What They’re Saying About the Eagles

Here’s a roundup of what the national media are saying about the Eagles.

Ashley Fox of ESPN.com applauds the Birds’ approach in free agency:

The building continues. This is only Year 2 of the Kelly era. Free agency will wind down and then there is the draft. Kelly will continue to expand the offense, rebuild the defense and focus on special teams.

There are no champions of the offseason, but with shrewd personnel decisions, Philadelphia has shown the gap between it and the rest of the NFC East is only getting wider.

Greg A. Bedard of The MMQB likes the Nolan Carroll addition:

An underrated player with the Dolphins, Carroll should be a better fit in Philadelphia where his length is a big asset.

Judy Battista of NFL.com names Chip Kelly as one of her winners:

The Eagles coach gets a new toy in Darren Sproles. And while that toy might not be very shiny anymore — Sproles’ production has begun to decline — it’s still a powerful one in terms of Sproles’ ability as a receiver, running back and returner. Kelly, who might be close to matching Sean Payton’s reputation as an offensive designer, could deploy Sproles in a limited role as running back LeSean McCoy’s best buddy on an offense that also includes DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Riley Cooper and Brent Celek. Did you like the pinball offense on cleats that Kelly ran at Oregon? He might be getting closer to unleashing it with the dual-threat Sproles in the fold.

ESPN.com’s John Clayton names the Eagles one his five free agency winners:

Playoff teams with good starting quarterbacks on their first contracts can be strategic players in free agency and in personnel. That’s what the Eagles are. Nick Foles is in the third year of his rookie contract, and the Eagles had plenty of cap room available. Like Seattle last year, they are grabbing at available opportunities. The New Orleans Saints shopped Darren Sproles and the Eagles had no problem putting his $3.5 million salary in their backfield with LeSean McCoy. They locked up key offensive linemen with contracts through 2016. Last year, they were in a rush to revamp their secondary. This year, they had the luxury to strategically make it better with the additions of safety Malcolm Jenkins and cornerback Nolan Carroll, who might be a good third corner.

Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com has the Eagles taking Louisville safety Calvin Pryor in his latest mock:

The Eagles made a move in free agency and added Malcolm Jenkins from the Saints. In terms of starter-worthy talent at the position, I’ll say that means one down and one to go. Pryor is the obvious solution here, a player who can hold his own in coverage but will come downhill against the run and be effective in the box. The Eagles are going to score points. They could use another option at wide receiver, but it’s a deep draft there, and I think the focus will be on defense early.

Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com has the Eagles taking Notre Dame DL Louis Nix:

They have Bennie Logan, but he could easily move to end. This would give them more bulk.

Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com likes the idea of Darren Sproles and LeSean McCoy on the field at the same time:

Second, Sproles proved especially productive in New Orleans when lined up somewhere other than the backfield. His 89 receptions in those situations since 2011 is twice that of the next-closest running back, Marcel Reece (44). Such familiarity with the slot and outside receiving positions give the Eagles a scary potential to use Sproles and McCoy on the field at the same time.

Bill Barnwell of Grantland likes the Malcolm Jenkins signing:

The Eagles continued the game of safety musical chairs by adding the player Byrd replaced in New Orleans, Malcolm Jenkins, on a three-year, $15.5 million deal. As long as he stays in center field, Jenkins should be a comfortable upgrade over the likes of Patrick Chung in Philly.