Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 7/31/23.

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

NFL Quarterback Tiers 2023: Mahomes, Burrow take over Tier 1, Hurts vaults to top of Tier 2 - The Athletic
6) Jalen Hurts. “Hurts has progressively at every level gotten better the longer he is in a system,” an exec who provided one of Hurts’ 10 top-tier votes said. “He is not just solely a runner. He has shown he can push the ball down the field. He has to improve his consistent accuracy, but that is something that comes with time on the job.” [...] “It was a big conversation last year, if Hurts does not play well, they are going to draft another quarterback,” a defensive coach said. “But I remember after seeing him, going, ‘This dude can play.’ I thought he was a much better drop-back passer than what people were saying. I told our guys, ‘Man, this quarterback is good.’” [BLG Note: Hurts is behind Patrick Mahomes, Joe Burrow, Josh Allen, Aaron Rodgers, and Justin Herbert.]

Eagles Training Camp Notes: Quez Watkins turns in a strong practice - BGN
Today may have been Quez Watkins’ best practice since being drafted by the team in 2020. Watkins was able to track the ball and make the catch on the aforementioned tight window throw by Hurts that split McPhearson and Blankenship. He also made an impressive leaping catch along the right sideline while being tightly covered by McPhearson, who then gave a good effort to strip the ball away as the two were going to the ground. Quez managed to hold on. Watkins had some positive reps in 1-on-1s and he also generally saw more volume than he typically gets. I will say that it’s not like Watkins has previously struggled in practice settings. He had a good camp last year before making some really big mistakes in the real games. So, you have to take these practice reps for what they’re worth, but it’s obviously still preferable to Quez looking worse off. And a day like today only strengthens his status as the third wide receiver.

Eagles training camp Day 3 practice recap - BGN Radio
From Quez Watkins’ big day to D’Andre Swift’s big play, Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski take you through the third day of training camp action. The guys also hand out their daily MVPs, LVPs, and play of the day awards! Interact with us on Twitter: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Check out Wrong Crowd Beer Company! (21 or older.) Use discount code BGN20 at RighteousFelon.com for 20% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com. Contact Kristin Roach at RoachRealtors.com.

If You Have A Non-Dogshit Uniform, Just Wear That Instead - Defector
Thesis: If a team has a good uniform in its history, it should wear the good uniform instead of a bad uniform. I do not think this is controversial. The Eagles should make kelly green their official, full-time uniforms, because they are good, and the midnight green ones are not. Do not make them “throwbacks” or “alternates”—just make the good uniform your uniform. Owner Jeffrey Lurie switched to the bad uniforms in 1994, a year after he bought the team, because he and his wife didn’t like kelly green. But the Eagles clearly know that their good uniforms are good, and everyone wants them. They wore kelly green throwbacks once before, in 2010, with special permission for the team’s championship 50th anniversary (pictured at top). They have been trying for years to get approval to wear them, and only the new league rules allowing alternate helmets have allowed them to do it right. But 2010 was a long time ago. In the intervening 13 years, they could have just made kelly green their actual uniform.

Mailbag: What are the chances the Eagles trade for a linebacker, safety, wide receiver, running back, etc.? - PhillyVoice
Question from @GreaseThePoles: Which rookie looks the most ready to win a starting job or be a major contributor this season? ... Nolan Smith isn’t going to start because the Eagles are so absurdly loaded on the edge, but he looks to me like the most ready rookie for that kind of role. His athleticism and hustle are obvious. Jalen Carter has the tools to start as well, but I’m saving my observations of him for when the pads go on. I do think he has the best chance to start Week 1, when factoring in opportunity/personnel.

In Roob’s Observations: A new offensive twist coming to life at Eagles camp - NBCSP
1. The biggest thing that’s jumped out the first three days of training camp is how much the Eagles are emphasizing throwing to the backs, mostly D’Andre Swift. This has been a dimension of the Eagles’ offense that’s been missing for a while now. Miles Sanders had a flukey 50-catch season as a rookie but became less and less of a factor in the receiving game the next few years. You have to go back to Darren Sproles in 2016 and really Shady from 2010 through 2014 to find a true two-way threat. But through three practices Swift has shown himself to be a very natural receiver. He leaped Friday to catch an off-target pass from Jalen Hurts, came down and showed great burst racing down the left sideline for big yards, and on Sunday he made a circus one-handed catch in traffic for a 25-yard gain on a wheel route from Hurts. He doesn’t fight the ball. He’s got soft hands and catches the ball smoothly. Imagine an offense with A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert adding a 50-catch running back? Swift is a capable runner – he’s got a 4.6 career average – but his big contribution here is going to be providing Hurts a safe underneath option on 3rd-and-5 or when the pocket breaks down or when teams blitz. Kenny Gainwell has looked very good catching the ball as well – he caught 23 of 29 targets last year – and we know Boston Scott can catch. The Eagles are even throwing to Rashaad Penny, who has 27 career receptions in five years. But so far the emphasis has been on Swift, and I know there’s only one ball to go around but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in the 50-to-60 catch range by the time all is said and done. With this o-line, the Eagles should be able to do damage in the screen game as well, something that’s been missing from this offense for a long time.

One rookie for each NFC team with the most to gain from 2023 NFL training camp - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles: OL Tyler Steen. Rookies are going to have a tough time gaining much of anything on this already-stacked Eagles roster. Philadelphia lost 2022 starting right guard Isaac Seumalo in free agency, pushing Cam Jurgens into the spotlight as the presumed starter in 2023. But with just 44 NFL snaps to his name, 39 of which came at center, there’s a potential battle on our hands. Rookie Tyler Steen, strictly a tackle at Alabama, let up 20 pressures on 472 pass-blocking snaps in 2022. If Jurgens doesn’t establish himself as clearly the better player this summer, Steen could get an opportunity.

How the Kelly Green uniforms became a reality - PE.com
The conversations began long, long ago, as far back as 2012. Eagles Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie explored the idea of bringing back Kelly Green to be worn as an alternate uniform. The process to get it done, to lead to this very moment, has been thorough, required a lot of patience, and, in the end, perseverance to see it all through. More than 10 years in the making ... “The hold up for all of these years was that teams could have only one helmet for the season,” said Greg Delimitros, vice president of equipment operations for the Eagles. “It was a league rule and the league didn’t want to change out the helmet for safety reasons. Wearing the Kelly Green uniform with the current helmet just didn’t feel right. Collectively, as an organization, we all felt that if we were going to do it, it had to be authentic and true to our team’s history. Luckily, with the recent change around the league’s alternate helmet rule, we were able to pick the conversation back up and bring the uniform’s reimagined concept to life. This is something that Jeffrey has been adamant about, talking to the league about it, and I know he’s very happy about what is happening now.” What’s happening now is that the Eagles have unveiled the Kelly Green uniforms from the early 1990s which, the team says, represents “a throwback to an era of Philadelphia Eagles football that resonates with a generation of fans” when the likes of Randall Cunningham and Reggie White dominated on the field.

Colts Need to Pay Jonathan Taylor, or Anthony Richardson Might Struggle - SI
What I loved about this is, first, how Sirianni dealt with it up front and didn’t let it become a problem behind the scenes. That, in turn, showed Slay respect and opened Slay up to burying the hatchet. Patricia, for his part, wanted to get it taken care of first, too. So all the way around, everyone can move forward. And by the way, Patricia is still a really good defensive coach and has proved that in being an invaluable resource to new coordinator Sean Desai (the two are pretty like-minded), and he’ll get the benefit of getting to see a different way of doing things, being in Sirianni’s program. All of which makes this an everyone wins sort of situation.

CeeDee Lamb: Cowboys offense is in Dak’s hands now, however he’s feeling versus the coverage- Blogging The Boys
It goes without saying that an NFL team’s quarterback is the most important player on the team, and obviously the better they are the more command they have over the offense that they are overseeing. 2023 is Dak Prescott’s eighth season in the NFL, he is literally the league’s longest-tenured starting quarterback in terms of teams players are currently on, so he has obviously seen a thing or two. This season may be Prescott’s fourth with McCarthy at the helm specifically, not to mention his first without Moore involved with the team in any sort of fashion, but it appears that whoever is calling plays is really just funneling things through Prescott himself.

Giants roster moves: WRs Sterling Shepard, Jamison Crowder activated from PUP list - Big Blue View
The New York Giants are activating wide receivers Sterling Shepard and Jamison Crowder from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, head coach Brian Daboll told media on Sunday morning. Defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches (car accident/concussion) and wide receiver Cole Beasley (quad) are also returning to practice on Sunday. Shepard, 30, is the longest-tenured Giant. He is trying to come back after suffering season-ending leg injuries the past two seasons. Shepard played in only seven games in 2021 before suffering a torn Achilles tendon. He played in only three games last season before tearing an ACL.

Report: Jamin Davis is facing potential jail time for reckless driving; returns to court on Thursday - Hogs Haven
Jamin Davis is entering his third season in the NFL, and spent his offseason recovering from a knee cleanup procedure. He returned to practice for training camp last week. Davis missed today’s practice, and Nicki Jhabvala from the Washington Post reported that he was in court to appeal a reckless driving conviction in Loudon County.

5 NFL teams who should trade for Jonathan Taylor after Colts superstar RB asks out - SB Nation
Indianapolis Colts star RB Jonathan Taylor and the Indianapolis Colts don’t seem to be seeing eye to eye right now. In light of the recent deals (or lack thereof) for star RBs such as Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley, many ballcarriers have publicly voiced their displeasure about the plight of the position, including Taylor.

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