Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Avoiding Extremes

Posted July 7th, 2026 | 1 Comment »

Nick Sirianni likes to talk about not wanting to do something too much or too little when it comes to play-calling trends and habits. He uses the quote that “A wise man avoids extremes.” Sirianni doesn’t always take his own advice.

For example, we know the Eagles overused hitch routes last season. That’s a perfectly good part of the offense, but it shouldn’t be something you do over and over.

Not ideal.

Kevin Patullo might have been running the offense, but Sirianni is the head coach and has an offensive background. He should have stepped in to address this at some point. Hopefully this will be solved by the change at offensive coordinator.

There is another trend the Eagles need to work on.

You don’t want to be ranked 31st in a category like this. Play-action passes are a real weapon, especially when you have a RB like Saquon Barkley. It forces the defense to play more honest. And play-action can lead to big plays. As you can see, Green Bay was middle of the pack, which is where you want to be, if not higher. With the Eagles going under center more, play-action can be even more effective.

Ryan Paganetti is a former Eagles staffer who is now posting analytical data on Twitter. Give him a follow for interesting nuggets and good statistical data like this.

*****

Someone asked how the Eagles could get a good offseason grade when they lost so much talent (Brown, Dean, Phillips, Blankenship). You have to look at the whole picture and think of all the changes.

Brown – Eagles aren’t replacing him 1-for-1. They changed schemes and the new one wants to spread the ball around rather than just feed it to the stars. Howie then went and made the overall WR corps deeper to fit the scheme. DeVonta will step in as the #1, a role he is more than capable of. This isn’t replacing TO with Greg Lewis or Reggie Brown. The Eagles had a plan and it can work. Seattle just won the SB with one star receiver (JSN) and solid guys around him. +

Dean – Nakobe will be replaced by Jihaad Campbell. This was the plan and probably part of the reason for drafting Campbell. He had a solid rookie season where he started 10 games and had 80 tackles. Campbell enters Year 2 with a very bright future.

Phillips – I think Greenard is an upgrade on Phillips so this one is easy.

Blankenship – Marcus Epps is slated to replace Reed. Epps started four games last season. The Eagles went 3-1 and allowed 12 points per game. He is an outstanding hitter and tackler. The drop-off will be playmaking. Blankenship was usually good for 3 or 4 INTs a year. Epps only has 3 for his career. Drew Mukuba will be the primary playmaker, an ability he showed last year and in college.

Think of other changes.

Sean Mannion sure feels like he’s going to be a real upgrade on Kevin Patullo.

TE is improved with the addition of a legit blocker in Johnny Mundt and a dynamic athlete in Eli Stowers.

The OL added OT Markell Bell. They also added some guys who can improve the OG depth. Dickerson and Jurgens are healthier than last year so the line play should be better.

We get a full offseason/season of Tank Bigsby. The coaches should now see real value in him.

Arnold Ebikete should be an upgrade on the Uche/Ojulari guys from last year. I also like the addition of AJ Epenesa.

Riq Woolen will be a major upgrade at CB2. Jonathan Jones should be an upgrade at CB4.

There is plenty to like about the Eagles offseason. They didn’t lose guys that caught them off-guard. They knew AJ was out. They knew Nakobe would likely be too expensive. And so on. Howie prepared and has good solutions in place.

****

ESPN ranked CBs today. How did the Eagles do? Quinyon Mitchell came in at #6 and Cooper DeJean at #10. The Birds were the only team with two players in the Top 10.

Quinyon Mitchell
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 24 | Last year’s ranking: 9

It’s only a matter of time before Mitchell cracks the top three. In just two seasons, Mitchell has worked his way into first-team All-Pro status with 29 pass deflections.

“Well-rounded coverage game and very competitive against the opposing team’s No. 1,” an AFC executive said. “Turnover production holds him back from the top of the group for me. Still an excellent player.”

Mitchell has yet to record his first NFL interception. The greats are paid to get the ball. But Mitchell’s metrics are undeniable.

He allowed 4.8 yards per target in coverage last season, according to NFL Next Gen Stats, third best in the NFL among 87 defensive backs who were targeted at least 50 times. His minus-0.16 expected points added is tied for fourth among cornerbacks last season (minimum 75 targets faced). He has allowed 1.8 yards after the catch per reception, the fewest among corners. And his 42% tight-window throw rate was the highest in the NFL.

“Sticky man-to-man guy,” a veteran NFL defensive coach said. “He’s tough. Plays smart in big moments. Connected at the point of attack, which is one of the hardest things to ask for on a consistent basis. Will continue to get better and better.”

Oddly, Q does have multiple playoff INTs, but none in the regular season. That will change, hopefully this year. He has proven to be a great player in his two seasons.

Cooper DeJean
Highest ranking: 3 | Lowest ranking: Unranked
Age: 23 | Last year’s ranking: Unranked

DeJean’s presence on the list was a hot topic because of his positional flexibility. Is he a safety or a cornerback? He played mostly slot corner last season, but the Eagles plan to play him as a safety in base coverage and a slot corner in subpackages.

Since defenses are subpackage-heavy nowadays, and DeJean clearly has high-end cornerback traits, he remains a corner on our list. He appeared in 50% of the top 10 submissions for the position.

“He holds his own at any position, on the inside or outside,” a veteran NFC coach said. “He’s a corner because of the way he plays. [The Eagles] play a lot of man, and he ain’t shying away from nothing. He has the range and speed to play outside all day, too. He’s a Swiss Army knife.”

Along with Mitchell, DeJean is the first Eagles cornerback to make first-team All-Pro since Lito Sheppard in 2004. DeJean led all slot cornerbacks in catch rate allowed (61.4%), passer rating allowed (55.4) and yards allowed per coverage snap (0.72). He has not allowed a passing touchdown as a slot cornerback over two seasons.

Coop was the youngest guy on the list at just 23. It really is crazy to think how lucky the Eagles were to get him in the second round. A lot of teams have to be kicking themselves.

With such highly rated corners it is no surprise to see a stat like this.

*****

During the draft we hear analysts say something like “This is a guy you take and he’s your RG for the next decade.” That rarely happens, as you can see from this stat (another good one from Ryan P).

The Eagles had 3 such guys in 4 drafts.

2010 – BG
2012 – Fletcher Cox
2013 – Lane Johnson

Unbelievably impressive. And they found another longtime starter in 2011…Jason Kelce, but he was a 6th rounder.

Players struggle to last a decade, let alone stay with one team. Injuries…salary…age…becoming firemen…so many different factors.

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Rankings and Reviews

Posted July 6th, 2026 | 2 Comments »

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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