Twitter Mailbag: More Eagles On the Move?



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I believe Brandon Graham is the most likely candidate to get dealt. The Eagles recognize that he is best suited as a 4-3 defensive end and are open to moving him if the right offer comes along. 

It’s questionable whether a team would give up a pick for Graham, who only has one year remaining on his rookie deal. Would anyone want to cough up a selection in a deep draft to acquire a potential one-year rental? Seems like a stretch. The only way I see it happening is if it is part of a larger deal that involves more players and/or picks, or possibly in a straight player-for-player trade. 

If nothing goes down I think there’s a chance Graham is released, but only if the Eagles somehow acquire another outside linebacker that they feel they can rely on. He might not be an ideal fit but Graham does have some value as a pass rusher and the Eagles are already thin at OLB as is. 

Bryce Brown is also a possibility. I’m betting that both Vinny Curry and Evan Mathis stay put. 

I’m sure the Eagles would be open to adding another nose tackle to the mix but it won’t be out of desperation. They’re really high on Bennie Logan.

“When you first see Bennie, he’s 6-1, but he easily has a frame that can withstand 320 pounds,” said Howie Roseman back at the combine. “He’s got 34-inch arms, he’s got really big hands; his wingspan is actually six inches bigger than his height…We think Bennie did a tremendous job as a rookie. He’s incredibly strong, he’s athletic. He’s got a very bright future.”

Logan started eight games as a rookie and ended with 43 tackles (two for a loss), a pair of sacks and seven hurries. As you can tell by Roseman’s quote, the team feels he has a lot of room to grow as a player. The Eagles could use more quality options to be part of the defensive line rotation, but I think they would be comfortable returning with the starting trio of Logan, Fletcher Cox and Cedric Thornton.

Asked about this for you, Dan. Eagles spokesperson said: “Proximity and they are in the other conference. Nothing too complicated.” So there you go.

Chip Kelly volunteered at the owners meetings that developing depth behind DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks is “kind of a priority for us.” I think there is a good chance they will add an inside linebacker in this draft.

As Sheil mentioned recently, Ryans played the most snaps of any linebacker in the NFL last season. He was the on-field conductor for Billy Davis’ brand new defense, which is part of the reason he rarely came out. It likely also had something to do with the options behind him.

Ryans will be 30 in July. He is slated to make $6.8 million over each of the next two years. His contract is up after the 2015 season.

The reserve linebackers currently on the roster include Emmanuel Acho, Najee Goode, Jake Knott (who is suspended for the first four games), Casey Matthews and Jason Phillips.

The Eagles seem to have some real interest in Montana LB Jordan Tripp, though they might have to spend a second-day draft pick to get him. Whether it’s Tripp or someone else, there’s reason to believe the Eagles will be on the lookout for some inside linebacker help.