PHILADELPHIA – Peeking into my crystal ball…
The last glimpse into my crystal ball was in early April. It showed two things that came true – the Eagles would pick up Jordan Davis’s fifth-year team option, which they did on April 30, and Cam Jurgens would be rewarded with a contract extension, which he was on April 21. You could argue that three were right because it revealed the Eagles taking a pass rusher. Jihaad Campbell counts.
Signing veteran safety Justin Simmons, well, that wasn’t right. Not yet, anyway.
Here's my next peek…
Adding an edge. Von Miller is still on the market, and maybe he makes some sense to add to the collection of edge rushers because he played for a time under Vic Fangio when Fangio was the head coach of the Broncos. Miller played 13 games with the Bills last year and had six sacks.
General manager Howie Roseman also seemed surprised when he said on the 94WIP afternoon show last week that there are only two players over 25 on defense. So, adding a veteran like Miller makes sense.
Then, you remember that Bradon Graham probably would have returned if the Eagles wanted him, so why would they onboard a player like Miller, who is only a year older than BG?
The crystal ball isn’t seeing it.
Surprise. OK, this required a cloth to clean the crystal ball to make sure it was being seen properly.
Drew Kendall is going to prove too good to sit and wait. He was seen working at right guard on the first day of rookie minicamp. If Tyler Steen, Trevor Keegan, and an assortment of others don’t prove to be the answer, Kendall might be one to watch. Perhaps once the season moves along.
The only downside is that after falling in love with big guards such as Brandon Brooks and Mekhi Becton, the Eagles might not want to downsize to a 6-4, 308-pound guard.
New number needed. First-round rookie Jihaad Campbell was issued No. 30, but doesn’t work for an edge/linebacker type. He wore 30 at Alabama for a bit before switching to No. 11. He’s not getting that here with A.J. Brown comfortably wearing it. Ben VanSumeren moved from 57 to 43 to denote his position change to fullback. No. 57 isn’t great, but it’s better than 30. Josh Sweat’s No. 19 was available, too. He will until the Bryce Huff story concludes and grab 0.
Another extension. Safety Reed Blankenship will be extended between now and the start of the season. He will make $1.4 million this season, which is the final year of the extension he signed heading into 2024. The negotiation will be tricky because Blankenship was an undrafted free agent when the Eagles signed him in 2022, so what would a deal look like? In 40 games played since then, with 34 starts, Blankenship has eight interceptions. Two years ago, he made 113 tackles.
Trade. In his last few interviews, Roseman seems to know something he isn’t saying about the tight end position. It’s probably because he can’t until June 1 when the Dallas Goedert plan becomes clearer, because his contract terms become more favorable for the Eagles to trade or release him. Either way, there is a deal coming. Keep an eye on the Bears’ Cole Kmet.
