Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
How June 1 turned into a blockbuster trade day in the NFL – ESPN A good bit of his angst stemmed from the play of Hurts, league sources said, in part because of Hurts’ perceived reluctance to target Brown on tight-window throws against zone coverage. Once considered best friends, Brown said there was “no bad blood” between him and Hurts during a recent interview with NBC’s Maria Taylor, but he acknowledged they were “not as close as we once were”
— which became apparent over the past couple of years by how seldom they would interact publicly. The Eagles didn’t want a situation in which it felt like they weren’t in it together, knowing they’ve been at their best when team chemistry is right. Through conversations between Brown and management, it became apparent early in the offseason that Brown wanted out of Philly, believing it was best for the next stage of his career. Once that realization set in, the Eagles began looking at an alternate path to their next championship that didn’t include Brown. The concept of a Brown trade — or at least his possible availability in a post-June 1 deal — started to circulate in league circles in February, and one Patriots source estimated the NFL combine in late February was around that time for New England. After all, Brown made too much sense for New England, both as a former player for Vrabel and a top-end receiver for the passing game. The Eagles and Patriots acknowledged in March and into April that they were serious about a potential deal, one source recalled. But Philadelphia’s initial asking prices were hefty, added the source, who recalled a first-round pick and a significant additional pick in exchange for Brown. An Eagles source says that Philadelphia’s original ask was not two first-round picks.
Breer’s Takeaways: How the A.J. Brown Trade Finally Got Done, and the Browns’ Future After Myles Garrett – SI
By the draft in April, there was a level of confidence on both ends that a deal was coming. The Eagles told the Patriots they wanted a 2027 pick as well, but they were comfortable with the first-rounder coming in 2028. As such, the Eagles moved to replace Brown in trading up and selecting Makai Lemon in the first round. Meanwhile, the way the Patriots viewed the receiver class, their value wasn’t matching up with how the players were coming off the board—so knowing Brown was likely on the way, they didn’t spend a pick on the position at all. By mid-to-late May, the deal was essentially hammered out. Whereas the Eagles wanted the second pick involved to be on the higher end with the Patriots initially offering a 2027 seventh-rounder to go with the 2028 first-rounder, there was a logical landing spot in the middle that everyone knew was workable. So they resolved to finish talks on June 1. Then, last Monday, the Patriots, having acquired an extra fifth-rounder from their trade of center Garrett Bradbury to the Bears, offered the higher of their two 2027 picks in that round, and Roseman and Wolf pushed the deal over the goal line.
Eagles to host veteran receiver on tryout basis in minicamp – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles are entering the final week of their spring offseason workout schedule with two days of mandatory minicamp from June 9-10. During this time, the Birds will be hosting free agent wide receiver James Proche II on a tryout basis. This much according to a report from NFL insider Mike Garafolo.
10 players the Eagles can least afford to lose to injury – PhillyVoice
3) WR DeVonta Smith. A huge part of the equation for the Eagles’ willingness to trade A.J. Brown was that they believe that Smith is primed for stardom. Smith has averaged over 1,000 receiving yards per season despite serving as a complementary piece to Brown. He is wired for big moments and big roles, and feels more than ready to become the focal point of the Eagles’ passing game. He will almost certainly dominate targets in 2026 as long as he stays healthy. But beyond Smith’s obvious elevated role in 2026, the Eagles don’t have an established receiver anywhere near Smith’s ability. If Smith were to go down, the only player left on the roster that Jalen Hurts has established trust with is Dallas Goedert, a good tight end but not a player who can carry a passing offense. 2025 rank: Unranked (he’d have been 11th last year).
How rookie OT Markel Bell went from juco giant to Eagles’ latest passion project – The Athletic
Mirabal and Wood agreed Bell must improve as a run blocker — a development track that will focus on Bell playing with a lower pad level. Mirabal noted run blocking, in general, is a “difficult thing” for extremely tall players like Bell. The Eagles’ scheme change to more zone blocking techniques under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion could help. Wood, whose run plays wholly used inside-zone and outside-zone concepts, said Bell’s size made him “tremendous with the outside zone” for the same reasons he was proficient in pass protection. “He’s got to get low and stay low, and that’s his thing just cuz he’s so massive,” Wood said. “But once he gets ahold of you, good luck. You’ll have a hard time getting free of that big body.”
Why Josh Grizzard still decided to join Eagles after not getting OC job – NBCSP
During the season, it’ll be up to Grizzard to work ahead a couple days as the Eagles come up with their plan to attack opposing defenses in segments of situational football. They’ll start with first and second downs and then third downs and red zone, etc. Grizzard said he can “lay the framework” for Mannion and Sirianni as they go through the week of game-planning. On top of that, since Grizzard isn’t coaching one specific position, he has the ability to bounce around from position to position to coach and answer any questions for players, especially when Mannion isn’t elsewhere. Grizzard is still just 35 and even though his first stint as an NFL OC didn’t really work out, he could have a bright future in the NFL. There’s no salary cap for coaching staffs, so the Eagles tried to assemble a really good one on the offensive side of the ball. The Eagles clearly like the concepts that Grizzard will bring to Philly. “I think a lot of it, to a large extent, is a shared vision with things that I might have done in the past or they see things on tape that we might have ran that could be a good mix with and a blend with what’s been done here,” Grizzard said. “Adding some of the elements, whether it’s myself or Sean or any of the other coaches, that this system could bring and then implement it here.”
‘Raw’ Eagles rookie already proving he is a ‘freak of nature’: ‘It’s a wrap’ – NJ.com
“He’s just freakishly strong, freakishly fast,” Mailata said. “And I can’t even compare him to me just because he’s just again, not of this world just by like metrics and numbers-wise. … Once he puts it all together, I think it’s a wrap.” But Mailata also knows Bernard is not ready to contribute as a rookie. “And then you see the way he was moving in drills, very mechanical,” Mailata said. “You can see the rawness of just him even walking through the D-line. It was just very raw.”
Forgotten additions from the Cowboys defense – Blogging The Boys
Dallas handed out their biggest contract in free agency to Thompson since signing Brandon Carr in 2012. This was literal proof of them wading into waters that they have declined to enter for a decade and a half now. Thompson has his own range of athleticism and abilities that defensive coordinator Christian Parker is going to be able to get the most out of. The defense isn’t only going to benefit from Caleb Downs in that respect. In fact, Thompson and Downs are likely going to really help one another overall.
Commanders News: Brandon Aiyuk pumps new life into the ongoing saga – Hogs Haven
Aiyuk posted twice 3 times to Instagram yesterday, shirtless, wearing a Commanders hat and quoting Drake’s latest album.
Was Jaxson Dart more lucky than good as a rookie? – Big Blue View
Jaxson Dart came in fifth in the NFL in net luck. That’s pretty high considering that he only started 12 games. Only 3 of Dart’s 11 TWPs were converted into INTs, a pretty low 27.1% rate. On the other hand, he only had 2 INTs on non-turnover-worthy passes – more than Stafford’s extremely lucky 1, but much less than Baker Mayfield, Dak Prescott, and Caleb Williams.
Building the NFL’s perfect roster, from Bills QBs to 49ers linebackers – SB Nation
Linebackers: San Francisco 49ers. Fred Warner remains the top off-ball linebacker in the NFL by a respectable margin. Before being lost for the season with an ankle injury, he was on pace for 45 defensive stops and 136 tackles. Getting him back in the middle of the defense, and pairing him once again with Dre Greenlaw will give San Francisco the top corps in the league when it comes to patrolling the middle of the field. Honorable mention: Philadelphia Eagles.
Brendan Sorsby gets injunction vs. NCAA, could play for Texas Tech after gambling ineligibility – NFL.com
Brendan Sorsby has been granted a temporary injunction against the NCAA that could clear the way for him to play for Texas Tech this fall, even after the transfer quarterback was declared ineligible for wagering on college sports. Some of the bets were made on his own team while at Indiana. The ruling Monday by Judge Ken Curry immediately prevents the NCAA from being able to block Sorsby’s eligibility for what will be his final college season. Sorsby will still miss the first two games, which was a penalty that had been proposed by his attorneys. [BLG Note: So, the Eagles will definitely NOT be taking him in the NFL Supplemental Draft.]
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