Here are some Eagles-related notes for a late-spring Friday …
Golden Tate had a forgettable, 10-game career with the Eagles in 2018.
Except for one game. Except for one touchdown pass.
The wide receiver caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Nick Foles in the Eagles’ 16-15 double-doink playoff win over the Bears. The game-winning catch was on a fourth-and-goal with 56 seconds to play on an audible Tate did not pick up. He adjusted his route and Foles hit him for the winner.
After an 11-year NFL career, Tate is switching sports. He’s going back to baseball.
Tate, 33, signed this week with the Port Angeles (Wash.) Lefties of West Coast League. On Tuesday, he went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored as the Lefties defeated the Bend (Ore.) Elks, 5-2. Tate is a lefty throwing and lefty hitting outfielder.
On the Lefties website, the WCL is described as a summer wooden bat league for college-eligible student-athletes.
“I am extremely thankful to the West Coast League and the Port Angeles Lefties for allowing me to join their league,” Tate said in a news release from the league.
“As some might know, I was drafted twice in baseball. As a child, my first love was baseball, so I’m excited about the opportunity to compete against some of the best young players in the league. I look forward to having a lot of fun and exploring baseball more.”
Tate was drafted in the 42nd round out of high school in 2007 by the Arizona Diamondbacks. He was drafted again in 2010 in the 50th round by the San Francisco Giants.
Tate also was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round in 2010. He played three seasons of football and two seasons of baseball at Notre Dame.
GAINWELL ‘UNDER THE RADAR’
Eagles second-year running back Kenneth Gainwell was selected by CBS Sports as Philly’s under-the-radar player who could break out in 2022.
This is not a surprising pick as Gainwell showed flashes of brilliance last season. He was a solid runner and was a threat to catch passes out of the backfield.
CBS Sports also picked each NFL team’s “most questionable” offseason move.
Here’s CBS Sports’ take: “Franchise legend Fletcher Cox was cut by the Eagles ahead of the March 17 deadline, where he was set to earn $18 million guaranteed. Philly was able to bring him back into the fold on a one-year, $14 million deal, but is he worth that price? Is he worth top-10 defensive tackle money at this stage in his career?
“The 31-year-old didn’t appear to be as dominant in 2021 as he had been in years past. Maybe rolling with Javon Hargrave and Jordan Davis in the middle and using that money elsewhere would have been a better decision — or at least lowering the one-year figure on Cox’s new deal. Still, an incredible offseason for the Eagles.”
FREE AGENT ANYONE?
TWSN dot net writer Gavin Downard picked a free agent each team should pick up before training camp. For the Eagles, he says:
“Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has displayed a masterclass this offseason. The Eagles have won the offseason so far and one of their biggest additions was cornerback James Bradberry. They desperately needed someone to play opposite of Darius Slay, but now they get someone who can man the slot.
“Chris Harris Jr. is still fully capable of playing the nickel position for a contending team. The 32-year-old defensive back spent the last couple of seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers and a move to the City of Brotherly Love would do him and the Eagles well.”
Harris has 22 interceptions in nine seasons with Denver and two with the LA Chargers.
PETER KING ON COMMANDERS’ DANIEL SNYDER
Peter King writes about the NFL in his Football Morning in America column for Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports.com. King wrote for Sports Illustrated from 1989 to 2018. He is a serious voice of authority covering the NFL.
He talked about Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder recently on “The John Keim Report” podcast.
“I think one of the reasons I have been so down on Daniel Snyder, and I’m not saying he alone ruined that, but far and away he is the biggest contributor to ruining what happened to a once-great, cornerstone NFL franchise.
“I am not trying to throw darts at anybody. Anyone can look at this, it is just a fact. His reign of ownership has been an abject disaster.
“If he had one shred of decency, he would say, ‘If I really loved this team and this town, for the good of the people who live here, who love this team, I’ve got to sell this team, and we’ve got to move on.’ ”
Quote of the week
“Every Eagles fan’s expectations are the Super Bowl for sure [in 2022].”
— Mike Trout, notable Eagles fan and season-ticketholder whose own team, baseball’s Los Angeles Angels, has made the playoffs once in his 12-year career. The Angels were swept in three games by the Kansas City Royals in 2014.
