As always, thank you for all the questions. You guys always deliver.
I answered a bunch of questions already — Part 1, Part 2 — but there are still plenty more to get to as we empty the mailbag.
To the questions:
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It’s not completely outrageous to think that Nolan Smith could have a more impactful rookie season than Jalen Carter but it’s probably not likely. A lot of that has to do with opportunity. Carter is going to play a ton and will likely be a starter or at the very least the first guy off the bench as an interior pass rusher. It’s an important position and he’s higher on the depth chart.
Smith will start off clearly behind Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham as the Eagles’ fourth edge rusher. But he should have plenty of opportunity on passing downs, which means he has a chance to pick up some sacks as a rookie. Smith could very well have a good rookie season but I view Carter as a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate.
As for why Smith dropped so far in the draft, it’s a fair question. Had the Eagles taken him at No. 10, I don’t think fans would have been upset. It would have been a decent allocation of resources. Of course, getting him at No. 30 was even better. A lot of it probably has to do with his size. Even though the game has changed a ton, some teams still won’t feel comfortable with a 238-pound edge rusher, especially in the first round. Smith doesn’t have the body type for every defense and every defensive coordinator. But the Eagles in 2022 showed they could use an undersized edge rusher as Reddick went off for 16 sacks.
NFL
I’m really looking forward to watching Sermon in training camp this summer because the Eagles didn’t claim him until after the 49ers released him at final cuts last year. So there’s a lot of intrigue around Sermon, who was a third-round pick back in 2021. We saw him play in just two games with the Eagles in 2022 — 2 carries for 19 yards — even though he was on the roster all year. The Eagles are clearly intrigued by him too.
The problem for Sermon is that the running back position is pretty full at the moment. The Eagles’ top four backs — D’Andre Swift, Kenny Gainwell, Rashaad Penny and Boston Scott — are all expected to make the roster and it’s very hard to see the Eagles keeping five running backs. Sermon will begin training camp clearly behind them in the pecking order. But let’s see what happens.
But the only absolute locks to make the team at running back are Swift and Gainwell. Penny and Scott are very likely after that but not 100 percenters. Sermon is firmly on the bubble and looking in … but if Penny gets hurt in training camp (which isn’t a wild thought based on his history) then the Eagles would probably be thrilled they still have Sermon in the building. And if he doesn’t make the roster, the Eagles will probably want to keep Sermon around on the practice squad if they can get him through waivers.
I don’t know if this is necessarily Nick Sirianni’s preference but given the Eagles’ situation, he’s fine with it and that makes sense. It’ll probably be a stick-with-the-hot-hand situation for a lot of the season. Heck, Sirianni did that in the playoffs with Gainwell last season even though he still had Miles Sanders.
If one running back does emerge as the de facto No. 1, I expect it to be Swift. But even if that happens, there should still be roles for the other guys.
In Philadelphia, Goedert certainly isn’t underrated but you might be right about how the rest of the country views him. A lot of it comes down to accolades. Goedert was finally on his way to becoming a first-time Pro Bowler last season but suffered an injury and missed five games. All the other guys on the list of the top tight ends in the NFL have those accolades.
For several years now, whenever the top tight ends are discussed the same names come up: Travis Kelce (8 Pro Bowls, 4x All-Pro), George Kittle (4 Pro Bowls 1x All-Pro), Mark Andrews (3 Pro Bowls, 1x All-Pro). To me, Goedert is clearly in that class and even if folks put him fourth behind those three, he’s still among the best in the NFL.
But you’re right about Goedert’s ability as a blocker. That often goes unnoticed but it means an awful lot to the Eagles. Goedert ranked second to Kelce in overall value in 2022, according to FootballOutsiders. And Goedert is unique because he’s not just a possession receiver; he’s a big-time playmaker down the field.
In 2022, he had 55 catches for 702 yards and 3 touchdowns. That wasn’t enough to make him a Pro Bowler but that production over a full season would have done it. And then maybe he’d start to get more respect nationally.
No helicopters on this last vacation. But I did spend some time in British Columbia and Washington state. It was beautiful. So, sure, the next real podcast I record with Roob, I’ll show some photos you’ll be able to see on the YouTube version.
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