It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve last seen an Eagles game but that’s all bout to change as the team faces the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night. The team is coming off 8 days of rest to face a divisional foe that could be worse than the last division rival they faced. Still, though, this is the 2020 Philadelphia Eagles, not the 2017 team, anything is still possible. Fortunately, I’m not here to raise your blood pressure but instead to bring you week 8’s official Eagles stock watch. Let’s take a look at who’s rising and who’s falling ahead of the Sunday night matchup:
Stock Up
Brandon Graham
At age 32, Brandon Graham is not slowing down…at all. He’s on pace to have a career year for the Eagles and there’s honestly no one more deserving. Graham has racked together 6 sacks, 10 QB hits, 9 tackles for loss, 14 pressures, and 5 hurries in just 7 games. The veteran is currently ranked 3rd in the NFL in sacks for the season just behind Aaron Donald and Myles Garret who aren’t much ahead. He’s also keeping the strip-sack to finish the game movement alive even three years later, with Daniel Jones was the latest victim.
Darius Slay
Let’s keep the focus on defense as we travel to the man who’s changed the secondary for the better. There’s no doubt that Darius Slay is the best Cornerback that the Eagles have had in ages. His impact can’t be overlooked as the Eagles went from one of the worst secondary’s in the NFL last season to 7th in yards allowed this season. The Eagles defense was once known for giving up big plays down the field and this season they’ve only given up one 40 plus yard catch to opposing offenses. How phenomenal is that? The fact that Darius Slay has robbed QB’s of one side of the field and has even stolen their number one targets at times. Here’s a look at how Slay has faired against opposing teams number one receivers:
Washington – Terry McLaurin – 2 catches on 3 targets for 28 yards
LA Rams – Robert Woods – 1 of 2 for 13 yards
Bengals – A.J. Green – 3 of 4 for 31 yards
Ravens – Marquise Brown – 3 of 3 for 47 yards
Giants – Darius Slayton – 2 of 2 for 23 yards
He’s also only allowed one touchdown this season which was given up against the Giants at the two-yard line, other than that, he’s been lights out good.
John Hightower
How can we ignore this kid’s big-play ability? Sure, he’s dropped a ton of passes. Yes, three of his targets have been picked off. But, and I say this with a big BUT, the kid can run routes nice and clean. He can also beat his defenders without a problem and Carson Wentz is starting to notice.
He’s also accomplished a rare feat of back to the back game with 50+ yard receptions. The rookie leads the NFL in air yards by a wide margin at 22.4. Hightower’s big-play potential is going to pay off soon and the fact that Wentz refuses to give up on him in the midst of all the drops is a telling sign that the receiver’s ability is valued by his QB. It’s can only go up from her for John Hightower and in his case, that’s way, way UP!
Stock Down
Jason Peters
Here’s why Jason Peters’ stock is falling – he isn’t the team player that he pretends to be. The Eagles lost Dillard before the season started and truth leaked out. It didn’t matter how Doug Pederson tried to cover it, we all knew what the deal was. Peters wouldn’t play Left Tackle until you showed him the money.
Last season the Eagles tried to play Dillard at right tackle and after a horrible showing, Jason Peters had the nerve to say that he would’ve done it right after. What kind of leadership is that? Mailata is flourishing at Left Tackle and although he’s having his ups and downs, he’s learning from it which is what you want when it comes to developing young talent. Peters should’ve looked to play at guard to help either Mailata or the ailing Lane Johnson.
Howie Roseman
Roseman has been under scrutiny lately with all the reports that have come out exploiting his influence on the gamely roster and bringing in players that don’t fit what the coaches need. On top of that, the reality of what Rosman hasn’t done is coming to light. The Eagles free-agent class has failed once again. The team signed Will Parks, who is now on the trade block, Javon Hargrave, who has yet to make his presence known, Jatavis Brown, who retired, and Nickell Robey-Coleman, who has a allowed a passer rating of 117 against him.
Not one success story for this free-agent class. How bad is that? The Eagles haven’t had a successful free agency since 2017. They dealt away veterans, cut young players to gain a comp pick, and signed splash moves that look good on paper and nowhere else. Roseman has either lost his mojo or truly got lucky in 2017, that’s just the sad truth at this point.
Photo by Kyle Ross/Icon Sportswire
