Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …
One move every NFC team should make before training camp – PFF
PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: Extend DI Milton Williams. Williams has been an under-the-radar performer on the Eagles’ defensive line for the past three seasons. The 2021 third-round pick started 10 games in 2023, earning a 70.4 PFF overall grade and adding a career-high 25 pressures and 26 stops. Philadelphia’s defensive line is getting younger after Fletcher Cox retired in the offseason. The bulk of the interior snaps will be shared between Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Williams in 2024. As such, Williams is an important cog in one of the NFL’s more talented defensive lines, and he is also a free agent in 2025. He could get paid big bucks on the open market, so the Eagles will know his value and should plan to extend him.
Brandon Graham on how the Eagles will replace Fletcher Cox:
“The future is 9-8 (Jalen Carter), 9-0 (Jordan Davis), and 9-3 (Milton Williams).”— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) July 24, 2024
Eagles Training Camp Notebook: Defense dominates, Merrill Reese reflects on military service – PE.com
Saturday was one for the defense. In the final team period, the Eagles focused on third-down plays, keeping score of which side of the ball won in the process. The first-team defense won three out of five plays against the starters on offense. On the final play, defensive tackle Milton Williams looped around the tackle to “sack” quarterback Jalen Hurts to seal the win. The second-team defense bested the offense 2-1 as quarterback Kenny Pickett was under pressure as Williams again pressured up the middle while rookie edge rusher Jalyx Hunt bullrushed from the defense’s left side.
Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown are still really good – BGN
Breaking: DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown are still really good. If you didn’t already watch it in the previous video, Smith won a jump ball against Kelee Ringo for a big gain. That completion came on a rep that was probably a “sack” but, hey, still an awesome job by DeVonta. One catch that the Eagles’ social team didn’t share was when DeVonta made a grab in stride with his hands extended above his head. Impressive job to reel it in while also staying on his feet for YAC potential. Brown had a number of good catches, most notably a one-handed effort along the left sideline to beat Ringo that looked pretty casual and easy. Ho-hum.
Radio Part 1: Training Camp Week 1 Recap – Go Birds Podcast
James Seltzer, Eliot Shorr-Parks and Brandon Lee Gowton discuss everything they’ve seen in the first week of Eagles training camp. (Click here for Part 2)
Eagles 2024 training camp practice notes, Day 3: Jalen Hurts is stacking good days – PhillyVoice
On the second one, technically, Hurts was sacked by Marlon Tuipulotu, who beat Jurgens on the play, but whatever. Still a great throw and catch. Cam Jurgens had a few high shotgun snaps today. I counted three, but there may have been more. Jason Kelce had stretches where his shotgun snapping was a little erratic as well. But it’s worth noting.
A Couple of Days In – Iggles Blitz
I still think Ben VanSumeren is a guy to keep an eye on. Most roster projections in the spring had him getting cut. I think VanSumeren could be a key role player. He is good on STs. Fangio the other day talked about the importance of raw ability and movement skills. That is VanSumeren. He is a gifted athlete who is still learning how to play LB. Fangio could see him as someone worth developing. There are a ton of guys competing in the secondary. CJ Gardner-Johnson has brought energy and attitude back to the defense. Fangio talked about how impressive Quinyon Mitchell is physically. You can just see what a gifted athlete he is. There are still lots of questions on the back end. The difference is that there might actually be some good answers this year. It feels like the Eagles are off to a good start. This is a talented roster. The coaches just need some players to step up at certain positions if this team is going to get back to where it wants to be.
Training Camp: What We Learned from ‘Back Together Weekend’ Saturday – NFL.com
But Hurts also made a good point during his NFL Network appearance, noting that the Eagles have had ample talent the past few years. That talent panned out very well in the 2022 season, when the Eagles lost in the Super Bowl, and it carried over to the team’s 10-1 start a year ago. That’s when the wheels fell off. Hurts believes the Eagles’ level of expectation has leveled up after the disappointing season. If the Eagles are going to reach that elite plateau, it will take a different level of commitment and execution from that collection of talent.
“You talk about all this talent … I feel like we’ve had great talent. I mean, we’ve had great talent for the last two years,” Hurts said. “We’ve done great things, good things, but the standard is raised. Great talent will win you games. It’s not gonna last. It’s not sustainable like you want it to be, but it will win you games.But the great teams, those are the teams that win championships. The focus is being put there and on how together we are and how understanding we are with what we’re doing. Just trying to be the best team we can be, everybody doing their job, mastering their work.”
Eagles WR struggled after Giants benched him: ‘I was just eating to wash the pain away’ – NJ.com
That new perspective didn’t arrive until he signed with the Eagles. He was going through an “emotional rut” in New York, and he started to eat a lot. “I don’t know if you have ever heard of emotional eating,” Campbell said. “I was just eating to just like, you know what I’m saying, to like wash away the pain. I found myself gaining some weight that I knew I shouldn’t have gained.” Campbell changed his diet and worked out three times per day this offseason. He would lift weights, box and go on runs.
5 running backs the Cowboys should consider trading for right before the season begins – Blogging The Boys
Rashaad Penny, Carolina Panthers (age, 28). Penny is currently RB4 on a deep Panthers running back group that features three players the team is committed to. They just spent a second-round pick on new rookie Jonathon Brooks so, the expectation is that he’ll be the workhorse. They also signed Miles Sanders in free agency and are financially stuck with him for another season. And then there’s Chuba Hubbard, the team’s leading rusher from a year ago. The Panthers signed Penny to a one-year, $1.3 million deal in May. Penny is coming off a down year where he only played in three games while buried on the Eagles depth chart. But in his previous two seasons, he was an impact runner for the Seahawks when healthy as he ran for over six yards per carry in 2021 and 2022.
Giants’ young wide receivers look worth getting excited about – Big Blue View
If you need a reason to feel optimistic about the future of the New York Giants, the young, play-making group of wide receivers GM Joe Schoen has collected should give you one. 2024 first-round pick Malik Nabers, 2023 third-round pick Jalin Hyatt and 2022 second-round pick Wan’Dale Robinson, are providing much of the buzz early in Giants training camp. Along with Darius Slayton, a sixth-year player who is the old man of the Big 4 at receiver at the ancient age of 27, that group provides the core of what the Giants hope to be a more explosive, wide-open offense than fans are used to seeing.
2024 NFL training camp news, buzz, fantasy football updates – ESPN+
Is the roster finally where GM Joe Schoen wants it as he enters his third year in New York? After asking around, I’d say it’s fairly close, but another full offseason could get it there. New York is getting next to nothing from the 2021 draft class, though Azeez Ojulari is a factor when healthy, and the Giants are…
