Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Rankings and Reviews

Posted July 6th, 2026 | 1 Comment »

I woke up this morning and wasn’t sure what I would write about. I hopped onto Twitter and there was all kinds of new football content from various sources so that problem got solved in a hurry. Let’s jump right in.

ESPN had their analysts rank the rosters of all 32 teams. The Eagles came in at #2, just behind the Rams.

Biggest strength: Offensive tackle. The Eagles have many strengths, especially on defense, but it’s tough to beat arguably the NFL’s top tackle duo of Jordan Mailata (left) and Lane Johnson (right). Mailata has ranked no lower than sixth at tackle in Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade each of the past three seasons. Johnson is 36 years old and missed time due to injury last season, but he continues to play at a high level, ranking in the upper quarter of the league in PFF grade, pass block win rate and run block win rate. — Clay

Biggest weakness: Safety. Reed Blankenship signed with Houston, which positions second-year man Andrew Mukuba (who missed half of his rookie season with a broken ankle) and Marcus Epps (a backup for most of 2025) as the team’s top full-time options. Cooper DeJean will also get a run at safety, but his role as the team’s primary slot corner will keep him occupied most of the time. — Clay

X factor for 2026: CB Riq Woolen. I’m a Woolen believer. He has the best yards per coverage snap among all cornerbacks with at least 500 coverage snaps over the past four seasons, per NFL Next Gen Stats, but there’s no question opinions are divided on him. He has been benched before and started only seven games (out of 16 played) last season for Seattle. Woolen presents a wide range of outcomes for the Eagles. — Walder

Nonstarter to know: WR Hollywood Brown. He’s not going to start, but the 2019 first-rounder is going to play a role in the Eagles’ offense. Last season, he had 49 catches in Kansas City for 587 yards and five touchdowns, and his average of 12.0 yards per reception was his highest since 2020. But he also registered a 32 overall score (out of 100) in ESPN’s receiver scores. — Schatz

I can’t argue with anything they said in that writeup. It would have been nice for them to mention that Riq Woolen had a great spring and the early reviews on him in Philly are very good. They also should have mentioned Marcus Epps in the safety notes. DeJean will only be there in base looks, so that won’t be very often.

Other teams of interest…SEA at 3, SF at 11, KC at 12, Dallas at 14, WAS at 21 and NYG at 23. Miami came in last.

We know Howie Roseman and his staff do a brilliant job of roster building. The results speak for themselves. It is good to see what others think and to have some thoughts put into perspective. Trying to figure out who should be higher between WAS and NYG isn’t easy. Both teams have some good pieces, but also gaping holes on the roster.

*****

NFL.com posted some offseason grades. They gave the Eagles a B+.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman runs one of the most consistently successful teams in the league, so it’s possible this offseason will look better as time goes by. But parting with Brown, Phillips and LB Nakobe Dean, among others, could hurt. Philly did acquire OLB Jonathan Greenard and signed OLB A.J. Epenesa to fortify the pass rush, and also signed the boom-or-bust Woolen to bolster the secondary.

Of course, before trading Brown, they jumped the Steelers to draft WR Makai Lemon and picked up TE Eli Stowers in the second round. The offense might look different in 2026, which could be a good thing after last season’s inconsistencies. But it’s a lot of change for a team that’s won at least 11 games in each of the last four years. Roseman’s track record earns the benefit of the doubt and a respectable grade.

I can live with that grade. The Eagles did lose some key guys, but as I’ve written about they had good replacement plans for all of them. None of the losses came as a shock. Howie and his staff were ready.

The writer, Matt Okada, isn’t someone I’m familiar with. He gave the Giants an A+, with a big part of that being their draft. He referred to DTs DJ Reader and Shelby Harris as notable defensive players. I think of them as grinders that only serious fans would know. This sentence in the Dallas review has me scratching my head.

Dallas also re-signed Williams on a team-friendly deal and franchise-tagged Pickens. A lack of upgrades on the offensive line is the only thing keeping the Cowboys from a perfect grade.

Perfect grade? I guess he means A+. Terrible choice of words. Dallas had to settle for an A.

*****

Nick Shook of NFL.com had good things to say about Jonathan Greenard. He wrote about which players should improve this season.

Greenard’s inclusion might seem misplaced to those who already understand how good he is. At 29 years old, how much better can he get? Well, after Greenard posted just three sacks in an injury-riddled 2025 campaign, Minnesota sent him packing for Philadelphia, where the Eagles were happy to welcome one of the most consistently underrated edge rushers in the NFL. Greenard’s third team in four seasons presents him with one of the best opportunities of his career. He joins a front that includes Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis, and he will rush opposite the incredibly athletic Nolan Smith. He’s playing for defensive mastermind Vic Fangio. All of the ingredients are there for Greenard to produce a remarkable rebound season in a defense that saw Jaelan Phillips make a difference as a midseason acquisition and eventually cash in on a nine-figure deal with the Panthers. With all due respect to Phillips, Greenard is an upgrade. You’ll see why this season.

Can’t argue with anything other than it may be Jalyx Hunt starting over Nolan Smith. I think that will be determined by who plays better this summer.

*****

ESPN spoke to NFL execs, coaches and scouts to get some player rankings. RB is up first. Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs earned the top two spots. That put Saquon Barkley at #3.

Highest ranking: 2 | Lowest ranking: 8
Age: 29 | Last year’s ranking: 1

Barkley proved how great he can be with a 2,000-yard season in 2024 behind Philly’s elite offensive line, resulting in last year’s No. 1 ranking.

But the Eagles’ line in 2025 was subpar by its standards. Barkley still produced 1,180 yards, but big gains were far less frequent. His four runs of 20-plus yards were 13 fewer than the previous year. His rushing yards over expected, as charted by NFL Next Gen Stats, went from second in the NFL in 2024 to 24th last season.

Many voters did not knock him too harshly for that.

“I’m not going to penalize him for a terrible all-around offense last year,” a high-ranking personnel official with an NFL team said. “He’s still a three-down weapon and if I needed a running back for one season I’m still taking him 1.”

Since 2024, Barkley ranks second in 100-plus-yard rushing games (14) behind Derrick Henry (17).

“My only criticism is that he doesn’t always produce when things aren’t completely clean,” an NFL coordinator said. “That’s dating back to the Giants. Tends to need things perfectly set up for him.”

I would love to hear from the guy who ranked him down at 8th. I just can’t see seven better RBs in the league. Third I can get. Gibbs and Robinson are younger and coming off better seasons. That’s absolutely fair.

I sure hope the OL stays healthy and we get to see Barkley bounce back with a big year. He’s still special.

*****

Jimmy Bama did a roster review, splitting all the players into locks, not-quite locks, bubble players and longshots. I’m embarrassed to say I don’t have any major complaints. Jimmy had an interesting note in the longshot section.

Notes: I would give the players in this group anywhere between a 0-20 percent chance of making the team. Last year, three of my “longshots” — WR Darius Cooper, OL Brett Toth, and iDL Gabe Hall — beat the odds and made the initial 53-man roster.

If I were to predict which longshots could force their way onto the roster via a good camp, I would go with undrafted rookies Kapena Gushiken or Maximus Pulley. The opportunity is certainly there at safety.

Both of those DBs are players to watch. They have talent and safety is a position that isn’t set in stone.

*****

Interesting.

He’s still very talented, but everyone saw some flaws last year.

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The Right Guys

Posted July 5th, 2026 | No Comments »

Yesterday I wrote about Vic Fangio and his scheme. Fangio likes to be creative with his coverages and pass rush plans. That requires the right kind of players. Hybrid players, to be specific.

Think about the team’s DBs.

Cooper DeJean – Can play the slot, outside corner or safety. Excels in the slot, but has the versatility to play anywhere.

Quinyon Mitchell – Outside corner. Has played both sides. Has traveled with receivers when matchups called for it.

Drew Mukuba – Played both the slot and safety in college. Has focused on safety in the NFL, but can handle either role.

Jonathan Jones – Backup CB who has experience playing in the slot and outside.

Michael Carter – Has a lot of experience at slot. Eagles are mixing him in at safety this season.

Mac McWilliams – Practiced in the slot and outside as a rookie.

Cole Wisniewski – Has LB size and safety skills.

Kapena Gushiken – UDFA rookie who played nickel and safety in college.

All of that versatility isn’t an accident. Fangio has told the Personnel Dept what he’s looking for and they go get the right players for him. Different sizes and skill sets allows Fangio to be as creative as he wants on the back end.

The front seven also has versatile players. LBs Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell both have experience playing edge rusher as well as linebacker. They can blitz, cover, play the run or rush the passer.

Edge rushers Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith are gifted athletes who can rush or drop into coverage. Technically anyone can drop back, but Hunt and Smith have the skills to actually do it well. Hunt had 3 INTs last year, showing just how talented he is.

That kind of coverage isn’t normal for an edge rusher. Hunt is a valuable player for Fangio because of that.

Having versatile players allows Fangio to do unusual things. Doing the unexpected can confuse QBs and throw off their reads, at least slowing them down.

That kind of creativity can be invaluable when facing good QBs. Anything you can do to slow them down can make a difference. Those creative coverages make the Eagles a really tough team to throw against.

When you have the right players and the right play-caller, you can create havoc on defense. Fangio has been doing that for years. With all the versatile talent Howie Roseman has given him, it should continue into this season and the future.

*****

I was reading an old football book when I stumbled across an interesting nugget. Back in 1977 the Eagles had traded away a lot of draft picks for veteran players. The team’s first pick was in the fifth round. Howie Roseman’s head would explode if he had to wait that long to make a pick. Crazy.

The Eagles still managed to come up with NT Charlie Johnson and some undersized RB named Wilbert Montgomery. Not bad considering the long wait.

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