Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Hold For Now

Posted June 8th, 2025 | 2 Comments »

Howie Roseman says roster building is never done. He and his staff are always looking to see who is available and if they would improve the Eagles. Now that June 1st has come and gone, the Eagles have a bit of additional cap room. They also have a boatload of 2026 draft picks. Is it time for Howie to go shopping?

I don’t think so.

There are good players available. Difference-makers. But the Eagles have young players in place and would like to see what their own guys can do. If you hit with one of them, the team can be in good shape for multiple years.

The Bengals still haven’t solved their contract situation with DE Trey Hendrickson. There were times in the past when Howie would have been calling Cincy over and over to ask about a guy coming off a 17.5 sack season. Hendrickson can get to the QB. He is a star player. Why aren’t we hearing anything about Howie and Hendrickson?

The Eagles have Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt. Smith is coming off a breakout year and feels like a safe bet to keep playing at a high level. Hunt is the mystery man. He’s headed to his second season. Hunt showed promise late in the year, but only played 241 regular season snaps. Why stick with him?

Howie has to make decisions balancing 2025 and the next several years. Hendrickson will be the better player in 2025. What about 2026? That’s harder to say. Hendrickson will turn 32 in 2026. As we saw with Ryan Kerrigan, pass rushers can age quickly. He had 5.5 sacks at age 32 and none at age 33, when he was an awful Eagle.

Beyond production, there is cost. Hendrickson is looking for mega-bucks. Hunt is on his rookie contract in 2025, 2026 and 2027. Will Hendrickson be $30M better? That’s a more complicated question.

Hunt has a good combination of athleticism and size. He is raw because he’s new to being an edge rusher, but he is tough, physical and has a good motor. All he needs is experience. The tough question is what is his ceiling. I think he could turn out to be a Trent Cole type of player, maybe even better. Think about who his biggest fan is.

Fangio loves Hunt. He thinks Hunt can become a really good player. That doesn’t mean he will. Guys get hurt. Guys get distracted as they learn to live a rich lifestyle. Women have been known to distract young guys, in football or every other profession in history. Hendrickson is more of a sure thing, but also a short term player. Hunt is unknown, but could have a long future in Philly.

If Hunt gives any signals that worry the coaches or front office, Howie will start working the phones. For now I think he’ll stick with Hunt.

What about CB? Jalen Ramsey is there for the taking. He’s played for Fangio so he’s got a feel for the system. There would be a lot of logic in going after Ramsey. But I think the Eagles genuinely want to see if Kelee Ringo can win the job. They have been high on him for a couple of years. Ringo will turn 23 in a few weeks so he is still a very young player.

Ringo is also unproven. He’s played in 34 games, with 5 starts. Most of his snaps have come on STs. Ringo has developed into a good STer. He’s still a mystery on defense. The Eagles love his combination of size (6-2) and speed (4.36). Those are big time NFL tools. Ringo needs to show them this summer that he can be good day in and day out. Potential gets you a shot. Either you perform well or you hit the bench.

The Eagles signed Adoree Jackson to give themselve Ringo good competition. Jackson has played in 97 games with 82 starts. Howie thinks Jackson can still play at a high level. Ramsey would be better than either Ringo or Jackson this season and possibly in the future. Ramsey will turn 31 in October. He played all 17 games in 2 of the past 3 seasons. Ramsey made the Pro Bowl in 2022 and 2023.

This is another case where the Eagles would like their own young player to win the job. Ringo would give them a cost-friendly solution for a couple of years. He could develop into a good CB.

The coaches and front office will keep an eye on CB. The team lost Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox. They added Ringo, Jackson and rookie Mac McWilliams. That is a lot of talent and experience walking out the door. That’s life in the modern NFL. You have to take chances on young players and under-the-radar veterans. You can’t pay everyone.

If there are struggles at corner, Howie will start working the phones, whether that is for Ramsey or some other player.

These OTA practices have limitations, but it at least gives the young players a chance to show something. The coaches can see what kind of shape they’re in. The coaches can see if they make mental mistakes. The coaches can just get a feel for their mindset. What kind of vibes is the player giving off? You want players to be confident, but not overly cocky.

Nothing crazy in that quote, but it is completely true. As the light goes on for young players, things slow down for them and they play faster. If that is truly happening for Ringo, it is a great sign.

This sounds like a guy who is starting to figure out pro football. Being big and fast is a great start, but you must have the mental part of the game down pat if you are going to succeed. You need to know your job and also how it fits into the overall scheme. Very encouraging comments from Mr. Ringo.

*****

The Eagles did make one move.

Robinson is small at 5-8, 191. He does have good speed and return skills. I don’t think Saquon needs to get nervous, but it is good to add a different skill set to the backfield. Saquon and AJ Dillon are the Thigh Guys. Will Shipley is more of a third down back, but doesn’t have a lot of juice. Robinson gives them another kind of player to add to the mix.

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2 Comments on “Hold For Now”

  1. 1 The Linc - Eagles named among potential Jaire Alexander landing spots - SportSourcio said at 1:00 PM on June 9th, 2025:

    […] Hold For Now – Iggles Blitz […]

  2. 2 The Linc – Over View – Your Daily News Source said at 5:32 PM on June 9th, 2025:

    […] Hold For Now – Iggles BlitzThis is another case where the Eagles would like their own young player to win the job. Ringo would give them a cost-friendly solution for a couple of years. He could develop into a good CB. The coaches and front office will keep an eye on CB. The team lost Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and Avonte Maddox. They added Ringo, Jackson and rookie Mac McWilliams. That is a lot of talent and experience walking out the door. That’s life in the modern NFL. You have to take chances on young players and under-the-radar veterans. You can’t pay everyone. If there are struggles at corner, Howie will start working the phones, whether that is for Ramsey or some other player. These OTA practices have limitations, but it at least gives the young players a chance to show something. The coaches can see what kind of shape they’re in. The coaches can see if they make mental mistakes. The coaches can just get a feel for their mindset. What kind of vibes is the player giving off? You want players to be confident, but not overly cocky. […]