The Linc – NFL defense rankings have the Eagles in second place

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

NFL’s top 10 defenses in 2025? Broncos edge out Eagles and Ravens for No. 1 spot; Patriots will rise – NFL.com

2) Philadelphia Eagles. The Super Bowl champs suffered substantial defensive attrition this offseason, losing three full-time starters (OLB Josh Sweat, CB Darius Slay and S C.J. Gardner-Johnson), a budding star (DT Milton Williams) and one of the most beloved Eagles of the 21st century (OLB Brandon Graham). And yet, I won’t be the least bit surprised if Vic Fangio fields the NFL’s stingiest defense for a second consecutive season. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter is on the fast track to becoming one of the league’s most destructive forces — if he isn’t already there — while Nolan Smith emerged as an edge-rushing menace last season, racking up four sacks in the playoffs. NT Jordan Davis has yet to live up to his No. 13 overall draft pedigree, but he’s still a gargantuan space-eater who showed some pass-rushing growth down the stretch last season. If DT Moro Ojomo and OLB Jalyx Hunt can turn rotational flashes into starting production, the aforementioned losses up front could be quickly forgotten. Zack Baun headlines the linebacking corps, fresh off a revelatory season that earned him first-team All-Pro honors and a three-year, $51 million extension. Nakobe Dean’s likely to start the season on the PUP list as he works his way back from a serious knee injury suffered on Wild Card Weekend, but Philadelphia just took a linebacker in Round 1 for the first time in 46 years, snatching up versatile weapon Jihaad Campbell. The secondary’s highlighted by a pair of second-year stars (CB Quinyon Mitchell and NB Cooper DeJean) and a solid safety who rarely gets his due (Reed Blankenship). The biggest question mark on Philly’s entire roster is probably CB2, with Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson battling for the starting role. Bottom line: While the Eagles must replace a number of key cogs from last season’s dominant D, Howie Roseman has hoarded enough talent to achieve a smooth transition.

T.J. Watt contract extension: 3 ways how it impacts the Eagles – BGN

3) Micah Parsons’ price tag just went up … again. If the Dallas Cowboys (who haven’t been to an NFC Championship Game since the 1995 season) operated more like the Eagles (who have two Super Bowl wins in three appearances since the 2017 season), they would’ve had Parsons to signed to a relative bargain by now. He was eligible for an extension as early as two years ago! Instead, Jerry Jones is inexplicably dragging his feet and it’s only costing him more money in the long run. Just like it did when the Cowboys waited longer than necessary to extend Dak Prescott (multiple times) and CeeDee Lamb. With Watt reportedly signing a three-year contract extension worth $123 million with $108 million guaranteed, there’s no good reason for Parsons to accept less than the height of top non-QB money at $41 million annually.

Previewing the Philadelphia Eagles | Valentine’s Views – BBV YouTube

[BLG Note: I joined Big Blue View’s Ed Valentine to talk about the Eagles and the NFC East.]

Execs, coaches, scouts rank NFL’s top 10 off-ball linebackers for 2025 – ESPN+

3. Zack Baun, Philadelphia Eagles. Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: Unranked. Age: 28 | Last year’s ranking: N/A. Baun is emblematic of what’s great about the NFL: a role player making $3.5 million one year can earn a $51 million deal the next, thanks to an unexpected star turn. Opportunity met untapped talent when Baun joined Philadelphia as an unrestricted free agent in 2024. Vic Fangio’s scheme was ideal for Baun, once a rotational linebacker in New Orleans who earned All-Pro honors thanks to 151 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles and 11 tackles for loss. He also appeared on nearly 90% of the ballots. As one NFC exec noted, Baun didn’t get a lot of defensive snaps in New Orleans (301 in 2023), so he seized the opportunity when given a full run in Philly. His 41% run-stop win rate was first among linebackers in this top 10. “Finally came into his own,” an NFC executive said. “He’s such a versatile defender that can affect the game in multiple ways that his strength was potentially hindering him from reaching his ceiling early on in his career. Instead [in 2024], he really mastered stacked ILB and was able to build up that foundation to take advantage of his athletic ability and playmaking.”

Dynamic Duos – Iggles Blitz

Tra Thomas and Jon Runyan: Many young fans will find it hard to believe this, but there was a time when the Eagles struggled to have good OT play. They tried free agents, draft picks, developmental guys…nothing worked. That changed when they drafted Tra Thomas 11th overall in 1998. Andy Reid took over the team in 1999. He knew Thomas was half of the solution. The other half came when the Eagles made Runyan the highest paid OL ever in March of 2000. Runyan and Thomas formed a great pair of OTs. Thomas had great feet and was a natural pass protector. He had excellent size. He was a skilled blocker. Runyan was even bigger than Thomas. Runyan wasn’t a dancing bear. He was the bear that mauls you. He blocked to the “echo of the whistle”, which pissed off opponents throughout his career.

Eagles 2025 most important list: A.J. Brown – NBCSP

In his three seasons since joining the Eagles, Brown already has over 4,000 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns. Brown has averaged 85.8 yards per game in his Eagles career, which is by far the highest average in Eagles history among players with at least 40 games. The next closest is DeSean Jackson at 68.5. You can argue about Brown’s place among the best receivers in the NFL but ProFootballFocus has him atop the list going into 2025.

NFL over/under win totals: Predictions and best bets for all 32 teams in 2025 – The Athletic

Philadelphia Eagles under 11.5 (-125): Four thousand, three hundred and ninety seems like a big number, but Howie Roseman isn’t even worried. That’s the number of defensive snaps the Eagles lost from last season with the departure of Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and Oren Burks. While the Eagles GM is famous for stockpiling young talent to step in, there is also the matter of a tough opening stretch of the schedule while nursing a Super Bowl hangover. Forget the Cowboys in the opener, but the Eagles then play the Chiefs, Rams, Buccaneers and Broncos, followed by road games at the Giants and Vikings.

The 12 Teams That Can Win Super Bowl LX – SI

Philadelphia Eagles: My personal Super Bowl prediction—Bills vs. Eagles—is predicated heavily on the belief that, while the Eagles lost some brain power this offseason in OC Kellen Moore and had key losses on the defensive line, the advantages that the Eagles displayed a year ago are still pronounced enough to carry over to the 2025 season. Meaning: I think the Eagles are still too big and too strong, even as other teams hop into the arms race to try to match them. If the Eagles are able to sustain their success from an ego standpoint, meaning A.J. Brown is still willing to block and accept a diminished target share, and the offense as a whole is still eager to be—in essence—conducted by Jalen Hurts before the snap in order to put the group into better run fits, then I don’t see how the Eagles aren’t still the best team in the NFC and, thus, have the best chance to return to the Super Bowl.

Former Texans special teamer, fan favorite Bryan Braman passes away at 38 – Battle Red Blog

Somehow it feels hollow to leave things like this. Bryan Braman meant a lot to Texans fans. To this day, on the rare occasions I get to go to Texans games, I still see people wearing his jersey milling about the stadium. I think of the wild hits he laid out on his opponents and jumping out of my seat at whatever Seattle dive bar I was watching the game at. I think of the roar on TV as the replay would show it in slow motion. Even now I can feel the slight smile start to curl on my lips just thinking about it. He never anchored the defense, never played a down on offense, but he would always make himself felt whenever he was on the field. He was one of us, a Texan through and through.

The Washington Commanders agree to terms with 2nd-round draft pick Trey Amos – Hogs Haven

The Washington Commanders have reportedly signed 2nd round pick Trey Amos to his rookie contract, completing their 2025 draft class. The Ole Miss corner was one of 30 second round picks that hadn’t been signed until today as they sought more guaranteed money. Amos was the 61st overall pick in the draft and was slotted to get a 4-year, $7.28 million contract with a $1.934 million signing bonus.

A peek around at the NFC East: Commanders to add pass rusher, Cowboys still haven’t paid Micah Parsons – PhillyVoice

Miller still has some speed, and the Commanders absolutely needed pass rush help, so the signing does make sense. However, as we noted in June during our “dumpster fire” series, they had 30 (!) players who are 29 years of age already, or older. Here’s how that compares with the rest of the NFL — 30: Commanders … 19: Falcons, Lions, Texans […] Make it 31. I think that the perception of the Commanders, from a national perspective, is that they are a young, up-and-coming team, because they had a stellar rookie quarterback last season. They are not. They are easily the oldest team in the NFL. [BLG Note: The old get older.]

Micah Parsons extension watch: Steelers give T.J. Watt deal worth $41M per year, $108M guaranteed – Blogging The Boys

The Pittsburgh Steelers just gave T.J. Watt a deal that will serve as a bar for the Cowboys to clear. The important details are that Watt (who the Cowboys very infamously drafted Taco Charlton over, by the way) is making $41M per year and received $108M fully guaranteed. If the Cowboys had shown some proactivity this or last offseason, then they could have in all likelihood come in at numbers below these. At this point, Parsons and his representation will obviously use this deal to their advantage.

Training camp preview: New York Giants biggest question at defensive line – Big Blue View

Can Dexter Lawrence return to his prominence post-elbow surgery at 27 years old? I think yes. Lawrence had 36 pressures and nine sacks last season before his injury. That was after a 65-pressure season in 2023 and a 70-pressure season in 2022. His pairing with Patterson helped him unlock his massive potential, and he’s still young enough to thrive in his glory years. The selection of Abdul Carter, along with Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux will only help the defensive line group and Dexter Lawrence in passing situations. A lot of protection packages will look to prevent Lawrence from creating interior pressure — four hands! But that may not be easy to sustain if Carter, Burns, and Thibodeaux are dominating on the edge. Bowen’s usage of the Wide-9 will inevitably lead to constrained pockets that force quarterbacks to step up into a bull-rushing Dexter Lawrence. More statistics are coming for Lawrence if the Giants can take leads and allow this fearsome pass rush to pin their ears back.

Titans sign Jordan Mims, waive running back Tyrion Davis-Price – PFT

Davis-Price, 24, had joined Tennessee in June. He has appeared in eight games for the 49ers and Eagles since entering the league as a third-round pick with San Francisco in 2022. He’s rushed for 127 yards on 43 carries in his career.

NFLPA leader Lloyd Howell Jr. resigns over multiple issues: What happened and what is next – SB Nation

Thursday night, Lloyd Howell Jr., the Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, submitted his resignation. Howell’s tenure at the NFLPA had come under pressure in recent days, thanks to reporting from various outlets, including ESPN, Pro Football Talk, and Pablo Torre. In the statement announcing his resignation, Howell stated that “[i]t’s clear my leadership has become a distraction to the important work the NFLPA advances every day. For this reason, I have informed the NFLPA Executive Committee that I am stepping down as Executive Director of the NFLPA and Chairman of the Board of NFL Players effective immediately.” How did this happen, and what happens next? Let’s walk through all of it.

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