Why I don’t expect a huge trade-deadline move from Howie Roseman, a look at the greatest seasons ever by Eagles running backs and an Eagles quarterback whose granddaughters are famous actresses.
We’re all over the map with this week’s edition of Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Observations.
1. I’ll be surprised if the Eagles make a significant trade-deadline move by Tuesday. For a few reasons. First of all, I don’t see a position of glaring need. Are there areas they could use more depth? Sure. But none of them rise to the level of trading a draft pick. Could they use another wide receiver? Definitely. But Howie Roseman already traded a 3rd-round pick two months ago for Jahan Dotson and he’s not going to keep trading picks trying to find a third wideout. Could they use another edge rusher? Probably. But Nolan Smith has 2 ½ sacks the last three games, Bryce Huff has started to show signs of life, Josh Sweat has three sacks in his last four games and Brandon Graham is playing really well. You’re not going to take snaps away from Sweat or Smith, and you just invested $51 million in Huff, so you’re not going to bench him with that sort of investment when he’s starting to show up. Would it be fun to have Maxx Crosby or Myles Garrett here? No doubt. But you have to look at what it would cost in terms of draft assets and cap space, and I just don’t think the need is great enough to warrant that kind of move. There’s also the matter of draft picks. With that 3rd-rounder going to Washington, the Eagles only have their own 1st- and 2nd-round picks next year, another 3rd-rounder, a 4th-rounder and three 5th-rounders. That’s it. I wouldn’t be shocked if Howie tries to unload maybe Avonte Maddox for a late-round pick, but I don’t think he has much value after the way he played before being replaced by Cooper DeJean. And there’s also the fact that Roseman hasn’t had much success with deadline moves since the Jay Ajayi trade in 2017. Golden Tate cost a 3rd-round pick in 2018, Genard Avery a 4th-rounder in 2019, Robert Quinn a 4th-rounder in 2022 and Kevin Byard a 5th- and a 6th-round pick. Howie loves to make trades, so anything is possible. But I just don’t think a deal makes sense this year.
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2. How solid has Quinyon Mitchell been? Opposing quarterbacks have a 71.6 passer rating when targeting the rookie corner, and that's 17th-best of 75 cornerbacks who have been targeted at least three times per game this year. And that rating would be even lower if he had hung onto any of the three or four interceptions he's had in his hands. QBs are completing just 51.4 percent of their passes when throwing at Mitchell, and that’s 11th-lowest out of those 75 corners. He’s 18th in yards per target (6.4) and 9th in yards allowed per target (47). Mitchell is so solid. And only going to get better.
3. With 766 rushing yards, a 5.9 average and six total touchdowns in seven games, Saquon Barkley is on pace for one of the greatest seasons in Eagles history by a running back. If he continues at his current pace, Barkley will finish with a franchise-record 1,860 rushing yards, 2,117 scrimmage yards, 14 touchdowns and 125 scrimmage yards per game. Where would that rank?
Here’s one opinion on the top five seasons ever by Eagles RBs:
1) LeSean McCoy, 2013: 1,607 rushing yards, 5.1 average, 2,146 scrimmage yards, 134 scrimmage yards per game, 11 TDs.
Philadelphia Eagles
2) Brian Westbrook, 2007: 1,333 rushing yards, 4.8 average, 2,104 scrimmage yards, 140 scrimmage yards per game, 12 TDs.
3) Steve Van Buren, 1949: 1,146 rushing yards (in 12 games), 95.5 rushing yards per game, 4.4 average, 11 TDs.
4) Wilbert Montgomery, 1979: 1,512 rushing yards, 4.5 average, 2,006 scrimmage yards, 125 scrimmage yards per game, 14 TDs.
5) LeSean McCoy, 2011: 1,309 rushing yards, 4.8 average, 1,624 scrimmage yards, 108 scrimmage yards per game, 20 TDs.
4. Speaking of Barkley, here’s an insane stat: Barkley has had 1,661 career touches – 1,349 rushing attempts, 312 receptions – and he’s only fumbled six times, losing just three. He lost a fumble after a one-yard gain against the Cowboys in 2021, forced by DeMarcus Lawrence and recovered by Carlos Watkins; he lost a fumble against Washington last October after a two-yard gain, forced and recovered by Daron Payne; and he lost a fumble against the Packers last December after a 34-yard run, losing the ball untouched, recovered by Carrington Valentine and returned 50 yards. That’s truly incredible. He’s fumbled once every 553 touches over a seven-year career.
5. The Eagles have had 22 head coaches, but only three of them were promoted from within after serving as assistants and only one after the coach he worked for was fired. Nick Skorich was an assistant under Buck Shaw in 1959 and 1960 before replacing Shaw when he retired after the Eagles won the 1960 NFL Championship, Marion Campbell was Dick Vermeil’s defensive coordinator for six seasons before replacing him when Vermeil walked away after the 1982 season and most recently Rich Kotite was Buddy Ryan’s offensive coordinator in 1990 before replacing him when Ryan was fired.
6. An underrated area of recent improvement is the Eagles’ run defense. The first two weeks of the season, against the Packers and Falcons, the Eagles allowed an NFL-worst 6.4 yards per carry and 315 total yards, 25th-worst. Since then? They’ve allowed 3.7 yards per carry and 87 yards per game, both 4th-best league-wide. It’s not a huge sample size, but it’s dramatic improvement and it’s mainly a product of improved tackling, which comes from guys being in the right place and taking good angles to the ball carrier instead of reaching because they’re out of position because they’re not quite familiar with the scheme. They also faced two pretty good backs the first two weeks – Josh Jacobs and Bijan Robinson. But they held Alvin Kamara to 3.3 yards per carry, Tyrone Tracy to 3.8, Chase Brown to 2.7 – all well below their season averages. Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun have both improved as tacklers, Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter have played the run well, the corners have supported the run and the addition of Cooper DeJean has made a massive difference.The Jaguars don’t do a lot well but they do run the ball with Tank Bigsby (493 yards, 5.8 average), and two-time 1,000-yard rusher Travis Etienne, who is expected to play after missing two games with a hamstring. Even Trevor Lawrence is a running threat with over 1,000 career yards and a 4.8 average. The Jaguars are 7th in the league averaging 5.0 yards per carry. If the Eagles can stuff the Jags’ running attack and make them one-dimensional, it'll tell us the recent improvement in run defense is legit.
7. Jahan Dotson has played 286 offensive snaps and has 35 receiving yards. That’s less than half as many receiving yards as any other wide receiver who’s played at least 250 snaps this year. Patriots rookie Ja’Lynn Polk has played 292 snaps and has 78 yards. The dude is having a historically bad season. What the heck is happening? Dotson wasn’t worth the 16th pick in the draft, but he was at least a functional receiver in his two years in Washington, averaging 36 yards per game. He doesn’t even have 36 yards all year. And he’s been here long enough – since late August – where he’s not the new guy anymore. Dotson is a hard worker, he and Jalen Hurts put extra time, and when he’s out there he’s got the other team’s 3rd-best corner on him. There’s no reason the production should be this bad.
8. Eagles cornerbacks have gone 11 straight games without an interception. Their last INT by a corner was Kelee Ringo’s off Tyrod Taylor in the first Giants game last Christmas Day at the Linc. Last time they went that long without a cornerback intercepting a pass was the last four games of 2015 and the first seven games of 2016 between a Byron Maxwell INT of Tom Brady at Gillette in Week 12 of 2015 and a Nolan Carroll INT of Eli Manning in Week 9 of 2016 at MetLife. The last streak longer than 11 games was 13 games in 1983. Herm Edwards intercepted John Elway at Mile High in Week 3 and the Eagles didn’t get another INT from a cornerback until Week 16, when Roynell Young picked off Neil Lomax at Busch Stadium on the final day of the season.
9. LeSean McCoy is going into the Eagles Hall of Fame Sunday, so here’s a fun Shady stat: McCoy had eight 4th-quarter touchdown runs of at least 40 yards, and that’s the most in NFL history. Only two other backs had more than four – Adrian Peterson (7) and Derrick Henry (5 so far). Seven of those eight 40-yard 4th-quarter TDs were with the Eagles. Ernie Steele in the early 1940s and Brian Westbrook are the only other players in Eagles history with two.
10. Did you know actresses Dakota and Elle Fanning are the granddaughters of a former Eagles quarterback? Dakota Fanning, who has starred in numerous movies, including the Twilight films, and her sister Elle, who starred as Princess Aurora in the Maleficent films among many others, are the granddaughters of Rick Arrington, who spent the 1970 through 1972 seasons with the Eagles and started five games, going 1-3-1 with three touchdown passes (to Lee Bougess, Tom Woodeshick and Ben Hawkins) and nine interceptions. Arrington’s daughter, Heather Joy Arrington, married minor-league baseball player Steven J. Fanning, and the Fanning sisters are their kids. Arrington’s other daughter is long-time TV sports reporter Jill Arrington. Arrington was 74 when he died in 2021 after suffering for years from CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy).
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