Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Getting Some Answers

Posted August 23rd, 2026 | Comments Off on Getting Some Answers

As the preseason winds down the Eagles are getting answers to some questions they had when the summer began. Not everything mind you, but enough that I think Howie Roseman  and Nick Sirianni will be pretty happy.

Interior OL depth was an issue last season. It does not appear that will be the case this year. Drew Kendall was a rookie adjusting to the NFL last season. He;s now in Year 2 and is a better player. The Eagles have had him play a lot of OG this summer because his background is mostly at center. Kendall got the start at LG vs the Pats and played well. He is a good fit for the new scheme. He gets off the ball quickly and moves really well.

Kendall plays with good pad level. He’s able to sustain blocks. He’s good on the second level. Kendall shows pretty good strength at times. He’s not the kind of power blocker Landon Dickerson is, but his movement skills make him a better fit for the offense. Dickerson isn’t 100 percent right now so Kendall playing well at LG is a good sign. I would be comfortable if he needed to start in place of Dickerson.

Willie Lampkin continues to shine. He gives the team another talented backup on the inside. You would probably rather have him at center, but Lampkin has looked good at both G and C this summer. I don’t know if he can be a starter due to his size, but I would love to see him get a shot at some point.

Rookie Micah Morris has shown enough that he should make the roster. He is a long term piece. Jake Majors hasn’t looked good in camp, but he’s been good in the games. He could make the practice squad.

Lane Johnson told us this is likely to be his final season. Who is the RT of the future? The Eagles hoped that would be rookie Markel Bell. They really wanted him in the draft. This is a player they believed in. Bell has gotten a lot of work at RT this summer and he looks like the real deal.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but so far Bell looks like he’s worthy of getting a chance at RT next year. The pro game doesn’t look too fast for him. And we know he’s got the size/strength to handle defenders at any level. Bell is a beast.

Tyler Steen is having the best camp of his career. He was a bit of an unknown last season. He’s playing well right now and could turn into an above average starter. This is a contract year for him so the timing is ideal from his perspective.

The final OL note is that new coach Chris Kuper seems to be doing a good job. We’ve seen progress from fringe guys, rookies, young players and veterans. Everyone seems to be buying into the new system. Following in the footsteps of Jeff Stoutland isn’t easy. Kuper is off to a good start.

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The edge rusher position wasn’t great last year, for a variety of reasons. It sure looks improved this year. Jalyx Hunt could be an emerging star. He caught the eye of everyone watching last week’s joint practices. Nolan Smith is healthy and has been at his best recently after a slow start to camp. Backups Arnold Ebiketie and AJ Epenesa have both impresses in practice and preseason action.

Jonathan Greenard is still working to overcome a pectoral injury. He hopes to be back for Week 1, but that isn’t a sure thing. If he’s healthy edge rusher could be a strength for the defense.

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Will the Eagles miss Nakobe Dean? Jihaad Campbell is having a good summer. He looked terrific in the first preseason game. He’s tough and physical vs the run and also athletic enough to excel in coverage. He looks poised to make a big jump this season. And the Eagles have good depth with Jeremiah Trotter Jr having his best summer. Dean was a really good player. It feels weird for the Eagles to be able to lose a quality LB and not miss a beat.

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Many wondered about the safety position. Drew Mukuba is playing well and Marcus Epps has a solid hold on the other starting role. Epps has looked good. Michael Carter looks like he could be a solid backup for them. UDFAs Maximus Pulley and Kapena Gushiken have both flashed and could make the roster. Safety isn’t a strength, but looks solid.

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Depth on the DL is more of a long term issue with the idea that Moro Ojomo will likely leave in free agency. Byron Young is having a good summer and looks improved> Ty Robinson started painfully slow, but he’s really come on in the past two weeks.

Rookie Zion Wilson has also flashed. He is likely a practice squad candidate. It is good to see him showing NFL potential. I’ve been impressed with his physicality and ability as a run defender. Gabe Hall played well vs NE and is roster worthy. I just don’t think there will be room for him.

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Both of the “exchange students” are trending in the right direction. I think both of them will make the roster at this point. Weru had a sack on Saturday and his athleticism shows up in practice and games. He could actually end up being good enough to play at some point this year. Part of that is due to edge rusher being an easier position to learn than DT.

Bernard is more of a long term project. Still it is good to see him getting better and also showing legit NFL potential. He’s more than just an athlete.

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Not every question has given us an answer.

QB2 remains a bit of a mystery. I find it hard to believe the team would choose Andy Dalton over Tanner McKee, but the way they’ve handled it makes me feel less than certain. Neither guy has been great to be sure. McKee looked worlds better than Dalton against the Pats. I still tend to think part of this is them trying to build trade value in Dalton.  If that is true, give it up and focus on getting McKee ready.

TE is still a bit unsettled. We know Dallas Goedert and Johnny Mundt are the top two. Is Eli Stowers going to be active? Will they go with Cam Latu or EJ Jenkins as TE4? Grant Calcaterra? Will they make a trade?

CB depth was supposed to be better with the signing of Jonathan Jones and Mac McWilliams being in Year 2. Jones has been hurt and isn’t a lock to make the roster. McWilliams has been up and down. Kelee Ringo remains a mystery. Bo Wulf and Jimmy Bama watched practice together on Thursday. Bo thought Ringo really struggled. Jimmy thought Ringo looked solid. Ringo was up and down in the game. Fangio has complimented Ringo a few times recently and his it he opinon that counts the most. Color me confused.

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Eagles Lose Late to NE, 24-21

Posted August 22nd, 2026 | Comments Off on Eagles Lose Late to NE, 24-21

The Eagles struggled a week ago. They were much better vs New England, but still fell after blowing a late lead. The outcome isn’t as important as the fact the Eagles improved dramatically and played much better.

Let’s focus on some players who shined. DT Ty Robinson was the star of the game. He had 4 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 TFLs and several QB hits. He was disruptive all game long. This comes after getting a sack last week and looking good in practice. The light has come on for Robinson. It will be fun to watch the tape and see how he won so many battles. He is clearly DL5 right now. That might not sound impressive, but he wasn’t secure in that role a few weeks back so it is a good thing.

RB Will Shipley had a strong showing, going 11-56-1. He ran hard and was impressive. Strong blocking helped him quite a bit. Still Shipley looked good after a strong week of practice.

Drew Kendall started at LG and played well. He had a key block on Shipley’s TD run.

RB Carson Steele had a breakout game. He was 6-84-1 as a receiver and ran for 33 yards. Steele is one of the guys who shines in the preseason, but generally isn’t quite good enough for real games. He was a lot of fun to watch. Maybe he is practice squad material.

Jeremiah Trotter had another sack and looked good. The DL played well. Gabe Hall, Zion Wilson and Robinson all flashed. They were stout against the run and got pressure on the QB. Uar Bernard made a couple of tackles and looked better. Josh Weru had the first sack of his football career and flashed again.

Darius Cooper was 3-44 and looked much better. It was good to see him come alive.

Markel Bell had some impressive blocks. He threw a DL to the ground on one play, showing just how big and powerful he is.

I don’t know what to make of the QB situation. Nick Sirianni explained that Andy Dalton got the start because they wanted Tanner McKee to play more of the game. Dalton struggled again, going 3-10-44. He had a couple of bad throws. Tanner McKee was up and down. His numbers were good, 16-22-173 with a pair of TDs. The numbers are better than his performance. McKee had some good throws and impressive moments, but also struggled at times. It was good to see him get better. I wish we could have seen him play with the 2’s.

Kelee Ringo was better than last week. Fangio said he thought he’d shown progress. We’ll keep an eye on him. Fangio doesn’t give out compliments lightly.

CBs Ambry Thomas got burned for a long TD. Shaun Wade gave up quite a few catches. He did force a fumble. The third string CBs are not good.

Tackling was sloppy late in the game and helped the Pats to come back and win. LB Chance Campbell had 6 tackles and looked good at times. Remember that he is a Fangio favorite. Cole Wisniewski made his debut and showed some promise.

It was good to see the Eagles respond to last week’s poor showing and play so much better. There is a lot to like. I thought the Eagles 2’s looked good. I would be pretty happy if I had a better feel for the backup QB situation. That has me confused.

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