/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74160154/2198065711.0.jpg?w=1920&resize=1920,1267&ssl=1 "The Linc – Former Eagles player says Jalen Carter is on a Hall of Fame trajectory")
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/74160154/2198065711.0.jpg "The Linc – Former Eagles player says Jalen Carter is on a Hall of Fame trajectory")
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
“Did that really just happen?” How Khari Blasingame fell back in love with football – Go Long TD
Blasingame: It was different because it was all the time. It was just so consistent and so overwhelming. Jalen Carter? I hate to be presumptive and I hate to jump the gun and I know a lot of people have said it. But if that guy continues to do what he does, he’ll wear a gold jacket. He’s going to wear a gold jacket. He’s that good. Nolan Smith is violent, bro. Talk about splattering pullers. Zack Baun — intense. The defensive backs. Even down to the special teams — Will Shipley. It was just so consistent all the way around the ball. Oren Burks. I played with him in college. That first hit vs. Green Bay? The forced fumble on the kickoff? That set the tone, man, that set the tone. So I think that would be the difference. It came from everywhere. It came from everywhere from special teams, from defense and then the offense. Just the sheer size and physicality of the O-Line. You’ve got tight ends running down the field, blocking for receivers, blocking for the running back. It was just so consistent and so all the time. Yeah, I’ve experienced it. I’ve seen overwhelming force from a defense and from an offense at times. But it was just all the time in Philadelphia […] Dunne: Jalen Carter in a gold jacket. It’s a different level of violence with him, isn’t it? I’m picturing him smacking Patrick Mahomes across the head. What makes him special […] Blasingame: Obviously it’s the physical tools. He’s built like a tank. He’s so solid. I hit him one time in practice by accident — kind of bumped into him — and I’m like, “God damn.” He’s a solid human. But the football IQ. The different things. Understanding, OK, there was a play vs. the Rams where his football IQ made the play. They were stunting him all game. He fakes the stunt, goes and makes the game-winning sack. Those two things: God-given ability and football IQ. Some of the things he does, you can’t coach. You love to watch it.
Reed Blankenship contract projection: Eagles may want to move quickly on the safety market – BGN
The NFL “dead zone” is upon us, with very little news likely to surface between now and the start of training camps towards the end of July. Even so, now is the perfect time to take a closer look at the roster and where the Eagles still have some moves to make. Howie Roseman has been busy this offseason, orchestrating a number of large extensions and free agent additions to get this roster in top competitive shape heading into the summer. Roseman’s success as a cap manager goes hand-in-hand with his success in the NFL Draft, and that means a number of promising young players will soon come up for contract extensions. Reed Blankenship is a great success story for the Eagles, going from 2022 UDFA to plus starter in just two seasons. Now entering the final year of his rookie deal, he’s someone Philadelphia may want to consider extending sooner than later. Blankenship was signed as a UDFA after surprisingly falling out of the draft, and immediately carved out a rotational and special teams role as a rookie. He would go on to start 15 games in 2023 as a well above-average starter, with particular strength as a coverage player with three interceptions and 11 PDs. Blankenship continued to start in 2024, setting a career high in interceptions (4) and continuing to grow as a run defender. Let’s take a closer look at a potential extension for Reed Blankenship.
In my last piece I wrote about the Eagles having the best offensive line as we head into the 2025 season. Three of the starters are Pro Bowlers. The RG spot remains up for grabs so we’ll see how that battle plays out. LT Jordan Mailata is the only returning starter who has yet to make a Pro Bowl. So how good is Mailata? Pro Bowls are a useful tool in a general sense. They give you an idea of which players are considered to be good by media and fans. They do not tell us who the best players are. You need to find analysts who study all players thoroughly and have an expertise. There are a lot of talking heads on TV and podcasts who say things either as hot takes or simply as ill-informed opinions. Mailata is a good player. The question with him is how good. Brandon Thorn is an OL guru and here is how he had Mailata rated among LTs going into last season.
NFL salary cap changes could impact the way several teams do business – SB Nation
The Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints have gone out of their way to leverage future salary cap for players currently on their roster, shifting massive portions of their commitments into the future like buying on a credit card. With conversations around a new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL Players Association and the NFL set to begin in the next 12 months, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and some outspoken owners are attempting to change this practice.
He’s arguably the most popular athlete as well — or at least on his way there. But through it all, don’t expect DeJean to change who he is. “I’m still continuing to work, and to try and be the best I can be at my job,” DeJean said. “There are a lot of things I can get better at coming off of last season, that I can be ready for this season. And those are the things that I’ve been working on this offseason. Becoming stronger, faster, being more comfortable out on the field, and working my techniques.
Eagles All Quarter Century team: 53-man roster – PhillyVoice
QB (3): Jalen Hurts, Donovan McNabb, Nick Foles. McNabb was more talented than Hurts, but I’m a sucker for quarterbacks who play well in the biggest moments, so Hurts is my starter. There was also a choice to be made between Foles and Carson Wentz at QB3. I chose Foles, since I know that the entire locker room will like him, and he’ll support Hurts and McNabb instead of wishing that he were the starter instead.
Eagles 2025 most important list: Dallas Goedert – NBCSP
The big issue in Goedert’s career has been his health. While he has routinely returned in time for the postseason, Goedert has missed a lot of games during the regular season during his career. Last year, he was limited to just 10 of 17 games in the regular season. Goedert had 42 catches for 496 yards and 2 touchdowns. But in the playoffs, Goedert ended up being the Eagles’ leading receiver with 17 catches for 215 yards and 1 touchdown. It was the second-most receiving yards an Eagle has ever had in a single postseason behind just Alshon Jeffery’s 219 in 2017. In his seven seasons with the Eagles, Goedert has 476 catches, 4,085 yards and 24 touchdowns. He’s 10th in franchise history in catches, 13th in yards and 19th in touchdowns. And he’s the Eagles’ all-time leader in playoff receptions (52) and second in receiving yards (562) behind just DeVonta Smith. While the Eagles were 6-1 in those games without Goedert in the regular season last year, the veteran tight end again proved his worth in the playoffs.
“Y’all had that Week 15 win, when it don’t matter,” Goedert said to Rondo. “Y’all were hype for that game. We didn’t have a quarterback … Not gonna lie, y’all were paying people that game.” The Commanders are hoping to repeat their success next season, with a second-year quarterback in Jayden Daniels and their latest addition, Deebo Samuel. But Graham doesn’t see Samuel as much of a threat. As Rondo confidently boasted about his team, the Eagles legend took a massive shot at the wide receiver.
6) LAS VEGAS RAIDERS: JALEN HURTS. Hurts’ two-way offensive skills should endear him to Raiders head coach Pete Carroll. 21) PITTSBURGH STEELERS: Barkley moves across the Keystone State to star for the Steelers after rushing for a ridiculous 2,005 yards last season in Philadelphia. 26) LOS ANGELES RAMS: A.J. BROWN. Brown is a force when healthy, scoring seven or more times in five of his six years in the league.
Eagles 2025 Training Camp Position Preview: Running Back – PE.com
Most of Will Shipley’s (5-11, 209 pounds) impact as a rookie came on special teams in 2024 where he tied for third in tackles and was fourth in snaps, but he displayed the explosiveness that caught the team’s attention in the pre-draft process on a 57-yard run against the Commanders in the NFC Championship that was followed by his first career touchdown. Offensively in the regular season, Shipley accounted for 117 yards of offense on 34 total touches.
Josh Sweat Lands On NFL Top 100 List – Arizona Cardinals
New outside linebacker Josh Sweat reached No. 95 for 2025, after his eight-sack season for the Eagles last year (his monster Super Bowl, with 2.5 sacks, adds to the legend but not the ranking since the voting is done during the regular season.) That players around the league respect Sweat in such a way — it was his first time on the list since he got into the league in 2018 — only helps emphasize the Cardinals nabbed quality with their big free-agent signing.
Ndamukong Suh wants you to learn how the sharpest minds in sports manage their money – The Athletic
Ndamukong Suh played 13 years in the NFL and won a Super Bowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Follow his new show, “No Free Lunch,” here. I know you think you know who I am. But you’re wrong.The way I was on the football field was just the way I had to be, to be successful. But I always wanted to be different from my peers. I never wanted to be known just for football, so it became a personal tagline of mine: I want to be more successful off the field than on it. When I played in the NFL, I loved to read contracts. At first, the reason was straightforward: I wasn’t happy with my rookie deal with the Detroit Lions, and I wanted to know what I was signing. I wanted to understand the details.But this practical interest blossomed into something more. I started reading all the contracts of other NFL defensive linemen so I knew what my peers were doing; that’s just good negotiation knowledge. That spilled over into my other passion — the business world — so I started devouring real estate contracts and venture capital deals. [BLG Note: Another former Eagle is starting a podcast.]
Washington Commanders key additions for 2025: Defense – Hogs Haven
Which new player will be the key to unlocking Washington’s defense in 2025? The John Portis Take: If the goal is to improve against the run and upgrade the 4-man rush, the answer is clear. It all starts up front. While I expect veterans Deatrich Wise and Eddie Goldman to provide a steady presence, to truly make the necessary improvement, they will need Javon Kinlaw, who was signed in free agency in March, to step up. Kinlaw has all the tools for the job. He is a 6’5”, 319-pound player with a powerful build and plus measurables. 35” arms provide leverage on interior lineman and match up well versus tackles. Along with these physical attributes, he possesses a quick first step and heavy hands. On certain plays, he can win using nothing but his size and power.
Reflecting on favorite Cowboys moments over the last 10 years – Blogging The Boys
As disappointing as that has been, the Cowboys still do a lot of winning in the regular season. We know it’s not the same, but there is some satisfaction to be had when your Sundays are filled with happiness during football season. They deliver in that regard. Even with the quote-unquote drought, the Cowboys still hold the highest winning percentage in the NFL in the Super Bowl era. It’s crazy that both of those marks belong to Dallas.
NFL ‘Bag’ Hall of Fame: Players who maximized contract leverage – ESPN
Calling card: Getting one or two over on Jerry Jones. Like Cousins, Prescott is a former fourth-round pick who wasn’t his team’s first choice as its quarterback of the future. During the 2016 draft, the Cowboys were reportedly interested in drafting Paxton Lynch or Connor Cook, only to be beaten to the punch by the Broncos and Raiders, respectively. Team owner Jerry Jones & Co. settled for Prescott with the 135th pick, and after Tony Romo went down in preseason with a back injury, the door was opened for the rookie. While Prescott proceeded to go 13-3 and lead the Cowboys to two division titles in his first three seasons, the front office wasn’t exactly eager to pay him when he became eligible for an extension in 2019. The Cowboys prioritized Ezekiel Elliott, who signed a six-year, $90 million contract. Prescott played out the final year of his rookie deal and waited. That decision probably has cost Jones nine figures in terms of lost leverage and extra money for Prescott. In 2019, the Cowboys reportedly offered him an average of $33 million per year on a new deal, albeit with no real details on the guarantee structure. He asked for $40 million, and the Cowboys balked. He played out the final year of his rookie deal, and after being one of the biggest bargains in football between 2016 and 2019, he got the franchise tag for $31.4 million in 2020.
Darren Waller coming out of retirement, being traded to Miami Dolphins – Big Blue View
Darren Waller will turn 33 in September. He has been pursuing a rap career, but has decided to give football one more try. Per ESPN, Waller told people close to him that he “missed football” and was returning for the love of the game, Per Adam Schefter, the Giants will receive a 2026 sixth-round pick in exchange for Waller and a conditional 2027 seventh-round pick. Waller will sign a one-year deal with the Dolphins, who traded tight end Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, worth up to $5 million.
…
Social Media Information:
BGN Facebook Page: Click here to like our page
BGN Twitter: Follow @BleedingGreen
BGN Bluesky: Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social
BGN Instagram: Follow @BleedingGreenInsta
BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: Follow @BrandonGowton
BGN Radio Twitter: Follow @BGN_Radio
