There are some recent NFL news bytes which kinda/sorta affect the Eagles but which are somewhat obscured by the NCAA Basketball Tournament frenzy capturing most of our attention in late March. Here a select few items which I found interesting to ponder in recent days:
BARNER IS GONE? Yes, the San Diego Chargers signed RB Kenjon Barner, formerly of the Eagles, to a one-year contract.
ROGER GOODELL WANTS SHORTER OVERTIME PERIODS? Yes, the league meetings are coming up and rules changes will be on the table. The NFL’s overtime period could be shortened from 15 to 10 minutes in 2017.
DON’T HOLD OUT FOR McCAFFREY IN AN EAGLES UNIFORM? The Philadelphia Inquirer considers it “very unlikely” that the Eagles use their first-round pick on a running back.
KEEPING UP WITH THE SANCHEZ’s? Free agent QB Mark Sanchez will visit the Bears on Thursday.
THE REDSKINS JUST LET EAGLES NEMESIS DE CHRIS BAKER WALK OFF TO THE BUCS? Yeah, and they didn’t even try to sign him. I don’t get it. But The Washington Post reports the Redskins weren’t always happy with DE Chris Baker’s work ethic before letting him sign with Tampa Bay in free agency.
The Dallas Cowboys had prepared to move on to life without WR Terrance Williams when free agency began. They thought he would have received a multi-year deal that they could not match and that they would have to find receiver help in low-cost free agency, like with Brice Butler, and in the draft. But Williams eventually made his way back to the Cowboys on a four-year deal worth $17 million with $9.5 million guaranteed.
That’s a good deal for the Cowboys and a good bit of guaranteed money for Williams. Sam Monson at Pro Football Focus called the Williams’ signing one of the most underrated of the free agency period, noting Williams’ 16.2 yards per catch, 4.7 yards after the catch and big-play ability.
Meanwhile, five key defensive players for Dallas — safeties Barry Church and J.J. Wilcox, cornerbacks Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr, and defensive tackle Terrell McClain — left in free agency, and it’s hard to see how the Cowboys are going to adequately replace the 2,625 snaps those players provided last season.
The Washington Redskins lost DeSean Jackson (Tampa Bay) and Pierre Garcon (San Francisco) but added Terrelle Pryor Sr., who had 77 catches and 1,077 yards in his first full season as a receiver after spending three years as a quarterback with the Oakland Raiders before joining the Browns in 2015.
One reason Washington appealed to Pryor: The Redskins will throw the ball and the belief is that coach Jay Gruden will help him develop by how he’s used. Pryor also mentioned playing with quarterback Kirk Cousins — other free agents pointed to his presence as key in any decision they’d make regarding Washington. With Pryor on a one-year deal, it could put him in better position next offseason to secure a multiyear deal. Pryor also liked his meeting with Gruden and receivers coach Ike Hilliard the night before he signed.
“Every day I step on the field, I can get better and learn,” Pryor said. “I’ll never stop doing that. From Ike and Coach Jay, there are small things I can work on that I’ll keep to myself. But they’re very intimate [details] and I learned a lot talking to them. They’ll help me get to that next level.”
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