Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
A look at the best available free agent wide receivers and how they might fit with the Eagles – PhillyVoice
Corey Davis: Davis was the fifth overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He played for four years with the Titans (2017-2020), and two with the Jets (2021-2022). Prior to the 2023 season, he announced that he was “stepping away” from football. In March, he applied for reinstatement, and the Jets released him from their reserve/retired list. While he never came close to living up to his draft status, Davis was a solid enough receiver. His best season was in 2020, when he caught 65 passes for 984 yards (15.1 YPC) and 5 TDs. In his most recent season with the Jets in 2022, he caught 32 passes for 536 yards (16.8 YPC) and 2 TDs in a bad Jets offense. He has some big play ability, but Davis’ claim to fame is that he is thought of as an extraordinary blocker as a receiver. Perhaps he might make sense as a rich man’s Zach Pascal?
In Roob’s Observations: Why DeVonta Smith has a monster year in him – NBCSP
1. It’s easy to look at DeVonta Smith as WR2, and when you’re playing alongside A.J. Brown that’s bound to happen. Brown happens to be one of the two or three best wide receivers in the league and that’s not going to change. But I do think Smith has a breakthrough season in him, even playing alongside Brown, and there are analytics that support that notion. Smith last year averaged 9.5 yards per target, 10th-highest of 35 wide receivers targeted at least 100 times and a bit higher than Brown’s 9.2. He also had a catch percentage of 72.3 percent, which means he caught 72.3 percent of his targets. That’s the highest on record by an Eagles WR – and that goes back to 1994 – and was 6th-highest last year of those 35 receivers with at least 100 targets – and again higher than Brown’s 67.1. The only other WRs at 9.0 yards per target and 72 percent catch percentage in 2023 were Rashee Rice, CeeDee Lamb, Nico Collins and Amon-Ra St. Brown. And of that group, only Smith and Collins averaged over 13 yards per catch. Brown had 46 more targets than Smith (and played in one more regular-season game), and while nobody wants to see his targets go down, if Smith’s targets increased just 10 percent and his production remains the same, you’re looking at about 1,250 yards. Smith has averaged 1,059 yards his first three seasons, but no doubt in my mind he’s capable of a lot more without taking away from Brown’s production. The numbers and stats don’t even begin to tell the story of how dang good Smith really is. I expect the passing game to improve significantly under Kellen Moore and Doug Nussmeier in 2024, and Smith should be a big beneficiary of that.
Where Are They Now? RB Brian Westbrook – PE.com
He’s still a class act. But now instead of helping win games on the field, he’s helping young people win in life with the Brian Westbrook Foundation. “Our biggest focus is making sure that our mission is complete, which is to be able to educate, empower, and provide access for our young kids,” Westbrook says. “Unfortunately, what we’ve seen is about 50, 55 percent of our young people are going to college, but the other 45 are not. And so, for those that are headed to college, we offer engineering camps, STEAM, data analytics camps, both agriculture data, as well as, sports data analytics camps. And we offer an entrepreneurship program through the Foundation for those that are not (going to college). We offer an opportunity for them to learn a trade and then be able to fall right in line with the opportunity to work. The biggest reason for our young people not pursuing some of these opportunities is they don’t understand the pathway to it. They don’t understand how they get from where they are currently to being the CEO of an organization or owning your own business. They’re confused about that because not many people have talked to them about that pathway.”
Jason and Kylie Kelce Make Second Appearance at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour for Night 2 in London – People
Jason and Kylie Kelce are back at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour! On Saturday, June 22, the Philadelphia Eagles alum, 36, and his wife, 32, came back for their second appearance at the tour as Swift, 34, played her second show at London’s Wembley Stadium. The couple was spotted checking in at security ahead of the show. Kylie wore a casual all-black look while Jason sported a white-and-yellow button down, plus tons of friendship bracelets — a necessity for the Eras Tour.
‘I’ve had a great career, even if I do step away’: Ex-Colt LB Shaquille Leonard on future – Indy Star
Leonard was last seen in an NFL uniform for the Philadelphia Eagles, but has dealt with numerous injuries that have negatively impacted on-field production and presence since earning All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors in each of his first four seasons for the Colts. After playing in 58 games through his first four seasons, Leonard only appeared in 17 during his two most recent seasons. Although he was not signed to a roster during the Organized Team Activity (OTA) period of the 2024 offseason, Leonard said he is still working to make an NFL roster. Foxworth has been right by Leonard’s side during his offseason training, and a smile grew on his face when he talked about his best friend’s future in football.
Paying Dak Prescott might mean Dallas is all in on ‘maybe’ – Blogging The Boys
However, no matter the price, having a quarterback who can get their team enough wins to be at least a seventh seed is more valuable than anything else. The dark side of the moon for teams stuck in quarterback purgatory is no life worth living for a franchise if it saves them money. Playoff irrelevancy makes you a laughing stock. Do the Cowboys feel Prescott isn’t worth the market price if they believe he’s maxed out his potential? It’s possible. The acquisition of Trey Lance last year didn’t ease any doubts. Investing $300 million in the world of “having a chance” at a championship might be worth it for the Cowboys. After all, similar to any empire across history, the king that follows to wear the crown might not always be the right one.
Big Blue View mailbag: Aaron Stinnie vs. Ben Bredeson, Daniel Jones vs. Trevor Lawrence, more – Big Blue View
Sharp Football Analysis bases SOS on opponent’s projected win totals. By that measure, the Philadelphia Eagles have the ninth-hardest schedule, the Giants check in at No. 20 and the Dallas Cowboys are No. 22. All of that SOS stuff is just luck of the draw based on the NFL’s formula. The Giants play the third-place schedule in 2024.
The 5 O’Clock Club: The free agent CB signed by the Commanders from the Pittsburgh Steelers – Hogs Haven
In yesterday’s 5 O’Clock Club, we looked at the career of Noah Igbinoghene, a 2020 first-round pick of the Dolphins who never really established himself with Miami. Igbinoghene was traded to the Cowboys in a player-for-player swap last year, but spent most of the ‘23 season on the inactive list. He followed his coaches, Joe Whitt and Dan Quinn, from there to here when he signed as a free agent with the Commanders in March. Today, I thought it might be good to look at Washington’s other free agent cornerback signing, James Pierre, who is in direct competition with Igbinoghene for a roster spot. Like Igbinoghene, Pierre entered the NFL in the COVID season of 2020; unlike Igbinoghene, Pierre was undrafted out of Florida Atlantic (alma mater of Redskins running back Alfred Morris). He signed with the Steelers in 2020, played 3 seasons under his UDFA contract, and then signed a one-year extension with them in 2023. His pre-NFL back-story is an interesting one that saw him change schools and positions on his way to an eventual NFL roster spot.
Don’t touch Bills players’ hair – SB Nation
The Buffalo Bills seem like they’re having fun this season…