Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Haley Lesson

Posted June 28th, 2026 | No Comments »

Charles Haley had an amazing career. He was a 5-time Pro Bowler, won 5 Super Bowls, finished with 100.5 career sacks, 25 FFs and made the Hall of Fame. Not too shabby for a fourth round pick. Haley was also a HOF whacko who drove his teammates and coaches crazy. He was ideal on the field, but a real headache off of it.

Haley went to James Madison and played at a high level. Bill Walsh saw him make one amazing play on tape and was sold that Haley was a legit NFL talent. A team tried to run the option at Haley. His job was to take the QB and force him to pitch. Haley shot upfield and did just that. Then he pivoted and exploded toward the RB and tackled him for a loss. Walsh wanted a LB who could make plays like that and took him 96th overall in 1986.

Haley played SF’s “elephant position”, a designated pass rusher. He had 12 sacks as a rookie coming off the bench. Walsh hit another home run in the draft. Haley piled up 63.5 sacks from 1986-1991. He helped SF have a Top 10 defense in each of his seasons with them. They were #1 overall one year. They won the SB in both 1988 and 1989. Haley was a difference-maker and defensive star.

Walsh loved Haley at first, but grew tired of him over time. Haley was a handful to deal with. Walsh traded Haley to Dallas in 1992.

Oops.

Haley then became a force for the Cowboys and helped them win 3 SBs in 4 years. They beat SF in the NFC title game in both 1992 and 1993. Haley went to a pair of Pro Bowls, was twice All-Pro and got Defensive Player of the Year votes in two different seasons for Dallas. Walsh may have cost SF a trip or two to the SB because he wanted to get rid of Haley the headache.

I’m bringing him up because some people are so casual when talking about trading Jalen Carter. If you have a player who is special, you need to be very careful about letting him go, especially at a critical position like DT. Moving on from CJGJ is one thing, Carter is worlds different. The Eagles have already won a Super Bowl with Carter and he was key in helping them get there as you might recall.

The Eagles needed a Top 10 pick to get a talent like Carter. If you trade him there is no guarantee you’ll get a high pick. You would need at least one first round pick, maybe two. You can find good DTs all over, but it isn’t easy. That’s why some other team would trade for Carter. That’s why Cincy gave up the #10 pick for Dexter Lawrence. And so on. If you find one of those guys, you try to keep them around.

Carter is also an interesting player. He’s smart and instinctive. Think about him diving for balls when the QB is trying to spike it to kill the clock. He’s come close to getting one of those. He has good size at 6-3, 314. Carter is powerful and explosive. At his best, he plays with violence and is tough for one guy to block. He can eat up blockers or make plays. He’s proven to be good at blocking FGs. Put simply, Carter is an impact player.

There is baggage to deal with. He’s got some growing up to do. You hope his shoulders are going to be fully healed and good for the upcoming season. If there are long term medical concerns, that changes things. Vic Fangio seemed optimistic about Carter this spring so that makes me think he’ll be healthy.

The Eagles control Carter contractually for 2026 and 2027. They need should sign him to an extension. You want your star players to be happy. Corey Simon was disgruntled late in his Eagles career and it affected his play. This defense is solid without Carter, but is one of the best in the league with him. The Eagles can’t hand Carter a blank check. The contract will need to be structured carefully, to benefit both sides. Carter needs his payday and the Eagles need some protection.

Keep him in Philly.

*****

Good stuff here from Devin.

Woolen feels like he’ll be a one-year Eagle. If he’s good, he’ll be too expensive to keep. If he struggles, they wouldn’t want to bring him back. I’ll be focusing on CBs for the upcoming draft since there is a good chance the Eagles will need one next offseason.

*****

If you’re like me, you have loved Jimmy Bama’s pressbox food reviews. Sadly, he’s decided to end them. Here is his magnum opus. Warning…very long read.

I’m generally not a mac ‘n cheese guy, but he makes me want to go to Dallas and try some of that stuff.

*****

If you want some positivity about Saquon Barkley and the OL, here you go.

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