4 hours ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

He has had multiple concussions going back to college had a serious wrist injury in college that he almost quit football because of it and multiple ankle injuries that's just college. Nfl has had concussions nagging ankle injuries tore his Achilles in 2023 and then his ACL with reconstructive surgery in 24 ( not his biceps) and a mcl sprain all on the same leg. Also had to go to therapy for depression because of all the injuries.

You serious? No thank you.

I love Goedert and I'm not going to be remotely upset if they bring him back but I think it's time to get younger at the position and revamp it. If we are going to spend legit money on a tight end I would prefer it be someone like Pitts, Likely, Otton, or Okonkwo who are 25, 25, 27, and 26. I would really like them to see them sign a legit FA tight end, and add a couple more guys through the draft and perhaps a cheap veteran blocking TE. Mannion is likely going to run a lot of two and three TE sets.

I'm really torn on Reed. On one hand the S position is in need of some upgrading if nothing else with depth so losing the best and most experienced S we have isn't a great idea. That being said, he was not very good in 2026 and there is zero chance I would get into a bidding war and pay more than 7 million per for him.

Fred Johnson is almost a must to bring back even IF Lane is back and even IF they invest a high pick in his successor.

14 hours ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

They can't really count on Phillips staying healthy and producing either. He is in the same boat even worse with his injury history.

Good point, Phillips has suffered season-ending injuries in the 2 years prior to this past year so that's definitely concerning. I knew he tore his ACL last year but didn't know he tore his achilles the year before that. Sheesh. Apparently he's got lower body issues and Smith has upper body issues.

1 hour ago, EaglesAddict said:

Good point, Phillips has suffered season-ending injuries in the 2 years prior to this past year so that's definitely concerning. I knew he tore his ACL last year but didn't know he tore his achilles the year before that. Sheesh. Apparently he's got lower body issues and Smith has upper body issues.

Yes, Phillips is pretty bad, I don't think I would do more then a 1 year prove it deal. Don't get me wrong he is awesome but, he is a huge risk for anything more than a year imo

I really don't think injury histories are as big a deal as people make them. Most injuries are just bad luck --- caused from circumstances beyond control. Guys like Jordan Hicks and Derrick Burgess had injury-plagued rookie contract spans --- then went on to perform injury free for several seasons with their new teams. Typically, players will have injuries spread evenly throughout there careers, but they still play way more games than they miss. Some, though, will have a bunch early or maybe a bunch late in their careers, but still end up playing way more games than they miss.

Injuries are a great negotiation point in contract talks, though.

For me, It's all about cost and production. Phillips is going to get Josh Sweat money. We still have guys on rookie deals that have as much potential. If Phillips wants to do a team friendly deal like Reddick did (minus the complaining a year later), then great. If not, we are capable without him.

22 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

Yes, Phillips is pretty bad, I don't think I would do more then a 1 year prove it deal. Don't get me wrong he is awesome but, he is a huge risk for anything more than a year imo

I'd prefer that, but odds are he will get a good multi-year deal. Some team will do that, if we don't

32 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

I really don't think injury histories are as big a deal as people make them. Most injuries are just bad luck --- caused from circumstances beyond control. Guys like Jordan Hicks and Derrick Burgess had injury-plagued rookie contract spans --- then went on to perform injury free for several seasons with their new teams. Typically, players will have injuries spread evenly throughout there careers, but they still play way more games than they miss. Some, though, will have a bunch early or maybe a bunch late in their careers, but still end up playing way more games than they miss.

Injuries are a great negotiation point in contract talks, though.

For me, It's all about cost and production. Phillips is going to get Josh Sweat money. We still have guys on rookie deals that have as much potential. If Phillips wants to do a team friendly deal like Reddick did (minus the complaining a year later), then great. If not, we are capable without him.

I wouldn't say "capable without him". We'd be relying on Hunt and Smith...and while Hunt looks like a superstar in the making, the jury is way out on Smith. When we traded for Phillips, Fangio immediately gave him the Lion's share of the snaps the rest of the season...mostly at the expense of Smith. So...no, I don't think we are capable without him as we are right now. If we don't resign him, suddenly Edge Rusher becomes a huge need again and would likely impact draft resources we should be using for OL this year.

Here’s the thing… I don’t think they are going to cost a bomb but they are going to cost a fair hit on the cap. And that’s to keep the roster the same not to improve the roster. A roster that does need upgrades at some pretty key positions.

I’d love to bring back Goedert and if the price is tight then do it. Dean for me is a must. Reed? I do like Reed I think he’s been a really good reliable player. I’d kind of be okay moving on from him? But then we have so little at safety that it does scare me a little? So maybe we should bring him back? But yeah I mean he’s not going to get a huge contract because I don’t think the league sees him as anywhere near elite.

17 hours ago, time2rock said:

Welp ... there's always 2027!

Joking aside, this year will have a lot of question marks. I really thought this roster was primed to repeat this year, but Patullo and O line injuries prevented that. Sigh.

But it's still a great roster...with questions yes. O line health, TE position, the entire offense adjusting to the new coaches. So my optimistic view is that IF Mannion and Grizzard are the answer then even if this year is a transition year it should lead to a lot of success.

After the first SB win Howie tried to run it back in 2018 and hold on to aging veterans and they just weren't able to replicate the success, that's understandable, repeating is hard. This time they have a young core on defense and a lot of talent on offense that was poorly coached. If Mannion is really the next big thing, then we also have to be patient with him growing into the role.

We may be looking at a 2027 team with a new QB, new #2 WR, new TE and some new O linemen, plus some changes on defense while keeping the main core. And if the new system is what Howie and Lurie think it is, then that could build something to be competitive for many seasons to come.

This is a very important year for the new coaches, Siri, Hurts, O line, everyone to prove it and they can figure out what's in store for 2027. Plus, Fangio has to groom Hurtt to replace him or someone else to keep the defense going strong.

Edge Rusher is a legit need for this team. Also, I will preface my comments by saying that stats can be misleading and Phillips played better than those stats indicated. That being said, Phillips had 2 sacks in 8 games with the Eagles. When you combine that with the major injury history dating all of the way back to college he is a big risk to bring back. Not only that, he could possibly net a pretty decent comp pick if he signs elsewhere. I am all for bringing back Phillips on a short term team friendly deal, but if someone is willing to pay big time edge rusher money for him and give him multiple years I would wish him well and move on. I'm guessing in a fairly thin market he will get paid and the Eagles will go that Ojulari/Uche route again and bring in a couple of cheap vets hoping they can bargains out of. There are so many needs but I wouldn't be at all opposed to them drafting an edge rusher in the first round if the value is right.

18 minutes ago, T-1000 said:

Edge Rusher is a legit need for this team. Also, I will preface my comments by saying that stats can be misleading and Phillips played better than those stats indicated. That being said, Phillips had 2 sacks in 8 games with the Eagles. When you combine that with the major injury history dating all of the way back to college he is a big risk to bring back. Not only that, he could possibly net a pretty decent comp pick if he signs elsewhere. I am all for bringing back Phillips on a short term team friendly deal, but if someone is willing to pay big time edge rusher money for him and give him multiple years I would wish him well and move on. I'm guessing in a fairly thin market he will get paid and the Eagles will go that Ojulari/Uche route again and bring in a couple of cheap vets hoping they can bargains out of. There are so many needs but I wouldn't be at all opposed to them drafting an edge rusher in the first round if the value is right.

I would like to bring Uche back although I sincerely doubt it happens. He didn't play badly at all and was decent on special teams. He got screwed when BG came back. Speaking of BG, enough is enough. They don't need a 37 year old DE on the roster good for ten snaps a game.

On 2/12/2026 at 6:48 AM, EaglesAddict said:

I wouldn't say "capable without him". We'd be relying on Hunt and Smith...and while Hunt looks like a superstar in the making, the jury is way out on Smith. When we traded for Phillips, Fangio immediately gave him the Lion's share of the snaps the rest of the season...mostly at the expense of Smith. So...no, I don't think we are capable without him as we are right now. If we don't resign him, suddenly Edge Rusher becomes a huge need again and would likely impact draft resources we should be using for OL this year.

Yes, Hunt and Smith would be the starters. Smith had a bit of a setback last season, but he showed star potential all through the 2nd half and postseason of 2024. He works hard and gives me no reason to believe he won't be attempting to get better with every practice, every rep. Hunt appears to be where Smith was at the end of 2024. There will be players retained and/or added during free agency and if the Eagles draft BPA, they will likely draft an Edge at some point in the draft. Having two starters under contract for the next 2 years does not create a "need." On top of all that, Brandon Graham may want to come back for another season, adding versatile depth on the D-line.

Smith returned from injury the same time Phillips arrived and Smith was on a pitch count for a couple weeks. After that it was really Smith and Phillips on the field more than Hunt and Phillips. Snap counts for the week 17 game vs Buffalo were: (Phillips 66 / Smith 50 / Hunt 36).

On 2/13/2026 at 10:24 AM, brkmsn said:

Yes, Hunt and Smith would be the starters. Smith had a bit of a setback last season, but he showed star potential all through the 2nd half and postseason of 2024. He works hard and gives me no reason to believe he won't be attempting to get better with every practice, every rep. Hunt appears to be where Smith was at the end of 2024. There will be players retained and/or added during free agency and if the Eagles draft BPA, they will likely draft an Edge at some point in the draft. Having two starters under contract for the next 2 years does not create a "need." On top of all that, Brandon Graham may want to come back for another season, adding versatile depth on the D-line.

Smith returned from injury the same time Phillips arrived and Smith was on a pitch count for a couple weeks. After that it was really Smith and Phillips on the field more than Hunt and Phillips. Snap counts for the week 17 game vs Buffalo were: (Phillips 66 / Smith 50 / Hunt 36).

Having 2 "starters" under contract does not mean there isn't a need. They rotate their Edge rushers as much as they can unless Fangio feels the drop-off is too much when taking the starters off the field. The DL is better when there is a good rotation. Smith and Hunt as the starters would be, IMO, mid-ling and would definitely not be without questions/issues. If they don't retain Phillips, Edge will become a big need. They're either paying good money for one or will use a valuable draft resource on one. Graham would just be depth and function as the 4th Edge in the rotation.

I really want the draft to be about the offense this year. If they don't retain Phillips or find a suitable 3rd Edge in FA (hard to find), they would likely use one of their 1st 2 picks on an Edge. I guess they can do that, it's just not my preference. I want to hit the OL hard in the draft by taking 2 in the first 3 picks (OT and OG/C).

56 minutes ago, EaglesAddict said:

Having 2 "starters" under contract does not mean there isn't a need. They rotate their Edge rushers as much as they can unless Fangio feels the drop-off is too much when taking the starters off the field. The DL is better when there is a good rotation. Smith and Hunt as the starters would be, IMO, mid-ling and would definitely not be without questions/issues. If they don't retain Phillips, Edge will become a big need. They're either paying good money for one or will use a valuable draft resource on one. Graham would just be depth and function as the 4th Edge in the rotation.

I really want the draft to be about the offense this year. If they don't retain Phillips or find a suitable 3rd Edge in FA (hard to find), they would likely use one of their 1st 2 picks on an Edge. I guess they can do that, it's just not my preference. I want to hit the OL hard in the draft by taking 2 in the first 3 picks (OT and OG/C).

Another thing people are overlooking is Jihaad Campbell. We'll have to wait and see what the team does with Dean, but it would be much cheaper to retain Dean than Phillips --- allowing Campbell to play significant OLB snaps. My personal opinion was that is why the Eagles drafted Campbell. They wanted someone who could add depth at off-ball LB while he developed his pass rush technique to eventually move to edge. Even if we don't re-sign Dean, the team might be comfortable continuing that plan while elevating Trotter to starter next to Baun.

From Lance Zierlein before last year's draft regarding Campbell: "The elite traits and athletic talent will be tantalizing, but the best way to utilize him might be as a full-time 3-4 rush linebacker, where he can play more proactively instead of reactively as an off-ball linebacker."

38 minutes ago, brkmsn said:

Another thing people are overlooking is Jihaad Campbell. We'll have to wait and see what the team does with Dean, but it would be much cheaper to retain Dean than Phillips --- allowing Campbell to play significant OLB snaps. My personal opinion was that is why the Eagles drafted Campbell. They wanted someone who could add depth at off-ball LB while he developed his pass rush technique to eventually move to edge. Even if we don't re-sign Dean, the team might be comfortable continuing that plan while elevating Trotter to starter next to Baun.

From Lance Zierlein before last year's draft regarding Campbell: "The elite traits and athletic talent will be tantalizing, but the best way to utilize him might be as a full-time 3-4 rush linebacker, where he can play more proactively instead of reactively as an off-ball linebacker."

I don't think he was too impressive playing that role in the limited time he did this past season. Maybe he can...but I believe they really wanted him as an off the ball LB. That said, if they retain Dean, then yeah, I can see them trying to utilize him at OLB.

I don't think Campbell was drafted to play a specific position. I obviously could be wrong (and I regularly am 🙃). They saw him still on the Board and pulled the trigger on the pick. Draft him and then find the best position, or two positions, that he could possibly play.

He may have been drafted because he was the BPA at that pick. So he's not here to replace Nakobe or Baun. He's here to just play good Defensive football, at whatever position he plays.

*****This post is presented to you by a Certified Idiot.....

19 hours ago, EaglesAddict said:

I don't think he was too impressive playing that role in the limited time he did this past season. Maybe he can...but I believe they really wanted him as an off the ball LB. That said, if they retain Dean, then yeah, I can see them trying to utilize him at OLB.

16 hours ago, LacesOut said:

I don't think Campbell was drafted to play a specific position. I obviously could be wrong (and I regularly am 🙃). They saw him still on the Board and pulled the trigger on the pick. Draft him and then find the best position, or two positions, that he could possibly play.

He may have been drafted because he was the BPA at that pick. So he's not here to replace Nakobe or Baun. He's here to just play good Defensive football, at whatever position he plays.

*****This post is presented to you by a Certified Idiot.....

I just don’t think Dean can happen unless they have confidence in Campbell as an edge rusher and I don’t think we’ve seen enough.

2 hours ago, ManchesterEagle said:

I just don’t think Dean can happen unless they have confidence in Campbell as an edge rusher and I don’t think we’ve seen enough.

They didn't really give Campbell much work as an edge in training camp because they knew Dean would miss significant time to begin the season. It was a great situation for Campbell to get playing time as a rookie. Had Dean been healthy all offseason, I believe we would have seen the Eagles give Campbell a lot more reps at OLB in camp.

Again, we'll have to see what they do with Dean. Dean wears the green dot when healthy and he's the closest thing to a leader the defense has. He's also part of the UGA dynamic that the Eagles put together and that might be influential in helping extend Davis and Carter.

11 hours ago, ManchesterEagle said:

I just don’t think Dean can happen unless they have confidence in Campbell as an edge rusher and I don’t think we’ve seen enough.

What do you mean by "I just don't think Dean can happen"?? Like, the Birds can't re-sign him, or, they can re-sign him?

Nakobe is a freaking heat seeking missle when he's healthy and out there on the Defense. I know we'll probably lose him, but I'd love to keep him. The run D improves when he's on the field.

Campbell has the potential to be a stud too. He just needs to find out where his defensive skills fit with Vic. Might take another season.

Nakobe, Baun, Campbell, Trott Jr. Yeesh that could be a hella fun/good LB group. Mean, fast, athletic, good tackling, decent blitzing, good coverage in space......❤️🥰

10 hours ago, brkmsn said:

They didn't really give Campbell much work as an edge in training camp because they knew Dean would miss significant time to begin the season. It was a great situation for Campbell to get playing time as a rookie. Had Dean been healthy all offseason, I believe we would have seen the Eagles give Campbell a lot more reps at OLB in camp.

Again, we'll have to see what they do with Dean. Dean wears the green dot when healthy and he's the closest thing to a leader the defense has. He's also part of the UGA dynamic that the Eagles put together and that might be influential in helping extend Davis and Carter.

1 hour ago, LacesOut said:

What do you mean by "I just don't think Dean can happen"?? Like, the Birds can't re-sign him, or, they can re-sign him?

Nakobe is a freaking heat seeking missle when he's healthy and out there on the Defense. I know we'll probably lose him, but I'd love to keep him. The run D improves when he's on the field.

Campbell has the potential to be a stud too. He just needs to find out where his defensive skills fit with Vic. Might take another season.

Nakobe, Baun, Campbell, Trott Jr. Yeesh that could be a hella fun/good LB group. Mean, fast, athletic, good tackling, decent blitzing, good coverage in space......❤️🥰

I mean I don’t think there is much chance we can keep Dean in 2026 and beyond. Eagles have a small amount of cap and linebacker wouldn’t be a priority as we already have Baun, a first round pick waiting in the wings and Trott looks like decent depth.

With us needing to sign Davis, Carter and the two corners soon, as well as having major needs at TE, WR and S, I find it hard to believe that we can sign Dean and let Campbell play on the bench.

I agree he didn’t get much time at edge last year, but because of it, we can’t be confident he will convert well there.

I suppose it’s possible that Dean takes a one year deal, which lets us have a look at Campbell as an edge next year.

But sadly it’s likely someone else pays him.

33 minutes ago, ManchesterEagle said:

I mean I don’t think there is much chance we can keep Dean in 2026 and beyond. Eagles have a small amount of cap and linebacker wouldn’t be a priority as we already have Baun, a first round pick waiting in the wings and Trott looks like decent depth.

With us needing to sign Davis, Carter and the two corners soon, as well as having major needs at TE, WR and S, I find it hard to believe that we can sign Dean and let Campbell play on the bench.

I agree he didn’t get much time at edge last year, but because of it, we can’t be confident he will convert well there.

I suppose it’s possible that Dean takes a one year deal, which lets us have a look at Campbell as an edge next year.

But sadly it’s likely someone else pays him.

We have a lot of cap space coming up after the 2026 season. It really won't be too difficult to keep some guys now and still get the other guys new contracts. The Eagles might prefer to extend Dean and then let Baun leave after his contract is up. Baun is only signed through 2027. Campbell will still be on a rookie contract at that point and Dean's average projected annual cost is lower than Baun's. Dean is 5 years younger than Baun.

On 2/10/2026 at 1:28 PM, twilo73 said:

Blankenship (around $7M), Goedert (around $6M), and Dean (cheaper than we think because of injury history).

We want CJGJ back. Let Reed walk.

2 hours ago, seengreen said:

We want CJGJ back. Let Reed walk.

No. Just no.

2 hours ago, seengreen said:

We want CJGJ back. Let Reed walk.

Hmmmmm.........I think I'd take Reed over CJ.

The Safety position, for me, is Epps and Mukuba. Fill in any depth pieces as needed.

1 hour ago, LacesOut said:

Hmmmmm.........I think I'd take Reed over CJ.

The Safety position, for me, is Epps and Mukuba. Fill in any depth pieces as needed.

As much of a mercurial personality he is, he creates turnovers. I am jivin' when I list him, he isn't coming back.