Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 8/12/23.

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2023 NFL Preseason Week 1 preview: Schedule, storylines and analysis for Saturday’s games - PFF
Philadelphia Eagles at Baltimore Ravens (7 p.m. ET)Eagles focus: Georgia rookies. The Eagles drafted three defensive players from the national champion Georgia Bulldogs back in April’s NFL draft. That started with defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who earned a 92.3 PFF grade on just 392 snaps last season. His partnership with Jordan Davis will go a long way toward determining if the latest edition of the defensive interior in Philadelphia will live up to the legacy left by prior iterations. The team used its second first-round selection on edge defender Nolan Smith, who might be undersized but offers sub-4.4 speed and earned PFF grades above 80.0 in both of his final seasons at Georgia. Kelee Ringo went off the board in the fourth round after a 2022 season in which he allowed just one touchdown from 545 snaps in coverage.

Five things to watch in the Eagles-Ravens preseason game - PhillyVoice
1) Nolan Smith and Jalen Carter: The Eagles’ two first-round rookies have both flashed in practices (Smith more so than Carter, in my opinion), but we will get our first look at them going full throttle. Guys like Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Fletcher Cox aren’t likely to play much (if at all), which should give Smith and Carter a decent number of snaps. Smith’s athleticism, hustle, and physical play have been obvious through the first couple weeks of camp, while Carter has occasionally shown an impressive blend of quickness and power.

Spadaro: Preseason is the perfect time to showcase talent - PE.com
“I’m really looking forward to it,” rookie cornerback Kelee Ringo said. “I feel like every practice here will definitely be harder than the games, so I feel like we’ll be well prepared, so we can go out there and show what we’ve been working on and how we’ll prepare for that.” A fourth-round draft pick – the Eagles traded up to have the third pick on Day 3 (No. 105 overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft to select the standout cornerback from Georgia – Ringo said he has “grown a lot” in the two-plus weeks of Training Camp, and now it is time to take it to another level. Working against receivers like A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Quez Watkins and a deep group of pass catchers against an offense with a lot of motion and innovation has helped Ringo develop his recognition skills, but Saturday represents something new: The Eagles aren’t going to gameplan a whole lot for Baltimore’s offense, so a lot of this is going to be on the fly. “It’s pretty huge, honestly,” Ringo said. “I have been waiting my whole life for this, this exact opportunity. I definitely feel like I’m comfortable in the situation I’m in right now and I want to continue to grow even past that. This is a huge showcase for me.”

Eagles fans think Myles Jack will be a starter in Week 1 - BGN
Eagles second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean returned to practice ahead of the team’s preseason opener, but whether he’ll see any playing time is questionable as he comes back from an ankle injury. With Dean potentially sidelined, newcomers Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham will get some much-needed reps as they still adjust to the defense. We asked earlier this week who fans think will be the Eagles’ starting duo in Week 1, and people overwhelmingly think Dean and Jack are going to be the guys.

Above the Nest with Raichele #84: Eagles-Ravens preseason preview + roster moves - BGN Radio
Raichele Privette gets you caught up on everything that’s went down with the Birds this week leading up to the preseason opener.

15 Eagles to watch in preseason opener vs. Ravens - NBCSP
LB Nakobe Dean. We don’t know if the starters will even play in this game, but I’d like to see Nakobe Dean on the field now that he’s off the injury report. The Eagles handed over the MIKE position and the green dot to Dean in the spring but he played just 34 snaps on defense last year. Maybe Dean will be a great player but it would be comforting for fans to see him make at least a couple plays in the preseason.

The RB Mystery - Iggles Blitz
Penny sure sounds like the guy that Sirianni will want to get the ball to. He can deliver chunk plays on a regular basis. D’Andre Swift has a run of 50 or more yards in each of his three NFL seasons. He had a 50-yard run against the Eagles last year so Sirianni saw up close and personal just how explosive Swift can be. Swift also is the best pass catching RB the Eagles have. That is something that helps his case to be The Guy. All of this is based on past performance, of course. Sirianni has to figure out who will be the best RB in 2023. Gainwell is having the best camp from what we hear. That could mean Sirianni is going to give him a chance to show what he can do. We’ll have to wait and see what happens. All of these guys could get snaps in the preseason. That won’t give us any definitive answers, but every bit of info will help Sirianni to make his decision. I don’t see anyone getting a ton of carries in the regular season. I think Sirianni will mix it up and go with the hot hand. RBBC. RB by committee. That’s how you can get the most out of this group. Unless Trey Sermon beats them all out and dominates.

Vikings’ Post-PS1 53-Man Roster Projection - Daily Norseman
WR5: Jalen Reagor. Reagor entered the off-season with a lot to prove. Last season was a disappointment on many fronts. He was slow to learn the offense, which limited his reps. He didn’t finish his route on one occasion, leading to an interception and drawing the ire of Kevin O’Connell. And he had a few muffed punts (although none of them lost) which called into question his job as punt returner. The Vikings brought in Brandon Powell as competition at punt returner. But so far Reagor has had a decent training camp, making a few nice grabs and fighting for a roster spot against some tough competition. He also looked good at Seattle. The key for him will be to play through the whistle each and every play, to show command of the offense, and have a better connection with Kirk Cousins. In that sense, not making mistakes will be as important as the upside he shows and the plays he makes. I don’t see him as moving higher than WR5 this season and so he’ll need to keep his job as punt returner to make the roster. But again, he’ll need to show improvement by eliminating mistakes- the muffed punts from last season- to keep that job. [BLG Note: If Reagor gets at least 40 catches OR 500 receiving yards OR 5 touchdowns the Eagles get the Vikings’ 2024 fourth-round pick instead of their 2024 fifth-round pick. You can do it, Jalen!]

How Jonathan Gannon has brought ‘culture shock’ to Cardinals - ESPN
“It’s been a culture shock,” left tackle D.J. Humphries said. “It ain’t even been no gradual shift. It’s shock. Either get with it or get going.” Since the players arrived in the Cardinals’ facility back in April, Gannon and his staff have emphasized changes big and small, focusing on details that were largely overlooked before. “It’s a lot more detail-oriented,” quarterback Kyler Murray said. Players need to wear team-issued gear at all times in the facility. That’s a fineable offense. It also takes one more thing off players’ minds, cornerback Antonio Hamilton said. “We don’t wake up and thinking about what it is we gotta wear,” he said. If they’re 30 seconds late to a meeting, they get fined about $5,000. There are now hard start times in the weight room and not being there at the assigned time is a fineable offense. Just recently, players ran out of the locker room to get to the weight room in time. Not in their rooms at curfew? A fineable offense.

Can Dak Prescott lead Cowboys to Super Bowl? Plus, thoughts on Eric Bieniemy and Seattle’s secondary - NFL.com
Long story short, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Dallas field the top defense in the game this season, with a ferocious group that’s poised to pile up turnovers once again under Quinn. Consequently, the Cowboys’ offense should have the opportunity to exploit favorable field position and put up points in bunches. Dak could definitely surpass his career high of 37 touchdown passes. In fact, he could be poised to enjoy the most productive season of his career, which could further bloat his bank account. With two years left on his contract and an enormous cap figure of $59,455,000 in 2024, Prescott would appear primed for an extension next offseason. Of course, prolific regular-season numbers will ring hollow if Dak doesn’t supplement them with some postseason Ws. Prescott owns a 2-4 record in the playoffs, having never guided Dallas beyond the Divisional Round. This leads us back to the crux of this Notebook topper: No player is under more pressure to perform in 2023 than Dak Prescott. Will he deliver?

5 position battles to watch in Cowboys preseason opener - Blogging The Boys
QB: Cooper Rush vs Will Grier. Both backup quarterbacks have been getting good reviews so far in Oxnard. While Grier arguably outplayed Rush in last year’s preseason, injury to Grier helped Rush hold his job, and he then went 4-1 as a starter during Dak Prescott’s injury. Now that Grier has more time in Dallas, and the playing field is more level with offensive changes from Kellen Moore’s departure, could he finally unseat Rush as QB2? Preseason play certainly won’t be the only factor that decides it, but it will be taken into account. Grier has more flash in his game and that can come through in live action better than in controlled practices. But it could also lead to more mistakes, and avoiding those is one of Rush’s strengths.

Giants at Lions: 5 things we learned from the Giants’ 21-16 loss - Big Blue View
The flip side of that is that three of the guys Schmitz was showing up are guys who might be important players on the Giants’ offensive line. Joshua Ezeudu and Ben Bredeson started on either side of Schmitz, and the Lions had a bit too much presence in the Giants’ backfield. Their defensive linemen and linebackers were able to knife into the backfield too often, and the Giants were in long down and distances because of it. The Giants have been working both Bredeson and Ezeudu as starters at the guard spots, and their youth makes you think the Giants hope they can be long-term answers. Matt Peart got out to a good start and certainly looked better than Korey Cunningham on the Giants’ first two short drives, he reminded why he could be on the roster bubble after that. He was rocked by a CB on a run stuff early in the Giants’ third drive, and then let pressure into the backfield after that. Peart was the first player up when Evan Neal suffered a concussion last week, but he might have opened the door for Tyre Phillips or Devery Hamilton to take the swing tackle job, or at least make the competition interesting.

The Washington Commanders defeat the Cleveland Browns 17-15 - Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders visited the Cleveland Browns for their first preseason game of the 2023-24 season. The game was delayed for weather, but that didn’t effect the plan for the starters. Sam Howell and the offensive starters played three drives, and scored on their final possession with a Jahan Dotson TD. They also gave Cleveland the first points of the game via an Andrew Wylie holding penalty in the end zone that resulted in a safety. Jacoby Brissett scored the second Commanders TD with an easy run in TD. Washington finished the game with a 17-15 victory after a failed 2 point conversion by Cleveland.

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Commanders Present: Actual Football at Training Camp - The Ringer
There’s no functional difference between what was on the field last year versus this one. I do not believe the Commanders will be good this year. Their front seven is by far the strength of their team, and there are holes basically everywhere else, save for no. 1 receiver. Sam Howell looks fine but is not destined for stardom. The offensive line doesn’t look much improved. Rivera might have made things weird with new offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy when Rivera said players were a little concerned by the new coach’s intensity, but that’s only a minor flare-up and, in the context of the Synder era, not even on the radar of distractions. For the first time in many years, the Commanders are talking football at camp. This franchise just needed one guy to go. Everything has changed. I know what I’m doing there now.

Brett Favre to remain a defendant in ongoing civil case involving misspent welfare money - SB Nation
The Mississippi Supreme Court declined to intervene to in the case involving former NFL quarterback Brett Favre, meaning that the Hall of Famer will remain a defendant in a civil lawsuit alleging the misuse of millions of dollars in welfare funds. Favre had previously requested through his attorneys that he be dismissed from the case, as his attorneys argued that the arguments advanced by the Mississippi Department of Human Services regarding the former quarterback were “utterly meritless.”

RJ Ochoa, Brandon Lee Gowton, and Stephen Serda catch up after a night of preseason action in the NFL. Also, we discuss expectations for the NFC North–and whether the Chiefs will get a deal done with Chris Jones.

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