Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...
Brandon Graham: Last year, we didn’t have all the right coaches in the right position - PFT
Philadelphia’s defense clearly collapsed down the stretch last year, leading to the team suffering a blowout loss in the wild card round of the postseason. During his Wednesday press conference, Graham was talking about younger defensive linemen, noting they have a “good coach” leading the defensive line in Clint Hurtt when he began to discuss what happened to the defense as a whole in 2023. “I really think that last year, we just didn’t — that’s what we didn’t have. We didn’t have all the right coaches in the right position, I would say,” Graham said. “You know, you can just see the guys just truly believing in what’s going on. I’m excited for the young guys who just came in, new rookies coming in — they’re really going to get a good shot and good taste of what it is to be in the NFL.”
Brandon Graham opens up on why coaching changes were necessary for Eagles - NBCSP
“You just noticed little stuff last year, certain stuff we weren’t on the same page about. Just here and there, it will pop up, but it popped up in a big way that last game (playoff loss in Tampa). And it was just like, anything I learned, you always want to make sure that we just have the proper communication, so there’s a real big communication going on right now within the locker room, on the field, in the classrooms. And I know Howie was going to get it fixed. Because once you notice, you just have to deal with it during the year. That’s how it is. But I don’t see none of that at all. I’m more excited because we do have Fangio, somebody experienced, real good. I’m not saying anything about the past, but it was just more like you could just tell that everybody is on the same page about stuff.”
One pressing question for every new NFL defensive play caller in 2024 - The Athletic
Philadelphia Eagles: Vic Fangio. Can he help get this retooling unit back on track? The Eagles’ defense went from dominant to passive overnight, and neither Sean Desai nor Matt Patricia could figure out how to fix things last season. Enter Fangio, one of the most respected minds in the game. Fangio takes over a unit that features two talented linemen in Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. Offseason additions include veteran linebackers Bryce Huff and Devin White and rookie defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Fangio’s task is figuring out how to blend all of this talent together, and developing and positioning his charges for success.
Eagles Practice Notes: Cornerback competition continues, Will Shipley steps up - BGN
Will Shipley had his best practice by far. Yesterday, I meant to include a note about how he looked pretty unnatural and uncomfortable catching the ball out of the backfield. That changed today as he was targeted often and caught all the passes that came his way. One of those included a catch along the sideline after a scramble and rollout by McKee. Nice to see Shipley step up.
Quiet Eagles rookie shocked star WR: ‘That route was trash’. - NJ.com
Eagles wide receiver A.J. Brown couldn’t believe what rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell told him the first time the two spoke. Mitchell, who the Eagles drafted in the first round of the 2024 draft, is quiet. During OTAs and minicamp, he hasn’t talked that much. At one of their practices, Brown finally heard Mitchell speak. “The first words I heard from him was like, ‘That route was trash,’” Brown told reporters on Thursday.
Way-too-early picks for division winners: Miami Dolphins to win AFC East, San Francisco 49ers set for a three-peat - PFF
NFC EAST: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES. The Eagles’ 2023 season was very strange. In fact, I’ve never seen a 10-1 team with worse vibes than Philly after Week 12. That all came spiraling down as the Eagles lost six of their last seven games to end the season, their last at the hands of the Buccaneers in the wild-card round of the playoffs. If they can turn the page, they are still the most talented team in the division. The Cowboys — who won the division in 2023 — are certainly in the mix, but it’s a question of where they are mentally after their own postseason collapse. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott played like an MVP throughout the regular season. His 89.8 passing grade was second only to Tua Tagovailoa, and his 73.5 passing grade under pressure ranked first among his peers. A repeat of that caliber of a season will surely put the division within reach, even if Philly was to bounce back.
Kelee Ringo embraces the battle ahead - PE.com
The reality of the NFL is that you never take a thing for granted, and that’s something Eagles cornerback Kelee Ringo understands very well. He finished his rookie season on a high note with 198 defensive snaps and four starts in the final five regular-season games after playing just one snap in the first 12 games of the campaign, and he was impressive. So that might give a young player the idea that he is on his way to a starting role in Year 2. Then came the 2024 NFL Draft, and the Eagles selected two cornerbacks – Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean – with their first two picks and all of a sudden Ringo was looking at a totally different picture in the cornerback room. And, so, well, how exactly does he fit into the cornerback equation? “It’s a great opportunity to compete and work,” Ringo said. “Of course, every single player in the building is a great player. It’s ultimately going to make our group better. Everything is up for grabs.”
Former Bengals OL Max Scharping joins Eagles - Cincy Jungle
While Scharping didn’t start a regular-season game, he did start three playoff games during the 2022 season after Alex Cappa went down. This past season, Scharping appeared in all 17 games but logged just 13 snaps on offense and 72 more on the field goal kicking unit. Scharping joins wide receiver John Ross, offensive tackle Fred Johnson, tight end CJ Uzomah, kicker Jake Elliott, and quarterback Will Grier as former Bengals to make their way to Philly.
Report: Steelers sign DB Grayland Arnold - Behind The Steel Curtain
Arnold signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020. The 5’9, 186-pound defender ran a 4.59-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. As a senior at Baylor in 2019, Arnold recorded 32 total tackles, one sack, and a whopping six interceptions. He also returned 12 punts for 149 yards and a touchdown.
Make-or-break candidates: Tee Higgins, Dak Prescott among players at crossroads in 2024 NFL season - NFL.com
DAK PRESCOTT: The Cowboys have set the tone for the 2024 season by standing pat on Prescott’s existing contract. It appears they will let him play out the final year of his deal. With a no-tag clause in Dak’s contract, that places the 30-year-old quarterback on a course for unrestricted free agency in 2025. This means 2024 is the deciding season for Prescott and the Cowboys’ future, which is also, naturally, tied to head coach Mike McCarthy’s future. We don’t have to dance around the fact the Cowboys have continued to fall short of expectations, including in 2023, when they regained the NFC East throne ... then were promptly upset by the Packers on Super Wild Card Weekend. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t give Prescott credit for a very good ‘23 campaign, in which he played like a prime MVP candidate until Dallas flopped in a Week 15 loss at Buffalo. That defeat shouldn’t have wiped out everything good Prescott accomplished last year, but that seems to be the way some people reacted. If Dak doesn’t match or exceed his 2023 output, we’re going to see a lot of air time spent on his suddenly uncertain future.
Zack Martin talks possible retirement as he enters his 11th NFL season - Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys made it a mission to fix their offensive line this offseason after the departures of left tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz. They loaded up in the NFL draft by taking left tackle Tyler Guyton in the first round, center Cooper Beebe in the third, and tackle/guard Nathan Thomas in the seventh. Yes, it was to get the Cowboys prepared for the present, but also the future. Right guard Zack Martin is entering his 11th season with the Cowboys. He’s been the model of consistency with nine All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. However, all good things come to an end at some point, especially in the NFL, where the average career is around four years. So, Martin’s journey reaching it’s climax is certainly nearing, and it’s something he discussed recently as the Cowboys are going through their minicamp.
Aaron Rodgers or Eli Manning? Which career would you rather have? - Big Blue View
Surprisingly to some, Stroud chose Eli, because he wants the rings. Most people of course will say that Rodgers has been the better quarterback. It’s an interesting question, but I know better than to ask the audience on this particular web site which career they’d prefer. Instead, let’s make the question more interesting by bringing several other quarterbacks who have been contemporaries of Eli into the discussion.
The 5 O’Clock Club: Washington Commanders defensive end depth - Hogs Haven
On that basis, I’m going to project that Dan Quinn will keep either 5 or 6 DEs on the roster in 2024. We heard Quinn, during his press conference on Wednesday, talking about Jamin Davis working on pass rushing skills. If that experimentation is successful, then I think it’s a fair bet that we see Davis as the “6th DE”, regardless of where he gets listed on anyone’s depth chart. It’s early-June, and we don’t know if Jamin Davis will be able to step up as a pass rusher or not, but for the sake of today’s discussion, I’m going to assume that he ends up being a good enough pass rusher that the team keeps 5 true DEs rather than 6.
The NFL pranked its rookies, and no one knew what was coming - SB Nation
The NFL isn’t exactly known as being a league that’s big on having fun, but recent events have changed that. On Tuesday night the league released a video of rookies around the league, all of whom were told they were being filmed for entirely different reasons.
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