What They’re Saying About The Eagles

Here is what the national media are saying about Chip Kelly’s squad this week.

DeSean Jackson’s new reality show premiered on BET and apparently he is still upset about the way the Eagles cut him:

“When I was released by the Eagles, I feel they tried to paint a picture that definitely wasn’t true. It was a slap in the face, coming off one of my best seasons in the NFL,” Jackson said on the show.

He then told his friends, “The Eagles tried to blow me up. That’s cold how they did it.”

To which one unnamed friend said, “Like they tried to persecute you from where you come from, bro.”

Jackson agreed.

The Sports Illustrated staff held a roundtable discussing which NFC East QB they thought was under the most pressure in 2015. Three writers selected Sam Bradford, including Ben Eagle:

Are injuries the new market inefficiency? It’s clear Chip Kelly thinks so after an off-season in which he stockpiled wounded body after wounded body. Foremost among those pickups was Sam Bradford, a former No. 1 pick who is coming off back-to-back ACL tears.

Staying healthy will be priority No. 1 for Bradford. Barring a late-summer extension, he is playing on a one-year prove-it deal. If he can stay upright for 16 games, the sky is the limit. Bradford has all the skills needed to thrive in Kelly’s offense and could soar with DeMarco Murray in the backfield and Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor out wide. If the injury bug returns, Bradford will find himself searching for backup jobs in 2016.

Andrew Kulp of Bleacher Report looks at how Kelly has built around the players that he inherited from Andy Reid:

On offense, Jason Peters, Jason Kelce and Brent Celek still play prominent roles. On defense, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and DeMeco Ryans are considered key contributors. All six arrived before Kelly, and all six have become favorites of a coach who has proved to be extremely fickle.

In fact, not only have those six survived the massive renovations, but all except Celek have also received contract extensions since Kelly has been in Philadelphia.

Pete Prisco of CBS Sports thinks Byron Maxwell is the most overrated Eagle:

I think he’s a good No. 2 corner, who is getting paid like a shutdown corner. That’s great risk. Too many general managers I’ve talked to this spring were shocked at what the Eagles paid him as a free agent. He’s above average, but not great.

And Cox is the team’s most underrated player:

It was stunning that he didn’t get a spot in the Pro Bowl. He’s a disruptive player who didn’t pile up sacks, which hurt his chances. Opposing players know how good he is inside for the Eagles.

Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News thinks the Eagles are vastly overrated:

I’d say vastly overrated. The Eagles finished two games behind the Cowboys last season and although they added Murray, they need players to stretch the field on the flank to optimize his effectiveness. Murray won’t have a Dez Bryant in Philadelphia. I’m not sure he even has a Terrance Williams. And we still have to see Sam Bradford play a 16-game season for us to buy into the stabilization of the quarterback position.