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Potential Contract Details Revealed for Eagles QB Jalen Hurts By Mike Greger Updated Jun 28, 2022 at 4:23pm Getty Jalen Hurts commands the Eagles' huddle during Philly's 31-15 loss in the wild-card round of the playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles have a big decision to make on Jalen Hurts in 2023. He’ll be entering his fourth year and eligible for a new contract. Will the team extend him? If so, how much is Hurts worth? The dual-threat quarterback’s future will likely come down to how well he plays this season. Hurts must show he can win games with his arm and improve as a pocket passer. More importantly, he has to be the reason the Eagles get back to the postseason. And advance beyond the wild-card round. Adam Caplan of Inside the Birds recently detailed what an extension might look like for Hurts. His best comparison was something in line with what Derek Carr signed in Las Vegas. That deal – three years and $121.5 million – was essentially structured as a one-year, $25 million deal. "I don’t care how well Hurts plays, over $40 million a year just isn’t going to happen,” Caplan said. "What you can do is load up one year. If you look at Carr’s deal, he got a $7.5 million signing bonus and his base salary is $17.4 million, so he’ll make $25 million in Year 1. Now what the Raiders did, what his agent did was smart. "The base salary is ridiculous, $32.9 million, he’s not going to get that if he doesn’t play well. But what the agent did that was really smart: Carr’s base salary becomes fully guaranteed, $32.9 million, on the third day of the waiver period which is the third day after the Super Bowl.” The Eagles could sign Hurts to a similar contract and get something inked in January. They’ll have two full seasons of tape on him, plus (hopefully) back-to-back playoff appearances. According to Caplan, the Eagles want to see Hurts "play well.” A breakout season – maybe 30 passing touchdowns? – gets it done. "If Hurts lights it up this season, you [already] love the kid, you love the character and the upbringing and all that,” Caplan said. "He’s got the intangibles, but he’s got to play well. He didn’t play well enough last year. If he plays really well, he’s getting his contract extended. There’s no question about it.” Hurts Not Getting $50 Million, No Way Some have oddly speculated that Hurts might get a "massive contract” worth up to $40 million next offseason. Don’t bank on it. The Eagles want to be wowed by him in 2022, according to Caplan, and own all the leverage in contract negotiations. "I just have a feeling if they do make the playoffs, it won’t be just because he’s their quarterback,” Caplan said. "It will be because he played well. That would be a big part of it.” So, how much should Hurts expect to get from Philly? It won’t be anywhere near the $50 million per year that Aaron Rodgers received. "No matter how well he plays, he’s not going to get $50 million a year,” Caplan said. Or the $45 million per year that Patrick Mahomes got. Or the $43 million per year that Josh Allen received. And it won’t approach Dak Prescott’s $40 million per year. "Dak Prescott was good immediately,” Caplan said. "When he took over for Tony Romo – Tony Romo never got the job back – because he was so good when Romo broke his collarbone. Prescott was good from the very start.” Gardner Minshew Making More Money Gardner Minshew will earn $2.54 million in base salary for 2022, compared to $1.08 million for Hurts. That’s right. The backup quarterback is making more money than the starter. Hurts might be the best value in all of football. Which is all the more reason why the Eagles are in no hurry to hand him a massive extension. He’s under team control until 2024 when his four-year rookie deal expires. https://heavy.com/sports/philadelphia-eagles/potential-contract-details-revealed-for-eagles-qb-jalen-hurts/

Seth Joyner to leave 'Eagles Postgame Live' on NBC Sports Philadelphia The former linebacker's exit comes after the retirement of Ray Didinger, leaving two openings on the show BY MICHAEL TANENBAUM PhillyVoice Staff NBC SPORTS PHILADELPHIA/YOUTUBE Both Seth Joyner and Ray Didinger will not return to NBC Sports Philadelphia for Eagles pregame and postgame coverage during the 2022-23 NFL season. Eagles pregame and postgame analysis will have a very different look on NBC Sports Philadelphia for the upcoming NFL season, as Seth Joyner announced Monday he'll be leaving the network. Joyner, the former All-Pro linebacker for the Eagles, talked about his decision to leave during his own podcast. His departure follows the retirement of Ray Didinger last month, meaning half the crew on "Eagles Postgame Live" will be new come September. "Sometimes things run their course, and it's time, you know?" Joyner said. "My man, Ray Diddy, called it a career and it's hard to replicate and duplicate the kind of chemistry and camaraderie that we had." Joyner has been a brutally honest and sometimes harsh critic on the show, voicing fans' frustrations with earned credibility and a deep knowledge of the game. He's right when he says that his chemistry with Didinger was a major draw. It would have been difficult to recreate even if Joyner chose to stay. Instead, Joyner is taking on a new role that has yet to be announced. "Don't worry. Information will flow in the next couple of weeks," Joyner said. "It's not like you're not going to be able to hear my commentary. Another situation arose and created an opportunity for me to do something different." For the moment, the network has Michael Barkann and Barrett Brooks slated to handle pre- and post-game duties, with some huge shoes to fill. Even going back to former Gov. Ed Rendell's time on "Eagles Postgame Live," Didinger was always the fulcrum of the show. You'd see the gears turning in his head as he listened to his colleagues and scanned his notes. Then the deep breath. And finally, he'd dissect the team's performance (and the opponent's) as only he can. Joyner's authority brought extra punch to the show, since it's nice to have a former player and a non-player with a great football mind there to balance each other's strengths. The good news for NBC Sports Philadelphia is that the Eagles' rising outlook this season should help make these openings especially attractive. Another former Eagle and a respected analyst would do the trick. The answers are anybody's guess, for the time being. Trent Cole lives in South Jersey and has had five years away from the game. He might need to be convinced to take a break from grain farming on Sundays. https://www.phillyvoice.com/seth-joyner-leaving-eagles-postgame-live-nbc-sports-philadelphia/

Loading Up Posted: June 26th, 2022 | Author: Tommy Lawlor With all the moves the Eagles made this offseason, many feel the Eagles are loading up to be a Super Bowl contender. The team has done this in the past, with mixed results. Let’s take a look at some of those years. 1992 The 1991 team featured one of the great defenses in league history. Sadly, that went to waste due to erratic QB play. The team finished 10-6, but missed the playoffs. The return of Randall Cunningham was supposed to get the offense back to the elite level it played at back in 1990 (3rd in yards and points). The Eagles added Herschel Walker to give a boost to a running game that had struggled for several years. A couple of key veterans were added to bolster the O-line. Vai Sikahema was signed to improve the return game and make the Eagles dangerous in all three phases. Things looked good. Jerome Brown died in the summer in a car accident and that was the first sign things would not be easy or anywhere close to normal. TE Keith Jackson left in free agency, in a groundbreaking move. The team did finish 5th in scoring and the running game really came alive, finishing second in the league. The passing game was wildly inconsistent despite the return of Cunningham. The defense remained one of the best in the league, finishing 6th in yards and points allowed. The Eagles did make the postseason and won their first playoff game in more than a decade. Still, the season fell short of the preseason hype. I remember picking up The Football News in the summer of ’92 and seeing the Eagles as their Super Bowl pick. I certainly had high hopes, but a national publication picking them to win it all? That was like Christmas in August. Then the team started off 4-0 and looked dominant. They were going to the Super Bowl. There was just no question about it. Oops. They were only 7-5 the rest of the way, partially due to injuries. There was a near mutiny against Rich Kotite and Cunningham went from The Ultimate NFL Weapon to benched for Jim McMahon. The postseason win over the Saints was a great day, but overall the season was disappointing. 2004 The Eagles were so close in 2001, 2002 and 2003. They just didn’t have an elite receiver to put the passing game over the top. That all changed when the team traded for Terrell Owens. He and Donovan McNabb were like "peanut butter and jelly”, on and off the field. The team didn’t stop with TO. They signed Jevon Kearse to help the pass rush that had struggled in 2003. The best offensive and defensive players available both came to Philly. I remember refreshing ESPN’s site and seeing Philly Phreak and a picture of Kearse. My heart leapt with joy. TO took more time because of a complicated situation, but joined a bit later. Dorsey Levens was signed to backup Brian Westbrook. The team made a great move in the summer, when they re-signed Jeremiah Trotter. Washington cut him and the Eagles were able to scoop him up at a bargain rate. This team was going to the Super Bowl. And they did just that. The team started 13-1 and life was good. In that 13th win, TO broke his ankle and that injury changed the fate of the franchise. We just didn’t know it at the time. The Eagles were good enough to get through the NFC without TO. The title game win over Atlanta was a magical day. The Eagles exorcised the demons of recent playoff failures. TO did return for the Super Bowl, but he wasn’t enough. The Eagles fell to Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Great season, bad ending. And then things really went downhill in the offseason. 2011 The 2010 season started the Kevin Kolb era. That didn’t even last a full game before Michael Vick replaced him (due to injury). Vick was so good that he never gave the job back. The Eagles looked great at times. They went 8-2 in one stretch and scored a ton of points. With Vick, Shady McCoy, DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles had a dynamic group of skill players. They did need help on defense and that was the focus of the offseason. There was a lockout that pushed offseason moves into the summer. Once the lockout ended, the Eagles exploded into action. They acquired: DE Jason Babin DT Cullen Jenkins CB Nnamdi Asomugha CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie DT Derek Landri That’s a lot of firepower for a defense that had finished 12th in yards allowed. The offense got one starter and some key role players in OG Evan Mathis, RB Ronnie Brown, QB Vince Young and WR Steve Smith (not the elite one). It was Young who said the Eagles had put together a Dream Team. Ugh. That moniker has haunted the franchise ever since. A lot of things went wrong. The compressed offseason didn’t give the players much chance to build chemistry. Andy Reid, normally a brilliant coach, made the highly questionable decision to move OL coach Juan Castillo to defensive coordinator. The players all came to Philly with a variety of agendas and attitudes. Asomugha ate lunch in his car. That’s simply not normal in the NFL. The team started 1-4. They were 4-8 heading into December. A 4-0 finish got them to .500 and convinced Jeff Lurie to bring all the key people back. That resulted in the disastrous 4-12 season of 2012. The Dream Team truly was a nightmare. Take away two dominant wins over Dallas and you have one of the more miserable seasons I can remember. We did get the best season in Derek Landri’s career. That was glorious. 2017 Doug Pederson took over as coach of the Eagles in 2016. The team started 3-1 before falling apart. A lot of that had to do with the 10-game suspension of Lane Johnson. With him in the lineup, the Eagles were 5-1. Without him, 2-8. Young QB Carson Wentz showed enough as a rookie in 2016 that the team thought they could be contenders in 2017. They approached the offseason that way, constantly looking to upgrade the roster and doing so with a lot of veterans. QB Nick Foles WR Alshon Jeffery WR Torrey Smith RB LeGarrette Blount RB Jay Ajayi DE Chris Long DT Tim Jernigan CB Patrick Robinson CB Ronald Darby CB Corey Graham Every one of those acquisitions played a part in the Eagles winning the Super Bowl, some more obvious than others. Howie Roseman deserves a lot of criticism for the bad moves he’s made, but he nailed the 2017 offseason in a big way. It wasn’t perfect (Sidney Jones for example), but he brought in a lot of key people that helped the team win its first Lombardi Trophy. Great offseason. Great season. Great postseason. And maybe the greatest Super Bowl parade ever. 2022 The Eagles had a great offseason…we think. Moves that look good in the spring don’t always work out (see 2011). It will be interesting to see how things play out. It sure feels like this team is loaded. The big question is QB. Is Jalen Hurts good enough to take this team where it wants to go? http://igglesblitz.com/2022/06/loading-up/

Undrafted Eagles rookies with solid chances of earning roster spots This might be the best group of undrafted rookie free agents the Eagles have ever signed. When the most recent NFL Draft wrapped, across the board, Philadelphia Eagles fans were enjoying something they hadn’t felt in a while. They still haven’t come down from this mixture of hope and an adrenaline rush. Something about landing Nakobe Dean in the third round when many would have taken him in the first sent shockwaves through this fan base and organization. Then, the hits kept coming with the undrafted free-agent rookie class. If you need evidence of how much the Birds believe in Carson Strong, look no further than the amount of guaranteed money they gave him to sign on. A $320,000 bonus for a guy that didn’t hear his name called in seven rounds is a lot, but this guy might be worth it. Injury questions aside, two things were obvious when Philly rolled the dice on another Carson. One, there was no way he was wearing the number 12 jersey. Second, this is someone that really could have gone in the mid-rounds. He’s that good. Sorry Reid Sinnett! It isn’t looking good! There’s no way the Birds are cutting this guy, and there’s no way they’re stashing him on the practice squad so another team can swoop in (pun intended) and steal him. Keep an eye on him and the three guys that follow on this list. So, no one else feels like Britain Covey and Devon Allen are battling each other for a roster spot? The next time you’re hanging out with your buddies and you’re discussing Eagles football, pay close attention to how much time you spend discussing the wide receiver position. If you aren’t careful, that conversation could go on for an hour or more. After all, 12 guys are competing for what figures to be six roster spots, and we know at least three of those 12 guys are making the roster: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Quez Watkins. Speed alone does not a wide receiver make in the National Football League, but it’s certainly fun to talk about, and every time we take a trip to YouTube to check out some highlights of Britain Covey taking one to the house or we see Devon Allen light up the track in any meeting that he’s competing in, it’s hard not to think of that speed translating to the gridiron. Still, you can make arguments that support and refute claims that one of them can make the roster. What if the Birds decided to carry two tight ends? What if they did something unconventional and carved out one roster spot that they’d use specifically to house a return ace. Again, it’s doubtful, but they most certainly need one. In theory, that might be the only way Covey or Allen make the roster. They’re both currently staring up on the depth chart at Zach Pascal, Deon Cain, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Josh Hammond, and John Hightower on the depth chart. Kennedy Brooks brings an added dimension currently missing from the Eagles’ running game. It’s been a long time since LeGarrette Blount ran around and, often, over the competition and into the hearts of Eagles fans forever. He wasn’t here long, 16 regular-season games and a three-game march to the Vince Lombardi Trophy during the postseason that followed, but his exit left a void that has yet to be filled long-term. Everyone’s clamored for that workhorse that can chew up yards late if Philly is up on the scoreboard, that guy that can pound the ball between the tackles and provide value in the red zone and on third down. At times, they’ve had that. Jordan Howard comes to mind, but Howard has proven that he isn’t going to be able to give Philly a full 17 games because of his running style. Kennedy Brooks enters 2022’s version of Eagles training camp with fresh legs and a skill set that distinguishes him from Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and Kenneth Gainwell. NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, in his draft profile of the former Oklahoma Sooners standout, gave him a grade of 6.11 and described him as a "good backup with the potential to develop into a starter”. Finding Brooks in the pool of undrafted rookies has to qualify as a steal for the Eagles offense. We said that when Philly drafted Gainwell in Round 5 last year. We were right, and we’re more confident that Brooks will be able to do the same thing in his rookie campaign this season. He may find himself ahead of Jason Huntley as the fourth running back on Philadelphia’s depth chart in no time. Josh Jobe could make a serious run at an Eagles roster spot… maybe. During a season-long battle with turf toe in his final run at the collegiate level with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Josh Jobe proved he was a solid corner opposite Jalyn Armour-Davis who won the other starting outside cornerback job as the replacement for Patrick Surtain. Before a late-season injury that required surgery, Jobe was Bama’s most talented corner. Philly landed him as one of a trio of intriguing young cornerbacks. Josh Blackwell (Duke Blue Devils) and Mario Goodrich are the other two. Don’t be shocked if it’s Goodrich that proves he’s the most prepared to prove he’s ready for the bright lights of the NFL. Blackwell’s stat line wasn’t overly impressive. He broke up 20 passes during his four-year, 32-game college football career. He never intercepted a pass, but he’d provide tremendous value on special teams. Goodrich was the teammate of a first-round draft choice in 2022, Andrew Booth Jr., but there were times during the season when Goodrich looked every bit the future NFL star that Booth was. The Eagles’ situation at cornerback looks a lot like what’s happening at wide receiver. There are a ton of bodies (13). Three will, most certainly, make the roster (Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox), and that means ten guys are battling for what’s probably three jobs on the 53-man roster. We can argue that Goodrich, Blackwell, and Jobe have to pass the likes of Tay Gowan, Craig James, Mac McCain III, Zech McPhearson, Jimmy Moreland, Josiah Scott, and Kary Vincent Jr. on the depth chart to have legitimate shots at roster spots, but we can also argue that we aren’t sure that the UDFA rookies aren’t already as good as those guys are. It should be an intriguing battle at camp. Noah Elliss looks like someone threw an Eagles jersey on a tree. Nothing says ‘nose tackle in a 3-4 defensive scheme’ like six-foot-four and 346 pounds. Defensive linemen are going to be sick of trying to move Noah Elliss off of the line of scrimmage by the time the fourth quarter arrives, but they may not have to. Once we reach September and we’re discussing who should be left off of the Eagles’ 53-man roster, Elliss figures to fall victim to the numbers game. Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Jordan Davis, and Milton Williams will all make the roster, and even though Cox and Hargrave aren’t signed past the coming season, the Birds have some young guys hanging out on the roster who are worthy of a conversation: Marvin Wilson, Renell Wren, and the first of Philly’s trio of sixth-round draft choices in 2021, Marlon Tuipulotu. Perhaps the Eagles will rely on a mix of multiple fronts during the 2022 season seeing as how Cox and Williams’ presence makes more sense in the traditional 4-3 defensive alignment. We’ll have to wait and see what happens, but before we get there, it should be fun to see how some of the young guys develop. Keep an eye on Noah Elliss even though he has a tough hill to climb to make Philadelphia’s 53-man roster. https://insidetheiggles.com/2022/06/25/undrafted-eagles-rookies-roster-spots/

^^^ This ^^^And this Really looking forward to watching him this year to see how much improvement he made in those areas. He needs to make significant strides ... not just marginal improvement. Fingers crossed.

Eagles have 4 players make Pete Prisco's Top 100 NFL Players list for 2022 Glenn Erby June 23, 2022 9:29 am ET With NFL training camps set to start in a little over a month, player rankings and top 100 lists are starting to be released and Philadelphia should be well represented. With the addition of A.J. Brown and Haason Reddick, star power was added to a roster that already includes Jalen Hurts, Miles Sanders, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, and the NFL’s top offensive line. CBS Sports Pete Prisco just released his annual top 100 players list, and the Eagles had four players land on the list, with their talented and ascending left tackle getting the highest ranking. Jordan Mailata, LT, 75 (AP Photo/David Zalubowski) Mailata was the first Eagle to make the list. Darius Slay, CB, 85 (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) Big play Slay makes the list, landing rather low at No. 85 on the list. Lane Johnson, RT, 90 (AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.) The Eagles All-Pro makes the list at No. 90 on the list. A.J. Brown, WR, 94 (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) The Eagles’ biggest acquisition in the past two years, Brown should immediately upgrade the play of Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. Honorable Mentions (AP Photo/Matt Rourke) Dallas Goedert Haason Reddick Jason Kelce https://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/lists/philadelphia-eagles-news-pete-prisco-100-players-list-mailata-slay/

Brandon Graham hints 2022 could be his final year with Eagles, might finish his career elsewhere Graham wants to play 15 years in the NFL, but will all 15 be in Philadelphia? By Jeff Kerr USATSI Brandon Graham has a goal of playing 15 years in the NFL, a mark he wishes to obtain even if they're all not with the Philadelphia Eagles. While Graham expressed his desire to play his whole career with the Eagles, that may not be as easy as it may seem. Graham would be open to ending his career with another team once he becomes a free agent after the 2022 season. "You know what? I would -- but it would only be probably for a year," Graham said, via JAKIB Sports' Sports Take. "The kids are together right now and they're settled, so that always -- I know they wouldn't up and leave right away -- so being away from them and the family, that would only probably last a year. "We'd see how it works out, but I'd probably end up playing 14 (years) instead of 15. My goal is to finish on 15 if I could, as an Eagle." If Graham really wants to get that 15th season, there's the possibility it may not happen with the Eagles. Graham will be 36 if he plays his 15th season -- and the Eagles may want to search elsewhere for pass rushing help. For 2022, the Eagles could use Graham on a defensive line that had just 29 sacks last season, the second-fewest in the NFL. In Graham's last full season (2020), he finished with 51 pressures, 46 tackles, 16 quarterback hits, eight sacks, and two forced fumbles in earning a Pro Bowl berth. Only four players in the NFL had eight sacks, 13 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles in 2020 --T.J. Watt, Aaron Donald, Haason Reddick, and Graham. He played just two games in 2021 due to a ruptured Achilles. Heading into year 13 in the NFL, Graham has this year with the Eagles before both sides have to decide his future. He's hoping year 14 -- and possibly year 15 -- is in Philadelphia as well. "I'm here right now, I've got another opportunity. It's the last year on my deal, they're gonna honor me for this year, and whatever role it is man just enjoy it," Graham said. "Because you didn't have football last year, you had time with the kids, and you still got one year left of football if that's what you choose to do. Man, I'm about to enjoy it." https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/brandon-graham-hints-2022-could-be-his-final-year-with-eagles-might-finish-his-career-elsewhere/

After career season, Elliott lands on list of most important Eagles Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2022 season. 25. Quez Watkins 24. Gardner Minshew 23. T.J. Edwards 22. Marcus Epps 21. Landon Dickerson 20. Jake Elliott After a disappointing 2020 season that had Eagles fans wondering about Jake Elliott’s future, the kicker bounced back in a major way last season. Elliott, 27, made his first-career Pro Bowl and had the best season of his five years in the NFL. Not only didn’t Elliott made 30 of 33 field goal attempts, but he also drilled all three attempts from 50+. Just look at his improvement from 2020 to 2021: 2020: 14 of 19 (73.7%), 2-for-5 from 50+, 24-for-26 on PATs 2021: 30 of 33 (90.9%), 3-for-3 from 50+, 44-for-44 on PATs "Yeah, obviously, wasn't here last year,” Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay said in November. "But just knowing Jake around the league and hearing his name, you always know this guy's a very good kicker. "And it's just kudos to him refocusing on what got him here and that's just his fundamentals, working with Arryn [Siposs] and Rick [Lovato] in the offseason, getting that down. Obviously, it's a new holder, so there’s going to be something new. "But they've been fantastic and kudos to all three of those guys, just working hand and hand and they have been operating like a well-oiled machine. The one thing you can definitely tell between those three is, one, they like each other, which helps. And they have fun during practice.” Not only was 2021 the best season of Elliott’s career but his field goal percentage of 90.9% is the highest in franchise history, surpassing Cody Parkey (2014) and Alex Henery (2011), who both made 88.9% of their kicks in their respective best seasons. The bounce-back season for Elliott was a big relief because the Eagles were stuck with him either way after handing Elliott a five-year extension back in 2019. But now they have a Pro Bowl kicker under contract for the next three seasons. According to OverTheCap, Elliott’s AVY of $4.03 million ranks 12th in the NFL among kickers. So that’s actually a bargain for one of the better kickers in the NFL … as long as Elliott can duplicate that success in 2022. For a team like the Eagles, with serious playoff aspirations, a kicker is huge. There are likely going to be games this season that come down to the wire and having a kicker you can trust really eliminates a lot of those nerves. https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-2022-season-jake-elliott-list-most-important-players

Eagles Top Rookie Waiting to Clear Major Hurdle Prior to Camp By Mike Greger Updated Jun 27, 2022 at 11:46am Getty Nebraska center Cameron Jurgens went No. 51 overall to the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2022 NFL draft. The Philadelphia Eagles believe they drafted Jason Kelce’s eventual successor at center. The team took Nebraska standout Cam Jurgens in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft. However, Jurgens remains curiously unsigned. The Eagles reached contract terms with four of their five rookies this summer, including a whopping $17 million deal for first-round pick Jordan Davis. They also locked up Nakobe Dean, Kyron Johnson, and Grant Calcaterra. Yet details on a rookie contract for Jurgens have been scant. Not to worry. Philadelphia is most likely trying to maintain cap flexibility heading into training camp. The going rate for a second-rounder is in the $7.5 million range for a four-year rookie contract. Jurgens showed up for voluntary minicamps in May – remember that image of him and Kelce hitting the sled? – and there is no indication that he’ll sit out training camp. The Eagles followed a similar blueprint in 2021, waiting until July 26 to sign then-rookie Landon Dickerson. Jurgens will get his deal in due time. He’s a big part of their future plans along the NFL’s most dominant offensive line. Lane Johnson Ready for Some Beef Jerky Lane Johnson recently appeared on The Rich Eisen Show where he talked about getting to know Jurgens. The All-Pro right tackle had no idea that his new teammate has his own brand of beef jerky called "Beef Jurgy” but he expects Jurgens to "sponsor the room” with his tasty meat. "I haven’t got a chance to but I figure training camp will be a good opportunity for all of us to get some of that [beef jerky],” Johnson said. "You’re informing me about it. I had no clue.” Johnson also talked about the expectations for the athletic prospect who ran the 40-yard dash in 4.92 seconds. "I’ve gotten to watch him move around so I think what Philadelphia has had with Kelce, one of the best centers of maybe all-time, as far as athleticism – and I think what they’re trying to do is have somebody who can fit that mold, can make all the checks at the line. "Center is a very cerebral position, it’s much like the linebacker, middle linebacker for the defense, making all the calls. He might be a little longer than Kelce – they look at arm length- but very similar makeup as far as athleticism and explosion.” Jurgens Watched Kelce’s Tape Growing Up Kelce hand-picked his heir after scouting several centers heading into the 2022 NFL draft. Jurgens’ athleticism jumped off the tape and he lobbied the front office to take the 303-pounder. Those two have a natural bond going on, with Jurgens admitting that he watched a lot of Kelce’s tape growing up. "That’s awesome,” Jurgens said when told Kelce was high on his potential. "I watched a lot of his tape and seeing a guy that’s able to move like he is and play as hard and with as much intensity as he does, that’s how I want to play and that’s how I want to model my game and be an athlete on the field. Just because you’re an O-lineman doesn’t mean you can’t run down field and knock a safety out. I want to do stuff like he does and be able to fit into their system as well as I can. I’m stoked to be able to be in there.” https://heavy.com/sports/philadelphia-eagles/cam-jurgens-unsigned/

Top 5 leaders in STs tackles in 2021 were Epps, Bradley, Ford, Clement, and Riley ... only the first 2 are back, so have to think Bradley stands a good chance at making the roster again this year.

Dickerson lands on list of Eagles’ most important players Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2022 season. 25. Quez Watkins 24. Gardner Minshew 23. T.J. Edwards 22. Marcus Epps 21. Landon Dickerson How well did Landon Dickerson end up playing in 2021? Well enough that he’s not moving. The Eagles had a decision to make after last season ended. They could give Isaac Seumalo his job at left guard back and try to move Dickerson to the right side. Or they could simply leave Dickerson at left guard, the spot where he got stronger as his rookie season went on and where he showed incredibly chemistry with left tackle Jordan Mailata. The Eagles made the right choice. And now they have 700 pounds of friendship manning the left side of their line for at least the next several years. "For us, going through the season and seeing Landon and Jordan [Mailata] next to each other, I mean, that's imposing,” Eagles GM Roseman said during the draft. "We felt like the chemistry that they had developed going forward and how young those guys are, just developing that left side (makes sense). "And we've seen something like that when we played really well when we had Brandon (Brooks) and Lane (Johnson) … and kind of looked at where we were and saw how powerful that side is and how important that was going forward and the chemistry that they developed, we felt like going forward that was the right thing for us to keep that way.” Dickerson, 23, ended up starting 13 games for the Eagles during his rookie season and 12 of them came at the left guard spot. Dickerson was coming off an ACL tear early in his rookie season and he wasn’t very good at right guard in Weeks 2 and 3. Because of his lengthy injury history in college, taking Dickerson with the No. 37 overall pick last year was a risk; so far, that risk looks like a good one. Although, he likely would have improved mightily if he stayed on the right side, his huge growth didn’t begin until the Eagles flipped him to the other side. He ended up ranking as the 22nd-best guard in the NFL last year, according to ProFootballFocus. In 535 snaps in pass protection in 2021, Dickerson gave up just 2 sacks and 8 QB hits as a rookie. And from Week 11 on (in the 6 games he played) Dickerson gave up 0 sacks and just 2 QB hits. While the Eagles’ wild card loss to the Bucs was ugly, Dickerson still played well. He had the second-highest offensive grade on the team in that one, according to PFF. This time last year, Dickerson was still rehabbing a torn ACL. So he will go into his second NFL season with the benefit of a healthy offseason. That should help. "I feel like I’ve moved past the rehab part of my injury last year but it’s still about getting stronger, maintaining that, staying healthy throughout the season,” he said. "We’ve got a long season and we’ve still got a long time before we play.” In general, the tackle spots are more important than the guards. They just are. But that doesn’t mean an elite guard can’t be an absolute game-changer. The Eagles saw that up-close when Brooks was at the top of his game. Dickerson is still young. If he can reach that level, he’ll be a Pro Bowler before long. https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-2022-season-landon-dickerson-list-most-important-players

A surprise safety lands on list of Eagles’ most important players Over the next few weeks leading up to training camp, we’ll be counting down the top 25 most important Eagles for the 2022 season. 25. Quez Watkins 24. Gardner Minshew 23. T.J. Edwards 22. Marcus Epps Marcus Epps didn’t give Jonathan Gannon a choice. The Eagles probably didn’t want to implement a three-man safety rotation in 2021, but Epps was too good to keep on the bench. Eventually, Epps ended up playing 45% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps last year and is in line for an even bigger role in 2022. Epps, 26, was initially a sixth-round pick of the Vikings out of Wyoming in 2019. When he was released halfway through his rookie season, the Eagles claimed him and he’s been climbing the depth chart the last two years. In the last two seasons, Epps has played in 30 games with 8 starts and he figures to be a full-time starter in his fourth NFL season. This offseason, the Eagles re-signed Anthony Harris to a one-year contract but let Rodney McLeod walk in free agency. Based on McLeod’s deal with the Colts, that wasn’t about money. And even if the Eagles had made a big splash for a safety in free agency, don’t be so sure Epps is the guy who would have been sent to the bench. Because, despite his limited role last year, Epps was the Eagles’ best safety. He ended last season with 62 tackles, 5 pass breakups and an interception. And he was ranked as ProFootballFocus’s 18th-best safety last year, well ahead of McLeod (43) and Harris (53). The big question about Epps isn’t whether or not he was good last year. It’s this: Can he be as good in an expanded role? No one really knows the answer. What’s the challenge for him as he takes the next step in his career? "Just like any young player, a guy that hasn't been a full-time starter, is just consistency,” Gannon said last month. "He's played at a high level the times that he's played for us, and you have to be able to do that over the long-haul snap after snap. Really excited to see him play this year. "That's just the thing is just one snap at a time and being a consistent football player and executing at a high level with everything that we ask the safety position to do.” The fact that the Eagles were at least somewhat interested in some free agent safeties this offseason shows that they didn't love running it back with Harris and Epps. Recently, they added Jaquiski Tartt on a one-year deal and it’s unclear how he’ll fit into the defense. Tartt push for a starting gig and will at least provide some much-needed depth. But that doesn’t mean the Eagles don’t like Epps. Heck, my guess is even if the Eagles signed a big-time free agent like Marcus Williams or Tyrann Mathieu, Epps still would have played. It’s just that without that big signing, it makes his role that much more important. And if you think Tartt is going to get playing time, don’t be so sure it’ll be at Epps’ expense. "The coaches, they’ve expressed confidence in me,” Epps said this spring. "Obviously, I have a lot of confidence in myself. But just like any other year, man, I still have to come in and prove it. I still have a lot to prove.” Epps this season is entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract and has a base salary of less than $1 million in 2022. So if he has a big season, he’ll probably cash in as a free agent. The Eagles will be rooting for him. https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-2022-season-marcus-epps-list-most-important-players

5 Eagles on offense with something to prove in 2022 We’re just about a month away from the beginning of training camp and the excitement surrounding the Eagles’ season is palpable. The Eagles have added plenty of big pieces to their roster and many consider them to be serious contenders to win the NFC East and to make a run in the playoffs. But there are plenty of players who have something to prove, for various reasons, going into training camp in 2022. Here are five on offense, in alphabetical order: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside The Eagles’ 2019 second-round pick is running out of chances. This offseason, JJAW officially switched positions from wide receiver to tight end. It’s not an easy transition but there were hints in how the Eagles used him last season. Arcega-Whiteside in 2021 played 170 offensive snaps but caught just two passes. His role was as a blocking receiver for the Eagles’ heavy-running attack. After the season ended, head coach Nick Sirianni called JJAW the "enforcer” among their receivers. So it was somewhat natural for him to change positions to tight end. But none of that means his transition is going to be easy. Dallas Goedert is entrenched as the Eagles’ top tight end, they bring back last year’s No. 2 Jack Stoll and also drafted Grant Calcaterra in the sixth round. And they also have Richard Rodgers, Noah Togiai and a recovering Tyree Jackson (ACL) on the roster. So JJAW faces an uphill battle and his rookie contract no longer protects his roster spot the way it did last season. This training camp and perhaps during the season, Arcega-Whiteside will have to prove that he’s an NFL tight end. Forget about his being a second-round pick, this is just about him trying to find a roster spot in Philadelphia or elsewhere. Jalen Hurts The Eagles have been pretty clear — at least publicly — all offseason that Hurts is their guy going into the 2022 season. But after that? Well, that’s what Hurts will have to prove this season: That he’s a real franchise quarterback. Hurts definitely did some good things last year, his first as a full-time NFL starting quarterback. But there are also plenty of areas that he needs to improve. If he doesn’t, then there’s a very good chance the Eagles won’t give him an extension and will likely look elsewhere to find their franchise quarterback. So there’s an awful lot riding on the 2022 season for the 23-year-old quarterback. The Eagles have been impressed by Hurts’ work ethic and the approach he’s taken this offseason. They truly believe that Hurts will maximize his potential, but they might not know how good he can be. With the addition of A.J. Brown this offseason, Hurts has some impressive weapons (Brown, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Miles Sanders, Quez Watkins, etc.) as well as an offensive line considered to be one of the best in the entire league. That also means there will be no excuses if Hurts can’t perform at a higher level in 2022. Of all the players on this list, he’s the most obvious. Jalen Reagor The Eagles went into last season with some hope for their 2020 first-round pick. After all, he had some nice moments in training camp — including a couple of spectacular one-handed catches — and there were at least some reasons to believe he’d be able to show why the Eagles drafted him at No. 21 overall. It didn’t go very well. Reagor ended up having an even worse second NFL season that followed a disappointing rookie campaign. In 2021, Reagor managed to catch just 33 passes for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also struggled as a punt and kick returner. Coming into this season, though, expectations couldn’t be any lower for Reagor and maybe that’ll help. While he was the No. 2 receiver going into his second season, he’s the No. 5 on the roster right now behind A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins and Zach Pascal. He’s not a sure thing to make the roster but his contract situation will likely help him stick. He probably won’t see the field much on offense if the unit stays healthy but still has a chance to be a return man. Reagor will have a chance in camp and probably in the season to prove that he’s not a complete NFL bust. He’ll likely never live up to his draft status but this is about just sticking in the league. Miles Sanders When he’s on the field, Sanders has proven himself to be a productive NFL running back. Over the last two years, among players with 150+ carries, Sanders’ yards-per-carry average of 5.4 is second in the NFL behind Nick Chubb (5.6) and just ahead of Taylor (5.3). But as he enters a contract year, Sanders simply needs to prove he can stay on the field. If he does, he has a chance to cash in. After playing in all 16 games as a rookie, Sanders played in just 12 in each of the last two seasons. Give Sanders credit for rushing back from a broken hand and surgery late last season to return for the playoffs game, but the amount of injuries is the concern, especially for a player at his position. In the last couple years, Sanders has had hamstring, knee and ankle injuries in addition to that broken hand. Isaac Seumalo After some struggles early in his career, the 2016 second-round pick settled down and became a pretty solid starting left guard for the Eagles in 2018 and 2019. But he managed to play just nine games in 2020 and suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week 3 of the 2021 season. And once rookie Landon Dickerson got into that spot, he played extremely well and now the Eagles aren’t moving him from that position. They hope he’ll hold down the left guard spot for the next decade. So that leaves Seumalo, 28, as the favorite to win the right guard spot as he comes back from a very serious injury. Not only does Seumalo have to prove that he’s capable of playing on the right side of the line, but he also has to prove that he’s worth his $5.65 million base salary. He also has to prove that he’s fully recovered from the Lisfranc injury and can stay healthy, something he hasn’t been able to do in recent seasons. https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-2022-season-5-offensive-players-something-prove

JALEN HURTS RANKED AS A TOP-5 QUARTERBACK WHILE THROWING "IN-RHYTHM” LAST SEASON By Victor Williams June 24, 2022 0 Much of the conversation regarding Jalen Hurts pertains to his ability as a true NFL passer. Hurts, 23, completed 61.3% of his passes in his first year as a starter, up from 52% as a rookie, but he still ranked near the bottom of the league. Only Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold, Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, and Zach Wilson posted worse percentages. Arm talent was the crux of Hurts’ pre-draft evaluations, and some of those concerns were on display in 2021. Although he struggled to hit open receivers at times, Hurts did show flashes of big-play potential in key moments en route to a Wild Card berth. The Eagles will be banking on that version of Hurts next season. GM Howie Roseman went all-in on his young quarterback by trading for (and paying) AJ Brown, who will now join DeVonta Smith to form one of the NFL’s top WR duos. Hurts has spent much of the offseason in California with QB-guru Tom House and his refinements have already turned some heads in OTA’s. Coaching continuity will also play a significant role in 2022. For the first time in his football career, Hurts is participating in an offseason program with the same offensive staff he had the year prior. Familiarity is essential for QB development and Hurts has already proven effective when comfortable. According to NextGenStats, the Eagles’ signal-caller was ranked top five while passing "in-rhythm” last season. NextGenStats defines "in-rhythm” as dropbacks where the time to throw is between 2.5 and 4 seconds. The metric "EPA” (expected points added) measures how well a team performs relative to expectation and allows you to assign a point value to each play. In summation: Hurts increased the Eagles’ expected points on drives by 51.8 — 5th best in the NFL. Of course, as we all know, stats and analytics can be twisted to fit any narrative we choose. But if there’s a statistic out there that has Hurts in the same company as Stafford, Brady, and Rodgers, I’ll take it. The eye test (and more importantly, winning) tells all in the football world. Hurts needs to exhibit visible improvement in anticipatory throws, reading defenses, and pocket awareness if he hopes to silence his detractors. His long-term status in Philadelphia depends on it. https://thelibertyline.com/2022/06/24/jalen-hurts-throwing-in-rhythm/

5 Eagles on defense with something to prove in 2022 With NFL training camp rapidly approaching, we recently took a look at five offensive players with something to prove in 2022. Today, we’ll highlight five defensive players with something to prove for various reasons. Here they are, in alphabetical order: James Bradberry Because the Giants were trying to trade him, they ended up holding on to Bradberry well into the new league year and didn’t cut him until May, well after most teams had already spent the bulk of their cap space. The Eagles ended up signing him to a one-year deal worth $7.25 million (and up to around $10 million). That’s not a bad payday for one year but it’s not the $15 million APY deal he signed to join the Giants back in 2020. After a Pro Bowl season in 2020, Bradberry wasn’t as good in 2021. Despite, a career-high four interceptions, Bradberry wasn’t the same player in his second season in New York. ProFootballFocus ranked Bradberry as their 58th-best cornerback last season after he came in at No. 6 the year before. Bradberry will turn 29 in August and this season has the chance to prove that he’s still a top cornerback in the NFL. One of the major reasons he joined the Eagles was because of Jonathan Gannon’s scheme and Gannon’s propensity to use zone coverages. Bradberry has traditionally thrived in zone. If he can do it again in 2022, he might be leaving the Eagles with a big free agent deal coming after the season. Fletcher Cox On one hand, what the heck does Cox have to prove to anyone? He was a first-round pick, has made six Pro Bowl teams and has made well over $100 million in his 10-year NFL career. He’s already one of the greatest players in franchise history. But Cox didn’t play up to that standard in 2021, a season he admitted had its ups and downs for him. The Eagles released him this offseason to avoid paying $18 million in guaranteed money but then brought him back on a one-year, $14 million contract for the 2022 season. That kept him in the top 10 highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL. Last December, after his streak of six straight Pro Bowls — one shy of Reggie White’s franchise record of seven consecutive — ended, Cox proclaimed that he could "still play at that level.” Cox said that he knows he’s still one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. Let’s see if he can prove it in 2022. Nakobe Dean Sure, every rookie in the NFL has something to prove. In that respect, Dean is like everyone else. But he was also considered by many to be a first-round pick who tumbled out of the first and second rounds into the Eagles’ laps at No. 83 overall in the third round. While Dean has said that draft day free fall won’t be one of his primary sources of motivation … but it’ll stick with him on some level. The main reason Dean fell so far was fear about his injuries, mainly his pec. There were some reports that he needed surgery and was perhaps looking at a redshirt rookie season. The Eagles, after drafting him, said immediately that wasn’t the case. Dean was on the field during OTAs and should be ready to play in Year 1. While at Georgia, Dean was the leader of the best defense in the nation and helped guide the Bulldogs to a national title. While Dean was the leader of that team, he watched as seven of his teammates heard their names called before him. He has a chance this season to prove he can be a difference-maker at the NFL level. Marcus Epps The Eagles tried to make a major splash at the safety position this offseason but they didn’t land Marcus Williams or Justin Reid or Tyrann Mathieu. They eventually signed Jaquiski Tartt very late in the process, giving them a trio of Tartt, Anthony Harris and Marcus Epps all fighting for playing time. Keep an eye on Epps. Because despite their attempts to sign a big-time free agent, the Eagles kept talking up the fourth-year safety out of Wyoming. We’ll have to see how this safety position shakes out, but Epps has a chance to solidify himself as a high-level NFL safety this season. Oh yeah, and he’s entering a contract season. He’ll play out the final year of his four-year rookie contract in 2022. Kyzir White Coming off a major breakout season with the Chargers in 2021, White expected to cash in on a big multi-year deal. Didn’t happen. White settled by joining the Eagles on a one-year contract worth just $3 million with the potential to be worth up to $5. That’s a pretty low salary for a guy who had 144 tackles, 7 TFLs, 2 TFLs and 2 interceptions and started all 17 games last season. White, 26, will likely figure prominently in the Eagles’ linebacker landscape in 2022 along with Dean, T.J. Edwards and Davion Taylor. White will probably be the starter at the weak side position in 2022 with a chance to prove his breakout season wasn’t a fluke and earn himself some money in the process. Bonus: Arryn Siposs While he got off to a pretty good start last season, punter Arryn Siposs really struggled toward the end of the 2021 season. He ranked 24th in the league in net average (out of 29 qualifying punters) at 38.8 yards per punt and 26th in gross average at 43.9. In the last six games of the season (including the playoff loss in Tampa), Siposs averaged just 37.0 yards per punt. Despite all that, he’s the only punter on the 90-man roster. Could the Eagles’ still sign another punter at some point? Sure. But Siposs is going to have the opportunity to prove himself at training camp and then likely in the season too. Siposs, 29, played his first NFL games last season, so the hope is that he’ll get better. The Eagles really like their field goal operation, of which Siposs is the holder. And kicker Jake Elliott is coming off a career year as a punter, so you’ll understand why the Eagles aren’t in a hurry to make changes. But that’s not Siposs’s primary job. He needs to be a better punter in 2022. https://www.nbcsports.com/philadelphia/eagles/eagles-2022-season-5-defensive-players-something-prove