Welcome to The Linc, the daily Philadelphia Eagles links roundup at Bleeding Green Nation!
Saquon Barkley looked pretty good in training camp this summer. The Eagles’ offense was uneven as a whole but they looked their best when they leaned into the running game. It’s not hard for me to envision Barkley having another big season. Obviously not easy to project him to reach his 2024 numbers. And him looking good won’t matter if the blocking doesn’t hold up, as we saw last season. But I tend to think
things will come together in the run game more than they did in 2025.
Can Saquon Barkley recapture his 2024 dominance? – ESPN
Not only is the offensive line in a better place but Barkley is as well. He shot past his career high in carries (345) during the regular season in 2024 and added 91 more rushes in the postseason. That number fell to 280 last season. And while the wild-card playoff exit against the San Francisco 49ers was disappointing for the Eagles, it gave everyone more of a physical and mental break this offseason, including the 29-year-old Barkley. “Huge,” said running backs coach Jemal Singleton, on the benefits of the longer layoff. “He could take the time from the offseason and get his rest but then come back and start working. So I feel like he’s in a really, really good place now. … It’s going to be exciting to kind of see him go.” Singleton can see it most in the conditioning part of it where Barkley, who shares a backfield this season with a pair of capable backs in Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley, has stayed on the field for more plays during long drives while looking “explosive.” Put the fresh legs with a revitalized offensive front in this run scheme, and there is optimism Barkley can ascend to the top of the running back class once again. “Being a better playmaker,” Barkley said on what he wants to improve from last season. “That’s why I was brought here, that’s what I feel I’m one of the best in the league [at] and just bringing that back.”
Can Saquon Barkley defy the RB age curve? His favorite back’s best season came at 29 – The Athletic
The Eagles made a major scheme change this offseason that will be apparent in the running game. Quarterback Jalen Hurts will more frequently line up under center. The Eagles installed a wide-zone running scheme. Barkley said he’s “always been intrigued with this kind of system” while observing the success of players from afar. He spoke to Peterson about the depth he should align before the snap, ranging from six yards to eight yards. The landmarks in the running game are different. Barkley said he must be more of a one-cut runner. He believes the protection is friendly to a running back. “I feel like I have a chance to be really good in this system,” Barkley said. “I feel like it’s going to open things that I may have not been able to show in my career.” “He can be good in any system, let’s be honest,” running backs coach Jemal Singleton added. “But I think this is one that allows him to do some things that I think is going to be fun. It’ll be fun to watch him work, and he’s one of those guys that dives into everything. He reaches out to former players that have played in the system like this.” Barkley connected with Todd Gurley, who was offensive coordinator Sean Mannion’s teammate in Los Angeles. Gurley’s two best seasons came in this offense, making first-team All-Pro both years. (Gurley is also an example of a running back who did not age as Barkley intends; Gurley’s final season was at age 26.) Singleton, who coached in this system elsewhere, raved about Barkley’s offseason. Barkley has made cuts in practice that left new teammates dumbfounded. For old teammates, it’s a reminder of Barkley’s 2024 greatness. “We kind of take that stuff for granted a little bit,” Singleton said. “It’s like the ‘wow’ factor. It’s Saquon Barkley. Let’s not forget, and he’s done some amazing things, and he still can.”
Eagles vs. Commanders Game Preview: 5 questions and answers with the Week 1 enemy – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles are beginning their 2026 season with a home game against the Washington Commanders. Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are aiming to reach 6-0 in Week 1 games together. In order to preview this NFC East matchup, I reached out to our enemies over at Hogs Haven. The affable Andrew Y kindly took the time took the time to answer my questions about this upcoming battle. Let’s take a look at the answers.
NFC East Mixtape Vol. 188: Week 1 Preview – NFC East Mixtape
We have FINALLY reached Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season and to start things off we have all four NFC East teams taking on another member of the division. Which two will emerge as winners? Which two will hate everything and want to start over? RJ Ochoa and Brandon Gowton discuss in true Mixtape fashion… plus Big Blue View’s Ed Valentine joins for perspective on the G-Men! You can see that we have a BRAND NEW NFC East Mixtape YouTube Channel so make sure to subscribe as the show will live here exclusively in video format.
Lots of Questions – Iggles Blitz
So the experts have the Eagles missing the playoffs, as a wild card team or making it back to the Super Bowl. That’s quite a range of outcomes. The lack of faith in the Eagles is all about the offense. AJ Brown is out and a new scheme is in. People have doubts about how good Jalen Hurts will be in the new scheme. It is absolutely fair to have concerns about the offense. I’m buying the Eagles as a contender because of Saquon Barkley, better OL play and an elite defense. That is a winning formula. Hurts should have time to grow into the new offense and for his receivers to work into their roles.
Why Sean Mannion decided to call plays from the booth this season – NBCSP
While Mannion explained that there are pros and cons of both locations, the 34-year-old ultimately decided to head up to the booth as he enters his first season as the Eagles’ offensive coordinator. “When you’re in the box, obviously you have a little bit more space,” Mannion explained on Thursday afternoon. “You’re not pacing around. You have the tablet. It’s a little bit like sitting at a desk, but I think just the vision is a little bit unique there, the higher vantage point. “Honestly, I felt comfortable with both, and really, I just felt like the vision type of thing really led me to the decision. Ultimately, the other part of it is we have a great staff. They communicate really well on the sideline. There’s been constant lines of communication, and I think all of that led to the decision.” This decision is a departure from the way the Eagles have done things for a long time. Franchise quarterback Jalen Hurts noted earlier this week that this will be his first time with a play caller upstairs since his days in college. It can make communication a bit tricky between Hurts and Mannion because it’ll have to be over the red phone on the sideline.
Is Sean Mannion ready for his big moment with the Eagles? He’s been preparing for it for years. – Inquirer
Mike Riley and Sean Mannion were having one of their catch-up calls when Mannion, who played quarterback at Oregon State under Riley, told his former coach the latest project he was working on during the nascent days of his own coaching career. Mannion, the most prolific passer in Oregon State history, told Riley that he was putting together and digitizing all of the passing concepts he could find dating back to the 1960s. “This is what he does in his spare time,” Riley explained recently. Mannion is just 34 years old and only three years removed from his playing career. He has never called plays in the NFL before and now is tasked with turning around an Eagles offense that was too stagnant in 2025 under another first-year coordinator and first-time play caller Kevin Patullo. Nick Sirianni said in February that he was looking for someone who was detailed and had “conviction in what they believed and why they believed in it, and the vision and conviction of how they went about it.” Those traits seem to describe Mannion, whose father, John, called him “a saver” who took and saved detailed notes at every stop along his football path and even has comprehensive notes on concepts that pre-date his own life by some 30 years. Eagles quarterbacks coach Parks Frazier raved recently about Mannion’s attention to detail and his ability to recall and reference something he has learned along the way. “He remembers every detail about all of those things and he’s constantly applying it to what he’s doing moving forward,” Frazier said. “He has extreme, detailed, categorized notes and film of everything he’s been through.”
NFL Fantasy 2026 Start ‘Em, Sit ‘Em: Wide receivers for Week 1 – NFL.com
TERRY MCLAURIN — After an excellent 2024 season in which he scored 13 touchdowns, McLaurin was a massive fantasy bust last year, missing seven games. In the 10 games he did play, the Commanders WR1 averaged just 11.4 fantasy points per game and scored three touchdowns. Both he and Jayden Daniels could bounce back with better health in ‘26, but I don’t anticipate a hot start against an Eagles defense that allowed just six touchdowns to wideouts last season (tied with the Broncos for the league low).
All-Access: 30 Days with the Eagles’ offense – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
In the latest episode of All-Access, presented by Lincoln Financial, witness never-before-seen footage inside the quarterback room with Jalen Hurts and go inside the offensive meeting room as new Coordinator Sean Mannion installs the new scheme.
Eagles coach takes blame for dynamic weapon’s struggles: ‘I did a poor job’ – NJ.com
“Last year, I think it was just a lot of it falls on myself more than Tank,” Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said on Thursday. “Tank’s going to go out there and do everything he can for the team. Don’t get that misconstrued or twisted. He’s going to do whatever he [can]. I did a poor job as a coach in instilling the full confidence, just in terms of bad things happen, how do you respond to it? I did a poor job as a coach of just taking him under my wing and having this confidence with them. That’s on me. That has nothing to do with Tank.”
Watch Jason Dumas’ full interview with Eagles QB Jalen Hurts – 6ABC
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts sat down with Action News sports reporter Jason Dumas for a one-on-one interview ahead of the 2026 season.
A.J. Brown injury update: Patriots WR expected to miss at least 3 weeks – Pats Pulpit
New England Patriots wide receiver A.J. Brown did indeed suffer a high-ankle sprain on Wednesday night against the Seattle Seahawks. An MRI taken on Thursday confirmed the initial diagnosis and according to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport suggests that the 29-year-old “[is] expected to be out at least four weeks.” A follow-up report by NFL insider Jordan Schultz put the projected recovery time at around 3-6 weeks, with internal discussions whether or not a move to injured reserve will be necessary.
Cowboys, WR Ryan Flournoy agree on 1-year extension worth up to $6M – Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys originally drafted Flournoy in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but he was waived last August and brought back to the practice squad which changed the contractual makeup of his affiliation with the team. It was after he was brought back, as last season wore on, that Flournoy really developed and proved to be a proper option in the passing game. Many are excited to see what he can do in his first full year as the WR3. These types of deals, Flo and BSF, are great to see from the Cowboys and their front office. They are making sure that they have enough overall pieces in place as they take care of the future of the team beyond the present. BSF is now tied to the Cowboys through 2029, and while Flournoy isn’t connected for quite as long he is at the very least tied through next season. Given the pending George Pickens conversations, hopefully those go well, the Cowboys are at the very least protected now.
Commanders vs. Eagles Thursday injury report: Daron Payne shows up as limited – Hogs Haven
It’s tough to tell at this point exactly what that means for the Commanders. Payne could’ve gotten hurt in practice and was, therefore, limited, which is a worst-case scenario. Alternatively, it could be injury management, and not a big deal.
Malik Nabers looks ready as NY Giants open practice for Week 1 game vs. Dallas Cowboys – Big Blue View
Wide receiver Malik Nabers was on the field Wednesday with teammates from the beginning of practice and moving well as the New York Giants began practice for Sunday’s season-opening game against the Dallas Cowboys. Neither the Giants nor Nabers have committed to the 2024 first-round pick playing on Sunday. The signs, though, point toward that happening. Nabers practiced all summer with no real hiccups as he worked his way back from two surgeries to repair a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 of the 2025 season. Nabers was listed as a full practice participant while the Giants practiced in full pads.
The 4 most underrated NFL teams entering 2026 season, including the Broncos – SB Nation
When it comes to the NFL it’s easier to parse the teams that are being underrated ahead of the season, rather than predict which of the elite teams will actually live up to their potential. Every year we have a host of organizations that have made significant upgrades through free agency and the draft, yet somehow get saddled with being viewed as middling, or even bad — simply because they had a bad season the year prior. There are two NFC and two AFC teams that are flying under the radar outside of their own fanbases and warrant more recognition than they’re getting right now. It’s important to note that being underrated doesn’t mean they’re a lock to go on a Seahawks-esque Super Bowl run, but more that the perception of these teams is simply too low. Check out our four most overrated teams heading into the season. Now, here are our four most underrated teams.
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