Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 6/9/23.

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

Dolphins’ Vic Fangio says it’s ‘possible’ Cardinals’ tampering prevented him from becoming Eagles’ coordinator - CBS Sports
New Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio consulted with the Eagles during the 2022 season, and it turns out he might’ve landed a permanent job in Philadelphia if not for Jonathan Gannon’s polarizing departure. Weeks after ESPN indicated the Cardinals’ hiring of Gannon affected the Eagles’ succession plan, Fangio admitted Thursday it’s “possible” he would’ve otherwise been in Philly. “That’s possible,” he told reporters, “but I won’t — I’ll neither confirm nor deny it.” ESPN’s Adam Schefter previously speculated that Fangio had been the Eagles’ top target for a potential coordinator vacancy after the 2022 season. Gannon, meanwhile, proclaimed after Philly’s NFC Championship victory that he would return in 2023, only to then reportedly field an impermissible phone call from the Cardinals, who sought to interview him for their open head coaching job. Weeks later, Gannon left for Arizona’s top job, while Fangio had already agreed to become the Dolphins’ new coordinator.

Eagles OTA Practice Notes: Don’t sleep on Christian Elliss - BGN
Terrell Edmunds has a reputation for being a solid but unspectacular safety. The veteran safety did make a splash play today by knocking down a Hurts pass to Olamide Zaccheaus to prevent a 40-yard touchdown. I think some might be sleeping on Edmunds; I don’t think he’ll be so easily displaced by Sydney Brown. I’m expecting Edmunds and Reed Blankenship to be the Eagles’ starting safeties this season ... with Brown potentially playing some rotational snaps.

Above the Nest with Raichele #82: Poor air quality causes Eagles to move OTAs inside + Jalen Hurts stars in Teyana Taylor’s film for signature sneaker - BGN Radio
Raichele Privette gets you hip on the latest news surrounding the Birds including Thursday OTAs being moved inside due to the Canadian wildfires, Jalen Hurts’ appearance in Teyana Taylor’s short film for her signature sneaker release and joint training camp practice updates.

OTAs Over - Iggles Blitz
The Eagles wrapped up their OTAs on Thursday. That means the team will be off until Training Camp starts. The OTAs were short, non-contact practices so nothing definitive can be taken from them. Still, we got some interesting nuggets. The biggest revelation was LB Christian Elliss. I’ve written about him a couple of times this offseason. Elliss was a difference-maker on STs last season and played well on defense when he got a chance. The Eagles didn’t talk much about him this offseason so I didn’t know if I was overrating him. You’ll remember that last year they talked up Marcus Epps quite a bit during the offseason. He was much further along than Elliss, but I still thought they might mention Elliss as an in-house candidate to watch. Elliss picked off Jalen Hurts earlier in the OTAs and then again on Thursday. Both were good plays. This wasn’t a case of picking a tipped ball that hung in the air. These were legit INTs. Here is Brandon Lee Gowton on Ellis from yesterday.

Spadaro: Jalen Hurts reflects on life-changing offseason - PE.com
A new year, a new challenge, and, as quarterback Jalen Hurts sees it, that’s all great. The team’s Super Bowl LVII appearance is in the rear-view mirror and now it’s on to 2023 and Training Camp that begins in late July. The goal: Take it a step beyond. “Nothing that has been done prior will get us to where we want to be now,” Hurts said as the offseason ended and the players went their separate ways to begin a six-plus-week true away-from-the-facility down period of time. “There are a ton of experiences that we documented and definitely deposited in the bank, if you will, to learn from and we will learn from and have learned from. It’s a day-by-day thing and I think everybody is taking that approach and we’re excited to continue that progression.” This, of course, has been a huge 2023 to date for Hurts and he looks for more after his dominating (374 total yards, four total touchdowns) performance in the Super Bowl followed by a long-term contract extension. Hurts is constantly “fueled” and “motivated” and he has the goal, both individually and collectively as a team, of being the very best. There is no new message from Hurts and no drastic change in terms of how he plans to prepare for the season in front of him. He knows he has weaknesses – he keeps them to himself and his coaches – and he wants to turn them into strengths. “It’s all about getting better,” he said.

Dalvin Cook landing spots: Broncos, Dolphins among best NFL team fits - NFL.com
The Cowboys always seem to be part of the conversation when higher-profile veterans hit the market at this time of year, but this wouldn’t be a case of willy-nilly dot connecting. Dallas arguably does have a need in the backfield, even after Tony Pollard’s breakout season and franchise-tag signing this offseason. Pollard’s role shouldn’t be reduced if he’s healthy; if anything, it should be expanded. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t carries to be divvied up elsewhere. Releasing Ezekiel Elliott means that someone could be in line to scoop up some or all of his 248 touches from a year ago, and it’s hard to imagine Pollard taking a huge chunk of that at 209 pounds. Right now, the best options to play alongside Pollard in the backfield include Malik Davis (38 career carries), former second-rounder Ronald Jones (only 17 carries last season), Rico Dowdle (seven career carries) and rookie Deuce Vaughn, a sixth-rounder who checks in at 176 pounds. Plus, there has been some buzz that the Cowboys are open to bringing back Elliott. So, perhaps Cook isn’t the favorite here, but there should be some interest in kicking his tires in Dallas.

Best offensive player at each position in the NFC East - Blogging The Boys
QB - Dak Prescott, Cowboys. In a neck and neck race, the Cowboys two-time Pro Bowl player slightly edges out Jalen Hurts as the best QB in the NFC East. He may be coming off a down year by throwing 15 INT’s, but he remains the most consistent and longest tenured QB in the division.

Why the New York Giants could regress in 2023 - Big Blue View
Barnwell adds simply that the Giants “won in unsustainable ways” last season and that incremental improvements might not be enough to offset expected regression to the mean in many categories. In this case, I have a hard time poking holes in most of Barnwell’s arguments. We will just have to see if he ends up being right, or if the 2023 Giants can be an exception to the rule.

The 5 O’Clock Club: Let’s eliminate the NFL draft! - Hogs Haven
Dave Mangels of Bleeding Green Nation recently published an article in which he exhorted the NFL to “introduce a little anarchy” but introducing some huge changes to the way the league carries on its business. Honestly, I hated his first two suggestions. His third suggestion of a developmental league is one that I think most fans would agree with, but which has proven an elusive project for the NFL to date. I perked up when I got to Mangel’s last idea, which is to do away with the annual Player Selection Meeting, more commonly known as the Draft. I’ve been a proponent of this for many years, but I have never really spent the time to think through the implications very well. Mangels, on the other hand, laid out his reasoning pretty clearly and concisely.

Jets release Will Parks - PFT
Parks joined the Jets as a waiver claim in December 2021. He had nine tackles in three games that season and 17 tackles in 14 appearances during the 2022 season. Parks entered the league as a 2016 Broncos sixth-round pick and played 66 games for Denver before moving on to short stints with the Eagles and Dolphins.

The Vikings sticking with Kirk Cousins during ‘competitive rebuild’ is so risky - SB Nation
The reason a competitive rebuild is so risky is because of how much value is put in having a good QB. If you don’t have one of the top guys, you either have to trade for one, or draft one with a high pick. The literal arms race for a top signal caller forces teams that are in the middle of the pack to make a decision with their team. You either have to go get one of the top guys (a la the New York Jets trading for Aaron Rodgers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers trading for Tom Brady, the Cleveland Browns trading for Deshaun Watson), or you go into rebuild mode and draft a QB with a top pick (Rams trading up for Jared Goff). There are very few teams who can pull off being competitive while also rebuilding and retooling their roster.

...

Social Media Information:

BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page

BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen

BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta

BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton

BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio

BGN Cameo: Request a video message