Eagles News: PFF nearly ranked Philadelphia's linebacker unit dead last in the NFL

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2023 NFL linebacker unit rankings: San Francisco 49ers claim top spot for second straight year – PFF
31. Philadelphia Eagles. It will be difficult to judge the Eagles’ linebackers until we see them in action. Last year’s starters, TJ Edwards and Kyzir White, left in free agency, leaving the Eagles with a big hole in the middle of their defense. Nicholas Morrow enters the fold as the only player with significant experience, but he has posted a grade above 54.0 in just one of his five seasons in the NFL. Former third-round pick Nakobe Dean looks to establish himself as the new leader of Philadelphia’s defense. There are concerns about his small stature and health in a full-time role, but the Eagles won’t know what they have until he plays. Dean put up first-round production in college, so he’ll try to prove the doubters wrong while playing alongside several former Bulldog teammates.

Think you could get an XFL Combine invite? – BGN
The XFL released a video over the weekend saying they need players and encouraged anyone who thinks they can play to come out to one of the league’s showcases. Doug Whaley, SVP Player Personnel, mentioned six guys from Saturday’s showcase earned invitations to the XFL Combine, which takes place later in July.

Three USFL players who could interest the Eagles – PhillyVoice
Colby Wadman (28), P, Birmingham Stallions (6’1, 185). Wadman punted in two seasons for the Denver Broncos in 2018 and 2019. He finished 23rd and 26th in EPA per punt those two seasons. He was the first player selected in the 2022 USFL draft and averaged 45.1 yards per carry. punt, with an average net of 38.6. In 2023, he averaged 48.7 yards per punt, with a net average of 41.0, both of which led the league. The Eagles already have a punting contest in incumbent Arryn Siposs vs. undrafted rookie free agent Ty Zentner. In the lone OTA practice where we got to see the players, Siposs clearly won the day. If Zentner shows early in camp that he’s not the guy, the Eagles should get another player in there to continue to pressure Siposs. So you know why not this guy?

X’s and O’s Talk – Iggles Blitz
Rushing four and getting pressure is huge. It allows you to drop seven players into coverage, making things that much more difficult for the QB. You can rush four and be successful if you have good players, which the Eagles did. Gannon also mixed in stunts effectively. He didn’t do much of this, so offenses wouldn’t focus on it. When the Eagles did the stunt, they had good success. Desai is right to point out that the scheme can be overrated in terms of coaches. There is no perfect system that magically makes everyone better. But good schematic ideas and adjustments can make a huge difference, especially when you have the right players. Howie Roseman has built a loaded roster and Nick Sirianni and his staff know how to get the most out of these players. That’s a big reason why the Eagles will be favored to repeat as NFC champions.

‘I want to build a legacy’: Eagles All-Pro Haason Reddick delivers poignant message during youth camp in Camden – Inquirer
Heading into Year 2 with his hometown team, Reddick hopes to assert himself even more, especially as a leader in the defensive space. “I’m in good shape,” he said. “As crazy as it sounds, I feel like there are still more levels for me to get into. I am very excited and look forward to building on another great year. I want to continue to make progress with what I did and what the team did last year. “We know our ultimate goal, but it starts with us striving for constant success.”

Spadaro: The time is now for the class of 2022 – PE.com
There’s a reason the NFL stands by the idea that a player improves the most from his first season to his second. It’s an axiom that’s tried and true, and when you live that life, you understand it in real time. Last year at this time, linebacker Nakobe Dean was learning to be an Eagle. Safety Reed Blankenship tried to stay afloat in the fast-paced world at the NovaCare Complex. Offensive lineman Cam Jurgens did everything he could to overshadow All-Pro center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Jordan Davis tried everything he could to stay in the moment and take things day by day. That was 2022. Now it’s a completely different situation for the Eagles’ 2022 Rookie Class, one that steps up and expects to be a major factor in the team’s success in 2023. “It’s a lot different,” said Dean, who has a chance to to earn a starting job in Sean Desai’s defense after playing 34 snaps in his rookie campaign. “It was completely new last year, so there were naturally many things to learn. We’re still learning, but we’ve gone over the daily schedule all last season. I know for us (fellow Georgia Bulldog Davis) we had won the national championship game and went right into the (NFL) Draft preparation and then the Draft and then here we are in Philadelphia. There was no time to stop, so you just kept pushing and pushing. “We have an offseason now and we can work on things and improve on what we did last year, so that’s a big difference.”

Derrick Henry to the Eagles? ‘I messed up the deal!’ – Akbar Gbajabiamila’s Goofy ‘Humblebrag’ – SI
How could Akbar Gbajabiamila — who cited a “very, very credible source” on April 22 in reporting that Henry is “on his way” to Philly — get it so wrong? In a wild case of “humbleness”, Gbajabiamila is both … 1 – Sticking to the truth of his report, which seems quite insane, except … 2 – Claiming that it was the power of his report of a leak that literally destroyed the do-it-all deal. Which also seems pretty crazy. “I had a very, very credible source and I actually think I actually botched this deal because (the information) wasn’t supposed to get out,” American Ninja Warrior star Gbajabiamila said when he appeared on The Rich Eisen Show, strongly insisted that his reporting was accurate. “This could have happened,” he said, “but I think because I got in front of it and it just exploded. I blew up the stage.”

Inside Hall of Fame coach Dick Vermeil’s second act – ESPN
IT’S 6:30 a.m. and the first light has yet to appear over the Mayacamas Mountains when Dick Vermeil climbs into the seat of a tractor. On this September day in California’s Napa Valley, it’s harvest season. Vermeil hauls small sirah grapes from the fields to a collection point where they will be brought to the winery for transformation into one of Vermeil Wines’ 11 varietals. Vermeil sees the frantic pace of the workers around him. Seventeen years removed from his career as an NFL coach, the 86-year-old Vermeil still thinks and sounds like one. He spends his time studying the 12 workers, noting how each one goes about trimming the grapes from the vines in a slightly different way. Vermeil nods to one, calling him “my first-round pick.” “He stands out, but they all work hard. There is not one guy I would remove from the team. But I rank them and I pick him in the first round.”

Dallas Cowboys mailbag: Linebacker and wide receiver depth concerns – Blogging The Boys
I thought this would end a close call between Jake Ferguson and Luke Schoonmaker, but there’s still a lot of love for Hendershot. Ferguson is more than likely to take the starting position at the start of the season, which will help him lead the way in touchdown totals this year. Who the TE1 is in December will be interesting to see. Hendershot being ahead of Schoonmaker in touchdowns is also plausible when you consider how much burst and speed he plays with and is a player who can run seam routes or get out to the flat in the red zone quickly. Schoonmaker has some great receiving skills that are underappreciated, just keep an eye out for him when he gets the chance to catch some throws.

Wink Martindale brings heat to NY Giants, but should he tone it down? – Great blue view
If the four-man rush takes a big step forward, will Martindale continue to blitz? The answer is probably yes, if his first year in Baltimore is any indication. More than that, though, Martindale likes to drop edge defenders in coverage. Oshane Ximines’ 24.8% coverage rate was fifth among 66 edge rushers with at least 20 coverage snaps, Thibodeaux’s 13.7% was 29th, and Jihad Ward’s 13.4% was tied for 30th. Even Tomon Fox, who played 169 passes -snaps, dropped into coverage 18.3% of the time, which finished 17th. When the edge defenders drop into coverage, it allows other blitzers to come and try to confuse the quarterback. It can be a strategy in itself in the 3-4 defense. Besides the pressure itself, if the quarterback takes an extra half second to process, it can help the blitzes get home. Having the ability to come home with four could still give Martindale many more options in personnel usage. However, it’s unlikely he’ll ever really lower his blitz rate. If he can continue to generate pressure and disrupt the opposing passing game like that, that will suit the Giants just fine.

The 5 O’Clock Club: Only 2 Commanders Beat Pete Prisco’s Top 100 Players in 2023 – Hogs Haven
He apparently isn’t very impressed with the roster that Ron Rivera has put together for the Commanders, as he only included two players, with both of them way down the list. Star wide receiver Terry McLaurin is the first Commander to appear at #68, while Kamren Curl makes the list at #85. The “Honorable Mentions” list includes both of Washington’s starting defensive tackles, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.

Eagles News: PFF nearly ranked Philadelphia’s linebacker unit dead last in the NFL

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