gainwell will likely take an offer elsewhere. Will Shipley is standing by to take over the backup RB role and might be better. Milton Williams could leave, but the Eagles have Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker standing by.

Cornerback Isaiah Rodgers is an interesting guy. He could take over for Darius Slay (not a free agent but could be a cap casualty) if Slay leaves. But the Eagles have Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks, and Cooper DeJean (now the nickel back) standing by if Rodgers leaves in free agency. Darius Slay won't be back on his current deal. I could see them re-work the deal though to make it more cap-friendly. He wants to play just one more year which makes him a bad value for other teams.

The Eagles have the cap space to sign a few of their guys and add a guy or two in free agency. Maybe get a guy in a trade? One of the Eagles scouts talking about this year's draft class said there were no generational talents in the draft like Barkley or Myles Garrett. The fact that he mentioned Myles Garrett unprompted implies the Eagles are looking at possibly getting him. That would be an impressive get.

The Combine starts on the 27th and that's typically when the groundwork for trades takes place. All the teams and their execs are together and players' agents are there also. You can expect a few deals to be done, or at least started then.

The 2024 season is now in the books and it was a great one for Philly. Now is when we start prepping for 2025. Not a lot of holes for the Eagles to fill. They've prepared a deep roster with solid backups ready to take over if need be.

In a perfect world, the Eagles would get Myles Garrett or find a way to move up in the draft to get Abdul Carter or Tyler Warren. Getting Abdul Carter would pretty much require him tearing something important (Achilles, ACL, etc.) between now and the draft. He won't make it out of the top five if he stays healthy. Carter is going to be a great one, but getting to him will be a challenge.

It's going to be an interesting offseason. Will Kellen Moore commit career suicide and take the Saints' job? Who will replace him? Who will he poach from the Eagles' coaching ranks if he leaves?

The NFL season never ends. It just goes through different phases. We're now in the roster-building phase. Get this right and the rest is a lot easier.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

teganslaw — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:43:54 GMT

Congratulations to the Eagles! Barkley was held in check, but the team made up for in other ways.

Deebo Samuel has requested a trade out of SF. He has been injury prone, so the market value might be less than expected. Or maybe not, if some team is willing to take a chance.

Colts C Ryan Kelly would like to stay in Indy but is also willing to test the open market if the opportunity arises. I expect him to eventually leave. Kenny Moore could also be on the move.

I saw that the Titans could be willing to trade their draft position. I don't know if that is accurate or a prediction.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 14:59:15 GMT

You'll probably see a lot of teams looking to move back in the draft this year for future picks. There are two upper-tier guys in Abdul Carter and Travis Hunter. After those two it all becomes something of a mess. There are good players who could become great, but this isn't a very deep draft up top.

People are expecting a better crop next year, so if you can trade out this year, get some extra picks next year, you could end up coming out ahead of the game in the long run.

In most drafts you expect your top two or three picks to be starters. Probably not going to happen for most teams this year. You might get one immediate starter. Maybe.

Once you get past the top ten or so players, everyone more or less could go eleventh or seventieth. The top two QBs would have been the seventh and eighth QBs if they came out last year. It's just not a great draft class.

Not a great free-agent class either. It's not a great year to be looking to rebuild quickly. A lot of teams have a lot of money to spend in free agency, but that will simply drive up the cost of the free agents and not improve their quality.

Trades are looking interesting as some decent players are on the trading block with more likely to come. If you need help now, trades might be the safer option this year.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

Ohio St8 — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 15:39:37 GMT

Hi Gardenman!

Congratulations on the big Eagles' win. They came to play. You could see the "Brotherly Love" among the players & coaches. I hope you have a great time celebrating. They all deserve every cheer!

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

Ladybug724 — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 16:50:12 GMT

Congratulations on your Eagles win @gardenman! I had a feeling they would win but didn't expect the blowout it was.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

PARedbird — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:06:21 GMT

@gardenman - any word yet on Kellen Moore? I was just watching them getting off the plane and now heading over to the NovaCare Complex. They were mentioning the different coaches they saw getting off the plane but nothing on Kellen. I wonder if he stayed behind to talk more with the Saints?

They confirmed the parade will be Friday. I'd totally love to be there! However, I'll just have to be satisfied watching it on TV.

Makes me also wonder if Jason Kelce regrets his retirement to not stay on one more year to get a ring and then retire!

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:18:07 GMT

@PARedbird

No word on Kellen Moore yet. Jeff Lurie seems convinced he's going to the Saints. We'll have to see if anything changes.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

PARedbird — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 22:21:31 GMT

@gardenman - thanks much for that info! I kinda figured nothing happened yet as I'm sure the Philly news would be all over it. I think he's crazy if he leaves, but oh well! Maybe he thinks now that he has a ring with Philly, he's accomplished all he wanted here and wants to try elsewhere.

Funny how the Chief coaches have stuck with Andy. I know Vic Fangio will stay with us, though, so that's good!

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

drizzellla — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:22:01 GMT

@gardenman I was wondering if you saw the "Eagles Landing" at the airport. It was nice that so many people turned out to see the team getting off the plane. AND the team going over to the people who were there to cheer their team.

What a ride this year.

PS - In case anyone is interested -

Two Philadelphia Eagles will appear at the Oxford Valley Mall on Sunday to sign autographs and take pictures as players representing the best team in the National Football League.

Longtime All-Pro Tackle Lane Johnson and Jeramiah Trotter Jr., the son of the legendary linebacker, will appear at Dynasty Sports & Framing on Sunday. A time will be announced shortly.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

teganslaw — Mon, 10 Feb 2025 23:45:56 GMT

According to NFL Insider Jonathan Jones, the Jets and Aaron Rodgers are parting ways. Rodgers will be able to test a new team in March, provided he still wants to play. I don't know which team would want to sign Rodgers after his bad showing in New York.

The Jets seem to go through the QB carousal every few years. (I can't judge, as the Colts are similar with QBs.) Anyway, it's back to the drawing board again for Jets.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 01:24:23 GMT

There's some chatter of Rodgers going to the Steelers. It makes some sense. They have a decent roster (needs a few pieces) and no QB on the roster now. A good coaching staff. I could see Tomlin give it a try.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

Spurt — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:28:07 GMT

Washington re-signed CB Bobby Price.

He appeared in three games for Washington during the 2024 season. He had one tackle while playing 34 special teams snaps.

Price has also seen time with the Cardinals and Lions since entering the league in 2020. He has 28 tackles, three passes defensed and a fumble recovery. He also caught one pass for 17 yards while playing for the Lions in 2021.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 13:34:51 GMT

Still no word from the Saints on their head coaching vacancy. It looks like Kellen Moore is "the guy" but you never know. If Moore does go there, he's got Derek Carr and Spencer Rattler as his top QB options. Rattler is an interesting guy. Three or four years ago there was talk he'd be the first overall pick if he came out in the draft. He stayed at Oklahoma and was the preseason favorite for the Heisman in 2021. then he ended up getting benched for Caleb Williams. Both Rattler and Williams left Oklahoma after 2021 with Williams heading to USC and Rattler going to South Carolina. Williams ended up as the first overall pick and Rattler went in the fifth round.

I don't know how Moore feels about Rattler. He might believe in the kid and think he's got "his guy" as the QB already in place. Rattler's not a horrible QB in his limited playing time. He's a bit undersized though (6'-0" which translates to 5'_10" in the real world.) If Moore believes in Rattler it could make his decision to go to the Saints make more sense.

It looks like another season with lots of QBs getting shuffled around the league. Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and many more lesser names are all in flux as I type this. Sam Darnold is a challenge for teams to evaluate. Was he the good Sam Darnold we saw most of the season or the less good one that popped up in the playoffs?

I think the Eagles would like to keep Zach Baun and Mekhi Becton, but both guys may have priced themselves out of the Eagles' comfort zone. If they stay in Philly it'll be because they were willing to take less money to stay someplace where they're comfortable. Josh Sweat and Milton Williams are also guys they'd like to keep, but probably can't afford to get into a bidding war for them.

Howie does a good job of keeping spare parts in place should he lose one or more guys. He's got Jeremiah Trotter Jr waiting should Baun leave. He's got Tyler Steen and Trevor Keegan waiting should Becton leave. Moro Ojomo and Thomas Booker are there to replace Milton Williams. Bryce Huff and Jalyx Hunt are there to fill in for Josh Sweat. Huff injured his wrist/thumb early on and never played up to his past and potential. The Eagles reportedly still believe in him and hope he'll contribute more next year.

I don't think the Eagles lose every free agent, but we'll lose many, maybe most. Some are JAGS (just a guy) and easily replaced. For the ones that are harder to replace, Howie has kids in line to take their spots.

I would expect to start hearing of signings taking place later this week. The Eagles have their ninety-man offseason roster to fill out. Many of those slots will go to guys now on the practice squad.

Howie grabbed tight end Cameron Latu earlier and signed him to a futures contract. He's a big kid, (6'-5" and 244 pounds). Drafted in the third round by the Niners, tore his meniscus, ended up on IR. Then cut at the end of last summer. Went to the Browns on their practice squad and now with the Eagles. He's the only "futures" guy we now have signed, so Howie will be busy signing a dozen or more in the coming hours/days. Since no other team has been able to poach a guy off our practice squad, I'm assuming they're all pretty much assured of getting a new deal with the Eagles which is why they're staying put.

It's fun seeing all of the photos and videos of the players and their families hanging out on the field after the Super Bowl. Mekhi Becton was sitting there with a big smile on his face and tears in his eyes as his son played with the confetti. Winning the Super Bowl is something every kid dreams of from the first time he picks up a football. These guys are living the reality of it now. The parade is on Friday then the full offseason starts.

Free agency starts on March 12th (after the legal tampering period starting on March 10th.) Then the first OTAs start on April 7th for teams with new head coaches and April 21st for teams with returning staff. Will anyone get franchised tagged this year? Maybe Tee Higgins. There aren't a lot of free agents you look at this year and say, "This is a top-five guy at his position." Why pay someone top-five money if they're not a top-five player?

In the next month, some guys will get traded. Some free agents will decide to re-sign with their old team. And lots of roster shuffling will take place. The NFL season never ends.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 17:08:21 GMT

Kellen Moore to the Saints is now reportedly a done deal. Just ironing out the final details. Now some poor assistant coach somewhere will have to come to Philly and try to piece together an offense with Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and the best o-line in football. Not a bad job to inherit if you're an offensive coach. Coaches are probably lining up for the opportunity.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

teganslaw — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 18:28:29 GMT

I saw this somewhere online:

Patrick Mahomes should have gone with Allstate instead of State Farm. They would have protected him from mayhem like the Philly defense.

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

LavernLuvsShoes — Tue, 11 Feb 2025 20:09:02 GMT

@teganslaw wrote:
... Patrick Mahomes should have gone with Allstate instead of State Farm. They would have protected him from mayhem like the Philly defense.

My (Eagles-loving) sister sent this to me, and I thought it was hilarious!

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

Spurt — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:41:11 GMT

@teganslaw wrote:
I saw this somewhere online:

Patrick Mahomes should have gone with Allstate instead of State Farm. They would have protected him from mayhem like the Philly defense.

@teganslaw

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

Spurt — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 00:54:16 GMT

Hearing the Chiefs practically guaranteeing a three peat really motivated the Eagles.....Players need to remember so always watch what you say it can be used as bulletin board material against you

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

hkrgrl — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:51:51 GMT

@Spurt wrote:
Hearing the Chiefs practically guaranteeing a three peat really motivated the Eagles.....Players need to remember so always watch what you say it can be used as bulletin board material against you

@Spurt

Not only that, they called Pat Riley to be sure they could use "3peat" and it was not an infringement.

too cocky gets u in trouble.

i think they thought they (the players) could just show up. i am sure the coaching staff did not feel that way. at least i hope they didn't.

not the Andy & Spags we knew at least.

but really, their O-Line was suspect all season along with WR's.

good D-Line. they sold out the whole game to stop Barkley and dared Hurts to beat them. he did so masterfully!!

yup, Moore gone. Frank Reich? Dougie P??

going to be interesting for sure!!!!

FLY EAGLES FLY!!!!!!!!

Re: NFL News and Notes for February 2025!!!

gardenman — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 14:02:49 GMT

Yeah, the Chiefs went in over confident and that's when you get brought back to Earth. They thought their offense could handle the Eagles' defense and found out that when the Eagles' d-line has footing, they're much harder to block. In Super Bowl 57 the field was a swamp and the Eagles d-line were just slipping and sliding. They couldn't get any pressure on Mahomes as they could barely stand up. (That was a grass field two years ago and they'd watered it heavily, then covered it with a tarp for several days, then found all the grass had died and was a slimy mess for the game.) In this game, the Eagles had their footing and they got all kinds of pressure on Mahomes.

The Chiefs helped the Eagles a lot by having Travis Kelce trying to block some of the d-linemen. That's not going to work in the NFL. Kelce's a decent blocker, but asking a tight end to consistently block defensive ends is going to get your QB killed. They were determined to double Jalen Carter to keep him from wrecking the offense, so they often left Kelce out there to block the defensive end and he just couldn't get the job done.

The Chiefs seemingly went into the game with a plan to not let Saquon Barkley or Jalen Carter hurt them. They succeeded in those missions, but at the cost of losing the game. Throwing extra defenders at Saquon left the passing game open. Throwing extra offensive linemen at Jalen Carter often left a defensive end blocked by a tight end. They won the battles against Saquon and Carter, but lost the war.

"Our plan worked! Saquon and Carter weren't big factors!" Yeah. It was just a bad plan. And to be honest, there is no good way to play the Eagles. If you max protect the QB, you end up with seven defenders covering two or three receivers. Those numbers aren't good for the offense. And the Eagles have excellent DBs who can cover anyone in the league. If you send out five receivers, odds are all will be covered and the QB will be pressured.

Mass your defense to stop the run and Barkley still gets 2+ yards per carry, but you need your DBs to cover AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, and Dallas Goedert man-to-man. Not easy. The Chiefs were simply out-manned and out-coached.

The Eagles should be back mostly intact next year. Only Mekhi Becton is a possible loss on the starting offense. And he could be back. If not the Eagles have two kids from recent drafts ready to fill in with Tyler Steen and Trevor Keegan. On defense, Josh Sweat, and Zach Baun are possibly gone. Brandon Graham may retire. Milton Wiliams (rotational DT) might leave in free agency. Darius Slay may move on. But there are kids backing them up and ready to step in and play more.

The Eagles are likely to be as good, and maybe better next year. Landon Dickerson pretty much played the last two games on one leg. He'll likely have knee surgery in the coming days to fix that and be ready for the next season. The current kids have a year's experience and new kids will be added to the mix. A vet in free agency or via trade is possible. The Eagles will be a handful for teams for a bit. Saquon says next year will be his best year. He might be right. Cam Jurgens has a year's experience as the starting center now. Assuming the new OC isn't a complete knucklehead, the Eagles could be, maybe should be better next year.