Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
NFL Future Power Rankings: 2027-29 projections for 32 teams – ESPN 2) PHILADELPHIA EAGLES. Reason for hope: Even in an offseason of tumult, with A.J. Brown traded and the transition to a new offensive system, the Eagles rank very highly in our future outlook. Why? Because general manager Howie Roseman has proved over the past decade that nobody builds contenders more quickly. The Eagles’ star-studded young defense is proof alone. — Solak. Reason for concern:
Decision-makers in Philadelphia clearly believed the offense needed to evolve philosophically, and the change was made to bring in offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. His ability to teach, develop and use the skills of QB Jalen Hurts — without fully neutralizing what has made him a Super Bowl-winning QB — will shape this organization over the next several years. — Riddick. Nugget to know: The Eagles project to have the league’s youngest defense if we look at their top-12 projected defensive players (starters in both base and nickel). The average age is 25.6; Jonathan Greenard and Zack Baun are their only starters over 27. — Schatz.
Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Positive signs from DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon – BGN
WR Makai Lemon (hamstring). While Lemon did not practice, he did get some rehab work in on a side field away from the rest of the team. Lemon’s workout included running some routes. He also took part in the “catch circuit” where almost everyone on the team practiced catching the ball after team drills ended. So, there are finally some signs that the Eagles’ 2026 first-round pick is getting closer to returning.
Eagles 2026 training camp practice notes, Day 12: Camp battle at safety heating up – PhillyVoice
The following clip is from the first preseason game on Saturday, but I hadn’t seen it until after I published my postgame articles. I think it’s worth showing. It’s Eli Stowers hesitating to hit someone on a block and instead getting pushed back into the hole where Tank Bigsby is bottled up. (Video via @fanalyzesports). Oof. We know that Stowers is a work in progress as a blocker, but you’d certainly like to see more aggressiveness there.
Three Things from Eagles training camp: DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon take steps toward return ahead of Patriots joint practices – PHLY
Hurts has thrown more interceptions this summer than I can remember in any of his past training camps as the starter, which is understandable given how much more often he’s targeting the middle of the field in traffic in Sean Mannion’s scheme. I wouldn’t overstate the frequency with which he’s been picked off myself — I’d actually argue he’s looked good for the most part adjusting to the footwork and timing of this new system — but that’s precisely the reason why I wonder how Sirianni’s general aversion to turnovers aligns with the new approach. Can he live with more turnovers if it means a more functional passing game, or will there need to be a compromise at some point between an offense that works to exploit an inherently risky part of the field and one that avoids risk at all costs.
How are the Eagles faring without A.J. Brown? The star WR will find out this week – The Athletic
“Words can’t describe how valuable they are,” Hurts said of the reps for the other receivers. Dontayvion Wicks and Darius Cooper are two players who have taken the most advantage of them this summer. Wicks is expected to be a key contributor in the offense. Sirianni compared his playing style to that of six-time Pro Bowler Keenan Allen — ”I hope you know how much high praise that is,” Sirianni said — and noted the ability to separate at the top of the route, get off press coverage and the competitive zeal. Hurts also lauded the “aggression” — in a good way — that Wicks brought to the offense. He called Wicks “twitchy,” and said Wicks “can attack the ball” and “runs great routes.” Wicks, who is 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, averaged 36 catches for 442.7 yards and 3.7 touchdowns in three seasons with the Green Bay Packers. He never played more than 54 percent of the offensive snaps. Look for all those data points to grow this season. Barkley told ” Up & Adams” that Wicks was a “steal,” and he did not know how Roseman landed him. “I think it’s a big opportunity for everybody in our room,” Wicks said when asked about his opportunity. “Everybody marries up with each other. Everybody can do different things. I think that helps us out individually. I think it’s going to be a fun year with this group.”
Sean Mannion is experimenting with calling offense from sideline, booth – PFT
Half of the NFC East’s offensive coordinators are trying to figure out where to best call games. Like Matt Nagy of the Giants, Eagles offensive coordinator Sean Mannion will call preseason games from both the sideline and the booth in order to pick the best place to do it when the games count. “It was smooth,” Mannion told reporters regarding calling games from the sideline. “I felt comfortable. I thought our staff did a great job. The communication was clear. We didn’t have any substitution issues. We didn’t have any play calls get jacked up where we got caught with them substituting late or anything like that. I thought the lines of communication were clear. I was happy with how the quarterbacks were able to get us in and out of the huddle. We weren’t really up against the play clock at all. I was happy with that. I’m planning on calling the next game from the booth. It’s an opportunity to get a feel for both and then go from there. That’s been the plan all along, and I think it’ll be an interesting perspective, but I think through this preseason, an opportunity to kind of experience both.”
‘A breath of fresh air:’ Eagles players fired up for practices with Patriots – NBCSP
Both these teams have been in a Super Bowl the last couple years, the Eagles beating the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans after the 2024 season and the Patriots losing to the Seahawks in Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara this past February. “Honestly, it’s just nice not going against your own team every single day,” Cam Jurgens said. “So it’s like a breath of fresh air. You’re going to go and see another team and kind of work all your stuff. And it’s always fun when you’re going on the road with a team for a week, kind of bonding, coming together as a team. So that’s the best part. You know, we’re all there together, staying in a hotel and enjoying it.”
Eagles Moro Ojomo explains fight, path to big payday in Patriots practices – DelawareOnline
“It’s football,” Ojomo said. “Emotions, and you kind of fight with your brothers. It got a little heated. It was wrong. It’s not a standard that we set out here. It was a mistake. And I messed up.” Ojomo said he patched things up with Johnson, and Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also spoke with him and Johnson. “Nick is a leader, and he set the standard straight,” Ojomo said. “That’s not acceptable, and not something we do at this organization.”
Better than it looked? Four biggest film observations from the first preseason game of the Sean Mannion era – Inquirer
While the Eagles’ offense was vanilla with the objective of not revealing much, Mannion’s scheme change appears to match the expectation of the style of offense the team intends to run. The key will be the execution, and limiting the mistakes that prevented Mannion and the offense to get into a true game flow on Saturday night.
We won’t see the offense in full until the season opener, but Saturday offered a glimpse of what the long-term vision can look like when plays are executed.
Ty Robinson presents more pass-rush potential for the defense – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
“Get him!” Saturday’s preseason opener allowed defensive tackle Ty Robinson and the rest of his teammates the opportunity to take down the quarterback for the first time since Training Camp opened in July. Robinson didn’t waste the chance. On second-and-10 with just under nine minutes left in the first quarter, Robinson blew past the Ravens’ left guard and had quarterback Tyler Huntley in his sights. Huntley stepped up in the pocket and tried to escape, but to no avail. “I haven’t hit a quarterback in over a year, and in practice, there’s a halo around all the QBs, so you kind of have to get used to it again a little bit,” Robinson said after the game. “So being able to show that I was able to get there really helps boost my confidence and that I can become a really good pass rusher.”
Za’Darius Smith free agency update: Could spurn Browns for former coach – Dawgs By Nature
Uh, oh. Here we go again, perhaps. Sunday afternoon, we covered a report that former Cleveland Browns DE Za’Darius Smith was expected to rejoin the team after a visit to Berea. Smith seemed a bit confused by that report, as he commented on social media that he had another workout lined up with another team before deleting that comment. DE Jared Verse talked on Monday about the potential addition of Smith and getting to pick the veteran’s brain. Previously, the Browns brought in another former defensive end, Jadeveon Clowney, and seemed interested in signing him before the former first overall pick returned to the Houston Texans instead. Could things be repeating themselves, this time with a bit of Kevin Stefanski revenge added to it?
49ers part ways with veteran running back they signed 2 weeks ago – Niners Nation
Khalil Herbert signed with the San Francisco 49ers at the beginning of August. After a couple of weeks of training camp and a preseason game where he had six carries for 18 yards, including nine yards after contact and one forced missed tackle, the 49ers are releasing the veteran running back, according to Adam Schefter. [BLG Note: Herbert previously participated in a tryout with the Eagles earlier this offseason. They might want to bring him back to Philly for some more RB depth while they’re dealing with some injuries at that position.]
Why Von Miller is a good fit for the Cowboys defense – Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys have completely remodeled their defensive line. They now have four veterans – Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Miller who have a combined 16 Pro Bowls between them. The new-look defense isn’t about a single player, but a collective unit that can put enough stress across the board where the offensive line cannot overload protection. Opposing offenses have to be mindful of everyone. Adding a player like Miller affords the team the luxury to deploy their younger edge rushers as needed and not force them into situations they’re not ready for. Donovan Ezeiruaku will still be the early-down edge opposite Gary, but now they can use the rookie Lawrence more strategically. If he’s not ready, he’s not ready. They can put him in more favorable situations and allow Miller to handle critical get-off-the-field third-down situations. This isn’t a monster move for the Cowboys. Instead, it’s a subtle but calculated front office decision to bolster an area that needs help. The team is showing that they’re not taking their foot off the gas and won’t just let the chips fall as they may. They’re committed to making this work, and adding another veteran talent is a good way to do just that.
How Commanders preseason win vs. Dolphins influenced key position battles – Hogs Haven
Quarterback. Marcus Mariota suffered a right MCL sprain early in Friday’s game, leaving most of the work to Sam Hartman and Athan Kaliakmanis. Expect that trend to continue, with Mariota set to miss the entire preseason and Quinn stating the Commanders don’t anticipate adding another quarterback. Jayden Daniels is the unquestioned starter and Mariota is his backup, but the Commanders will keep one developmental third quarterback. Which guy will win that spot? Kaliakmanis showed better on Friday, showcasing solid arm talent. Hartman was inefficient and had some big misses and an interception that showed lackluster decision making.
Jayden Daniels’ LSU feud over No. 5 jersey keeps getting more bizarre – SB Nation
Jayden Daniels’ run to the Heisman Trophy with the LSU Tigers in 2023 was one of the most electric quarterback seasons in the recent history of college football. Daniels threw for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and only four interceptions in 12 games as LSU finished 10-3 with a win in the ReliaQuest Bowl. Now Daniels is beefing with his former college program after they gave away his No. 5 to a player on this year’s team. That’s just the start of it.
The Giants’ offensive line is the NFL’s…19th best? – Big Blue View
Mauigia looked fine in his first preseason game. So the arrow should be pointing up for that particular unit, right? Not according to everyone, apparently. Football Insights has compiled pre-season rankings of all NFL offensive lines from a variety of sources. Here are the team individual and consensus rankings (compiled before the first pre-season game). The Giants sit at a mediocre, slightly-below-average No. 19 in the consensus rankings, between the Patriots and the Ravens. As is the case though for teams in the mid-range of any ranking, that usually implies a wide divergence of opinion among individual analysts. The Giants OL’s high ranking, No. 10, is from the FTN (For the Numbers) fantasy site. Their analyst Dan Fornek says about the Giants’ OL.
Giants sign QB Jake Haener, LB Chandler Martin; RB Dante Miller waived/injured – New York Giants
Martin, meanwhile, started his NFL career with John Harbaugh’s Ravens last year as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis. He appeared in three games while spending time on and off the team’s practice squad. [BLG Note: Martin had multiple stints with the Eagles earlier this offseason.]
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