Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 6/20/25.
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
NFL luxury players in 2025 season: Best slot CB, backup QB, more – ESPN
Slot cornerback: Cooper DeJean, Philadelphia Eagles. Yes, he’s already there. DeJean spent the first month of his rookie season on the sideline, but after Philadelphia’s Week 5 bye, his move into the starting lineup coincided with a massive defensive improvement. After ranking 26th in expected points added (EPA) per play on defense before the bye, the Eagles were comfortably the league’s best defense by the same metric afterward — the second-place Texans ranked closer to 13th than they did to first. It would probably be unrealistic to suggest DeJean was the single driver of those improvements, but he certainly served as a revelation in the secondary. From Week 6 onward, his minus-22.7 EPA allowed as the nearest defender in coverage ranked second in the league, with fellow rookie standout Nate Wiggins the only cornerback ahead of him, per NFL Next Gen Stats. He didn’t allow a single touchdown on 68 targets. And while he didn’t record any interceptions during the regular season, you might remember what he did to Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. With the Eagles releasing Darius Slay, DeJean will play outside more often in 2025, as he’ll likely start outside in their base defense and work out of the slot in sub packages. He was in coverage as an outside cornerback on just six snaps last season, none of which came during the postseason. He moved all around the backfield in college at Iowa, which should help his chances of handling the added responsibilities. A dominant rookie season also bodes well for his chances of being a great NFL cornerback regardless of where he lines up pre-snap.
14 winners from the Eagles’ spring practices – BGN
CB COOPER DEJEAN: The Eagles clearly want DeJean on the field for 100% of their defensive snaps. This spring, he was the starting outside cornerback opposite from Quinyon Mitchell in Philly’s base defense. Vic Fangio even talked about him potentially playing safety, though he took zero snaps there during media-attendance practices. The expectation here is that DeJean will mostly serve as the Eagles’ nickel cornerback. And when he’s not playing in the slot, he’ll still be on the field in some other capacity.
Spring thoughts on Eagles secondary: Cooper DeJean could have dual role; Replacing C.J. Gardner-Johnson – Inquirer
Vic Fangio understandably wants DeJean on the field as much as possible. It seemed like having him start at outside cornerback in base personnel would be the most obvious way. But Fangio added another idea to the mix during his spring press conference. “I think he would play very well at safety,” Fangio said of DeJean. “I think it suits his skill set, things that he does well. I just think he would do very well in there. […] “We played 21 games last year. How many base snaps do you guys think we played? About 160 in total.” That equated to 12% of the total number of defensive snaps. In other words, not a heck of a lot. But it would require DeJean to learn multiple positions. He seems up to the task.“ On the inside, you got to prepare more to fit the run and be able to cover and do all those things,” DeJean said of playing safety. “Corner it’s more worrying about covering the top guy, top receiver with a lot of space. But I did a little bit in college. I’ve been doing it a little bit early on in OTAs. Wherever they need me to be, that’s what I’ll do.”
2025 NFL running back unit rankings: Derrick Henry spearheads Ravens’ top-ranked group – PFF
4. Philadelphia Eagles: Saquon Barkley’s incredible 2024 season alone earns Philadelphia a high mark on this list. Postseason included, Barkley rushed for more than 2,500 yards last season while forcing 83 missed tackles and generating an astonishing 55 explosive runs. AJ Dillon and Will Shipley will be Barkley’s backups in 2025. Dillon missed all of last season due to a neck injury but earned a solid 76.1 PFF rushing grade in 2023. Shipley tallied just 34 carries during his rookie campaign but could be the team’s primary kick returner this season.
Eagles 2025 most important list: Tanner McKee – NBCSP
In fact, McKee was so good that it was a legitimate question asked to Sirianni about who his backup entering the playoffs would be. The Eagles didn’t shake things up during the playoff run but they saw enough to trade Pickett this offseason. The Eagles drafted McKee in the sixth round out of Stanford in 2023. He’s a big pocket passer at 6-foot-6 and 231 pounds and just looks the part. Even in his first training camp, McKee began to turn some heads. This spring, McKee was again impressive, now working exclusively with the Eagles’ second-team offense. Competing behind him are Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who was acquired in the Pickett trade, and new sixth-round pick Kyle McCord. McKee is under contract through the 2026 season so he should be the backup for at least the next two years.
Rookie Q&A: 3 questions with Drew Kendall – PE.com
1. What is the focus for you as you begin your Eagles career? Kendall: “I’m so excited just to get to work and get back to playing football after the NFL Draft process. I’m joining a great offensive line room with a bunch of All-Pros and Pro Bowlers and I’m here to learn as much as I can and do as much as I can for this team this year. When you are around that kind of talent with a position coach like Coach (Jeff) Stoutland, it’s the best situation you can ask for. I know I have a lot of things in my game to work on and I’m here to put that work in and improve every day. I know I’m going to be challenged every single day.
Daily Slop – 19 Jun 25 – Analyst says Washington is one of the NFL’s most improved teams in 2025 – Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff [BLG Note: I think 2025 will be a humbling year for Commanders fans.]
Cowboys roundtable: Discussing team weaknesses, Micah Parsons’ contract, and WR3 – Blogging The Boys
What position is still a weakness for the Cowboys? Howman: I’ll say the offensive line. Tyler Booker has rightfully generated excitement, but he’s still a rookie trying to replace a Hall of Famer. Tyler Guyton looks improved, but it’s hard to judge this early in the process, and Terence Steele has always toed the line between reliability and liability. The depth of this group also comes with plenty of question marks that won’t be answered for another two months or so.
NFL contract predictions on 4 EDGE rushers holding out for better deals – SB Nation
Cowboys EDGE Micah Parsons: Of the three veterans on this list, if I had to guess who is more likely to reset the edge rusher market again, it would be Parsons. Considering how talented Parsons is and how dominant a force he is for the Dallas Cowboys, it’s confusing as to why a deal isn’t done already. If you look at what Garrett got, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Parsons got close or surpassed it. As the Penn State pass rusher noted, the Cowboys have cost themselves money by waiting, but that is nothing new for the organization. Parsons is a top-two edge rusher in this league and is the best player on the Dallas defense. It’s not a question of whether Parsons will get paid; it’s only a matter of when he will get paid and will he top Garrett’s deal. Prediction: Parsons reports to camp and eventually resets the market, making him the highest-paid edge rusher in the league. Given the delay, Jerry Jones is forced to pony up a bit extra. Let’s say a $41.5 million average annual salary, with a chance it is closer to $45 million. The deal is likely done before the start of the regular season, roughly after the last preseason game.
New York Giants post-minicamp 53-man roster projection – Big Blue View
Wide receiver (7) — Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Wan’Dale Robinson, Jalin Hyatt, Ihmir Smith-Marsette, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Dalen Cambre. Out: Bryce Ford-Wheaton, Zach Pascal, Juice Wells, Jordan Bly, Montrell Washington, Da’Quan Felton, Beaux Collins (Change: Wells out, Cambre in). I am on record as having said an undrafted free agent rookie receiver will make the roster. Right now, it is a coin flip for me between Cambre, Felton and Collins. Even though spring production in shorts and t-shirts doesn’t mean much, right now I am going with Cambre because of his spring performance. I was shocked by his play as a receiver this spring after getting just 10 receptions in his college career. He is a special-teamer first, and we haven’t seen him do that yet. Seven is, of course, a heavy number at wide receiver. If the Giants keep six I do wonder about Humphrey’s status. The Giants have already cut him and brought him back once this offseason
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