Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Options

Posted August 12th, 2025 | 1 Comment »

The Eagles need to figure out a plan at LG. They also need to figure out a plan at RCB. The coaches are trying different things as they hunt for solutions. They want to have options as they work through the situations.

Brett Toth got the first snaps at LG on Tuesday. He has practiced in place of Landon Dickerson a lot this summer. Having him there doesn’t tell us much. There was one interesting development.

Why is this noteworthy? The most obvious solution is to plug Matt Pryor into the starting lineup. You could move Tyler Steen to LG and have Pryor play RG. Moving Kinnard over to LG to get him acclimated there shows interest in him as a potential solution. The value in that is that Pryor could then remain the top backup at both guard spots and possibly both tackle spots. We know he can play RT. LT is a bit less certain. Kinnard doesn’t have a lot of experience, but he is talented and played well in the preseason opener.

Putting Kinnard at LG would keep Steen at RG, where he has spent the whole offseason. That would give you good continuity, which is invaluable on the O-line.

Jeff Stoutland will spend the next couple of weeks trying to figure out what his best options are. The Eagles hope Dickerson is back for the opener, but you can’t count on that. You need to have a plan for replacing him and then a backup plan for that. I would be Kinnard will get a lot of snaps at LG in the game on Saturday.

One option they won’t have…Kenyon Green. He is dealing with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss the rest of the preseason. His best hope for now is if the Eagles put him on IR.

Vic Fangio is doing some mixing and matching of his own.

Fangio seems to want Mukuba to be a starter. He’s spoken highly of him since the Eagles selected Mukuba in the second round. Injuries are the only thing to keep Mukuba out of the lineup. Sydney Brown had a good showing in the game last week and he’s been solid this summer. Either one of them could start at safety.

Both Brown and Mukuba will be doing everything they can to win the job. They’ll have joint practices with the Browns and then the game on Saturday. Fangio will want to see as much of them as possible.

The coaches have been focused on Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson for most of the summer. The team traded for Jakorian Bennett last week so he’s now in the mix. On Tuesday they gave McWilliams a chance to show what he could do at outside corner. He’s spent a lot of time in the slot. Maybe this is more about cross-training than putting him in the actual competition. Still, it is an interesting development.

Both Stoutland and Fangio will be looking at different lineups and combinations of players. They need to start figuring out who the starters are going to be, but also need good backups in place.

*****

If you want to feel good about the Eagles, this should do the trick.

Here is a bit more from Jimmy Bama.

This was one of Jalen Hurts’ best days of the summer. He had several on-point throws, hitting DeVonta Smith in stride over the middle, as well as on a rope to the sideline. He also teamed up with Dallas Goedert on a well-placed ball that beat Quinyon Mitchell, who has been all over the Eagles’ best receivers like a glove. He also had a nice throw to Jahan Dotson near the sideline, beating McWilliams. Good throw, good coverage, good catch.

Hurts started slow last season. The Eagles schedule is brutal to begin the year so they need him ready to roll. It is encouraging to hear that he’s having some really strong practices against a good defense.

*****

Byron Young was limited in practice on Tuesday. Gabe Hall was out. With the trade of Thomas Booker, that leaves the Eagles light at DT. Rogers will come in  to eat up snaps in practice and Saturday’s game.

_

A Guarded Situation

Posted August 11th, 2025 | Comments Off on A Guarded Situation

Landon Dickerson hurt his leg in Sunday’s night’s open practice at The Linc. That had 40,000 fans nervous as they watched him helped off the field and then riding the cart inside. A lot of Eagles fans then spent Monday waiting for the word on his health.

Don’t be an ACL. Don’t be an ACL. Don’t be an ACL.

This turned out to be a meniscus injury, not an ACL. The people of Philadelphia have never been so excited to hear “meniscus”. Dickerson has had serious knee injuries in the past so this still isn’t ideal. It doesn’t feel like he’ll be like Lane Johnson or Jason Kelce and play forever. The Eagles will be happy if they can get him back for the opener and keep him healthy for the season.

What happens if Dickerson has to miss a week or two? There are a few different scenarios. We’ll get a big hint on Tuesday when the Eagles have a joint practice against the Browns. Will Brett Toth be the LG? Will Matt Pryor be there? Will Tyler Steen be at LG, with either Pryor or Darrian Kinnard at RG? The Eagles do have options.

Pryor would be the safest move. He’s got 39 career starts. He’s played LG, RG and RT. He knows Jeff Stoutland and how he wants things done. That would allow Steen to stay at RG and continue progressing.

Steen played LT in college and he played some LG last year so he’s comfortable on that side of the line. You could then put Pryor or Kinnard at RG. Pryor started 15 games at RG for the Bears last year. Kinnard seems most at home on the right side. He’s played a lot of RG this summer and played most of the game at RG against the Bengals.

I don’t like Toth at LG despite the fact he’s played a bunch there this summer. He has two career starts, the last one being in 2023. He knows the offense and is a Stoutland favorite, but has a limited ceiling.

Trevor Keegan has been disappointing this season. He didn’t play well vs Cincy. I think he’s a long shot to make the team.

What about Kenyon Green? He has plenty of experience at LG. He is talented. But he has struggled this summer and wasn’t good against the Bengals. He’s also had a couple of injuries. It feels like the clock is ticking down on his NFL career. I’d love him to prove me wrong, but I just haven’t seen anything to give me much hope.

It will be interesting to see what happens in Tuesday’s practice and also in Saturday’s game. We’ll get some hints on what the Eagles are thinking.

*****

The practices against the Browns will be important. Tyler Steen will get a good test. He’ll get a lot of reps against a solid DL. That will help him get ready for the upcoming season.

We’ve seen growth from multiple WRs in the past week. This will be another chance for them to show what they can do.

Two positions where there are still key questions are edge rusher and corner. The Eagles need a player or two to emerge at each spot. This is a big opportunity for them to go against starters and really compete.

Josh Uche and Ogbo Okoronkwo are the two edge rushers I’ll be most interested in. Azeez Ojulari has been a no-show this summer. Uche and Ogbo have both flashed in practice. It would be great to see them do well against the Browns.

Jakorian Bennett will battle Kelee Ringo and Adoree Jackson. Ringo had a rough game against Cincy so he needs to bounce-back and make some plays. It will be interesting to see what Bennett can do. He’s still new to the defense, but CB is a spot where you can fit in pretty quickly.

*****

Gabe Hall was impressive in the game vs Cincy.

I can’t stress how different he looks from last summer. Night and day.

_