Philadelphia Eagles Week 6 Stock Report
As a team the Philadelphia Eagles stock report is a little bit like a roller coaster these days. It was way up at the end of the summer, it was way down after back-to-back losses to kick off the regular season. It was up after a win over the New York Jets, down after a loss to Washington and now is on the rise once again after a huge 39-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Of course the Saints aren't exactly a powerhouse opponent, so the win didn't exactly send stocks soaring. Buy in on the Eagles at your own risk. That being said, the final score doesn't quite do the domination justice. It was an impressive win.
Not surprisingly, as we look at individual players' stocks, we see sort of the same. There are some ups and downs on the market and nothing is set in stone, as the performances have been erratic all season. Guys who are up this week may be back down the next and vice versa.
We break down the biggest risers and fallers as the Eagles head into a pivotal Week 6 matchup with the NFC East rival New York Giants.
Stock Up: Ryan Mathews
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Move over, DeMarco Murray. You are not the best runner in the Eagles' backfield right now.
That honor goes to Ryan Mathews, who has been decisive, explosive and difficult for defenders to bring down. The sixth-year veteran gained 73 yards and a touchdown on just eight attempts against the Saints on Sunday. For the season, he's carried 41 times for 205 yards, averaging an excellent 5.0 yards per carry, and has the Eagles' only 100-yard rushing performance of 2015.
Mathews has been a weapon in the passing attack as well, racking up 67 yards on eight catches. He's also accumulated three total touchdowns.
If he continues to play at this level, you have to wonder if Mathews could become the Eagles' primary back. He proved capable of handling the role with the San Diego Chargers, twice rushing for over 1,000 yards in a season. Sure, Murray makes a lot more money, but at some point the more effective player has to be on the field.
Stock Down: DeMarco Murray
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It's not simply that Mathews is playing well right now, either. Murray hasn't looked liked himself this season, and while some of the blame falls on poor offensive line play in front of him, the reigning NFL rushing champion has left a lot of meat on the bone.
Sunday's win over the Saints was Murray's best outing as an Eagle by far, carrying the ball 20 times for 83 yards, a respectable 4.2 average, and a touchdown. However, going back to the tape, there were too many occasions where Murray's vision failed him, missing holes and not trusting the blocking in front of him.
It's certainly possible frustration is beginning to mount, and the two-time Pro Bowler is trying to do too much. Even after a rebound performance, Murray is only up to 130 yards with 2.7 yards per carry for the season. It's safe to say he won't repeat as the league rushing champion.
Either way, Murray hasn't been worth the hefty price the Eagles paid in free agency. He certainly can improve, but with Mathews vying for playing time, you have to wonder how many more times he'll see 20 carries.
Stock Up: Sam Bradford
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Yes, Sam Bradford threw two red-zone interceptions on Sunday. Yes, against a better opponent those picks could've come back to haunt the Eagles.
Quarterbacks make mistakes, though, and those two passes aside, Bradford played great.
For the second week in a row, Bradford played his best game as an Eagle, completing 71.1 percent of his passes en route to 333 yards and two touchdowns. He kept the chains moving, throwing for 18 first downs during game. And for the first time all season, he gave the Eagles four good quarters—minus the two mistakes, of course.
Perhaps just as encouraging as his gradually improving play on the field, Bradford is growing into more of a leader in the Eagles' locker room. Prior to the game, the signal-caller pulled his offense into the shower area and delivered a stirring pre-game speech about execution.
And execute they did, racking up 39 points and 519 yards of total offense.
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Stock Up: Jason Kelce
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None of Bradford, Murray or Mathews could've enjoyed the afternoon they did without the improved play up front. Less than one week after we questioned whether the Eagles' offensive line issues were fixable, they come out and pave the way for 186 yards rushing and keep the quarterback from being sacked.
One of the biggest reasons for that was the performance of Jason Kelce, who really struggled the first few weeks of the season. The Pro Bowl center was having trouble getting to his assignments and taking too many costly penalties, all of which contributed to numerous stalled drives.
On Monday, head coach Chip Kelly said he felt Kelce has been coming along nicely.
"We thought Jason graded out really well and played really well, but I thought he played well versus Washington, also," Kelly observed. "He has gotten better as the season has gone along, but in the last two games, he's played at a really high level."
That vote of confidence is good news for the Eagles' offense that finally got moving against the Saints, a victory that all started with the play up front.
Stock Down: Brandon Graham
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Replacing Trent Cole with Brandon Graham seemed like a no-brainer. Cole is 33 and had just 6.5 sacks last season. Graham is 27 and racked up 5.5 sacks in roughly half the playing time. There was no drop-off in terms of run defense, either, as the former first-round draft pick is very active against ground attacks.
Yet through five games, Graham has been a little underwhelming as a pass-rusher. He's only reached the quarterback once so far this season, and there wasn't even a loss of yards on the play.
It's not as if he's creating a ton of pressure and simply not finishing, either. According to Pro Football Focus, Graham ranks 24th out of 48 qualifying outside linebackers in pass-rush productivity, a formula that measures sacks, hits and hurries per rush opportunities. Last season, Graham finished No. 1 in the NFL.
Sacks tend to come in bunches, and Graham may start racking them up yet. He's still getting the job done in the running game, so that's a positive. However, the Eagles' defense needs to get more consistent pressure on quarterbacks, and the unit is no doubt looking for Graham to help provide that.
Stock Up: Marcus Smith II
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There was good news and better news for Marcus Smith this week. The good news is he was active for the Saints game after being a healthy scratch the previous week. The better news is he actually made a measurable impact when he was on the field.
The 2014 first-round draft pick failed to record a single official NFL statistic as a rookie last season, not even a tackle. He had one on Sunday, so check that off the list. Best of all, Smith had the pressure and hit on quarterback Drew Brees that led to an interception to help put the contest on ice.
The bar is incredibly low for Smith right now, so when we say his stock is up, that's from out of the basement to the ground floor. It was a start, though. Smith has all the athletic ability to be an impact player at outside linebacker, and, for one week anyway, he made something of his opportunity. There may be hope for his development yet, even if it's still minimal.
All quotes were obtained firsthand by the author.
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