Eagles will have to pay if they want Logan to stay
IN LESS than three months, and possibly sooner, Bennie Logan is going to become a very rich man. The Eagles' defensive tackle hardly is living paycheck to paycheck now. He's in the final year of a rookie deal that will earn him $1.6 million this year.
IN LESS than three months, and possibly sooner, Bennie Logan is going to become a very rich man.
The Eagles' defensive tackle hardly is living paycheck to paycheck now. He's in the final year of a rookie deal that will earn him $1.6 million this year.
But that's small potatoes compared to what he's going to make from either his second contract with the Eagles or from another NFL team if/when he becomes an unrestricted free agent on March 9.
Logan will be a highly coveted player on the free-agent market if the Eagles don't re-sign him by the start of free agency. He's not going to match the six-year, $102.6 million contract that his buddy Fletcher Cox got from the Eagles last summer. But a $10 million-a-year deal is well within his grasp.
If you doubt that, check out the extension Aaron Donald's interior-line sidekick, Michael Brockers, got from the Rams in September - three years, $33.2 million, with $18.1 million fully guaranteed.
Until March 9, the ball is in the Eagles' court. If there wasn't a salary cap, this would be a no-brainer. Logan and Cox are one of the best defensive tackle tandems in the league. Letting Bennie get away wouldn't be an option.
But there is a cap. It's probably going to increase another $13 million or so in 2017, which certainly helps if the Eagles want to re-sign Logan. That said, they need to decide what percentage of their cap they're willing to dedicate to the defensive line in general and the defensive tackle position specifically.
Cox's 2017 cap number is going to be $9.4 million. The cap numbers for defensive ends Vinny Curry, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham total nearly $25 million in '17. And the Eagles are expected to pursue another edge-rusher in free agency, given the way Curry and Barwin have underperformed this season.
"If they think it's important enough to keep (Logan), they can do it," a longtime NFL executive said. "But it will mean making some meaningful sacrifices someplace else.
"I don't know if there's anybody else in the league that's investing in two inside defensive guys like they would have to do to keep Logan. He's a little bit hard to value. You've got guys like him making about $8 million (a year). But some of the more recent deals, like Brockers', is over $11 million.
"It would be an unusual allocation of assets. But you could sit down and make it work on paper if you really felt it was that important."
One thing that gives the Eagles a little cap flexibility is the fact that they have an inexpensive quarterback. Carson Wentz's 2017 cap number is just $6 million, which is a far cry from the $22 million that Sam Bradford would have counted against the '17 cap.
Another situation worth watching in January and February is that of eight-time Pro Bowl left tackle Jason Peters.
Peters will turn 35 in January. His cap number will jump from $9.7 million to $11.2 million. The age and the cap number say let him go.
But he has stayed healthy this season, and while he might not be the athletic freak he was 3-4 years ago, he's had a very good season and has been the Eagles' best offensive lineman.
The dilemma with Peters is the same one the organization is facing with Logan. How much cap space can you afford to invest in one position group?
Right tackle Lane Johnson, who is the heir apparent at left tackle whenever Peters leaves, has a $10 million cap number in '17. Right guard Brandon Brooks' is $7.2 million. Center Jason Kelce's is $6.2 million. Add those numbers together with Peters' and you're talking nearly $35 million.
But if Peters can still play at a high level and your top priority is protecting Wentz, do you really want to cut him loose?
"It's going to be more of a player personnel decision than a cap decision for them with Peters," the NFL executive said. "If they think somebody like (Halapoulivaati) Vaitai can be a solid right tackle, or they think they can get one without giving up too much, then maybe you flip Johnson over to the left side and let Peters go.
"On the other hand, if you feel Peters still is playing well, then maybe you keep him for another year and focus on some other needs. If would create some other sacrifices, just like signing Logan would. But they can definitely do it."
This and that
* The Eagles have run an astounding 106 of their 156 offensive plays the last two games out of two- and three-tight end sets. Eighty-two of those 106 plays, or 77.4 percent, have been pass plays. Tight ends Zach Ertz and Trey Burton have been targeted a total of 47 times in the last two games and have 31 catches for 309 yards and one touchdown. They have combined for 17 of the team's 26 passing first downs in those two games, and nine of the Eagles' 16 third-down receptions.
* The Baltimore Ravens' scouting operation under general manager Ozzie Newsome is considered one of the best in the NFL. Those of you who have serious doubts about de facto GM Howie Roseman's talent-evaluation skills should be able to find some comfort in the fact that his top two scouts - vice-president of player personnel Joe Douglas and assistant director of player personnel Andy Weidl - both were trained by Newsome and the Ravens' organization. "I think Joe is really good and I think he was trained by one of the best organizations in football," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. "I've known him for a lot of years. He's what you want in that position. He's a pure, old-school talent evaluator." Said Ravens coach John Harbaugh: "I can't say enough good things about (Douglas). He's one of my favorite guys in the business. He and I sat next to each other for seven straight drafts talking about every player. He's a great football man and a smart hire by the Eagles."
* Nine years after John Harbaugh was hired by the Ravens, there still hasn't been another special teams coach seriously considered for an NFL head-coaching job. That is stunning when you consider the success Harbaugh has had with the Ravens. "I'm shocked more (special teams) guys haven't gotten the opportunity"' said Harbaugh, who spent nine of his 10 years as an Eagles assistant coaching the special teams. Harbaugh always has felt that a special teams coach probably is better prepared to be a head coach than an offensive or defensive coordinator. "A special teams guy has to be an organized guy," he said. "He has to understand the roster. And he's usually a good evaluator because he evaluates all different positions as special teams coordinator, and usually is heavily involved in the draft. He's also a developer of young players. The other thing is he's able to relate to all of the players on the team because he's dealing with all of the different players (on special teams). It's not like he's with one position group all of the time. He deals with the whole team every single day. He has the same skills that are in the same job description as the head coach."
Figuring the Eagles
* Carson Wentz had his best third-down performance of the season against the Redskins, completing 10 of 13 passes for 116 yards and a season-high eight passing first downs on third down. The Eagles converted 50 percent of their third-down opportunities (9-for-18), which was their highest success rate of the season.
* Ravens QB Joe Flacco has been sacked a league-high 16 times on third down this season. But the Eagles' least productive sack down has been third down. Just seven of their 28 sacks have come on third down. Thirteen have been on second down and eight on first down. The Eagles have blitzed 104 times in 459 pass plays this season (22.7%). Forty-one of those 104 blitzes have been on third down. Just two of their seven third-down sacks have come when they've blitzed. But they have held opponents to a 48.7 completion percentage on third down when they've sent extra rushers. A game-by-game breakdown of the Eagles blitz on third down:
Third Down ...............................On Third-Down Blitzes
.......Pass Plays....Blitzes........ C-A...... Yds........ TD/I... Sks.
WAS...........5............... 5..................... 0-4......... 0............. 0/0...... 1
CIN...........12.............. 5..................... 4-5......... 87............. 0/0..... 0
GB.............10...............2..................... 2-2......... 14............. 0/0..... 0
SEA............12............. 2..................... 1-2......... 34............. 0/0..... 0
ATL...........10............. 4...................... 2-4........ 28............ 0/0...... 0
NYG...........11..............2..................... 1-1........ 15............. 0/0..... 1
DAL...........12..............7...................... 3-7......... 50............ 0/0..... 0
MIN..........14............. 2...................... 1-2........... 9............. 0/0..... 0
WAS..........10.............4...................... 1-4.......... 13............ 0/0..... 0
DE..............9..............1....................... 1-1.......... 20........... 0/0..... 0
PIT...........10............ 2....................... 1-2.......... 32............ 0/0..... 0
CHI............7..............4........................1-4............ 6............. 0/0..... 0
CLE............7..............1....................... 1-1........... 11............ 0/0..... 0
Totals...129........41.............. 19-39....... 319....... 0/0..... 2
* Two hundred fifty-four of Carson Wentz's 317 completions, or 80.1 percent, have come on passes that traveled 10 yards or less. He has a 76.1 completion percentage on throws of 10 yards or less. His completion percentage on throws of 11 yards or more is 44.3 (62-for-140). He has completed 18 of 57 passes (31.6%) of 20 yards or more. Six of his 12 interceptions have come on 20-plus-yard throws.
* Ryan Mathews has averaged 4.84 yards per carry on first down this season, but only 3.25 on second down.
* Say what you want about the Eagles' defense, the fact of the matter is they're still 12th in the league in points allowed. They've given up 20.9 points per game, which is the fewest by an Eagles defense since 2011, when they allowed 20.5. That number could be a lot worse if they weren't as effective as they've been in the red zone. They're fourth in red-zone defense. They've given up just 19 touchdowns in 41 challenges inside the 20 (46.3 percent).
* Wentz has completed five or more of his first seven passes in eight of his 13 starts. He has a 68.1 completion percentage on his first seven attempts of games.
* The Eagles have been outscored 58-9 in the first quarter of road games this season, and 115-63 in the first half.
* The Eagles have given up 10 run plays of 20 yards or more this season. Just four teams have allowed more - San Francisco (14), Miami (14), the Jets (12) and Los Angeles (11).
False start problem
The Eagles had two more false start penalties Sunday, including a costly one by Jason Peters on a fourth-and-3 in the red zone early in the second quarter that killed a potential touchdown drive and forced the Eagles to settle for yet another Caleb Sturgis field goal.
Peters already has a career-high nine false start penalties this season. The Eagles are tied for the league lead with 24.
The fact that 15 of the 24 false starts have come at the Linc makes it clear there's more than enemy crowd noise causing players to jump.
Doug Pederson said the Eagles use multiple cadences and that has contributed to the rash of false start penalties.
"We're asking Carson (Wentz) to do some things in the run game and with protections, and you're getting a lot of different looks from teams on third down. So we need to utilize our snap count,'' the Eagles coach said. "The team, the offense, is very aware of that, and sometimes, if there's a little bit of a hesitation in Carson's cadence, our tackles are set to jump and to pass set.
"We just can't put ourselves in that situation. We're going to continue to use the cadences. We've got to continue to work on it."
You really can't blame any of it on the offensive line shuffling the Eagles have had to do, since Peters, who has started all 13 games, has nine of them and tight end Zach Ertz has four.
"We all have to lock in to Carson's snap count, because it's a little different than Sam's (Bradford) or some of the other quarterbacks we've had," Ertz said. "Each quarterback has their own (cadence) rhythm. We just have to lock into his. We have to get used to it and focus in."
Said backup quarterback Chase Daniel: "It takes time as a rookie quarterback or a first-year quarterback in this offense, with the (multiple) cadences that we have, to flow the exact same way every single time.
"It's a two-way street here. I think Carson's done a good job with it. But it's a feeling-out process. He's gotten a lot better about being consistent. But we do have a lot of cadences."
A breakdown of the Eagles' 24 false start penalties this season:
Jason Peters................ 9
Zach Ertz........................4
Allen Barbre...................2
Jason Kelce.....................2
Isaac Seumalo................2
Brandon Brooks..............1
Stefen Wisniewski..........1
Halapoulivaati Vaitai.....1
Matt Tobin......................1
Carson Wentz..................1
From the lip
* "Failure in progress."
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians when asked whether special-teamer Justin Bethel still was a work in progress as a defensive back
* "It's pretty high. Top five. It's just no regard. It's hypocritical. They make this huge stance about player safety and then they put the players in tremendous danger."
- Seahawks CB Richard Sherman when asked where Thursday Night Football ranks on his top five list of things he doesn't like
* "Me, I want to fight for Rex. I want to go out there and get wins and keep him around here. For me, personally, it's like a challenge. The challenge has been accepted. There's this bad sentiment out there. And whether it's true or not, I can directly impact the outcome. And that's by playing well and leading this team."
- Bills G Richie Incognito on rumors that Rex Ryan's job is on the line
By the numbers
* Jets kicker Nick Folk has had three field-goal attempts blocked this season. That's the most in the NFL.
* The 0-13 Browns are 2-11 against the spread.
* The Jaguars have won just two games, yet have recorded 25 more first downs than their opponents this season.
* Drew Brees has an NFL-high 4,170 passing yards. This is his 11th straight season with 4,000 yards, a league record.
* Aaron Rodgers has won 15 straight December starts at Lambeau Field. The record for consecutive December home wins by a quarterback is 19 by Tom Brady.
* DeSean Jackson's 80-yard touchdown catch against the Eagles last week was his 22nd career TD catch of at least 60 yards. That's the second most in league history, behind only Jerry Rice's 23.
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