A dark horse in the battle for the second outside cornerback spot, a revealing Jalen Hurts-Patrick Mahomes comparison and a crazy Heath Sherman stat.
I mean, come on now, seriously. Where else are you getting Heath Sherman stats?
Only here.
Welcome to this week’s Roob’s Random Eagles Offseason Observations!
1. We’ve been so focused on Kelee Ringo as the next man up at cornerback, and he very well could be. Ringo has great size and elite speed and did some good things in 2023 when he played over 200 snaps. I think he’s got a chance to be a pretty good corner. But let’s not forget Eli Ricks, who also played a lot in 2023 and also did some good things. Ricks barely played this year – just 14 defensive snaps, all but three in the meaningless season ender vs. the Giants. But let’s look at Ricks’ season in 2023. As an undrafted rookie, he played 301 snaps, 4th-most on the team among corners, behind James Bradberry, Darius Slay and Bradley Roby. That’s by far the most snaps by an undrafted Eagles rookie corner since Stathead began tracking snaps in 2012 and 2nd-most by any undrafted Eagles defensive rookie, behind Cedric Thornton’s 395 in 2012. Ricks was targeted 36 times and allowed only 18 completions, and that 50 percent completion percentage was 9th-best of 109 corners targeted at least 30 times. Now, he allowed some big plays, and his 7.3 yards per target was middle of the pack – 55th of those 109 corners. But we’re talking about an undrafted 22-year-old rookie corner. The Eagles like Ricks enough that they kept him on the 53-man roster all last year even though he wasn’t playing. That speaks volumes. I don’t think Vic Fangio is going to hand anything to anybody, and I’ll be surprised if Ricks doesn’t at least get some 1st-team reps during training camp at outside corner. I like Ringo. He’s got terrific tools, and he’s feisty – sometimes a little too feisty. But Ricks also has great size, he loves being physical at the line of scrimmage, he’s got excellent make-up speed, and he’s got a ton of upside considering he didn’t play a lot in college – just over 1,000 combined snaps at LSU and Alabama – and he obviously hasn’t played a lot in the NFL. Losing Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox, that’s a lot in one offseason. It’s going to take more than one guy to replace them, and I expect Ricks to be right in that mix.
1B. Even with the addition of 29-year-old Adoree Jackson, all Eagles cornerbacks combined are an average of just over 24 years old. Tariq Castro-Fields is 26, Ricks and Quinyon Mitchell are 23 and Ringo and Cooper DeJean are 22.
2. Everybody knows the Eagles haven’t taken a 1st-round running back since Keith Byars in 1986, they haven’t taken a 1st-round linebacker since Jerry Robinson in 1979 and they’ve never taken a 1st-round safety. Now, they’re obviously not taking a running back in the first round this year, but their history – 38 years without a running back, 45 years without a linebacker, 89 years without a safety – goes out the window this year. Why? Because the farther you get away from the top of the draft, the less those rules apply. Howie Roseman might not believe there’s ever going to be a linebacker, safety or running back worth taking in the top 10 or top 20 or even top 25. But the farther down you get in the first round, the less those guidelines apply. Heck, Howie Roseman took a safety 35th in his first draft back in 2010 – Nate Allen. And he took a linebacker – Mychal Kendricks – 46th overall in 2012. Only 14 picks beyond the first round. Plus, big contracts for Saquon Barkley and Zack Baun could be a sign that Roseman is easing up a little bit on his long-standing draft rules anyway. Those two non-traditional Roseman acquisitions helped the Eagles win a championship. That said, I still think edge or offensive line is most likely if Roseman stays at 32.
3. People are really still questioning whether Jalen Hurts is elite? What else is he supposed to do? The only stat that he’s not among the best in the league at is passing yards per game and considering how good the Eagles’ running game has been recently it’s understandable. The Eagles’ ability to win games either running or throwing is one of the things that makes them so dangerous. So why throw 50 times when you can win throwing 25 times? That’s hardly a negative. Is Hurts elite? I think we can all agree that Patrick Mahomes is, right? The GOAT and all that? OK, let’s compare Hurts and Mahomes over the past three years:
Passer rating: Mahomes 97.3, Hurts 97.2
Completion percentage: Mahomes 67.3, Hurts 66.7
Yards per attempt: Hurts 7.7, Mahomes 7.3
Yards per completion: Hurts 11.5, Mahomes 10.9
Interceptions per 100 attempts: Hurts 1.9, Mahomes 2.0
Touchdown passes per 100 attempts: Mahomes 5.1, Hurts 4.6
Rushing plus passing TDs: Hurts 105, Mahomes 100
Won-loss record: Mahomes 39-10, Hurts 37-10
Postseason passer rating: Mahomes 104.9, Hurts 102.5
Super Bowl passer rating: Hurts 109.4, Mahomes 86.9
Super Bowl completion percentage: Hurts 73.3, Mahomes 65.3
Super Bowl record: Mahomes 2-1, Hurts 1-1
If those numbers don’t convince you that Hurts is without question one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL, nothing will.
4. The Eagles out-rushed their four postseason opponents by 452 yards – 818 to 366. That’s the largest postseason rushing margin in 42 years and 3rd-largest all-time. In 1974, the Steelers with Franco Harris outgained their three opponents by 548 yards (694-146) and in 1982 Washington, with John Riggins, outrushed their four postseason opponents by 457 yards (792-335).
5A. The Eagles are the only team in NFL history to score 55 or more points more than once in the postseason. They beat the Lions 58-37 in a 1995 wild-card game at the Vet and beat Washington 55-23 in this year’s NFC Championship Game at the Linc. Only two other teams have scored 55 points in a postseason game since 1970 – the 49ers beat the Broncos 55-10 in Super Bowl XXIV at the Superdome in 1989 and the Jaguars beat the Dolphins 62-7 in a conference semifinal playoff game at ALLTEL Stadium in 1999. So the Eagles have scored 55 points in the postseason as much as every other NFL team combined in the last 55 years. Only four other teams have scored 55 in the postseason – the 1940 Bears (73-0 over Washington), 1954 Browns (56-10 over the Lions), 1957 Lions (59-14 over the Browns) and 1969 Raiders (56-7 over the Oilers).
5B. Their 40 points in the Super Bowl are the Eagles’ 4th-most in the postseason, behind the 58 vs. the Lions, 55 vs. Washington and 41 in Super Bowl LII over the Patriots. The only other team to score 40 in a Super Bowl twice is the 49ers, with that 55-10 win over the Broncos in the Superdome 1989 and a 49-26 win over the Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX in San Diego five years later.
5C. Also interesting that three of the nine-highest-scoring Super Bowls all-time have been at the Superdome – the 49ers’ 55 points against Denver, the Bears’ 46 vs. the Patriots after the 1985 season and the Eagles’ 40 points this year.
6. Ten offensive linemen have started at least 25 games for the Eagles since Jeff Stoutland became o-line coach in 2013. Eight of the 10 have made at least one Pro Bowl, the only exceptions being Jordan Mailata, who was an egregious snub this year, and Allen Barbre, starting left guard in 2015 and 2016. The eight who’ve made Pro Bowls under Stout: Jason Kelce (7), Lane Johnson (6), Jason Peters (4), Landon Dickerson (3), Brandon Brooks (3), Evan Mathis (2) and Cam Jurgens (1). Also, Isaac Seumalo, who started 60 games under Stout with the Eagles, made a Pro Bowl this past season as a Steeler.
7A. Three Eagles defensive backs recorded a postseason interception this year who didn’t have an INT during the regular season – Darius Slay picked off Jordan Love, Quinyon Mitchell got both Love and Jayden Daniels and of course Cooper DeJean had his pick-6 off Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. In franchise history, only one other defensive back had a postseason interception after a regular season without an INT. That was Cre’Von LeBlanc, who picked off Drew Brees on the first play of the Eagles-Saints conference semifinal game at the Superdome in 2018. Five other Eagles – four linebackers and an end – had postseason interceptions without recording one in the regular season: End Pete Pihos in 1947 off Paul Christman of the Cards in the 1947 NFL Championship Game, Jerry Robinson off Tampa’s Doug Williams in 1979, Todd Bell off Mike Tomczak in the Fog Bowl 1988, Carlos Emmons also at Soldier Field off Shane Matthews in 2001 and Jeremiah Trotter off Daunte Culpepper of the Vikings in 2004.
7B. The Eagles have had six postseason interceptions at the Superdome. Eric Allen picked off Bobby Hebert twice and Seth Joyner once in the Eagles’ 1992 wild-card win over the Saints, there was LeBlanc’s INT in 2018 and Zack Baun and DeJean had picks off Mahomes in the Super Bowl. That’s only six fewer than the Saints have had in their own stadium.
8. JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: Jalen Hurts has had 32 games in his career so far with a passer rating of at least 100 (minimum 15 attempts). Only three quarterbacks have had more before their 27thbirthday: Patrick Mahomes (45), Josh Allen (36) and Justin Herbert (34). The most by a quarterback in the Hall of Fame? Dan Marino had 29 before his 27th birthday.
9. Derek Barnett stat of the week? Why not! Did you know Barnett, the Eagles’ 1st-round pick in 2017, had two fumble recovery touchdowns this year? In a Texans win over the Cowboys, he had a 28-yard TD return of a Tyler Guyton fumble and in a win over the Titans he scooped up an aborted snap from center to quarterback Will Levis and returned it 36 yards for a TD. He’s the first edge rusher with two fumble return TDs in a season since Eagle Juqua Parker in 2011. Including Barnett’s 23-yard TD return of a Jalen Richard fumble in an Eagles win over the Raiders in 2017, Barnett is now only the fourth defensive end or edge rusher in NFL history with three career fumble recovery TD returns. The others are Hall of Famers Derrick Thomas and Jason Taylor and Osi Umenyiora. Barnett also became the first player in 19 years – since Adalius Thomas of the Ravens – with five sacks and two fumble recovery TD returns in the same season. Now you know!
10A. In 1991, Eagles running back Heath Sherman had the worst rushing average in the NFL among 40 backs with at least 100 carries at 2.6. In 1992, Sherman had the best rushing average in the NFL among 41 running backs with at least 100 carries at 5.2. He literally doubled his rushing average. In Eagles history, Sherman’s 2.6 in 1991 ranks 111th out of 112 running backs, ahead of only Lee Bouggess, who averaged 2.5 yards per carry in 1970. His 5.2 is 6th-highest, behind Saquon Barkley this year, Miles Sanders in 2021, Timmy Brown in 1965, Charlie Garner in 1995 and Sanders in 2020.
10B. Crazy that the two-highest career rushing averages in Eagles history are held by former Penn State teammates. Among backs with at least 400 carries, Barkley is No. 1 at 5.7 and Sanders is No. 2 at 5.0.
10C. After Sanders (3,708 yards) and Barkley (2,005) yards, the next-most rushing yards in Eagles history by a Penn State alum is Eric McCoo’s 54 yards. McCoo, the 1997 New Jersey long jump champ as a senior at Red Bank High, had all 54 of those yards on nine carries in his only NFL game, a meaningless loss to the Bengals at the Linc on the final day of the 2004 season. That’s the most rushing yards in NFL history by someone who only played one career game (excluding 1987 strike games).
10D. On the flip side, the fewest rushing yards in NFL history by someone who only played one NFL game is also an Eagle. Adrian Killins, who spent the 2020 season with the Eagles, got into one game – against the 49ers in Santa Clara – and was thrown for a 12-yard loss by Jaquiski Tartt on a jet sweep in the fourth quarter. He never played again. Tartt was in training camp with the Eagles two years later but was released after training camp and never played again.
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