The Eagles are two weeks away from raising a banner in front of the hated Dallas Cowboys and kicking off the 2025 NFL campaign. Before the Birds attempt to repeat as Super Bowl champions, I’m here to answer some mailbag questions about the team I fielded on both X and Bluesky this week.
Let’s get after it and talk some Eagles football…
@HeavyEdit : What is the plan at CB? And what SHOULD be the plan at CB?
From a national perspective, the consensus appears that the Eagles are set for years to come at cornerback.
On the surface, that makes sense. The Eagles absolutely nailed their first two picks in the 2024 NFL Draft in immediate stud Quinyon Mitchell and Super Bowl hero Cooper DeJean. For those ingrained in the daily Eagles discourse, however, it’s not that simple.
My assumption is that the Eagles wanted Kelee Ringo go out and win the CB2 job opposite Mitchell on the outside this summer with DeJean once again doing stellar work in the slot and perhaps safety at times. From all indications from reporters at camp and what we’ve otherwise seen in the preseason, that just didn’t happen for Ringo. If I had to bet, I imagine the veteran Adoree’ Jackson, entering his age-30 season, gets the immediate nod there at CB2.
As for what the plan should be at corner, is it too late in the summer for Ronald Darby trade 2.0 so to speak? The Eagles continue to wheel and deal, as seen with the John Metchie III trade over this past weekend. Howie Roseman is armed with a boatload of picks in next spring’s NFL Draft. I have no doubt that Roseman is always working the phones and trying to upgrade the roster, but he should give an extra emphasis on potentially prying away a cornerback from a different team ahead of cutdowns.
@bigguardszn: Always easy to say “x was a mistake” with hindsight – but given the struggles at CB, do you think they’ll come to regret letting Isaiah Rodgers go for what looks to be a pretty reasonable deal?
This relates to the previous question about the cornerback situation. At the time, I had no qualms with letting Isaiah Rodgers walk this offseason. Rodgers landed in Minnesota on a two-year deal worth $15 million with $8 million in guarantees.
I imagine that’ll be a big talking point this season, regardless of how Rodgers performs with the Vikings, whenever a non-Mitchell/non-DeJean cornerback gives up a big play this season. “They should’ve kept Rodgers!” If that’s the Eagles’ biggest mistake this offseason, I think they’ll survive well enough, but right now, the CB2 spot is a bit of a cloud over what was a tremendous defense in 2024.
@Arkansas3657: Is Joe Flacco Elite?
What a wild career for the local fella!
Joe Flacco had way more consistent regular season success, but Flacco’s playoff heroics on the way to a 2012 Super Bowl win with Baltimore remind me a bit of Nick Foles going supernova with the Eagles in 2017. Flacco is 40 doing this though and still letting it rip and will be the Week 1 starter for Cleveland. That’d be the equivalent, age wise, of Foles being a competent starter for a random team in 2029.
I know the whole “elite” bit about Flacco from forever ago, but I’d say he’ll have a great spot in the fictitious “Hall of Very Good” one day.
@3_AV_Crue: Is Nick Sirianni already the best coach in Eagles history? (Yes)
If you would’ve asked me this question after Week 4 of the 2024 season after the Birds were slaughtered in Tampa, I would’ve laughed in your face. What a difference a year makes!
The answer is definitely yes.
My top five:
- Nick Sirianni: Super Bowl LIX champion
- Doug Pederson: Super Bowl LII champion
- Greasy Neale: 1948 and 1949 NFL champion
- Andy Reid: lots of wins and lots of disappointment
- Dick Vermeil: changed the culture of the franchise and the place of football in the city
Sirianni has made the playoffs every season of his head coaching career, has two Super Bowl appearances to his name, has a ring and isn’t close to being done yet.
@btoporek.bsky.social: Who are your top five most beloved Eagles in your lifetime? (Not necessarily the best players, but the ones you feel the most attachment to?)
Fun question!
Most of these are rather obvious:
- Brian Dawkins: He’s everyone’s favorite! I’ve interviewed him a few times over the years and he’s an awesome dude.
- Nick Foles: Foles changed Philadelphia forever and, really, my life overall. As has been well documented, I met my wife at the 2018 Super Bowl parade, so, yeah, I owe him a lot.
- Brandon Graham: Graham’s Super Bowl strip sack is the greatest play in the history of Philadelphia sports. Graham also recorded a congratulatory video for my wife and me when we got engaged several years ago, so that certainly adds to to things, too.
- Brian Westbrook: My favorite Christmas gift ever was receiving a black Westbrook jersey in 2003, his breakout season. I still have it and can picture opening up the box with it to this day.
- Bobby Taylor: A talented, historically under-appreciated cornerback who had a monumental pick-6 in the 2002 NFC Divisional Round matchup with the Falcons, the Eagles’ last win at Veterans Stadium.
How about, to add some pizzaz, we go with five more unheralded players that fit that billing as well?
- Correll Buckhalter: Injuries derailed what could’ve been a really promising career. He balled out in the 44-6 game, which gives him a legacy boost among Reid-era supporting characters.
- Damon Moore: Moore made a game-saving tackle on New York’s Ron Dixon in Week 16 of the 2001 season to help the Eagles win the NFC East for the first time since 1998. It’s the first Eagles game I have concrete memories of watching. If he doesn’t make that tackle and the Giants score on an improbable last-second play, that’s one hell of a “sliding doors” moment for the Reid era and my relationship with this team.
- Blaine Bishop: I thought him saying, “Blaine Bishop, Old School” during primetime introductions was so cool as a kid.
- Cecil Martin: I have vivid memories of his touchdown catch against the Bears in the 2001 Divisional Round upset win in Chicago that would advance the Eagles to the NFC title game for the first time in my life.
- Leonard Weaver: Did you know he was a First-Team All-Pro fullback in 2009? You should!
@spookyst3ve.bsky.social: Who on the Eagles roster do you think has a Letterboxd account?
For those who might not know, Letterboxd is a movie reviewing app that I am rather addicted to. I love cinema!
The obvious answer here is “no one,” but a certain former Eagle popped into my head for this. How about Nnamdi Asomugha? He’s a had a post-NFL Hollywood turn. Maybe he’s still out there eating lunch in his car to this day, leaving five-star reviews of Paul Schrader films.
@irisheagles.bsky.social: Any concern about the AJ injury?
@SwaggyMitch: How healthy is AJ Brown ?
A.J. Brown is always somewhat banged up it seems, but he’s a warrior. I could see people thinking that the Metchie trade is a sign that Brown may not be ready to start the year. Maybe I’m foolish, but I will not be concerned until I see for myself that Brown isn’t suiting up against Dallas in 14 days.
@nsmurfy.bsky.social: How much will we overreact to a Week 1 loss to the Cowboys?
The heat death of the universe might commence.
