Eagles Question of the Day:
If you’re trading Nolan Smith, what are you hoping to get in return? Head over to The Feed and weigh in with your answer and explanation!
Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Besides A.J. Brown, who else could the Eagles trade? McLane: This may seem like a reach, but I could envision a world in which Nolan Smith is being floated on the trade market, assuming either Phillips, Crosby or some edge rusher equivalent is on the roster by the draft. Smith hasn’t been a bust — far from it. A shoulder injury limited him during his rookie season, but he blossomed in the second half of his sophomore year. Tricep woes sent him to injured reserve last season and he finished with just three sacks and 11 quarterback hits. He’s good at setting the edge and has a high motor, but he’s undersized and struggles to win consistently as a pass rusher. Hunt has a higher ceiling, is one year younger and was drafted two rounds after Smith. It’s going to be tough for Roseman to pay both, especially with defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter slated for possible extensions this offseason. The Eagles could pick up the fifth-year option (around $15 million) on Smith’s first-round rookie contract after the draft. That isn’t an exorbitant amount for a premium position player. He has potential he hasn’t tapped into. But I’d be worried about his durability. And there will be the occasional casualty after strong drafts on the defensive side and upcoming deals for All-Pro cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Does Eagles’ past draft success mean low expectations for free agency? – ESPN
The expectation here is Philadelphia will make a push to re-sign Jaelan Phillips. Acquired from the Miami Dolphins before the November trade deadline in exchange for a 2026 third-round draft pick, Phillips helped solidify Philly’s defense over the second half of the season and finished with two sacks, seven QB hits, four passes defensed and four tackles for loss. He was a disruptor against the run and pass, a must for an edge player in Vic Fangio’s scheme.
Eagles Film Review: The other notable free agents – BGN
Grant Calcaterra. I feel bad for Calcaterra. Last year was not his fault. When deployed off the line as a move piece or big slot, he showed usable receiving skills and functional pass-game value. The problem is that the Eagles used him in a role that amplified his biggest weakness: in-line blocking. When asked to function as a traditional TE2, the run game suffered. The usage, more than the player, was the core issue. There is a narrow path where a return makes sense, specifically if Dallas Goedert departs and the staff fully commits to using Calcaterra as a receiving-only move tight end. Outside of that specific scenario, starting fresh is the cleaner option. Verdict: Slim outside chance of return if the tight end room is completely rebuilt and the role is clearly defined. But, he’s probably a bad scheme fit, so I expect him to go.
Three tight end trades that make sense for the Eagles – PhillyVoice
Cole Kmet, Bears (26, 6’6, 257). Kmet was a Bears second-round pick (43rd overall) in 2020. He is a solid starter who averaged a stat line of 58-587-4 from 2021 to 2024. However, the Bears selected TE Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft, and Kmet’s role was minimized last season. He finished with 30 catches for 347 yard sand 2 TDs. Heading into 2026, Kmet will be the TE2, and he is scheduled to make $10 million. There is no way any NFL team wants to be paying their TE2 $10 million, which makes Kmet an obvious trade/cut candidate. Projected cost: This would be similar to Freiermuth above, as both players are owed decent salaries in 2026 that their teams won’t want to pay. If you’re the Eagles, maybe you give up a fifth-round pick if the Bears are willing to eat a big chunk of his salary. Or maybe you just wait until they cut him.
Eagles Combine Talk – Offense – Iggles Blitz
TE is a position that will need a lot of work. I thought Dallas Goedert was as good as gone, but some recent talk has made it sound like he could stick around. If the Eagles don’t keep him, they will need to add a veteran, or two. I wouldn’t object to them bringing back Kylen Granson to compete for the #3 spot. He did some good things in the regular season finale. There is one first round TE, Kenyon Sadiq from Oregon. He’s only 6-3, 241, but he’s a fast, explosive player. Sadiq is a talented pass catcher and also a good blocker. Will he last to pick 23? The knock on him is that he’s got inconsistent hands. Still, having a TE who runs 4.39 and has a 43.5 inch vertical would be nice. He can be a real weapon. Eli Stowers will probably be a second round pick. The former QB became a good pass catcher at Vandy and then had a strong showing at the Combine. He had a 45 inch vertical. Stowers is an athletic receiver, but is not a good blocker at all. Max Klare from Ohio State is 6-4, 243. He is a good receiver and shows promise as a blocker. He could be a good target for the Eagles in Round 2.
The best thing about how the Eagles re-built their offensive coaching staff – NBCSP
I don’t think the 2025 offense even had a plan or a concept. It was just a bunch of random plays strung together, and sometimes it worked just because the players were so talented. But most of the time it didn’t, most notably in the wild-card loss to the 49ers. What you should expect to see this year is outside zone running, a heavy dose of play action, tons of pre-snap motion and misdirection, condensed formations to open up the outside and a passing game built on high-percentage shorter passes that allow the backs, tight ends and receivers to make plays after the catch. I can’t guarantee it will work. I can’t promise the Eagles will get back to where they should be on offense, averaging 26 points and 360 yards per game, which they did from 2021 through 2024 before dropping to 21 and 311 last year. But they have one thing they didn’t have last year and that’s a philosophy. A concept. A scheme. Something to believe in. Hope. And I give credit to Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman for understanding that the offense needed more than a Band-Aid or two, a healthy o-line and a new play caller. It needed new ideas, new concepts, a totally new approach to offensive football.
Predictably, the Stefon Diggs Release Shifted the A.J. Brown “Next Team” Market – Crossing Broad
A.J. to stay with the Eagles dropped below 50% for the first time since the start of the Combine. Despite all of the chatter coming out of Indy, the market had him back up in the mid-50s this week, with the Patriots hovering around 20%. Now they’re in the 40% range with the Birds.
How the Patriots can replace Stefon Diggs after his release – Pats Pulpit
The trade option: A.J. Brown. We have mentioned A.J. Brown multiple times before, and he has been linked to the Patriots effectively since Mike Vrabel arrived as head coach last January. And where there’s this much smoke… However, there is a reason for that: not only is he likely to be available, he also would fit well with what the team needs and values from its wide receivers. With Diggs set to be released, that becomes even more important. For starters, Brown is a slightly different player than both Diggs and the aforementioned Alec Pierce. He could become more of the inside/out weapon and volume target that the former was during his lone season in New England, but still threaten teams deep with speed and physicality at the catch point. Whether that is worth an apparently “unserious” asking price is up for debate, but there is no denying that the 28-year-old could have a Diggs-like impact on the Patriots and their quarterback, and then some. Another selling point would be his leadership and experience both with Vrabel and in the league as a whole. Voted a captain each of his last three seasons with the Eagles, Brown has a lot of football under his belt and could take on the mentor role that Diggs used to hold in 2025.
The Dallas Cowboys and 6 more NFL teams that need to crush the 2026 offseason – SB Nation
Dallas Cowboys: Jerry Jones got a lot of flak last year for not adding much and then he traded star pass rusher Micah Parsons. The Cowboys have a chance to be a playoff team and they have the resources. It’s time for a splash move or two in Dallas.
Two Cowboys defenders with the most to prove in 2026 – Blogging The Boys
While there was plenty of optimism about what Shavon Revel could bring to an awful Dallas defense, that quickly went out the door when the young cornerback struggled mightily. There wasn’t much good to come out of the seven games the 23-year-old played in last season. Revel gave up 21 catches for 295 yards in those seven matchups, consistently struggling to slow down receivers. On the year Revel posted a 34.6 coverage grade, via Pro Football Focus, the worst of any cornerback in the league (min 200 coverage snaps). The third-round pick also had a 119.7 Pass Rating Against, and teams made it a point to target the young corner in Dallas’ final four regular-season games. All in all, it was a poor rookie year for Revel, but the Cowboys still have high hopes for the young cornerback. New defensive coordinator Christian Parker has spoken highly of Revel multiple times, including praising his work ethic when speaking at the NFL combine.
Washington Commanders extend Drake Jackson on 1-year deal – Hogs Haven
The Washington Commanders reportedly extended two defensive lineman yesterday, and added are adding another one to the list today. Defensive end Drake Jackson was signed mid-October last year, but didn’t play until Week 16 due to the knee injury he suffered in…2023. He was a 2022 2nd-round draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers, but a major knee injury kept him off the field until Washington gave him a chance to finish his recovery while, preparing his return. Jackson played in the final three games of the season and had 3 tackles in 61 snaps. [BLG Note: The Eagles showed some interest in Jackson before he signed with Washington.]
NY Giants NFL free agency rumors: WR Mike Evans on Giants’ radar – Big Blue View
As evidenced by their taking a run at a trade for All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie, it is clear head coach John Harbaugh and the New York Giants are not playing around this offseason. Now comes a report from CBS Sports that if future Hall of Fame wide receiver Mike Evans leaves the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after 12 seasons the Giants could be a landing spot. Jonathan Jones of CBS reports there is a “real chance” Evans will move on. The reported price tag would be $20-25 million per year on a two-year deal. That might seem rich for a 33-year-old receiver coming off an injury-plagued season. The Giants, though, seem committed to doing whatever they can to field a quality team in 2026, and a healthy Evans would be a terrific complement to Malik Nabers.
Ten NFL free agents who could land surprisingly big contracts during 2026 offseason – NFL.com
The tight end market is full of big names like Travis Kelce, David Njoku and Dallas Goedert, while 25-year-old Isaiah Likely offers enticing potential. But with Kyle Pitts off the market via franchise tag, Okonkwo or Otton could end up being the top-paid TE in this free-agent cycle. Over the past two seasons, Otton led the Bucs with 118 receptions and ranked second behind Mike Evans with 1,172 receiving yards; his three games of 80-plus receiving yards in 2025 tied for second-most among tight ends, behind only Trey McBride (four). Okonkwo led the Titans with career highs of 56 catches and 560 yards last season. Either, if not both, could end up signing contracts worth around $12 million per year. Meanwhile, Kolar played in all 17 games last season and posted a 77.5 PFF grade (eighth among tight ends who played double-digit games) despite catching just 10 passes. When he does get the ball, he’s efficient — his 13.6 yards per catch ranks second among NFL tight ends since 2022 (minimum 25 receptions). He might end up becoming the league’s highest-paid blocking tight end, and it’s not out of the question he could get $10 million a year.
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