Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 5/31/23.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...

Every NFL team’s top three players entering the 2023 season - PFF
1) Jalen Hurts. 2) Lane Johnson. 3) A.J. Brown. With so many good players on the Eagles’ roster, trimming this down to three was quite the challenge. Hurts took a leap last season, earning an 88.2 overall grade thanks to his 83.8 passing grade and 83.8 rushing grade. Johnson has simply been one of the most dominant offensive tackles in football, despite playing through injury like he did last year. And Brown proved the trade price and contract extension for his services were well worth it, earning an 87.7 overall grade. It was his third straight season with an 86.0-plus mark.

State of the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts and Co. appear poised to avoid Super Bowl hangover - NFL.com
Quarterback: Jalen Hurts. You don’t have to pretend that you’ve been on the Jalen Hype Train since Day 1, like I have. But I understand the impulse, the way Hurts put his doubters in their place. (They’ve all moved on to questioning Justin Fields.) He just inked a massive extension. Nobody questions Jalen anymore, save for a few haters. And kickers for the 49ers. Interestingly, there’s still room for the 24-year-old fourth-year pro to grow into his role as a quarterback. He’s not a finished product. And he’s coming off a season in which he won Offensive Player of the Year! Oh, damn, that was actually Justin Jefferson. Come on, people. (Seriously, if Hurts hadn’t missed a few games toward the end of the regular season, I feel like he would have been a lock for OPOY. I really do.) Projected 2023 MVP: Hurts. When the Eagles traded for Gardner Minshew in August of 2021, it was possible to view Minshew as an insurance policy in case Hurts didn’t make the leap. Spoiler alert: He made the leap. Now, Minshew is gone, replaced by Marcus Mariota, who knows exactly where he stands on the depth chart. This team will go as far as Hurts can take it.

Don’t watch this Nolan Smith video unless you want to get fired up - BGN
The way I feel about Smith reminds me of what the Eagles said about Hurts last year. Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni were consistent in their messaging about feeling confident the quarterback would hit his ceiling. The only question was ... what was that ceiling, exactly? We now know it’s pretty high for Hurts. It remains to be seen how good Smith can become. He’s probably only going to be a rotational pass rusher as a rookie. But there should be no doubt that he’s going to do his part to be as great as he possibly can be.

NFC East Mixtape Vol.114: The Bullish Episode - BGN Radio
RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton discuss reasons why they are bullish on every team in the division.

What did the Eagles get in return for trading Carson Wentz? - PhillyVoice
Here’s what the Eagles ultimately gained with the draft capital from the Wentz trade: Jalen Carter (with the help of a future fourth-round pick). Draft picks that served as supplemental ammo in trades for DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, and Kyron Johnson. A 2024 second-round pick. The trade of Wentz also cleared the way for Jalen Hurts to become the starter, and he played like an MVP throughout the regular season and in the playoffs in 2022. The Eagles also easily beat Wentz in a Week 3 blowout in Washington in 2022, largely because Wentz stunk.

Competition - Iggles Blitz
Howie Roseman has done a masterful job of building the Eagles roster. The team is loaded with talent. The offense should be one of the best in the league. The defense could be one of the best in the league, if the new guys play as expected. Beyond loading up on talented players, Roseman did a great job of building competition at uncertain spots. That’s important for Nick Sirianni, who obsesses on competition. Whether it is playing rock-paper-scissors or shooting baskets against players, he loves to compete and wants his players to embrace competition. The last thing Sirianni wanted was to hand a job to someone. Make them earn it. The Eagles are very high on Cam Jurgens. Rather than pencil him in as the RG for 2023, the team drafted Tyler Steen to make sure Jurgens has good competition. Neither guy has started an NFL game, but both have the potential to be good starters. Jurgens is a gifted athlete and he’s been in the offense for a year. Steen started for four years in the SEC and has good size/strength. He’s also a good athlete.

Sean Desai’s path to becoming Eagles defensive coordinator was shaped by an immigrant story - Inquirer
Sean Desai had already diverted from medical school to an expected career in education when he told his parents he was turning down a tenured position teaching at George Washington to chase his dream of coaching in football. The Desais, father Suresh and mother Shila, had emigrated from India years earlier in search of the American Dream and to give their two sons greater opportunities. Sean had taken advantage, having gone to Boston University and then Columbia for his master’s degree. But his next turn, after getting his doctorate from Temple, would test his parents’ resolve. Desai had been a graduate assistant under Owls coach Al Golden for a few years, earning essentially nothing, when the GW offer came. Golden didn’t have a full-time job to match. But he told Desai that if one opened in six months, it was his to take. With only that assurance, and the encouragement of his then-girlfriend and future wife, Ojus, the then-26-year-old Desai decided to bet on himself.

Early Eagles 53-man roster projection: Which spots are up for grabs? - The Athletic
Ugh, no DeAndre Hopkins? The Eagles’ situation at wide receiver is a bit precarious in that they lack high-end depth but also have three target-hogs that probably scare off free agents and prevent development at the bottom of the roster. There are worse problems. Competition-wise, Watkins and Zaccheaus enter the summer jockeying for the No. 3 job, but there should be room for both unless another team comes calling for Watkins. Undrafted rookies Haselwood and Ngata both have a good chance to play their way onto the roster, especially with neither Watkins nor Zaccheaus well-suited to play the dirty-work role Zach Pascal served a year ago. For now, Covey sticks as the punt returner

The thread that ties Lurie, Roseman, Sirianni and Hurts together - NBCSP
There’s a common thread that winds its way through this organization. People who were questioned, who were doubted, who were mocked either over a period of weeks or months or years but ultimately proved themselves to be among the best at what they do. Now, this isn’t to say some of the criticisms weren’t valid. Roseman was not a very good general manager the first time around, but it didn’t take long for him to put the lessons he learned during his year in exile to use and turn a franchise in shambles into a Super Bowl champion.

Bill McGovern, UCLA DC in 2022, dies after cancer diagnosis - ESPN
Prior to joining Chip Kelly’s staff in Westwood, McGovern had spent a year as the inside linebackers coach for the Chicago Bears. In total, McGovern accrued nine years of NFL coaching experience as a linebackers coach for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2013 to 2015 and the New York Giants from 2016 to 2019.

3 free agents Cowboys should sign to complete their offseason - Blogging The Boys
Arguably the biggest concern right now for the Dallas Cowboys is who will replace Brett Maher as the placekicker in 2023? The only kicker currently on the roster is Tristan Vizcaino, however, he is probably nothing more than a camp leg. The Cowboys absolutely must do everything within their power to find an upgrade. Consistency and reliability is what the Cowboys are looking for in a kicker and the best free agent option who provides both right now is Robbie Gould. He made 27 and 32 (84.4%) field-goal attempts last year with the San Francisco 49ers and has been absolutely perfect in the postseason making all 29 of his FG attempts in his career. There is some concerns however about the 40-year-old kicker. His age being one, but also the fact he has struggled with injuries, missing a total of 10 games the past few years. Despite that though, he is still playing at a high level and would no doubt be an upgrade over Tristan Vizcaino.

Giants have two players in top 12 of PFF defensive line rankings - Big Blue View
The New York Giants are well-represented at the interior defensive line position; well, at least according to Gordon McGuinness’ IDL rankings for Pro Football Focus. McGuinness ranked the top32 interior defensive linemen in the league, and the Giants had TWO in the top 12. Dexter Lawrence ranked third behind Rams’ Aaron Donald and Chris Jones of the Kansas City Chiefs. McGuinness wrote: “Lawrence experienced a breakout 2022 season, earning a career-best 91.6 PFF grade. And at just 25 years old, he still has room to grow and could threaten Donald and Jones with another big season. Including the playoffs, he produced 70 pressures on 577 pass-rushing snaps, proving to be a disruptive force for opposing offenses all year long.” Leonard Williams, acquired by then-GM Deave Gettleman in a controversial 2019 trade, ranked No. 12. McGuinness wrote:

Brian Daboll: We’ll do due diligence on DeAndre Hopkins - PFT
DeAndre Hopkins officially became a free agent on Tuesday and there will be plenty of people watching to see where the wide receiver will land next. Giants head coach Brian Daboll was asked about the possibility of Hopkins joining his team at a Wednesday press conference. Daboll said that General Manager Joe Schoen and the rest of the personnel department do their homework on anyone who becomes available

Commanders Updated Depth Chart: Washington has added 4 new players in the past two weeks - Hogs Haven
The worst-kept secret in the NFL at the moment is that the Commanders plan to release RG Andrew Norwell, both for poor performance and salary cap relief. While Norwell is on the PUP list, he does not count towards the 90-man roster limit, though he does count against the salary cap. The Commanders can save $4.38m in 2023 salary cap space if Norwell is released any time after Thursday this week (June 1st).

Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are STILL so inaccurate it defies belief - SB Nation
I don’t care who you’re set to have under center in 2023 — it’s not going to be worse than Tampa Bay. Hell, we could reverse history and remove Aaron Rodgers from the Jets and I’m not sure Zach Wilson would look worse than what Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are doing at OTAs for the Buccaneers.

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