This is a great example of the haves & have-nots in the NFL. The Ravens & Steelers are the perennial class of the division while the Bengals—after decades of irrelevance—have clawed their way into the conversation the last couple years. Then there’s the Browns…those poor, misguided Browns. When it comes down to it, teams like the Packers (reviewed last week), Ravens & Steelers are the gold-standard of NFL personnel acquisition & development. They draft well, they facilitate player growth, they extend young talent, and they fill holes with diamond-in-the-rough free agents. Ted Thompson & Ozzie Newsome are the kind of personnel executives that Chip Kelly & Ed Marynowitz ought to aspire to be themselves. That digression aside, let’s continue our division-by-division look at free agency & identifying potential Eagles targets with the AFC North.
Baltimore Ravens
Darian Stewart, Jeromy Miles, Pernell McPhee, Torrey Smith, Justin Forsett, Tyrod Taylor
Like the Packers last week, this is a long list with some viable options: guys that could come in and start or split time with current Eagles. These are the types of guys that good teams rip from other organizations to get over the top. Baltimore’s secondary & pass coverage was the weak link in an otherwise strong defense last year. This was pretty obviously the case in the playoffs as the Ravens surrendered 350+ yards and three touchdowns through the air to the Patriots in a 35-31 playoff loss. Darian Stewart & Will Hill were the starting safeties in that game & are both free agents: though Will Hill is an exclusive rights free agent. Stewart had an average year and, per ProFootball Focus, graded out two spots behind Nate Allen among starting safeties in the NFL last year. He would be another stop-gap that the Eagles, quite honestly, need to do better than. Jeromy Miles, playing only 335 snaps, was rated higher than both Nate Allen & Stewart. Part of his better rating is almost certainly his limited exposure as a backup to the starters. The Eagles have developmental prospects & guys on the roster that could “push the starters.” Not sure they need another that fits that mold. McPhee, listed behind Terrell Suggs on the Ravens depth chart, played just 540 snaps last year but was the second highest rated 3-4 OLB according to Pro Football Focus. Playing limited snaps—and mostly on the right side—make his nine sacks, 24 QB hits, and 40 QB hurries all the more impressive. This is a guy that could come in and replace the production lost if Brandon Graham leaves for greener pastures: especially if Trent Cole sticks around & takes a pay-cut. Torrey Smith is a 5-year NFL veteran with elite speed. His best year was undoubtedly in 2013: hauling in 65 balls for >1,100 yards & four touchdowns. He averaged 17.4 yards per catch that year. In 2014, he came back to earth: 49 catches for 767 yards but swelling to 11 touchdowns. He is not the guy that will dominate a game on his own. If he could be brought in & paired with Maclin, on the other hand, you are talking about a truly dynamic receiving corps. The only downside, he stands just 6’0” & tips the scales at 205 lbs. We know how Chip feels about smaller wideouts. Forsett came on strong last year with over 1,500 all-purpose yards & 8 touchdowns. Though most people are just now realizing his fantasy potential, he is 29 years old and is looking at his last chance to make a pay day. He will get a short, but lucrative, contract: the kind the Eagles are unlikely to shell out with their current RB situation. Taylor—the former Virginia Tech dual-threat QB—has managed to stay on Baltimore’s roster for four seasons as Flacco’s backup. He could be evaluated in a Dennis Dixon kind of way but is no real option to start at the NFL level.
Cincinnati Bengals
Jermaine Gresham, Rey Maualuga, Clint Boling
What to do with Jermaine Gresham? Last year was as productive a year as you can hope for on a team that also features AJ Green, Mohamed Sanu, Giovani Bernard, & Jeremy Hill. He caught 62 balls for 460 yards and five touchdowns. Productive, yes, but he isn’t a great run blocker and isn’t well regarded by advanced metrics. Run blocking is a must for Chip. If Ertz were better at it, he’d be playing more. Still, it is hard to pass up the possibility of a two tight-end set with Ertz & Gresham on the field. Even still, likely not gonna happen when they just cut James Casey—a “character” guy & special teams stalwart—to save $4M in cap space. Maualuga is, perhaps, as close to DeMeco Ryans statistically as you are likely to find on the free agent market. He would be a serviceable replacement but would not represent an upgrade by any means. He has been a leader of a solid Bengals defense since being drafted in 2009. Last season he missed four games with a nagging hamstring injury. According to www.cincyjungle.com, without Maualuga the Bengals gave up nearly 40 more rushing yards per game and their average points against swelled from 20.5 to 24.5 per game. On the down side, “CincyJungle” argues that, when targeted, Maualuga allowed an opponent QB rating of 90.1. If there is one thing Billy Davis likes, it’s versatility: it doesn’t seem Maualuga has it. This would be a lateral move, at absolute best. Clint Boling is a 4th year veteran out of Georgia initially drafted in the fourth round in 2011. Though playing primarily on the left side last year, he has experience playing both guard spots & could be a valuable addition to a team that will trot out two 30+ year old guards next season. He is not a great pass defender—rated below average, in fact—but he is a stellar run blocker & you know that appeals to Kelly.
Cleveland Browns
Jordan Cameron, Tashaun Gipson, Craig Robertson
Another young & talented TE to consider. After Cameron’s bust out performance in the first 5 games of 2013, he plummeted back to earth and has been unremarkable since. He is a big bodied, athletic TE in the same vein as Zach Ertz. He would do well in a system where he isn’t the lone talented ball-catcher. The problem is that the Browns have a woeful lack of talent on offense & Josh Gordon’s constant, medically-induced absence doesn’t help Cameron’s cause. As with Gresham, he may not fit into an organization that already has Brent Celek, Zach Ertz, & Trey Burton on the roster. Gipson started as free safety & led the NFL with 6 interceptions in 2014 before landing on IR with a knee injury MCL/PCL injury. He is 5’1” & 205 lbs but could be everything the Eagles wish Nate Allen could have been. According to ProFootball Focus, he is the 10th highest rated Safety in the game. Unfortunately, he is also a restricted free agent so prying him away from the Browns is unlikey without going over the top with an offer that Cleveland won’t match due to the injury. Even then, is Gipson worth the draft pick the Eagles would give up if the Browns let him walk: big risk for a guy coming back from injury. Craig Robertson is a third-year inside linebacker who, aside from a terrible performance in week 11 against the Texans, was an average to above-average ILB last season. He notched 99 total tackles to accompany two interceptions & four passes defensed last year. He seems to have the versatility to play in space & defend the pass & PFF grades him out as a top-20 ILB: just ahead of guys like Jerod Mayo & DeMeco Ryans. He is someone to consider.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jason Worilds, Arthur Moats
Worilds was on the Eagles radar last offseason before being transition tagged by the Steelers. Recent reports would lead you to believe they do not have the available money to repeat the tag this year. If he hits the market, he is a guy that could be an Eagle within minutes of free agency’s opening bell. Last season, he had 7.5 sacks & 59 total tackles. He is 26 years old and, coupled with Mychal Kendricks, would make one of the best starting ILB pairs in the NFL. Arthur Moats—if Worilds is unavailable—wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize as Worilds’ backup in Pittsburgh last year. He rated just four spots lower than Worilds according to PFF & higher than Clay Matthews, Aldon Smith, Brian Orakpo & Connor Barwin. The obvious first choice is Worilds but the truth is that either of these guys would improve the Eagles roster. Worilds as a starting LB and Pro Bowl level free agent signing. Moats as a capable backup or potential starter if/when Ryans moves onto the next phase of his life.
Two more divisions to go & 16 days until the start of free agency. New is going to start flowing fast & speculation will run rampant on social media in the coming weeks. Get ready because the NFL offseason—however brief—is almost over.
