Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Eagles notes: Tanner McKee asking price, Jeff Stoutland back in some capacity? – PhillyVoice
A reader alerted me to a Jets podcast (The Saturday Huddle) in which ESPN Jets beat reporter Rich Cimini spoke at length about the team’s decision to acquire Geno Smith via trade. Within the discussion, Cimini noted that the Jets inquired about Tanner McKee’s availability, and were told the price to acquire him was a second-round pick. “They looked into trading for guys like Tanner McKee and Davis Mills and Mac Jones,” Cimini said. “Those teams were asking for second-round picks for these guys, so, exorbitant prices. So like I said, not the greatest solution [trading for Geno Smith]. Over the last four years, Geno has led the league in interceptions. He has also been the most sacked quarterback over the last four years. […] The tone of the podcast episode was that guys like McKee, Mills, and Jones are no longer under consideration for the Jets now that they acquired Smith.
After acquiring Andy Dalton, do the Eagles ship Tanner McKee for draft capital? They have been reluctant to move him in the past, but they have more flexibility now. I’d pay attention to the 2027 draft capital.
Eagles Film Review: Arnold Ebiketie is a good overall player who lacks a blue-chip trait – BGN
Arnold Ebiketie is a good overall player who doesn’t have a blue-chip trait, but has a lot of good ones. He will contribute in rotation, flash the ability that made him a second-round pick on a semi-regular basis, and give the Eagles useful depth at a position that needed it at a price that reflects his market reality rather than his draft pedigree. He is not the player who makes the Eagles’ edge room elite. He is very unlikely to put up double-digit sacks. He is not the answer to the pass-rush questions that remain legitimate about this edge room, and I would still expect the Eagles to add another name. But there is a lot of good here. I’m a fan of this signing. The pressure rate, the coverage versatility, the run defense, the motor. This signing makes clear sense. He still has a lot of potential, and I think the floor is pretty high. I’d be surprised if Ebiketie doesn’t contribute meaningfully next season.
Falcons trade for Eagles safety Sydney Brown – The Falcoholic
The former third round pick out of Illinois had a promising rookie campaign, managing a 99 yard interception return and delivering some encouraging moments in coverage at both the nickel and safety despite allowing 21 of 24 balls thrown his way to be caught. An Achilles injury in 2023 clearly impacted him in 2024, and his 2025 season was, per Bleeding Green Nation, something of a disaster. While nobody has doubted his physical ability since the moment he was drafted—Brown is an extremely aggressive player with the speed to make that work—BGN notes that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio didn’t seem to trust him by late in the season, something they attribute to mental mistakes that also dogged him on special teams. He committed six penalties in that phase a year ago, which is pretty gruesome.
I’m glad Epps is back. I though he played pretty well last year when he filled in for Drew Mukuba. Epps know the scheme and the team. He’s a guy you wanted back. I’m surprised it took this long. Vic Fangio seems to trust him and that’s critical in this defense. I would pencil him in as the starter beside Mukuba, depending on what goes on with Michael Carter, There has been some talk that Carter could move to safety, but I think they’ll leave him at corner for now. Who is JT Gray? He will be listed as a safety, but he’s really a STs player. And a darn good one. He has been an all pro on STs three different times. He will fill the void left by Brown. The Eagles found out how good he was in 2024 when Gray blocked a punt against them.
2026 NFL free agency grades: Sydney Brown, Jaylen Waddle – ESPN
The Falcons acquired Brown, a former third-round pick, for pennies in a small-time deal. Despite his Day 2 draft status, Brown did not develop into a regular defensive starter in Philadelphia. He played 319 defensive snaps as a rookie before tearing his ACL, which sidelined him until October 2024. He played just 78 defensive snaps that year and 236 last season. Brown spent a decent amount of time at nickel as a rookie but was used as a full-time safety the past two seasons. Atlanta lost its primary nickel, Dee Alford, to the Bills in free agency, so it’s possible that’s where the Falcons want Brown to play. (Billy Bowman Jr., a 2025 fourth-round pick, also played some slot corner snaps last season.) Brown has also played significant snaps on special teams. The deal suggests the Eagles weren’t sure if Brown would make the team, especially considering how thin their roster is at safety. If that’s true, it makes sense for them to take anything they can get in a trade for him now. Likewise, the acquisition cost is so tiny for Atlanta that it’s worth it to see if it can find a contributor on an inexpensive deal.
Punter Braden Mann appreciates Eagles’ commitment with extension – NBCSP
The Eagles this offseason made Braden Mann one of the highest-paid punters in the NFL and the money is nice. Really nice. But Mann is just as happy with the commitment his four-year extension represents. “It really means a lot,” Mann said this week. “In a world of headlines and how much people can get, everyone gets caught up in all the numbers. But just the commitment that you can get from a team or a general manager, saying that we want you here for another four years, it really does feel nice. That’s kind of what they do really well here. They commit to their people, whether that’s players or coaches or any support staff. I think that’s the culture here, just really fully committing to everybody they have here and not treating it as a one-off year or anything like that. They just pour all their effort into you as much as they can. I felt that since the first day I got here in ’23. It has just been nonstop commitment to me.”
Cowboys reportedly interested in two veteran linebackers – Blogging The Boys
On Friday morning, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram shared his first mock draft of the season. Harris did not have the Cowboys taking a linebacker, and he specifically noted that he believes the team will address the position by way of the trade market before the draft. Someone asked Harris about this specific detail in an exchange on X and he answered that the Cowboys seem to have moved off of the idea of Patrick Queen. What’s more is he added that the team is discussing Azeez Al-Shaair and Jordyn Brooks as potential options.
Commanders GM Adam Peters earned a sharp boost in his free agency grade this week – Hogs Haven
While the return of Dyami Brown has had mixed reviews and the signings of Van Jefferson & Jerome Ford have been met with shrugs, the sentiment surrounding the extensions of 13 players from the 2025 roster has mostly been positive — in particular, the early extension of left tackle Laremy Tunsil. The only sour note seems to be the handling of the center position, with the team releasing 2-year starter Tyler Biadasz days before the start of free agency, and giving a 2-year extension to Nick Allegretti, who seems to be the current default option to replace Biadasz. I doubt the team is completely finished with the center position, but we could easily see a Day 3 draft pick in camp as Allegretti’s competition. Overall, fans seem to feel that AP has made more good moves than bad, that the defense has a real chance of significant improvement this year under new defensive coordinator Daronte Jones, and that the roster is nearly complete enough to be able to select the best player available for each pick in the draft at the end of April.
Controversial DT Christian Wilkins is available; should the Giants have interest? – Big Blue View
Twenty-six NFL teams have reportedly shown some level of interest in free agent defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, who missed all of last season with a Jones fracture in his foot. The New York Giants, of course, have not yet addressed their need for help at defensive tackle in free agency. There is no word on whether or not the Giants are among the 26 teams who have apparently at least checked in on Wilkins. Question is, should they be?
Can you guess this NFL receiver in today’s in-5 trivia game? – SB Nation
Hello football fans! Welcome to the SB Nation NFL in-5 daily trivia game. Click on “Instructions” to learn how to play the game. Feel free to share your results in the comments and feedback in this Google Form.
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