Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
2026 NFC UDFA class rankings – Thor’s NFL Draft Substack 2nd in the NFC, 4th overall) Philadelphia Eagles. With the selection of UGA OG Micah Morris on Day 3, the Eagles upped their number of rostered Georgia Bulldogs to six – matching the number of Alabama alums. The UDFA signings of LB Deontae Lawson and OG Jaeden Roberts – the two-best prospects in Philadelphia’s crop – allowed Alabama to once again overtake Georgia in sheer numbers on Philly’s
roster. Lawson and Roberts were both top-200 prospects on my board – each has a legitimate shot to crack the Week 1 roster. Lawson was a productive multi-year SEC starter – medical questions and a lack of pre-draft athletic testing kept him out of the draft despite legitimate tape. Lawson actually intended to declare for last year’s draft, but a torn ACL from 2024 ultimately changed those plans. Lawson didn’t miss any time in 2025, but he battled a nagging foot injury during the fall that often had him changing out of cleats into walking boots after games. He’s going to compete for a special-teams role initially. I’m also extremely intrigued by the signing of IPP prospect Joshua Weru of Kenya. Philadelphia is known to stockpile former Alabama/Georgia players, and they’re also known as the NFL’s most-successful organization in the NFL’s IPP program, thanks to the development of OT Jordan Mailata. The Eagles drafted the class’ best IPP prospect – DT Uar Bernard – at the end of R7, and were wise to also bring in Weru, clearly the second-most intriguing IPP prospect in the 2026 class. Weru is blessed with length and athleticism — will he show enough this summer to be groomed as long-term developmental rusher?
Eagles Film Review: Cole Payton, the new Taysom Hill? – BGN
Cole Payton is a fascinating athlete who is a long way from being a functioning NFL quarterback. In the short term, one of Tanner McKee or Andy Dalton could be moved before the season, and Payton will compete for a roster spot. He could potentially make the 53 as a developmental third quarterback or end up on the practice squad to develop. I think another team will grab him if he doesn’t make the roster, though. The preseason will be worth watching, specifically because he will get meaningful snaps. The longer-term vision could be the Taysom Hill model, and I think it is a reasonable one if Payton develops well. The Eagles have a quarterback in Jalen Hurts who handles the full offensive load. What they could eventually have in Payton is a Swiss Army knife. He’s a player whose quarterbacking ability forces defensive respect, but whose athleticism, blocking upside, and red zone physicality give the offense additional tools regardless of whether the passing ever fully develops. You might take a speedy receiver in the 5th round who never becomes anything. There’s no harm in trying to add explosive plays by adding a late-round quarterback.
Have The Eagles Gotten Better This Offseason? – Go Birds Podcast
The Philadelphia Eagles have reshaped their roster this offseason with a number of moves in free agency and the NFL Draft. Brandon Lee Gowton joins James Seltzer to talk all things Eagles offseason, including the pending AJ Brown trade and every draft pick. The guys also discuss the Sixers and Flyers playoff runs as well as their thoughts on the latest season of Survivor.
Front Office Changes – Iggles Blitz
Uar Bernard is still a novice, but he’s been taught different alignments and how to watch tape. He’s had lots of work on fundamentals. Go read the piece. It is very encouraging. I still think Bernard won’t play this season, but I can’t wait to see him in the preseason. Really a fascinating guy.
Eagles Thoughts: Why Jonathan Greenard trade was offseason splash – The Athletic
The Eagles’ trade for Jonathan Greenard is the headlining move of the offseason, but because it occurred during the third round of the NFL Draft late on a Friday night, it didn’t receive the fanfare it might have received if it had happened at the start of free agency or during an April lull. Greenard is the type of top-of-the-depth-chart edge rusher the Eagles badly needed — and that they prioritized this offseason, from trying to retain Jaelan Phillips to pursuing Trey Hendrickson. Greenard has become one of the top edge rushers in the NFL, and the Eagles are buying the dip on sack production because the other metrics remained promising. His pressure rate was the highest of his career, and his quarterback hit rate was not far off his 2024 total (4.2 percent in 2025 compared to 4.4 percent in 2024). He also remained effective against the run. He’s one of the franchise’s highest-paid players, a clear sign that the Eagles view him as a front-line player. And the guarantees in the contract are paid for the years that Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith are locked up, and before extensions for one or both would commence. This is all worth pointing out because I thought the trade on Day 2 of the draft undersold its significance. When you do your ledger of ins and outs of the Eagles’ offseason, Greenard is at the top of the “In” column by a wide margin. It’s within reason to argue that the Eagles should have kept Phillips rather than surrender two picks for Greenard and sign him to a big deal. However, the difference in contracts (a four-year, $120 million deal for Phillips vs. a four-year, $98 million deal for Greenard) cannot be ignored and must be considered part of the equation. That delta carries value in building the roster. The Eagles had a number for Phillips that they weren’t willing to exceed. (They’re also expected to receive a compensatory pick for Phillips’ departure.) If you’re in the mood to quibble, the Eagles had a chance to sign Greenard on the open market in 2024, and they targeted Bryce Huff. Greenard could have been wearing green for the past two years. Howie Roseman made up for it this offseason.
2026 NFL draft: Best rookie team fits, perfect landing spots – ESPN
Eli Stowers, TE, Philadelphia Eagles. Drafted: Round 2, No. 54. Why he fits: With Dallas Goedert returning on a one-year deal, Stowers should be seen as the future No. 1 tight end for Philadelphia. But he should make an impact this season, especially in two-tight-end sets and as a situational matchup target. At 6-foot-4 with a 45½-inch vertical jump (tight end record at the NFL combine), Stowers is built to stretch the seams or isolate as a vertical target when removed from the formation. He can also get loose after the catch, and that should create more high-percentage throws for quarterback Jalen Hurts. Stowers had 146 college receptions, and he’s still developing.
Post-draft NFL power rankings roundup: Did Eagles improve positioning? – NBCSP
The Eagles have been to the playoffs all five seasons under head coach Nick Sirianni but they had a disappointing finish to their 2025 season with a wild-card exit. Since the end of last season, the Eagles have gone through some major changes, including at the offensive coordinator position. Then there was free agency and most recently the draft. According to FanDuel, the Eagles have the 10th-shorted Super Bowl odds in 2026.
3 moves Eagles haven’t made yet — and why each one is a growing concern – NJ.com
No. 1: Trusting young interior O-line depth. The Eagles will enter the 2026 season with major concerns on their interior offensive line. Left guard Landon Dickerson played hurt for the entire 2025 season, and during the offseason, he reportedly considered retirement before deciding to return for the 2026 season. Center Cam Jurgens played hurt all year, too. He had offseason back surgery in 2025, and the effects of that injury limited his movement and power. Dickerson and Jurgens both received stem cell treatment in Columbia during the offseason. The Eagles are banking that extra treatment and rest will help them get healthy. But if that doesn’t happen, Philadelphia could be in trouble at guard and center. The Eagles are going into the spring with sixth-round pick Micah Morris and second-year players Drew Kendall and Willie Lampkin as their top backups on the interior. Kendall (guard/center) has started one game, while Lampkin (center) and Morris (guard) haven’t taken an NFL snap. An injury to Dickerson or Jurgens could force one of these young guys into the starting lineup. In that case, Philadelphia’s offensive line could struggle more than it did last season — and that was the biggest cause for the 2025 team’s downfall. To address this potential problem, the Eagles could have signed a veteran backup with starting experience or used an earlier pick on a guard/center who is ready to play in the NFL as a rookie. By the time training camp rolls around, the Eagles should add a few more backups to this unit — not doing so might be a mistake.
Bike with Cooper DeJean at the Eagles Autism Challenge – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
Need some last-minute motivation to sign up for the ninth annual Eagles Autism Challenge on Saturday, May 9 at Lincoln Financial Field? More than 7,000 participants and close to 43,000 donations from around the world raised over $10 million for groundbreaking research and care programs last year, and 2026 is expected to be the biggest Eagles Autism Challenge yet. This is your chance to run, bike, and walk alongside your favorite Eagles players and coaches for an outstanding cause. Through fundraising efforts associated with the Eagles Autism Foundation, 223 research projects and community grants have now been funded worldwide since 2018.
Patriots Mailbag: Could there be a reunion with Stefon Diggs? – Pats Pulpit
Obviously, now that Diggs has been acquitted, should we resign him to team with Doubs and forget about AJ Brown, saving our draft picks and cap space? – poindexterregan … Stefon Diggs was found not guilty in his assault case on Tuesday. That should kickstart the wide receiver’s market. Diggs was awesome for the majority of last season for the Patriots and I would personally leave the door open for a second year. While the Patriots’ have not ruled a reunion out with Diggs through their words this offseason, to me they have with their actions. After releasing Diggs, New England signed Romeo Doubs to a four-year, $68 million contract. With a similar skillset, Doubs projects to take on the role Diggs held in the offense last year and is six years younger. The expectation then continues to remain that the Patriots will land A.J. Brown by trade next month. The one way I could see Diggs returning is if another team suddenly makes a push for Brown on the trade market. New England could then use Doubs in the outside role he primarily held in Green Bay and slot Diggs back in the spot he held last season.
NFL bandwagons to hop on in 2026: Cowboys and Chargers will deliver! Beware of Rueben Bain Jr. – NFL.com
Performing this same exercise one year ago, I opened the file by imploring everyone to hop on the Patriots bandwagon. As I admitted at the time, that request felt wildly uncouth, seeing how the Pats dominated the first two decades of this millennium so thoroughly that they engendered enmity across the football world. But consecutive 4-13 seasons in 2023 and ’24 dropped New England to the bottom of the AFC East, stripping the franchise of its “Evil Empire” might. Consequently, I pitched the Patriots as buy-low candidates in 2025, and they provided enormous returns, making it all the way to the Super Bowl. So, here I am grabbing another lightning rod with both hands. The Cowboys bandwagon is always crowded, but it rarely delivers a fully satisfying ride. Coming off back-to-back losing campaigns, Dallas hasn’t made it past the Divisional Round in 30 years. But I’m ready to make the potentially grievous miscalculation that this year will be different. Why? Well, it starts with the Cowboys themselves.
This is the biggest win of the Dallas Cowboys offseason – Blogging The Boys
If you asked me though, the biggest win of the offseason so far is something that doesn’t exist at all: Drama. A year ago any conversation around the Cowboys involved the pending Micah Parsons extension. That went so far and so deep through things that it wasn’t resolved until a literal week before the season began. It goes without saying that this got things off to a bad start.
Former Washington QB Taylor Heinicke announces retirement from NFL – Hogs Haven
Taylor Heinicke is calling it a career. The popular veteran quarterback stated as much on his Instagram profile on Thursday evening, with a Reel featuring highlights from several different spots. While he represented seven franchises and played games for five teams during his seven-year NFL career, his best work came in Washington. Heinicke played three seasons for the franchise, compiling a 12-11-1 record, including five fourth-quarter comebacks, with a 2021 campaign where he was the team’s primary starter. He started a playoff game for Washington at the end of the 2020 season, losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
NY Giants release 4 players, including Elijah Chatman, before rookie minicamp – Big Blue View
The New York Giants have announced the release of four players before rookie minicamp begins on Friday. The biggest name released was popular former undrafted free agent defensive tackle Elijah Chatman. The undersized defensive tackle spent two years with the Giants. His hustle as a rookie made Chatman a fan favorite. Also released were linebacker Swayze Bozeman, wide receiver Courtney Jackson, and defensive lineman Marlon Tuipulotu [former Eagles draft pick].
Colts release Kenny Moore II – Stampede Blue
The Colts were unable to find a trade partner to honor Moore II’s trade request, thus giving their veteran corner a courtesy release to play elsewhere.
Russell Wilson to the Jets is the NFL signing EVERY fan should want – SB Nation
It appeared as though Russell Wilson might have reached the end of his NFL career, but now there could be a late change to that plan. The New York Jets made an offer to Wilson to play for them this season, according to the veteran quarterback, and we absolutely need this to happen. This is because the alternative is truly terrifying. If Russ doesn’t play for the Jets in 2026 he’s mulling over opportunities to take a TV job where he’d be an NFL analyst. If that doesn’t scare you, then you obviously haven’t watched enough Russ off the football field — because while he was an incredible quarterback, with a potential Hall of Fame resume, the man is the entertainment equivalent of wallpaper paste when he isn’t on the field.
…
Social Media Information:
BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page
BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen
BGN BlueSky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social
BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta
BGN Manager: Follow Brandon Lee Gowton on Twitter | BlueSky | Threads
BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio
The Feed post of the day
Each day, we highlight a BGN community post here in this space. Head over to The Feed to submit your entry and have a chance to be featured in The Linc!
