Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Tough Evaluations

Posted February 16th, 2026 | 4 Comments »

As we head into the offseason there is a lot of focus on who the Eagles should sign, draft or trade for. That’s the fun of the offseason. Imagine adding a top corner in the draft. Or signing a top tight end. Or trading for a star like Maxx Crosby. Everyone loves playing armchair GM at this time of the year.

Before we can focus on which new players should be added, the Eagles have some serious work to do. They need to figure out their current roster and do some tough evaluations. Any offseason moves will be affected by what the Eagles think they already have. This happens every year, but this time around is more challenging than most.

The Eagles still have a talented roster and Super Bowl potential. But this really is a key offseason because of uncertainty at several positions. One downside to building a talented roster is finding a way to keep the players around. The Eagles had to let Milton Williams go last year. They just couldn’t afford him. Howie and the front office need to figure out who to pay and where to go cheap. Value always matters, but might be even more important this offseason.

I wrote about the OL in my last post. Let’s assume Landon Dickerson does decide to come back. Are you getting the Pro Bowl left guard from 2024 or the guy who struggled in 2025? Howie Roseman, Nick Sirianni and the training staff need to be really honest as they talk about this. Cam Jurgens is another guy that requires discussion. Which version are you getting? If they’re confident Jurgens will be back to his 2024 level, then you’re good there. He’s young and doesn’t have Dickerson’s injury history.

That’s interesting.

If there are doubts at guard or center, Howie may need to focus more resources there. Ideally a healthy Dickerson and Jurgens would get the OL back to its 2024 form.

What do you do at WR? Even if AJ Brown returns, there is a need to do something. Jahan Dotson is a free agent. Do you try to keep him? Would he even want to come back? Dotson may want to go somewhere he could catch more than 20 passes. Johnny Wilson (remember him?) will be back. Can he be a reliable contributor? Darius Cooper caught 9 passes. Can he be something more than a #4 or #5 receiver?

If Brown gets dealt, receiver becomes a priority position. With the money wrapped up in other offensive stars, that would likely mean a high draft pick.

TE is wide open. Dallas Goedert, Grant Calcaterra and Kylen Granson are all free agents. FB/TE Cam Latu is under contract. The key question is whether to keep Goedert. His play was up and down last year. He was great in the red zone, but his blocking was an issue for most of the year. Goedert will likely hit the open market in hopes of getting one last good contract. The Eagles shouldn’t overpay to keep him. They should move on from Calcaterra and Granson. It will be interesting to see what the Eagles do at TE. This position needs to be fixed. It hasn’t been good enough in recent years.

Edge rusher is another spot where things are lean in terms of numbers. Jalyx Hunt is an ascending player and it will be fun to see just how good he can be. Injuries limited Nolan Smith to 12 games last year. He had 3 sacks and 11 QB hits. Do the Eagles see him as a starter? Would he be better coming off the bench? Jaelan Phillips helped the defense in a big way after his arrival. I’m sure the Eagles would love to have him back, at the right price. He started 8 games for the Eagles and finished with 2 sacks and 8 QB hits. He was more disruptive and impactful than those numbers show. The question is how much he’s worth.

If the Eagles are able to keep Phillips, edge isn’t a priority position. If they lose him and don’t add anyone of significance, then edge needs to be a priority. The Eagles do need to add a player or two to this position. They went with cheap free agents last year and that didn’t work too well. This might be a time to spend a pick on rush help.

Reed Blankenship is one of the key free agents for the Eagles. He had a solid season in 2025, but wasn’t much of a playmaker. He only had 1 INT and 4 PDs. He had 7 INTs over the previous two seasons combined. Blankenship is a good hitter and tackler. He is solid in coverage. This is another spot where value is critical. I would guess the team would love to have him back, but only at the right price. You can’t overpay for a solid player. Blankenship isn’t a difference-maker. The Eagles have Drew Mukuba coming back. They could sign Marcus Epps to a reasonable deal and have starters set. Sydney Brown is still around, but he’s not shown that he can be consistently good on defense.

Corner is in good shape with Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The Eagles could try to keep Adoree Jackson around as a potential starter. He played better as the season went along last year. They also could spend a high pick to add a potential starter to the mix. Depth is the key here. Kelee Ringo has yet to show he can be counted on as a CB. He’s terrific on STs. Mac McWilliams showed some promise last summer, but didn’t play much during the season. Does the team feel confident in him as a key backup?

Jakorian Bennett struggled after coming over in a trade. Maybe a full offseason in the system will make a difference. Or not. Michael Carter offers depth, if the Eagles want to keep him around. The Eagles have bodies. They need to figure out who is worth keeping and who can be counted on.

Howie is usually at his best when things are challenging. This would be a great time for him to work his magic and put together a really strong offseason, especially the draft. The Eagles need cheap help this offseason to offset the big money they have wrapped up in some key players.

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The Eagles will have another option at edge rusher if they are interested.

Like with so many other moves/situations discussed above, the price would have to be right.

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Fixing the OL

Posted February 13th, 2026 | 4 Comments »

The focus of the offseason so far has been the Eagles offense. That started with putting together a new offensive coaching staff. There has also been a lot of discussion about AJ Brown and his future. Handling that situation correctly will be crucial if the offense wants to get back to being a top unit. Just as important will be fixing the offensive line.

The OL struggled in 2025, mostly due to injuries. Landon Dickerson started 15 games, but anyone who watched his play closely could see he wasn’t healthy in any sense of the word. At his best, Dickerson is one of the most powerful guards in the league and able to regularly get movement in the run game. He’s also good in pass protection. The Eagles didn’t have that guy at LG last year. He struggled all season long.

Making matters worse, center Cam Jurgens also had a down year. He started 14 games, but didn’t play to the level he did in 2024. It was harder to tell with Jurgens how much of a factor injuries were. Because he was so good the previous season, I’m guessing injuries were the key issue for him as well. Jurgens wins with athleticism. If he lost any of that athleticism, he’s not going to be a consistently effective player.

Jurgens will now have a long offseason to rest and get healthy for 2026. The situation is more complicated with Dickerson.

Jeff McLane reported that Dickerson is considering retiring. That may seem crazy for a guy who is only 27, but he’s had a lot of injuries over the course of his football career. I wasn’t a huge fan of the Eagles taking him when they did because of his college injury history. Thankfully he’s been able to stay on the field in the NFL. But his body has taken a lot of wear and tear. I could certainly understand if he felt walking away was the best thing for him.

Lane Johnson was only able to start 10 games last year. The good news is that it sounds like he’ll be returning for 2026. He is still one of the best players in the league when he’s healthy. Getting Johnson back would give the OL a big boost.

LT – Jordan Mailata
LG – ?
C – Cam Jurgens
RG – Tyler Steen
RT – Lane Johnson

In an ideal world, Dickerson, Jurgens and Johnson would all be healthy and play to their normal standard. The OL would instantly jump back to being one of the best in the league.

Howie Roseman knows he can’t count on that. He’s got to have better depth and competition on the OL so the team is prepared in case things don’t go well. This will need to be a combination of drafting players, signing free agents and also developing young players already on the roster.

Howie didn’t spent a first or second round pick on an O-linemen over the past three drafts. Steen was pick 65, a third rounder. Before that you have to go back to Dickerson and Jurgens, both second round picks. Howie doesn’t have to force anything, but he will need to be aggressive about finding a good young OL to add to the mix. That could be an OT or an OG.

If the Chargers cut Mekhi Becton loose, he would be an interesting free agent target. He played well for the Eagles in 2024 before having an up and down season in Los Angeles. The Eagles aren’t likely to spend big money here. They already have a lot of money tied up in the offense and could be looking for young/cheap help. That usually means draft, but could also be a free agent who has mainly been a backup or is seen as an ascending player.

The Eagles did draft three linemen last April. I thought center Drew Kendall looked good over the summer. With a full offseason, hopefully Kendall will make the team comfortable with him and he can be the backup center and also add depth at guard. Myles Hinton is the guy Jeff Stoutland really loved. Hinton was up and down last summer. He did flash legit ability.

There is definitely something to work with, but I do wonder what his ceiling is. I see a player who could develop into a Fred Johnson type of depth piece more than a future starter. This offseason will be critical for Hinton. He’ll be part of a new system and there will be more pressure on him. He’s no longer a rookie.

OT Cameron Williams was also a 6th round pick. The Eagles knew he was a project. Williams came out too early and fell in the draft. He’s got outstanding size and good talent. He just needs experience. Size and strength are only part of the equation with NFL OL play. Technique, knowledge and skill are essential to becoming a good blocker. The Eagles played Williams in the regular season finale. He didn’t play well, but that experience can help him to prepare for this season. There is a huge difference in the preseason and the regular season.

There is another interesting player to watch. The Eagles claimed Willie Lampkin during roster cutdowns last year. He is small at 5-11, 290. Lampkin played OG in college and was very good. He went to the Senior Bowl and played mostly center. He was outstanding. He played guard and center for the Rams last summer and really flashed. I was shocked they cut him. I think they were hoping he wouldn’t get claimed. He did have a knee injury that kept him off the field last year. I’d love to know what the Eagles think of him. Do they prefer him at guard or center? Do they think he can start in the NFL?

Some people have asked about Hollin Pierce, the massive blocker from Rutgers. He didn’t impress me last summer so this offseason is huge for him. He has to show that he can compete at the NFL level. He won’t be as good of a fit for the new offense, but the team may like his size so much that they keep him around just to see what he can do.

The cupboard isn’t bare by any stretch, but Howie will need to find more talent to add to the mix. There are a couple of X-factors. The team will be running a new offense and there will be a new OL coach in Chris Kuper. I don’t think that will affect the starters. Those guys are talented, veteran blockers. Backup players could be under more scrutiny. The less talent a player has, the more important it is that he’s a strong scheme fit.

If Howie can make the right changes and the guys stay healthy, the OL could get right back to the level that everyone is used to. That would make life a lot easier for Sean Mannion and his new offense. It doesn’t matter what system you run if you don’t win the line of scrimmage.

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