Getty Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni has been bringing that "dog mentality" to the Philly locker room.
The NFL trade deadline is set for Tuesday, November 2 at 4 p.m. Several high-profile players could be on the move across the league, including a few guys wearing midnight green. No Philadelphia Eagle is immune to the rumor mill, from perennial Pro Bowlers to rising young tackles.
Fletcher Cox was one big name making headlines, although his cap-restricting contract makes a trade nearly impossible. Ditto for Lane Johnson and Darius Slay. Miles Sanders would have made sense to exchange for future draft picks, if the young running back wasn’t dealing with an ankle injury.
The easiest person to jettison away would be Andre Dillard, their 26-year-old backup left tackle. The former first-rounder has seen action in eight games (four starts) and played extremely well in fill-in duty. The Eagles are looking for a “quality second-day pick” in return (via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).
From @GMFB: What to expect from the trade deadline today?
Nick Sirianni wouldn’t go into detail on any leaked reports. It’s not his job to comment on rumors. However, the first-year head coach did talk about keeping an honest line of communication open. Sirianni previously stated that he always has face-to-face conversations with outgoing players.
“You always want to address anything beforehand,” Sirianni said. “But there are a lot of things and we can’t really live in rumor world either though, if you know what I’m saying, because there are a lot of rumors out there. So, my experience is just to be honest with players and just talk to players and be openly communicating with them. Rumors are sometimes just that, so there is nothing to talk about.”
Sirianni- how to gain respect of players? starts with 5 things I mentioned w core values. connecting, competing, accountability, smart team, fundamentals. Players want to reach levels that coaches can bring them to.
Communication is one of Sirianni’s five core principles. Well, he actually uses the term connecting. The player-coach relationship is rooted in it.
“I know I beat the dead horse here of connection, but that’s where it starts,” Sirianni said. “You got to connect with everything because that’s where the player-coach relationship grows and that’s where I think just the best teams happen, where the guys are connected and the coaches are connected.”
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Jordan Howard Headed to 53?
The Eagles promoted Jordan Howard from the practice squad last week to help serve in a timeshare for injured starter Miles Sanders. The one-time Pro Bowler ran for 57 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. With Sanders on injured reserve and out at least three games, the team will likely add Howard to the 53-man roster. It hasn’t happened yet. Sirianni said the team is still “talking through” that process.
A player can be elevated from the practice squad twice in a season. Miles Sanders will miss at least two more games. If Eagles want to use Jordan Howard throughout Sanders’ absence, they’ll need to sign him to the 53-man roster at some point in the next two weeks.
“As far as Jordan, with the practice squad bringing him up, obviously we are in constant communication with all these things,” Sirianni said. “We want to be able to keep all our good players. If you brought Jordan up, then you have to put somebody down.”
Teams are only allowed to elevate players from the practice squad twice in a season. Howard has one game under his belt. The Eagles can protect him from other teams stealing him at the beginning of every week. And a specific player can be protected an unlimited amount of times.
Injury Updates on Reagor, Driscoll
Jalen Reagor and Jack Driscoll left Week 8 with injuries and never returned. Both players are being evaluated on a day-to-day basis, according to Sirianni. He didn’t have a firm update on whether either guy would be available against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Nick Sirianni on RG Jack Driscoll who has a hand injury: “As far as Jack goes, hopeful for this week. No new update really, but hopeful for this week. Play that day-by-day here.” #Eagles #FlyEaglesFly
Reagor rolled his ankle on a first-quarter run where he tripped near the goal line. He was carted off the field. Quez Watkins saw an increase in snaps, with Greg Ward taking over the punt return duties. Driscoll suffered a hand injury and Nate Herbig stepped in at right guard.