Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 9/8/23.

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

2023 NFL Predictions: Super Bowl LVIII, Playoff Picks, Award Winners and More From MMQB Staff - SI
ANDREW BRANDT: Bold prediction: The Eagles will not lose. Not a regular-season game, not a playoff game, not the Super Bowl. This is a team that barely lost last year, and it is even more stacked this year. The Eagles have the top offensive line in the NFL and one of the top two or three defensive lines. They have an established star (A.J. Brown) and a rising star (DeVonta Smith) at wide receiver. They have the MVP runner-up at quarterback, who is only getting better. There is no one on the Eagle’s schedule, or any schedule, that matches their talent. And there will be no slippery field to thwart their pass rush in this year’s Super Bowl. Yes, undefeated. And I don’t think that’s a bold prediction.

NFL Week 1 Game Picks - BGN
When it comes to this week’s Philadelphia Eagles. I was going to say that the four-point line (per DraftKings Sportbook) has me feeling a little suspicious since it should be bigger in the Eagles’ favor ... but then I saw that they were exactly four-point favorites against the Detroit Lions in the season opener last year. So, could just be a Week 1 uncertainty thing. I do feel confident about the Eagles winning this game.

Eagles-Patriots Week 1 preview! - BGN Radio
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES FOOTBALL IS BACK! Brandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski preview the Birds’ Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots and make their weekly NFL picks against the spread. Interact with us on social media: @BrandonGowton, @JimmyKempski, @BGN_Radio, @BleedingGreen. Check out Wrong Crowd Beer Company: wrongcrowdbeer.com! (21 or older, please enjoy responsibly). LAST CHANCE FOR SPECIAL OFFER: Use discount code BGN20 at RighteousFelon.com for 20% off your order! Same promotion applies at WildRangerPet.com. Buying, selling, or renting a house? Contact Kristin Roach at RoachRealtors.com.

Random Eagles notes heading into Week 1: No new punter, D’Andre Swift with the WRs, and more - PhillyVoice
It’s been a while since the Eagles have had a running back that they could confidently flex out to the slot to take advantage of matchups against linebackers, but the Eagles hope that Swift can be that kind of player for them in 2023. Swift caught a lot of passes out of the backfield during training camp practices, but I can’t recall him getting reps during individual drills with the wide receivers, which he did on Thursday. How the Eagles deploy their running backs this season was a hotly debated topic within the fantasy football community throughout the summer. Swift, Kenny Gainwell, and Rashaad Penny will all have roles, but Swift pretty clearly showed throughout training camp that he is the most talented of the three, and I expect him to get the most touches on Sunday. We’ll see.

Thoughts On Opening Night - Iggles Blitz
This game made me feel better about the Eagles. Better QB than Detroit. Better OL than both KC and Detroit. Better DL than both teams. Better skill players than both teams. Better CBs than both teams. That doesn’t mean the Eagles are going undefeated or anything crazy, but this is a loaded roster with a good coaching staff. And they are hungry after finishing last year on a sour note. I’m starting to get more and more excited about this Eagles team. We could be in for a great season.

Inside Jalen Carter’s circle - Inquirer
Those who know the 22-year-old best — the ones who raised him, watched him grow up in the Orlando suburbs, or coached him as a prodigious football player — have an unwavering belief in him. They portray the 6-foot-3, 314-pound pass rusher as a “gentle giant” off the field; someone who keeps a tight circle and exhibits a humility and caution that traces back to the buzz cuts he got as a child. He has been taught to guard against the worst assumptions made about him, fair or unfair. “A lot of people misjudge his [personality] because of his looks,” said Luke Huey, Carter’s brother. “But if you really meet him, he’ll give you the shirt off his back. He’s a real person. ... When our color goes higher in life, a lot of people try to tear that down. People can’t look at the humility behind the story.”

Eagles-Patriots player matchups to watch in Week 1 - NBCSP
Calvin Anderson vs. Haason Reddick. The Eagles should have the potential to get after Mac Jones in this game but if there’s one matchup to circle, this is the one. The Patriots put starting right tackle Riley Reiff on IR this week, which means Anderson is likely to get the start at right tackle. That’s a great opportunity for Reddick, who is going to be hampered after having thumb surgery this summer. Reddick is going to play through the injury but will have to alter his game. But even with that ailing thumb, this is a chance for Reddick to get after Jones, especially if the Eagles can bottle up the run. Also, keep an eye on Josh Sweat vs. big Trent Brown on the other side. If Brown (6-8, 380) gets his hands on you, it’s a wrap. But Sweat is so quick around the edge that he could give Brown fits. And one more: Right guard Mike Onwenu missed all of training camp after offseason ankle surgery. He’s expected to play but it’s fair to wonder how he’ll hold up. Onwenu (ankle) and left guard Cole Strange (knee) were limited on Thursday.

NFC East roundtable: Will Eagles pull off rare repeat? Expectations for Sam Howell - The Athletic
Will the division have a repeat champion for the first time since 2004? In what order will these teams finish? ... Carroll: Absolutely. The Eagles are just so good and loaded that it makes sense, especially given that I’ve got them back in the Super Bowl. I think the order shakes out similarly to last season with the Eagles first, followed by the Cowboys, Giants and Commanders. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see the top three make the playoffs. Yousuf: It wouldn’t be surprising at all to see the Eagles break the multi-decade run of rotating division winners. Philadelphia is probably the strongest team overall, if you’re considering the regular season and postseason combined. However, if only considering the regular season, the Cowboys are pretty close and should make things interesting, if they stay relatively healthy in all of the right positions. Given the history of division winners and the Super Bowl hangover, I could see the Cowboys winning the division, with the Eagles right on their tail, the Giants comfortably in third and the Commanders in fourth.

Week 1 NFL picks: Jets unanimously predicted to top Bills in Aaron Rodgers’ debut; Steelers to beat 49ers? - NFL.com
Why Ali is taking the Eagles: Nowhere to go but up for the Patriots offense after last year’s debacle, but what a brutal test for this unit right out of the gate. The Eagles’ size and depth up front should pose problems for New England’s run game, putting too much pressure on Mac Jones’ shoulders. Quick passes and a heavy dose of 12 personnel could help the Patriots hang around, but they’ll be throwing jabs against a team that thrives on landing haymakers. While I expect New England to be feisty this year, not even an offseason worth of game planning from Bill Belichick or the G.O.A.T.’s return to Foxborough can compensate for the talent gap between these two clubs. Bill O’Brien might wish he had stayed in Tuscaloosa after this one.

Week 1 NFL Picks Against the Spread - The Ringer
This matchup will be all about the Patriots’ ability to protect quarterback Mac Jones. Earlier this offseason, New England’s offensive line looked like a strength, but the Patriots were hit with injuries this summer, and suddenly the line looks like a question mark. That could be bad news for a Week 1 matchup against the Eagles’ ferocious pass rush. Bill Belichick will know that going in. Look for the Patriots to try to run the ball, lean on run-pass options, and get the ball out of Jones’s hands quickly. How new Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai counters that game plan could go a long way toward determining the winner.

Mac Jones recalls lessons learned from former college teammate, now-Eagles QB Jalen Hurts - Pats Pulpit
Mac Jones and Jalen Hurts will be competitors in Week 1 of the NFL season this weekend. But just a short time ago, the two were teammates at the University of Alabama. When Jones first arrived in Tuscaloosa in 2017, he sat behind both Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa on the depth chart. Hurts, who at the time was the reigning SEC Offensive Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year, was eventually demoted to backup behind Tagovailoa before transferring to Oklahoma in 2020. Jones was on deck to watch how the quarterback handled the situation. “I think there is a lot of learning lessons,” Jones told reporters on Thursday. “I definitely took a lot of that, loved to see him bounce back and do a great job. In college he went through a lot, transferred and played well everywhere he’s been. It’s just who he is, it’s Jalen Hurts. He’s just a great player, great person and a good friend.”

Robert Kraft embracing Patriots’ underdog status to start 2023 - PFT
The AFC East is expected to be one of the NFL’s most competitive divisions in 2023. But most analysts and bettors aren’t picking the Patriots to finish over the Bills, Jets, or Dolphins. After an 8-9 finish in 2022, team owner Robert Kraft is OK with his club flying under the radar. “I sort of like that most people are picking us to come in fourth in the division,” Kraft told reporters on Thursday, via Zack Cox of NESN.

Joe Burrow’s contract with Cincinnati Bengals will impact Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys - Blogging The Boys
This conversation is important because Dak Prescott essentially needs a contract extension from the Cowboys by next offseason at the latest. Prescott’s cap number for 2024 is just south of $60M which effectively forces the team to bring that number down by way of an extension. Given that Prescott has a no tag and no trade clause in his current deal, the Cowboys do not have a lot of negotiating ground to stand on. It will be said that Dak should not venture into this financial territory unless the Cowboys achieve something remarkable in 2023; however, that isn’t really how any of this works. Prescott may not be the quarterback that Burrow is, but the market rises independent of the next guy being ranked higher than the last by PFF score. Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson have their detractors yet are just below Burrow in this capacity. The market is what the market is.

New York Giants have settled on starting guards - Big Blue View
It appears that the New York Giants’ game of musical chairs at the guard position is over. Head coach Brian Daboll told media on Friday that after a summer of playing musical chairs at the two guard spots, with Ben Bredeson, Joshua Ezeudu and Mark Glowinski in a never-ending rotation, that the Giants have settled on starters for Sunday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Daboll did not reveal who will start, but indications are that a rotation is unlikely. Best guess here is that Bredeson is the left guard and Mark Glowinski the right guard. Glowinski started 16 games at right guard for the Giants a year ago, and has been a full-time starter in that spot for the last five seasons. He spent four years with the Indianapolis Colts before joining the Giants as a free agent last season.

Washington Commanders Roster Moves: Dax Milne goes to IR; DL depth added - Hogs Haven
Washington also re-signed DE William Bradley-King who was released from the practice squad two days ago when the added Crowder. WBK has been signed to the 53-man roster, and will go back to his role as a depth player on the defensive line. The Commanders are still waiting for Chase Young to be cleared by his doctor. Young suffered a stinger during the team’s first preseason game against the Cleveland Browns, and has not been able to fully practice since. Bradley-King’s signing could be a bad sign for Young’s availability on Sunday.

Establish the Fun: Bijan Robinson becomes the Soul Eater weapon the Atlanta Falcons needed - SB Nation
Where I’m intrigued by the addition of Waller into the Giants offense is how teams defend them. As NFL offenses put bigger personnel on the field, they want to force the opposition to play bigger as well. However, as we noted at the top, Waller isn’t exactly a threat as a blocker. A problem the Giants could run into is teams matching their 12 personnel with nickel, knowing Waller isn’t a threat as a blocker. The Chiefs ran into this problem in 2021 with Travis Kelce, and their solution was simple: keep adding TEs to the field. That could be a solution we see, and might’ve gotten a glimpse of by the Giants in the same drive. The Giants threw the ball out of 13 personnel under center, and if not for a fantastic play by S Vonn Bell, this would’ve hit big for Waller.

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