Throughout the Eagles season we thought Allen Barbre would move to right tackle from his left guard spot if and when starting right tackle Lane Johnson was suspended for using Performance Enhancing Drugs. To our surprise, the report by ESPN’s Ed Werder about rookie tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai or “Big V” taking over for Johnson and Barbre staying at his left guard spot was accurate.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson verified the Werder report by saying, “It’s something that we’ve come to, talking with Coach Stoutland and watching Big V closely, not only in the preseason but in practices these last couple of weeks,” Pederson said this morning. “Again, we want to exhaust all the possibilities. Allen Barbre’s been playing great at left guard, and if you don’t have to disrupt two different positions, and just do one, I think there’s a conversation there that we have to have. But yeah, he’s definitely in the mix.”
That’s amazing and says a great deal about the progress Vaitai has made during his time with the Birds. He’s spent a number of months blocking Vinny Curry, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham.
“The work he’s done in that capacity, against a good defensive line, gives us confidence that if we had to make that decision, we could do that and not bat an eye,” Pederson said. “Just from that standpoint, going back and evaluating his preseason games, looking at that and where he is, physically and mentally, it puts him in a good position to potentially be that right tackle.”
There seems to be a decent chance that he will be the starting right tackle when Johnson goes on his break.
If a army ranger who never played the position can start for a SB contender can start at LT. Hopefully this guy who actually has a history at the position can start for us at RT,
I NEED MY CARSON WENTZ FIX. BEEN FAR TO LONG
BIRDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
The Eagles surpassed even their own expectations when they dealt quarterback Sam Bradford to the Vikings earlier this year. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, Philadelphia had originally hoped to acquire a second-round pick in exchange for Bradford. But once Minnesota lost Teddy Bridgewater for the year, the Eagles were able to exert enough leverage to extract a first-round pick, as well as a conditional fourth-rounder.Sam Bradford (Vertical)
Philadelphia and general manager Howie Roseman structured Bradford’s deal with an eye towards potentially trading him during the 2017 offseason, per La Canfora. The Eagles absorbed Bradford’s $11MM signing bonus when they traded him, but the Vikings took on his guaranteed base salaries of $7MM and $4MM in 2016 and 2017, respectively.
Of course, if the Eagles had some inkling that they might trade Bradford during the 2017 offseason, they must have given at least some thought to trading up to acquire a franchise quarterback like Carson Wentz. Bradford was re-signed in early March, and Philadelphia didn’t make the deal to move up to No. 2 overall until late April.
As noted, the Eagles were able to secure a 2017 first-round pick and a conditional 2018 fourth-round pick for Bradford. The fourth-rounder becomes a third-round pick if the Vikings advance to the NFC Championship Game, and a second-round pick if Minnesota wins the Super Bowl.
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