Will DeVonta Smith ever catch Harold Carmichael? –NBC Sports Philadelphia
It’s an enormous week in Eagles World as all of us eagerly await the 2026 NFL schedule launch, which shall be Thursday night. That means it is time to fireplace up the calendar, select flights, e book motels, reserve your rental automotive and plan your fall highway journeys.
But first, it is Roob’s 10 Random eagles Offseason Observations Day!
Can the Eagles finish a 76-year drought in 2026? Can DeVonta Smith break Harold Carmichael’s franchise receiving document? Can Bernard ever be a legit NFL defensive lineman?
We have loads of questions and we could even have some solutions.
CAN DEVONTA CATCH HAROLD? It wasn’t that way back it appeared AJ Brown had an actual likelihood to interrupt Hall of Famer Harold Carmichael’s franchise document of 8,978 profession receiving yards. Brown has averaged 81.2 yards as an Eagle and has 5,034 yards so three extra seasons at his present price would put him proper there with Harold. Alas, these three extra years should not going to occur. What about DeVonta? Could he make a run at Harold’s document? Absolutely. Smith hasn’t put up the numbers that AJ has however he isn’t far off and he is rather a lot youthful and naturally he has spent his complete profession right here. Smith has 5,019 yards as an Eagle and has averaged 63 per sport, and he is solely 27. At his present tempo he would want to play 4 extra years right here to catch Harold. He’s signed by means of 2028 at his present price he’d catch Harold in 2029. The most spectacular factor about DeVonta is his consistency. He’s certainly one of solely 9 NFL gamers with not less than 800 yards in every of the final 5 years. He’s solely missed 4 video games in his profession due to accidents, and with AJ gone he is probably going to get extra targets than ever, which implies extra yards than ever. If I needed to rank the highest 5 WRs in Eagles historical past, I’d go Mike Quick, Harold Carmichael, Tommy McDonald, DeSean Jackson and AJ Brown, though you may make an argument that AJ must be in entrance of DeSean. In the not-too-distant future, we could need to discover a method to squeeze DeVonta onto that record.
JALEN STAT OF THE WEEK: From the 2022 convention semifinal sport in opposition to the Giants on the Linc by means of the 2024 NFC Championship Game vs. Washington, Jalen Hurts had a streak of seven straight playoff video games with not less than 20 makes an attempt and no interceptions. He’s the one quarterback in NFL historical past to go seven straight postseason video games with no interceptions. Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes every had six-game streaks.
HOW MANY FORMER JETS GM’S DO YOU NEED? Adding former Jets GM Mike Maccagnan to the scouting workers was probably the most uncommon strikes Howie Roseman has made. Maccagann was a failure as a GM with the Jets, who had been 31-49 from 2015 by means of 2019 whereas he was working the present. Why would Howie need him within the constructing? Same motive I needed Dave Caldwell and Joe Douglas. The Jaguars had been 37-91 when Caldwell was the GM from 2013 by means of 2020 and the Jets had been 32-68 from 2019 by means of 2024 when Douglas was GM You have to recollect they don’t seem to be coming right here to be a common supervisor. They’re coming right here to work alongside Roseman and the remainder of an excellent scouting division. There’s a motive these guys turned GMs within the first place. They had been superb at lower-level jobs. A giant a part of Roseman’s job is working with common managers from different groups, so he is acquired lots of expertise with these guys and whenever you’ve spent this a lot time speaking soccer with somebody you are going to have a eager sense of their strengths and weaknesses and once they’re in your constructing you possibly can tailor their tasks to their strengths. This is just like the Peter Principal in reverse. Caldwell might need been an terrible GM with the Jaguars, however the Eagles made the playoffs all 5 years he was right here and gained a Super Bowl with him within the entrance workplace. Douglas might need been an terrible GM with the Jets, however he gained a Super Bowl right here in 2017. And possibly Maccagnan can fill a worthwhile position as properly in a lesser place. We ought to all be past questioning something Howie does at this level. Even hiring individuals away from the worst groups within the NFL.
TERTIARY WHAT? Bryce Johnston held the title of senior vice chairman/tertiary soccer govt when he left the Eagles earlier this month for a front-office job with the Falcons. When the Eagles introduced their quite a few entrance workplace title adjustments final week, they did not record anybody with the title “tertiary football executive.” Not positive how they’ll operate as a franchise with out a tertiary soccer govt. Think they’re playoff streak could come to a screeching halt except they discover one quickly.
WHAT HAPPENS WITH UAR? Uar Bernard is such an intriguing athlete with a novel talent set, however this can be a man who’s by no means performed one down of soccer anyplace and a best-case situation is that possibly he can get on the sector subsequent 12 months, though 2028 could also be extra life like. Remember, Jordan Mailata did not play a snap till Year 3, and there isn’t any assure Uar will ever get to that time. But that mentioned, I do not suppose the Eagles wish to danger shedding him on waivers, so what is the plan? They may bury him on the 53-man roster and record him as inactive each week, however that is not excellent roster administration, having a man on the 53 who cannot even be a backup. Remember, his worldwide exemption expires on full cutdown day. I’d anticipate that late within the preseason Uar suffers a mysterious ankle damage and spends the 12 months on IR, the place he does not depend in opposition to the 53 however is not vulnerable to getting poached, as he can be on the follow squad. Maybe no person would signal him if he is on the follow squad, however I doubt they wish to danger it. I’m guessing ankle damage.
WHEN THE EAGLES BEGAN RUNNING THE BALL BETTER? I’m simply concerning the greatest Jeff Stoutland fan on the planet, and I’ve an infinite quantity of respect for the individual and the coach. I all the time loved our chats, speaking about life and speaking about soccer. But it might be disingenuous to not level out one factor. It’s been reported that one of many primary causes Stoutland left the group is that Nick Sirianni and Kevin Patullo took on a much bigger position within the working sport the second half of the season, decreasing or eliminating their position in designing the working assault. The actuality is that the Eagles’ working sport did enhance considerably the second half of the season. The Eagles averaged 88 speeding yards and three.3 yards per carry by means of Week 7, rating final in yards per carry and thirtieth in yards per sport. The remainder of the 12 months, they averaged 137 yards per sport and 4.7 per carry, each Seventh-best within the league. Now, we do not know precisely when the adjustments occurred and we do not even know if there is a direct trigger and impact right here. Loads of elements can influence how properly the working sport works. But there isn’t any query the Eagles ran the ball a lot better the second half of the season than the primary half, and most of that was with out Lane Johnson. How a lot of that – if any – was associated to Stoutland’s diminished position is not possible to say. But the numbers are the numbers, they usually by no means lie.
THREE DECADES AND COUNTING: It’s been 30 years since an Eagle had 12 sacks in back-to-back seasons. That was William Fuller, who had 13 in 1995 and 13 extra in 1996. Since then, Hugh Douglas has had three 12-sack seasons however by no means in back-to-back years. Trent Cole had two however not in back-to-back years. And Jason Babin, Connor Barwin and Haason Reddick every had one 12-sack season. Since Fuller, 36 NFL gamers have recorded 12 sacks in consecutive seasons.
WHAT ABOUT JOSH SWEAT? We wrote final week about whether or not you’d relatively have Jaelan Phillips at $30 million per 12 months or Jonathan Greenard at $25 million per 12 months. How a few third choice? Josh Sweat at $19 million per 12 months? I’m wondering if wanting again the Eagles want they made extra of an effort to maintain Sweat when he hit free company after the 2024 season. Sweat had 12 sacks in Arizona final 12 months, which is greater than Phillips has within the final three years mixed and 9 greater than Greenard had with the Vikings final 12 months. Over the final three years, Sweat and Greenard have very comparable numbers – 27 ½ sacks for Greenard to 26 ½ for Sweat, six pressured fumbles every, 56 QB hits for Greenard to 55 for Sweat. If you gave me my selection of Phillips at $30 million, Greenard at $25 million or Sweat at $19 million, that is a no brainer. I’m going Sweaty.
IT’S ONLY BEEN 76 YEARS: With Sean Mannion working the offense now, a deeper broad receiver room, two legit receiving tight ends, Saquon Barkley nonetheless in his prime, Jalen Hurts now in his sixth 12 months as a starter and a wholesome Lane Johnson, this has an opportunity to be an elite offense. The greatest questions are how Hurts will alter to his sixth completely different offense and whether or not Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens can keep wholesome. But what’s fascinating, the Eagles have not had the highest-scoring offense within the NFL since 1949, once they averaged 28 factors per sport with Tommy Thompson, Steve Van Buren, Bosh Pritchard and Pete Pihos. Since then, their highest offensive rank is No. 3 a number of occasions, most lately in 2014 beneath Chip Kelly, 2017 beneath Doug Pederson and 2022 beneath Shane Steichen. The Eagles had been nineteenth in scoring final 12 months at 22.3 factors per sport and possibly it is rather a lot to ask for them to common a complete further landing subsequent 12 months, however with the adjustments they’ve made and the upgrades they need to have in play calling it is a life like purpose. Of the ten groups that had been within the NFL in 1949, solely the Cards have gone longer than the Eagles with out a No. 1 offense. I really feel like 76 years with out a top-ranked offense is lengthy sufficient.
AN APPRECIATION OF SAQUON’S 2024 SEASON: Just placing Saquon Barkley’s 2024 season in perspective, he is the one working again in NFL historical past to hurry for two,000 yards, common 5.8 yards per carry and rating 13 touchdowns in a season. Never been carried out by anybody else. Not Jim Brown, not AP, not Barry. He set an NFL document with seven touchdowns of 60 or extra yards, and his six video games with 150 speeding yards and a 5.0 common had been 2nd-most ever, behind Terrell Davis’s seven in 1998. Not kidding, we could have witnessed the best season ever by an NFL working again.
