Eagles explain why CJGJ signing was about more than just talent

Eagles explain why CJGJ signing was about more than just talent originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Eagles wouldn’t have signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson if he wasn’t a talented player. They wouldn’t have signed him if he didn’t fit into Vic Fangio’s defense.

But his signing was about more than that too.

The decision to bring Gardner-Johnson back to Philly was one of the moves the Eagles made this offseason in an attempt to recapture their swagger.

“It was important,” general manager Howie Roseman said this week at the NFL’s annual league meetings. “It was important to bring in guys who are all relatively young, as free agents go, and all have tremendous football character. And mentality is actually the word. We want guys with (that) mentality.

“We want guys that reflect the city, that reflect the style that we want to play on offense and defense. So, obviously, you want talent too from these guys but I think that would be accurate to say. We were looking to regain our swagger and mentality back. Obviously, what happened at the end of the year didn’t feel good, wasn’t acceptable for any of us. To get players who can kind of bring that and have that motivation and that mentality (was important).”

The Eagles fell apart at the end of the 2023 season and there’s not just one easy reason why. There can’t be one easy answer when you lose six of your last seven games and get bounced from the first round of the playoffs in what you hoped would be a Super Bowl season.

Maybe swagger just comes from winning. It’s easy to see it then, of course.

But maybe there’s something to the idea of playing with an edge that can help avoid complete disaster. And maybe, just maybe, that was indeed missing from the Eagles in 2023.

Head coach Nick Sirianni didn’t use the word swagger when talking about Gardner-Johnson, who is back in Philly on a three-year deal. He had a different word in mind.

“I think toughness is the word,”…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/eagles-explain-why-cjgj-signing-110000671.html

Author : NBC Sports Philadelphia

Publish date : 2024-03-27 11:00:00

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