Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 6/16/23.

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2023 NFL defensive line rankings: Philadelphia Eagles take the top spot, San Francisco 49ers come in at No. 2 - PFF
1. Philadelphia Eagles. A season ago, Philadelphia ranked second in the league in pressure percentage despite blitzing at a below-average rate. And this was largely due to the defense’s ability to get after the quarterback with just four pass-rushers. While the Eagles lost interior defender Javon Hargrave in free agency, they were able to draft Georgia’s Jalen Carter, who earned a Power Five-best 92.3 PFF grade in 2022. There is a case to be made that Philadelphia’s second-string defensive line would also rank in the top 20 on this list.

Spadaro: Josh Sweat is a force who is putting it all together - PE.com
This is the natural progression in the NFL if you’re fortunate enough to last into Year 6, that the new players on the team are going to look upon you as a guy who has been around the block a few times. Suddenly, you’re in a locker room and you look around and what do you see? A bunch of puppies looking at you in a way that you recognize right away. “I’m not that puppy anymore and it kills me because I know, but the other guys are starting to treat me like I’m the old head in the room,” defensive end Josh Sweat says, laughing, “and I don’t like it because we’re relatively, like, close in age. I’m only a year older than most of them, but I get called the old head because, technically, I’m one of the oldest guys in there now.” Brandon Graham is the official OG of the defensive end room as he enters his 14th season in Philadelphia and there is no debate: He owns it and he relishes it and treasures that distinction. But here is Sweat, a veteran who is still only 26 years old (he turned 26 in March) and who is, combining the metrics of chronological age and league experience, in the very prime of his career. Bring it on, young pups.

Five-star recruit, military family and a mission trip: Fun facts about Eagles rookie class - NBCSP
1-9: Jalen Carter, DT, Georgia. Carter was a star football player at Apopka High School in Florida but played mostly on offense as a lead blocker in his first three seasons before flipping to defense. But Carter was also a really impressive basketball player. Carter was known for his windmill dunk and even tried one in his game of H-O-R-S-E against Nick Sirianni during his pre-draft visit. In high school, Carter was coached for a bit by former NBA star Jason Williams, aka White Chocolate. “How you know that? That’s crazy,” Carter said at rookie camp. “He was a good coach. He’s a very cool guy, fun guy. I’m still cool with his son, still talk to him. But he’s a very cool coach.”

Carson Wentz expects to play in 2023 - BGN
This isn’t entirely surprising, at least from the quarterback’s perspective. Of course Wentz still wants to play. This former top draft pick, and franchise QB, isn’t just going to hang things up at 30 years old by choice. But, ultimately, it might not be his choice. After the past two seasons were nothing short of a disaster for Wentz, first in Indianapolis and then with Washington, there likely aren’t too many teams clamoring to add him to their team. So, who might be interested in adding the inconsistent QB?

Eagles over/under predictions for the 2023 NFL season - BGN Radio
In this annual activity, Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski preview the upcoming year by making educated guesses on various team and player props. The guys discuss expectations for Jalen Hurts, Nakobe Dean, Cam Jurgens, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jordan Davis, Olamide Zaccheaus, and others. Interact with us on Twitter: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Use discount code BGN15 at RighteousFelon.com for 15% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com. Check out Kristin Roach at RoachRealtors.com

Slay - Iggles Blitz
Slay was up and down for a few weeks later in the season. We’ll see if Sean Desai and DK McDonald can get him to play at a high level for the entire season. Beyond just being a good player, Slay has developed into a team leader. He was a captain last year and talked about how much that meant to him. He’s embraced being a veteran and helping other players. Slay almost headed out of town in March. He thought he was going to be released by the Eagles so he worked out a deal with the Ravens. Howie wouldn’t release Slay so the two sides worked out a deal that made sense for both. We’ll get at least one more year of him in midnight green. If he helps the team get back to the Super Bowl, Slay will carve out his own place in Eagles history.

The most underrated players in the NFC East - Blogging The Boys
The chalk pick on offense definitely feels like Michael Gallup so I cannot fault Gowton for going in that direction. Gallup has slid even further down the line of “rated-ness” this offseason what with the Cowboys trading for Brandin Cooks. Terence Steele felt right for a similar reason that I chose Dickerson in Philly. Cowboys fans do recognize Steele’s value to the team but he does not really move the needle on a national level. My most controversial pick may have been DeMarcus Lawrence as my most underrated player on defense. This is an argument that Cowboys fans have all of the time as a result of Tank’s sack numbers, but he is one of the very best players on this team’s defense and does not get talked about in that breath.

NFL contract extension negotiations: Latest updates on 19 stars - ESPN+
Trevon Diggs, CB, Dallas Cowboys. Latest on negotiations: This would seem more likely to get done during training camp, similar to Dallas’ talks with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. And also like Lamb, Diggs said he wants to remain with the Cowboys and is looking for a deal at the top of the market. But unlike Lamb, Diggs becomes an unrestricted free agent after the season, so there might be some more urgency, though the franchise tag always looms. Green Bay’s Jaire Alexander is the highest-paid corner at $21 million per year, and he has 10 interceptions in five seasons. Diggs has 17 in his first three seasons, the fourth most in a player’s first three seasons since 2000. He can make a case to be the highest paid at his position, but this is a tricky negotiation when factoring in the potential deals for Lamb and Dak Prescott this offseason and Micah Parsons in 2024.

Will the Giants be better on defense in 2023? Let’s look at the roster - Big Blue View
Who starts next to Xavier McKinney? During OTAs and mandatory minicamp, Nick McCloud, apparently converting from cornerback, and veteran free agent signee Bobby McCain split time in that role. Jason Pinnock and 2022 fourth-round pick Dane Belton are also possibilities, but neither player took part in team drills during the spring. Both worked exclusively with trainers as they are rehabbing injuries. The roster question. How many safeties will the Giants keep on the roster, and who will earn the last couple of spots? McKinney is, of course, a lock. Belton is a 2022 draftee but saw his role decrease as the season went along. Pinnock and McCloud played well when they got opportunities. McCain is a veteran, but the Giants would take only a $652,000 cap hit by cutting him. Owens is a 2023 draft pick and Cook is an intriguing free agent. This will be an interesting position to sort out during training camp.

The 5 O’Clock Club: Bram Weinstein is upbeat about the Commanders offensive line outlook - Hogs Haven
I thought that a lot of what the two of them had to say was interesting because they were talking about the offensive line, and Bram Weinstein, in particular, was pretty upbeat in his assessments. With all the doom & gloom that has been floating around about the line (and I’m a purveyor of that doom & gloom along with a lot of other people), I thought you might enjoy a relatively positive take on the outlook for Washington’s 2023 OL unit.

Five biggest NFL questions as teams break until training camp: Can Giants, Saquon Barkley get deal done? - NFL.com
5) Will the Commanders look any different this season? The most eagerly awaited business transaction in the NFL is on the cusp of completion this summer, with the Washington Commanders set to be sold, bringing an end to the Dan Snyder era. The Commanders have been in limbo — worse, they have backslid — in the last few years, as Snyder has been the subject of numerous investigations, FedEx Field further deteriorated and the last eight months have been consumed by the sale process. Snyder’s departure should energize the fans and commence conversations about a new stadium plan, but the most immediate intrigue will surround whether the new ownership will start making changes inside the building right away and how they will evaluate the decisions of the current braintrust. New owners mean every employee in the organization is on notice, which will add a layer of urgency beginning in training camp.

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