Sports Talk Philly: Philadelphia Sports News and Rumors

Report: Carson Wentz Expected to be Healthy for Offseason Workouts

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles appear likely to have their franchise quarterback return sooner rather than later.

On Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Eagles expect Carson Wentz to be back and healthy by April and be able to participate in the offseason program.

Obviously this is good news for Eagles fans as the last time we saw a healthy Carson Wentz he was on his way to earning the MVP award. In just 13 games, he amassed 3296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. He also lead the league in QBR (77.2) and touchdown percentage (7.5%) even though he missed the final three games of the season.

Although he was still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL as well as dealing with a fractured back, Wentz still managed to improve his completion percentage from 60.2% to 69.6%. Rhar improvement may have beet the reason we saw an increase in yard per pass attempt from 7.5 to 7.7 and his yards per game (253.5 to 279.5).

What I am attempting to prove is that while it certainly seemed like a down year for Wentz, he was able to put up some decent numbers as well as improve in the some of the areas that he was worried about all while playing through multiple injuries, spending no time in training camp to get back into the swing of things and develop chemistry with new teammates and playing the difficult schedule that typically comes with being a Super Bowl Championship team, especially in the NFC East.

While we await the Eagles decision on what they will do with back up quarterback Nick Foles, fans should feel confident that their signal caller of the future should be healthy and can continue to build his game with a full offseason to prepare.

Eagles Give Nick Foles $1 Million for Bonus He Just Missed

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles continue to prove that they are a class organization.

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles played 357 of the Eagles’ offensive snaps this season. The team totaled 1,092. Under the new contract Foles signed in the 2018 offseason, Foles was set to make a bonus of $1 million if he were to play 33% of the snaps. Foles finished just four snaps shy at 32.69%.

Third-string quarterback Nate Sudfeld took 11 snaps in relief of Foles at the end of both the Texans game (1 snap) and the Redskins game (10 snaps). If Foles had not left with what turned out to be bruised ribs in week 17, he would have made the snap count, but instead, he barely missed the mark.

Foles is not being underappreciated by the Eagles franchise, however, as they have given Foles an additional $1 million signing bonus to make up for those few snaps, according to Field Yates of ESPN.

Source: the Eagles have paid QB Nick Foles a $1M signing bonus to account for the incentive he missed out on by just four snaps earned by Philly making the playoffs and Foles playing 33% of the snaps. Philly does right by the clutch QB.

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 19, 2019

Just days after Alshon Jeffery showed his class and love of the fanbase, the franchise showed their own classiness by taking care of those who contributed all they can to the team.

Brian Dawkins Gives Motivational Speech to Phillies Prospects

By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor

This past week, several of the Philadelphia Phillies' top prospects gathered at Citizens Bank Park for the club's annual Prospect Education Program.

Before Jose Pujols, Deivi Grullon, Tyler Gilbert, Mauricio Llovera, Adonis Medina, Edgar Garcia, Mickey Moniak, Austin Listi, Cornelius Randolph, Adam Haseley, Connor Seabold, and Kyle Dohy, Philadelphia Eagles' Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins gave a motivational speech regarding playing for not only for family and the city, but also for themselves and "giving everything they have."

Eagles Part Ways With Three Coaches

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

Although the Eagles will be keeping their coordinators for the 2019 season, they will be in the hunt for some new coaches again this offseason.

After parting ways with defensive line coach Chris Wilson, receivers’ coach Gunter Brewer and assistant offensive line coach Eugene Chung on Thursday, the Eagles already have three openings. Geoff Mosher of The Morning Call reports that Wilson and Chung were on contracts that have expired while Brewer was told he could seek other opportunities. In effect, Brewer was fired and Chung and Wilson are being allowed to walk because either they or the team had no interest in negotiating an extension.

Wilson leaving after holding the defensive line coach position since Doug Pederson was hired is a bit of a surprise. He was Fletcher Cox’s positional coach in college. The defensive line has been a dominant unit in his three years. It may be difficult to replace him.

Chung had served on the coaching staff for the Eagles under Andy Reid. He was let go when Chip Kelly was hired but brought back when Doug Pederson took over. He has worked with an elite offensive line unit and could be difficult to replace. That said, offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland is the bigger key and should maintain the unit well as long as the line doesn’t have two retirements to deal with on top of Brandon Brooks’ injury.

Gunter Brewer just finished his first season with the Birds. The team will be seeking their fifth wide receivers’ coach in as many seasons. Brewer took over after Mike Groh was promoted to offensive coordinator last offseason. He was the coach for Eagles wideout Mack Hollins, who spent the entire season on injured reserve, in college.

Keep an eye on Sports Talk Philly for updates on Eagles coaching changes.

Alshon Jeffery Visits Class of Second-Grader Who Sent Him Letter of Encouragement

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles season ended on a major mistake as Alshon Jeffery missed an open pass and tipped it into the arms of Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore. In many ways, it was similar to the “mistake” made by Cody Parkey that clinched the Eagles win in the wild card round.

There was one major difference, however – the fans.

While Bears fans flooded social media with death threats and wishes of harm for their kicker, the City of Brotherly Love lifted up their star wide receiver. Sure, there were some who were upset with Alshon, but the vast majority of the fanbase shared an outpouring of support for Jeffery.

That love did not go unnoticed. On Thursday, the receiver decided to visit the class of the young girl from West Chester Area School District who sent him the letter shared by the Sunday Night Football on NBC twitter page.

After the @eagles season ended with a dropped ball from Alshon Jeffrey, 8-year-old Abigail wrote him the sweetest letter of encouragement ❤️ (via @RaymondJ17) pic.twitter.com/4kkN0bjYHc

— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 17, 2019

Jamie Apody of 6abc news shared her own video of the class on Twitter, showing the children’s reactions to the Eagles star entering the second-graders’ classroom to meet them.

MUST WATCH: Alshon Jeffery @TheWorldof_AJ surprises the 2nd graders from West Chester who wrote him letters of encouragement after the @Eagles loss to the Saints. Such a special moment - we told them we were trying to FaceTime him 😂#FlyEaglesFly#Eagles@6abc pic.twitter.com/WYgpPKb6VZ

— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) January 17, 2019

It is hard to imagine such a scenario unfolding in such a positive manner just a few short years ago. While the fans in Philadelphia have always embraced their team, they have not always been known for the positivity and optimism that they have displayed following the tough loss to the Saints in the divisional round.

Perhaps that locker room culture that coach Doug Pederson has instilled in the team has begun to affect the fans and media of our great city, as well as it has the players and coaches.

Jaguars Hire John DeFilippo as Offensive Coordinator

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

Mere days after interviewing with the Jaguars and Cardinals for the offensive coordinator position with each team, the franchise down in Jacksonville has decided to make it official.

On Wednesday, the team announced they had hired John DeFilippo as their next offensive coordinator.

Welcome to #DUUUVAL John DeFilippo!https://t.co/YnvwQeg8ep

— #DUUUVAL (@Jaguars) January 16, 2019

This could be an attractive opportunity for Flip because the Jaguars have their head coach and defensive coordinator on “a short leash” next season. Flip could very well end up as the interim head coach and possibly the next head coach for the team.

The reason it could be an unattractive position is that the franchise lacks a starting quarterback. That said, Flip will likely have input into what QB(s) they bring in. Jacksonville has the seventh pick in the draft, so could easily draft one of the two signal callers expected to go in the first round. They could also seek a veteran.

Eagles quarterback Nick Foles explained that his decision this offseason would come down to working with a team and coaches that he liked and wanted to be around. Days later, he commented on how much he loved Flip and thought he had a bright future as a head coach in the league. The move makes a Foles to Jacksonville transaction (be it a trade or a free agent signing) more likely.

If the Eagles pick up Foles’ 2019 option and Foles does not buy his way into free agency, the team would likely be looking to move the veteran. The Jaguars have a decision to make on quite a few players. They need to decide whether Jalen Ramsey or AJ Bouye will be the corner they commit to long term. They have a decision to make on whether Leonard Fournette is an answer at running back with so many talented backs in the draft. In addition to those players, the Jags have the seventh pick in each of the first three rounds to offer as well as picks for the 2020 draft and beyond all of which could potentially be used in a trade for Foles. The Eagles would receive a third-round compensatory pick if Foles left in free agency, so any offer the Eagles would consider would need to beat that mark.

DeFilippo served as the QB coach for the Eagles during their Super Bowl run. He was one of two coaches to leave the staff. With Frank Reich not expected to leave, Flip left for the offensive coordinator job in Minnesota before Josh McDaniels decided he had no need to uphold commitments and the Eagles lost Frank Reich to the head coaching job in Indianapolis.

A Look Back at the 2018 Eagles Roster and the Injuries Suffered

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

With the Eagles season over, there will be much speculation about changes, trades, hires, the draft, extensions, etc. The list could go on and on. One thing that nearly everyone can agree on is that something needs to change to protect the players’ health. That may come in the form of changes in the training staff, training routines or something else. Based on Howie Roseman's comments on Tuesday, a change in the staff is unlikely. Something needs to change and they certainly need to "continue to develop in thier roles" as Roseman said.

Usually, injuries are no excuse for a team not performing. This season, it certainly is an understandable one for the Eagles. While it certainly wasn’t the only issue, it was a huge one.

The list at the bottom of this article is of every player who was on the 53-man roster at any point throughout this season. As such, Paul Worrilow and Elie Bouka, who were on IR the entire season, and Chris Maragos, who was on the PUP list all season, are not included in this list, so there are additional injuries.

The list is broken down by player position. Names in bold mean that that player suffered from a significant injury this season; serious being defined as having forced a player to miss games or, in a few cases, injuries that severely impacted the productivity of a player.

Going through the list, you will find 69 names. 35 of those names are bolded – and that is without the three players I previously mentioned as not on the roster. 38/72. 52.77% of the players with the Birds this year suffered a significant injury. Over half. That is unacceptable.

Malcolm Jenkins to Replace Landon Collins at Pro Bowl

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

Malcolm Jenkins will get his shot at the Pro Bowl this season, after all.

With Giants safety Landon Collins electing not to make the trip to the event, Eagles captain Malcolm Jenkins was selected to attend in his place and represent the NFC in the Pro Bowl.

Congratulations to @MalcolmJenkins, named to the 2019 Pro Bowl! #FlyEaglesFly

Jenkins replaces S Landon Collins. pic.twitter.com/cHJHu3AGyr

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 15, 2019

Jenkins was widely considered a major snub this year. Jenkins was the only player in the Eagles secondary left standing for much of the season after the trio of Rodney McLeod, Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby landed on IR and second-year man Sidney Jones never got healthy following a hamstring injury in week six.

Jenkins ended the season once again playing every single defensive snap on the way to registering 112 tackles, eight defensed passes, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, an interception and a sack.

Jenkins was the second most deserving Eagles player not to be features in the Pro Bowl earlier this season. Should the Saints defeat the Rams on Sunday and move on to the Super Bowl, Jason Kelce, who was once again the most dominant interior defensive lineman in the league, should get the nod to take Max Unger’s place. Unger, who is not even the top five centers or even top 10 interior linemen, was selected to the Pro Bowl by fan votes.

The Eagles originally had three players selected to the Pro Bowl: Brandon Brooks, Fletcher Cox and Zach Ertz. Brooks and Cox suffered injuries in the divisional round playoff game and will no longer be able to attend.

Doug Pederson: "My Three Coordinators Will Be Back"

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

The Eagles season was a bit of a roller coaster in 2018. There was uproar about moving on from defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz toward the beginning of the season and there were some calling for offensive coordinator Mike Groh to be fired toward the middle of the season.

Neither will happen as coach Doug Pederson told the media on Tuesday, “Yeah, my three coordinators will be back.”

The aforementioned Schwartz and Groh were both hired by Doug Pederson while special teams coordinator Dave Fipp is a holdover from Chip Kelly’s tenure.

Fipp took over as special team coordinator in 2013, mere days after the hiring of Chip Kelly as the Eagles head coach. He coached the special teams and took the unit to the top of the league and having them regularly ranked among the top five special teams units in the league. Doug Pederson decided to keep him in his staff following his hire as head coach. The special teams was down last season, but he will be back with two very young players at kicker and punter.

Schwartz was a widely praised hire following Doug Pederson’s hire as head coach. Pederson brought Schwartz in as the defensive coordinator and, as Pederson is an offensive minded head coach, handed him the reigns to the defense. Schwartz turned a unit that was one of the worst in the league prior to his hire to arguably the best in the league in 2017. He received interviews for head coaching positions following the 2017 season.

Groh was the last to be hired of the three. He joined the Eagles prior to the 2017 season as the wide receivers’ coach. Following the departure of both offensive coordinator Frank Reich and quarterbacks’ coach John DeFilippo, Groh became the internal hire for offensive coordinator, making 2018 his first season in the position. His return to the position means a reunion with DeFilippo is extremely unlikely.

Continuity, especially among the higher spots in the coaching staff is key to a team's success. The Eagles offense did struggle quite a bit earlier in the season, which could be due to the change from Reich and Flip to the styles and schemes of Groh with quite a few key players not having a full offseason to prepare due to injuries (most notably Carson Wentz and Alshon Jeffery). The fact that the Eagles have the chance to keep all three is good news for the Birds.

Eagles Sign 10 Players to Futures Contracts

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By Paul Bowman, Sports Talk Philly Editor

While it may not be an exciting move, the Eagles did a bit of house keeping on Monday, signing 10 players to futures contracts.

The 10 players were the 10 that were on the Eagles practice squad to end the season, ensuring that the players who are experienced with the team’s coaches and schemes will return to the team for preseason and hopefully continue their development.

With the league possibly looking to expand rosters beyond the current 53-man setup, this is a vital move as these 10 players would have been the ones occupying those additional spots. The players are: