Eagles trying to sign Graham

[Wings]

Report: Brandon Graham, Eagles talking new contract - NFL.com

 

[Speedy]

Get it done howie, id love to see him starting opposite barwin. Cole was a great eagle, but at this point hes all name.

 

[old duke]

No, Cole has had a very good year, but it's Graham's turn now. They were going to move on to Graham anyway, after this year.

 

[Iron Eagle]

It's good to see him turn his career around.

 

[Iggloo]

I suspected they would do this. Smart move. The rookie is not panning out, Cole is old, and Graham is showing flashes. I am still not sold on Graham, but he looks like he may be ready, finally, to be the starter.

 

[Iron Eagle]

I suspected they would do this. Smart move. The rookie is not panning out, Cole is old, and Graham is showing flashes. I am still not sold on Graham, but he looks like he may be ready, finally, to be the starter.

If/when Smith figures it all out, our depth will be fantastic.

 

[WIZ]

Very smart. Graham has shown flashes and could be awesome in this D. Get him cheaper if you do it now.

 

[Taz]

Why would Graham sign now? He is going to get two games to prove that he is a starter which could make him get a real big pay day in free agency.

 

[GNG]

It looks like the Eagles might miss the playoffs.

 

[Rey]

Graham has been really good this year now that he's finally healthy. Smith will eventually improve and see playing time in coverage situations which is what Graham's weak spot is. It would be a great move to re-up Graham.

 

[swat]

Cant have enough pass rushers.

 

[SoShady]

Why would Graham sign now? He is going to get two games to prove that he is a starter which could make him get a real big pay day in free agency.

He won't sign now. He wants double what they are offering so I can't see it happening. He also seems enamored with testing free agency.

 

[Speedy]

He won't sign now. He wants double what they are offering so I can't see it happening. He also seems enamored with testing free agency.

Its a gamble, but its the smart move for him financially. We NEED to bring him back because cole is over the hill and we dont have much behind him. He knows that we have other holes to fill but with maclins contract coming up and us needing corner help we may not be able to give him a ton of cash. Howie should offer him a 3 year 15 mill front loaded deal. He would be crazy to turn that down. Win/win for both sides, he gets paid and if we front load it we can basically give him our empty cap dollars this year and keep him for cheap the next 2 years. Maclin is gonna get at least 8 mill a year.

As crazy as it sounds this off season is gonna come down to dez bryant for us. Maclin is gonna wait to see what the gurls offer dez, and well probably have to give him something similar and the chips will fall after that. I dont think he is worth that but if we dont give it to him, someone else will and we cant afford to lose another weapon.

It will be a crazy off season to say the least.

 

[Speedy]

Btw, we should cut cooper and give maclin his savings, it also will likely be james caseys last year as well.

 

[FadeToBlack]

Is it a coincidence that he's finally putting it together when FA is on the near horizon? Eh...

 

[swat]

Graham is a hard effort guy, I wouldnt worry about him phoning it in after he gets paid. That said, it doesnt say much about Marcus Smiths' short term future.

 

[djm]

I am ok with signing Graham. I don't mind giving him money as long as it has no long term impact. He still has a lot to prove. If Maclin is waiting to see what they give Dez before he signs maybe we should take a flyer out on Dez. I am sure he will get franchised but I would take Dez over Maclin any day. I know it isn't realistic but it is fun to think about.

 

[Taz]

I don't know if Signing Graham says anything about Marcus Smiths future, Marcus Smiths future may be inside. Remember both Cole and Ryans are making huge money next year. Both could be gone

 

[deerpathdave]

Well, What is the offseason plan? I am good with signing Graham. 26 years old and seems like a good fit. They sign him and he should man the outside spot for the next four years. They same money net by cutting Cole, but at 32 years old, it doesn't make much sense to pay him $10M per year. If Graham balks at signing the contract, its really no big deal, you just keep Cole and maybe extend him a year at a slightly reduced contract. Hopefully Smith or maybe long can get the breather reps.

At inside LB, I am not sure Ryans will be back. He is entering the non-guaranteed year of his contract and $6.8M is a lot for a guy coming off an injury. The Eagles may be in a position to wait til August to make that call. Casey Matthews in the meantime may have earned an extension. Still, I don't see him as a mult-year commitment sort of talent. He would need to sign a one year deal. As far as Free Agents, the Eagles keep their eye out for young guys from bad teams. They are the ones that may be willing to trade up and Colin McCarthy from the Titans (A Philly native) or Rey Maualuga from the Bengals fit the bill.

I don't anticipate any changes on either the Offensive or Defensive lines.

At DB, you have two expiring contracts in Allen and Fletcher. Both are likely gone. No idea who they would sign though? There are a couple of Free Agent in Houston, but I don't know if they are any better than the guys the Eagles have? I see the Eagles giving Watkins, Boykins, Carroll a chance to compete along with a 1st and or 2nd round rookie.

On offense, you gotta figure the Eagles will go into the season with Foles as the starter again, but they are likely much less comfortable with that idea than they were last year. It seems like its put up time for Barkley. Either he makes a run at the job this year or he is looking like he is a career backup or out of the league all together really quick. I'm not ready to rule him out. He is the only QB here that Kelly drafted and he was a 4th round pick. Add another mid round pick and the Eagles will likely be stocked. But no one can be too thrilled at that.

At WR, Maclin gets re-signed and this year with a year under their belt, either Huff or Matthews most likely make Cooper irrelevant. But I expect he will not go away easily and provide some good competition. You gotta figure that Casey is gone and Burton may play a larger role.

So the big money spend on Graham, Maclin and Cox. Wait and see on Foles. No more Sanchize as Barkley gets the number two and a look see as the number one if Foles doesn't improve. Draft focuses on the secondary.

 

[Iggloo]

I think they would be pressing less hard to sign Graham if Smith looked ready to start. He doesn't, so this is looking like a potential gaping hole they need to fill.

I suspect he becomes a free agent, because he will likely get more on an open market, from us or another team, than he would signing early.

 

[deerpathdave]

The Eagles have a history of not overpaying, but also for doing a better job than most of honoring contracts. Even a guy like James Casey is seeing most of his contract. Meanwhile a guy like Trotter goes to the Redskins and is cut one year later. If the Eagles make a fair offer, a smart player would be wise to take it over a deal from some of the less reputable or stable organizations. You sign with a team like the Raiders or Skins and you really have no idea who will be running the show in a year.