In what I believe to be a good move, the Eagles signed cornerback Nolan Carroll to a one-year deal on Tuesday. The contract will pay him $2.36 million in 2016. This deal was a way of the Eagles having another proven corner on the roster and Carroll getting the chance to show the Eagles and the rest of the league that he’s fully recovered from the injury he suffered a year ago.
I thought Carroll was the Birds best cornerback in 2015 and that says something because former Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis left his cornerbacks on an island in man-to-man coverages. If you could play for him, that proves you can play in man-to-man against all the talented receivers in the NFL.
Carroll started 11 games before going down with a broken fibula in the Thanksgiving Day blowout vs. Calvin Johnson and the Detroit Lions. In that game, Carroll was replaced by rookie Eric Rowe and the now-retired Lions Pro Bowler Johnson caught three touchdowns versus Rowe. The rookie rebounded during the rest of the season and did a good job as a starter.
Carroll and Rowe are expected to be the starters for the Birds in the 2016 season, but there will likely be open competition for the starting cornerback positions.
New Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has played a hand in bringing in corners who have played for him in the past like former Buffalo Bills Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks.
They will all battle for playing time against 2015 draft picks JaCorey Sheppard and Randall Evans, as well as long-time backups Jaylen Watkins, Denzel Rice, and free agent Aaron Grymes.
“You can never have enough corners,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said last week according to Philly.com. “[Schwartz] talks about corners all the time.”
Schwartz will play a defense that keeps his blitzes to a minimum, but relies on his front four to get pressure on the quarterback and will always try to take away the big passing plays through the design of his coverages.
A Nice Re-Signing of Nolan Carroll which now means Eagles are very Unlikely to use a High Draft Pick at all on a CB in upcoming Draft
The Eagles now have 4 Players with Starting/Playing Experience at the Outside CB with Carroll, Rowe, McKelvin and Brooks…
I expect McKelvin to move inside and become the Slot CB over Shepard
Shepard will be more in the mix as a Back-Up Outside CB due to his length
I see CB Rice being groomed as a Future Slot CB, while Shepard works on the Outside
Brooks/McKelvin/Watkins will also get Reps at Safety to Add Depth in Case of Injury to Starters M Jenkins or McLeod and to upgrade the Position in terms of Athleticism over the slow, vulnerable Chris Maragos who is a real liability in the pass-game when he’s on the field
Should be some good battles and I am looking forward to the New Coach’s in Safety Coach Tim Hauck and Asst Secondary Coach Dino Vasso
The familiarity of both Brooks and McKelvin from Buffalo and the fact that they can both Play Outside or Inside will give Schwartz/Secondary Coach’s a lot of Flexibility with various Packages… Do Note that Jim Schwartz loves to Blitz his DB’s as much as anyone in the NFL, which the Eagles rarely did under Billy Davis so I expect to see the CB’s with the most explosion and jump off the ball, to be out there on the Field the most…
I like the signing, but disagree with your assessment of where that leaves the Eagles draft. With this 1 year contract, this means that the Eagles will be less pressured to pick for an obvious need, but rather go after who they judge as BPA. It means that once they are on the board, they do not hVe a glaring need to fill, but can focus on taking the most talented player on their board. I can see them taking any number of players, any number of positions, and given the top 10 draft position, it will be a talented player. If that is one of the CB’s, they will take him and let the position sort itself out. Nolan and his very cap friendly 1 year deal will not cause them to avoid the BPA.
With 8 CB’s under Contract now, 4 of which have NFL Starting Experience with 3 Signed in Free-Agency (Carroll,McKelvin & Brooks) to go along with 2 Draft Picks from Last Season’s Draft (Rowe and Shepard) and and UDFA in Rice that they liked last Year.. I can’t see them looking at CB with the #8th Pick or early at all in this Draft at all now ..
Team was very high on Shepard last Year until he got Hurt in Summer Camp.
A Pass-Rusher or OLB maybe I can see at # 8, but I think this Draft will be more and more about the Offense as Free-Agency was used to sure the Def side of the ball and to get DC Schwartz Wish list filled up…
They will have lots of Options at #8, no Doubt about it…
Roseman says there are 10 Elite Prospects in this Draft…
I think its even less than that and about 5-6 Players at Tops
PMan -none of these current Eagle CB can stop Dez Bryant, DJax or Beckem Jr. from 100 yard game so if Howie thinks the best player available at pick #8 is a CB he might pull the trigger.
No one in thise Draft Class either… If Eagles don’t improve their Pass-Rush
under Schwartz new Schemes, then it won’t matter who is back there at CB
This is why this New Coaching Staff were hired…
Eagles on Defense have like 7-8 Players under Long-Term Deals which whne you look around the League is not very common..
Its time for Curry, Cox,Graham,Barwin,Kendricks, Jenskins,McLeod, McKelvin, Carroll to start earning their Keep…
The giants are 0-4 against the birds since Beckham was drafted and the cowboys are 6-6 since bryant was drafted–
i do agree that getting a corner to match up with them is a good idea but they may already have him… i think beckham is a very talented player but as of right now that talent hasn’t propelled his team to the playoffs.
“i think beckham is a very talented player but as of right now that talent hasn’t propelled his team to the playoffs”
This is a perfect example of the illogical football reasoning that serves as the basis of so many of our arguments here on GCobb. We think football is tennis or boxing. Beckham doesn’t play defense and when your defense is as porous as the Giants, no offensive talent will ‘propel’ you into the playoffs.
We focus on individual aspects of the game without taking a holistic view of the team
The individual talent of a player like Beckham is NOT the reason the Giants didn’t make the playoffs it is the absence of talent in other areas that prevented them from making it.
The same goes with the Eagles, the absence of talent on the offensive line, the breakdown of the defense…is what prevented us from the playoffs last year
I think in the Eagles Case,
It was much more of the “Coaching” or “Lack of Quality Coaching” that did the Eagles in last year… Chip Kelly and Billy Davis have to be one of the worst pairings,tandems of Football Coach’s in Modern Times…
I think 49ers GM Trent Balkee will soon realize this in SF, which it still may too late for him, to save his own Job from Ownership …
Alexander lined up with Rowe and Malcolm and Rodney and the others will not have to lock the elite wr in the division to win the battle. Just do your job and allow the front 7 to do theirs. Eli and Romo will take care of the rest.
Nice to see the Eagles sign WR Chris Givens. When healthy he’s a very solid player. Huge upgrade over Cooper..
I;’ve always kind of liked Chris Givens who played with Bradford a few years ago with the Rams… He has good Speed, Leaping ability and can make Plays down the Field… Maybe he can become like what Ted Ginn does for the Panthers which is not catch a lot of balls, but still has the ability to make some big plays down the field… His Average Catch in his Career goes for like 16.5 Yards which is excellent
Career Stats – 107 Catches for 1780 Yards for 16.6 Avg and 5 TD’s
He went to Wake Forest University
givens stinks. but hopefully he good enough to beat warrant cutting that bum huff
Friends and family in Baltimore were no unhappy that Givens was gone. They say that he is fast, but doesn’t catch the ball. Maybe the fact that Flacco was hurt last year had something to do with it, and hopefully he will do better here. We need a deep threat, so lets hope that the guy can play and Bradford can get him the ball.
The Ravens went thru a ton of WR’s last Years
Steve Smith got injured early on, and Top Draft Pick Breshard Merriman never took a Snap in theRegular Season
Here are 9 WR’s that Caught Passes for the Ravens in 2016
Kamar Aikman, Marlon Brown, Chris Givens, Mike Campanaro, Darren Waller, Jeremy Butler,Daniel Brown,Jeremy Ross, Chris Matthews,
This does not include their 3-4 TE’s and 5-6 RB’s that they went thru last year… Just brutal the Injuries the Ravens had in 2015
More Cleveland Browns Releases
Browns Release Leading Tackler LB Karlos Dansby and WR Dwayne Bowe
They now are $120 Million under the Salary Cap and only have 18 Players Signed to NFL Contracts… Good Grief what the Hell they doing up there…
you drinking again?
has Cooper had a visit with anyone?
Is Givens a greg lewis clone on the outside or a slot receiver ?
Givens is more of an Outside Receiver..
I read where Cooper was to meet with Dolphins or TB Bucs but not sure if that ever happened
And No Henski, No Alcohol for Me, Only Cool Spring Water, even for St Patty’s Day… It’s been 13 Months of being Tobacco, Alcohol & Caffeine-Free for me .. I’m surprised that I’m still alive sometimes but sure glad I am …
Good to hear Pman…I guess some of your crazy thoughts are all natural, and not chemically induced!! Keep ’em coming.
Excellent pick up by the Eagles in snatching Chris Givens.
A wide receiver with some speed!
As a rookie Givens, “set an NFL rookie record by catching a 50-plus-yard reception in five straight games.”
Guess who the QB was in this rookie season?
Sam ‘Chuck it Deep’ Bradford…
mmmm…interesting combination…receiver gets open deep, QB throws it deep. Just a thought…but maybe that is what will work here given that the Eagles are going to be running an offense that is very similar to what the Rams ran in Bradford’s rookie year!
Receiver gets open deep-QB throws it deep!
NOT QB throws it deep-receiver isn’t open deep. Or QB ‘chucks it deep’ just for the hell of it…but the receiver has no chance of catching it deep.
This signing should also remove any doubt about who the Eagles starting QB will be this upcoming year and what we will NOT do with the first pick of the draft-reach for a QB
Chris Givens had the 10th highest yards after the catch percentage of all WRs in 2012… The fact is, Givens took a few 10 yard passes and ran 40 yards after the catch.
All your talk won’t change the fact that Bradford has one of the lowest adjusted yards per attempt of any QB in the last 6 years..
In an article on the Baltimore Sport and Life – written when Givens was traded to the Ravens:
“Another thing we know is that Givens did that with one of the worst quarterback situations in the league. His rookie year, Givens’ best season, he played with Sam Bradford, who is notorious for avoiding deep passes, yet he still went for 16.6 yards per catch. The following season, Givens averaged 16.7 yards per catch with Kellen Clemens starting a majority of the games. What can he do with competent quarterback play?”
The dude did better without Sam…..
I don’t get it.
Koolbreeze hypothesis 1:
” Bradford sucked in stl because there was no talent and terrible wrs”
Koolbreeze hypothesis 2:
“Excellent pickup. Wr with speed who was with Bradford in STL”
You can’t make this up.
ok so youre sober and you really believe the browns are 120 million under the cap and only have 18 players under contract? you may need to get your eyes checked and if your eyes are fine something else is wrong with you.
I am being facetious when talking about about the Browns having only 18 Players under Contract and $120 Million under the Cap, but the way they are running Players out of Town, they will be approaching this soon..
They won, what 4-5 Games last Year and have lost their Best WR in Travis Benjamin, their Top 2 OL (Center Mack and RT Schwartz) their Top Safety in Gipson all in Free-Agency, they Released Johnny Football, their Top Tackler LB Karlos Dansby, WR D Bowe, who was another bad pick-up for them last Years and presently have about $43 Million under the Cap
I think they even hired a Baseball Metrics Guy from the Mets (Paul DePodesta) to be their Exec Vice-President of Football Operations.. The Mistake by the Lake just Continues…
They are embracing Rebuild.
Eagles in trouble? It was just reported that Howie Roseman has done 15 contracts since Jan 1st. He has given out 180 million in guaranteed money. In 2017 they will have the 9th least amount of cap space and the next 3 years after that the Eagles have the least amount of cap space in the NFL. I know they can get out of some money but not nearly enough of major significance. So what is Howie doing? This isn’t possible if you sign a DT for 100 million and 50 million guaranteed. Whats this mean for Cox? Do you trade him now or find a way?
Dag, I think you are far overstating the Eagles financial problems. Sal Paolantonio and the ESPN stats crew that put this information out there don’t know a fraction of what Howie knows about cap management.
I don’t know if you heard yourself, but you just said the Eagles will have the least cap space 6 years from now. How is that possible when the Eagles have no contracts that extend to 2022. What’s more, no one knows what the cap will be next year much less 6 years from now.
IrishEagle Eagle Adam Caplan was on the Mike Missinoli show stated that. It was then confirmed by by Sal Palatonio when he was on. that the Eagles next year have the 9th least amount of cap room then the following 3 years the Eagles have the least cap room in the entire NFL related to the 180 million dollars of guaranteed money the Eagles have given out this off season. Its all public knowledge. He signed 15 contracts this off-season. lol. Its not hard to believe add up all the money he has spent.
Plus Irish it doesn’t matter if the cap goes up it goes up for everyone. If the Eagles are last in cap space with 2 million left and the cap goes up 10 million it goes up for everyone and they are last in space with 12 million then.
OTC Salary Cap.com. I just checked and the Eagles are ok. They just have more players long term than anyone but still have cap space.
Bradfords 22 mil will not be on our cap next season as he will be gone or restructured for new deal.
No DT is worth 100mil sorry that position just does not warrant that money, ever, period..
Fix the cap…Trade Cox and the 8 to TN for the 1. ( might need to add a 3rd rounder)
Draft Wentz who will make peanuts for 5 years.
********trade alert********
Eagles send cox and Peters to
Titans for the #1 overall pick
Then select Carson wentz
And zeke Elliot at 8
Next day headlines in the tennessee paper….”Titans fire entire front office!”
Why they are rumored to be taking to the top tackle in the draft but if they can get a good tackle and a top 5 defensive player in the league whynt do that… Plus the rumor is there looking to trade anyway
It is economics…
same reason why the eagles would consider trading cox (i’m not saying they are)– but if they were to trade him it would be economics…
I would not be surprised at all to hear/read about the Eagles Trading for Cox
in fact, it may be a smart thing to do if they could get multiple high picks and then hit on those picks…
One thing that concerns me, is the fact that the Eagles/Cox were talking very intensely a month ago and apparently were close but no deal was every announced which is not something we usually hear about when it comes to Howie negotiating with a Player, typically if it’s close and both parties are talking, it usually gets done… Something had to happen with Cox, either he wants something crazy or just wanted to wait until after free-agency to see where the market is for Top DT (Which is Up) which is understandable or maybe the discussions were not as close as reports indicated last month and they were far apart to begin with.. I am keeping my eye if the Eagles sign DT Nick Fairley and if its to a 3 Year + Deal.. If so, then I think Cox may be on the Market come Drafat Weekend.. Paying a DT a $100 Million Contract with the $50-$60 Million in Guaranteed $$$ that Cox would command and get would be a very expensive commitment to make a very good player, but perhaps a Player who is not really a Difference Maker from the DT Position as a QB, Pass Rusher, Shutdown Corner or Big-Time WR would be… If you commit this Deal to Cox, does this then prevent you from a prime player at a more critical, prime Position…
Not trading for Cox, but rather Trading Fletcher Cox is what I meant to say…
Cox is making the smart play…why rush into a contract right now? Why not wait and maximize his value
Paulman Rumors based Dag’s Above Post
Eagles Trade DT Fletcher Cox & #8 Pick to the SD Chargers for their #3 Pick in the 1st Round and their #35th Pick (2nd Rounder)
With the Picks
#3 – QB Carson Wenz (N Dakota State)
#35 – RB Derick Henry (Alabama)
#77 – DT Chris Jones (Miss State)
#79 – Guard Landon Turner (UNC)
Do note that Eagles Sign Free-Agent DT Nick Fairley and Extend Bennie Logan with the savings from F Cox’s Contract
Damn Gloomy, you beat me to it… Give me my Draft Day Trade Chart back!!
I be been skiing the past few days and have been tuned out. Another fan signing?
Have to say I am not a fan of this strategy.
How many new starters Eagles going to have? New G, another new G (draft), maybe new rb, new qb by week 6, new lb, new S, new cb? New slot cb….
Is that 6 new FAs coming in to play significant roles? 7? Didn’t we try this 2x before in the last 5 years??
Oh….and a new coaching staff and new system to boot in an age when the new CBA doesn’t allow for this type of change as they barely get to practice anymore?
oh well, not the way I’d go about it, that’s for sure.
So your response may be out of place considering that Carroll is not a new starter. He is a returning starter to the team. This is also a 1 year deal.
Also for as many dudes that they brought in, they are also keeping a lot of guys.
For the FAs, they are looking at long term for McCleod, Brooks as long term solutions.
Other than that, Bradham is a 2 year deal, Ron Brooks is a 3 year deal but for nothing, Givens 1 year contract.
I guess the only gripe is the QB situation, but I look at the strange Daniel deal as insurance in case Bradford gets hurt or is ineffective. Otherwise, I see these moves as filling in key holes and then letting them take the best player available at 8 in the draft which I am hoping is Stanley, Jack or Hargreaves.
Do Note that McKelvin,Brooks & Bradham all Played for Schwartz and have an understanding of his Defensive Philosophy and schemes so their Learning Curve is not a great.. In fact these 3 Players may become Teachers to the other Eagles in terms of Schemes, Terminology,etc,etc …
The Turnover in Player Personnel/Coach’s in Football as in all Sports is just the way of normal business anymore and not much of a Factor as its become the Norm for the Players and the Coaching Staffs who have to get use to Change in a Hurry…
Good point Pman.
I forgot about McElvin which is also a 2 year contract. The majority of the FA signings are short term fixes/try outs.
Plus it is not a hard scheme to learn at all…
The defense needs to be able to carry a bigger load at the start of next year
The Offense will need more of a transition going from Kelly’s simple offense with emphasis on pace to our current west coast offense that will be a bit more complicated
“Complicated offence..”
Uh-oh
Your hero announced in December he was struggling to understand Kelly’s “simple” offence (and we all saw how stripped down it became last year)
Your “saviour couldn’t handle (by his own admission) Kelly’s simple O…..
So how will he handle this “complicated” one?
No what we saw was a QB that spent much of training camp rehabbing his knee instead of really focusing on the offense…so naturally as everyone reasonably understood…he struggled after not playing for almost two seasons. He progressed as the season went along just as I predicted…and just as Coach Pederson saw when he looked at the tape and made his decision about the QB position.
His decision was not based on any special attachment to Bradford…it was based on sound football analysis, his review of the tape..
So Chip Kelly was not frustrated with Bradford like he was with Nick Foles who had been in the offense, but was still making the same mistakes over and over again until he came to the realization that Foles simply did not have the acumen to run Chip Kelly’s simple offense…
Now, Bradford will be running an offensive that he was comfortable with in his very first year…we can see that he will have input into the offense.
So again…fall back and relax Vinnie…lay low so that you wont be totally embarrassed when Bradford plays well…
Take a break…you need it, kid…
“I be been skiing the past few days and have been tuned out.”
Tell us something we didn’t know, Vinnie. Your always “tuned out” …its your default state.
The Eagles have also ‘tuned out’ your dumb ass strategy
Almost everything you have predicted for the Eagles coming into next year has been ‘tuned out’, turned down, rejected, and dumped.
From your predictions to getting rid of Sam Bradford with the assertion that Sam would not be resigned…from your desperate, humiliating call for Nick Foles with your “Hell, even Foles” appeal, and all of your other whines, moans, bitching, and complaining…
Its all been ‘tuned out’ , Vinnie…LOL
Fool Ass!
This from Chip Kelly– You can’t make this stuff up!!!!!!
Are we going to take this player and pay him more than anybody on our team?” Kelly said. “And is that player worth more than anybody on our current team? You also have to kind of look at that.
“Some of the money that was thrown around at the beginning, you got to be able to manage that. You’re going to pay some guy who’s never been to a Pro Bowl that’s going to make more than anybody on your roster. That’s a little bit difficult. There are a lot of things that get involved in some of these things.”
yo cliff, big blow to Cal’s pg any info on their back up pg? whats your take on todays game?