Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Cheap D…For Now

Posted June 6th, 2026 | No Comments »

It may be hard to believe based on recent years, but there was a period when the Eagles really struggled to draft and develop defensive talent. Howie Roseman really flipped that script.

That is a crazy stat. It shows two things. First, Howie and the scouting staff have done a great job of finding talent early, middle and late. Hitting on Jalen Carter, Q and Coop is great. But they also got Jalyx Hunt, Jeremiah Trotter Jr and Moro Ojomo. The second key is that the coaching staff has embraced the young guys and done a great job of developing the players.

As much as I liked Jim Schwartz, his staff struggled with young players during his time in Philly. He was great with veterans and helped win a Super Bowl, but I think one of the reasons the Eagles didn’t sustain that success was due to not having young talent develop. You can only rely on the Corey Grahams of the world for so long.

Things will be changing now as it comes time to pay the young defensive stars. These guys have earned big paydays. The Eagles won’t be able to pay everyone top dollar, but will be giving out several big contracts. That means it will be time for the offense to be the focus of young talent.

We could see this in the recent draft. Makai Lemon, Eli Stowers, Markell Bell, Cole Payton, and Micah Morris give the team a lot of youth on the offensive side of the ball. Not all of them will pan out of course. That’s just the reality of the draft. Some guys become key players while others turn into the next Andre Dillard or Clayton Thorson. The horror, the horror.

It will be interesting to see if the scouting staff can prove as adept at finding offensive talent as they have on the defensive side. And the new offensive coaching staff will have to show they can develop talent. Drafting and developing are separate areas, but they must go hand-in-hand for a team to sustain success. I’m cautiously optimistic because of how much Sean Mannion talked about being a teacher. That’s crucial with young players. The best scheme in the world is garbage if you can’t teach it.

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Here is a bit more on new DL Zion Wilson.

If the Eagles can hit on him or Uar Bernard, that would be a huge help for the defense. They will need some young cheap guys on that side of the ball.

Will be interesting to see what he does this summer.

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The AJ Trade

Posted June 5th, 2026 | No Comments »

It drove me crazy to read about the AJ Brown trade and not be able to write about it. Well, better late than never. I saw a lot of people saying the Eagles are a worse team without AJ. I hate to get into semantics, but I think the best description is that they are less talented.

Some of you will say what’s the difference. There can be a big one. Did you watch the Eagles and AJ last year? He was great at times, but also seemed to check out mentally in some other games. Football isn’t a partial sport. You have to be 100 percent committed to the cause to be at your best and to really help your team. That just wasn’t AJ last year. Some of you will want to blame Kevin Patullo, but AJ’s effort and focus should be there no matter who is calling plays. That’s on him.

As for the trade, I was happy with the return. The Eagles traded for him in 2022. They got four years out of him and he was part of 2 Super Bowl teams. Now they moved him for a 2028 first rounder and a 2027 fifth rounder. That sure seems like a good deal to me. Howie Roseman doesn’t mind waiting on the extra pick. He knows he isn’t going anywhere and that pick can be used in a trade or for an extra player in 2028.

Noted hack Jimmy Bama (oh how I’ve missed insulting my good friend!) actually wrote a good piece saying the Eagles fleeced the Pats in the deal. You should go read the whole thing. His point is that AJ is an older, declining player and that the Eagles got a good return for such a player.

It will be interesting to see how AJ does. He could put up big numbers, but part of that would be due to the Pats thin WR corps. They don’t have DeVonta Smith to split touches with AJ.

I think the Eagles have prepared well for AJ’s departure. Adding Dontayvion Wicks and Makai Lemon gives them a pair of talented young receivers who can grow with the offense. The real key to this season is the health of the OL. If Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens can return to 2024 form, the run game will come alive and the offense can once again focus on Saquon Barkley.

I hate that AJ’s tenure ended in such an odd fashion, but it feels like most stars have weird endings. Donovan McNabb was traded to a division rival. Dawk left in free agency. Jason Peters went on to play for three other teams. No one knows what happened to Jason Kelce. He disappeared like a ghost.

Now we have AJ in a hot tub with Mike Vrabel and Diana Russini discussing their favorite Dennis Lehane novels while eating Dunkin Donuts. Enjoy New England, AJ.

I think Jordan Mailata summed it up best.

Indeed.

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This came as a surprise on Thursday.

Wilson was trying to get an extra year in college. That got rejected on Wednesday and he signed with the Eagles yesterday. He had 10 TFLs and 7 sacks in his final season so he can make plays. He’s got good size at 6-3, 318 so he could play some NT if they prefer him there. Good late spring addition.

I was disappointed when the Eagles didn’t add a DT back in April (other than Bernard). This is a good move. Wilson gives them a big body to help with the rigors of camp. Maybe he’ll push Byron Young. Maybe he ends up on the practice squad. We’ll see soon enough.

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