Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Let’s Talk Dallas

Posted May 6th, 2026 | 1 Comment »

The Cowboys are getting a lot of hype right now. They had a good offseason, nailed the draft and hired a bright, young defensive coordinator. They certainly praise for a lot of what they have done. At the same time, I think there is reason to pump the brakes on some of the hype.

The thought is that Dallas will now have a good defense to go with their explosive offense. That will make them a formidable team that should be able to play with anyone. That’s not unreasonable, but I think we need to talk about the defense a bit.

Christian Parker is the new DC. He has been a terrific position coach during his seven NFL seasons. There is every reason to think he’ll become a good DC. But he has never run a defense on his own. There are lessons to be learned and he’ll have to do that in a very high profile setting. There will be a lot of pressure on him. He is taking over a defense that struggled mightily last year. And he’ll have a lot of new faces. Getting everyone on the same page won’t be easy.

Some may look at what Vic Fangio was able to do when he took over the Eagles and think Parker could have similar impact. There are some huge differences. Fangio has been running defenses for decades. He has developed a system that he knows inside-out and can teach at a high level. He also took over a team that had run versions of his system from 2021-2023 under Jonathan Gannon and Sean Desai. Learning Fangio’s system wasn’t a major change for the Eagles. They understood the concepts. That won’t be the case in Dallas. This will all be new to them.

Parker will have some good pieces to work with. DT Quinnen Williams is their version of Jalen Carter and he can be highly disruptive. I think Otito Ogbonnia will be the NT. He played in 9 games last year for the Chargers, but didn’t start. He did start all 17 games the year before. Kenny Clark can play NT as well, but he’s more athletic so they may prefer him at DT where he can attack with more space. Veteran Jonathan Bullard is the key backup. They drafted LT Overton, who is 6-3, 274. He was an edge at Alabama. Parker may see him as a Milton Williams type, but Overton isn’t nearly as athletic.

The edge rushers will be Rashan Gary on the strong side and second-year Donovan Ezeiruaku on the right side. Gary will be their version of Jaelan Phillips. Set the edge vs the run and get after the QB on pass plays. Ezeiruaku only had 2 sacks last year, but did flash some good potential. Rookie Malachai Lawrence will get his share of snaps. He’s got the best combination of size and athleticism of their edge rushers. Veteran James Houston played well in a limited role last year and provides good depth. The overall group can be good, but I don’t see anyone that teams will be scared of or need to gameplan for. Maybe Ezeiruaku takes a major leap this year. Or Lawrence could hit the ground running and make a real impact. Maybes.

The LBs will be DeMarvion Overshown and veteran Dee Winters. Overshown has a ton of potential. He’s a terrific athlete with playmaking ability. He just hasn’t shown good durability. In two seasons he has played in 19 games with 13 starts. They really need him to stay healthy. Winters started all last year for SF and had a solid showing. Neither of the LBs is very big so taking on blockers will be interesting to watch. Parker’s system will involve a light box. The LBs have to be physical, not just athletic. Both guys feel like WLBs so I’m curious to see how this goes. Rookie Jaishawn Barham could push for playing time. He is physical. He’ll run through a brick wall to get to the ball. He will be an excellent fit when he finally does get on the field. They also have Shemar James in the mix. This group does have a ton of speed. They will cover a lot of ground.

It looks like the safeties will be veterans Malik Hooker and Jalen Thompson. Hooker wasn’t overly productive last year, with no picks and only one PD. You want more than that. Thompson was brought in as a free agent and is a good player. He can play the deep middle or come down and play in the box. He will be a key addition for the secondary.

Rookie Caleb Downs played safety in college, but it sounds like they may put him at nickel in hopes that he can be their version of Cooper DeJean. He’s certainly a better overall player coming out of college, but I’m not sure he’s as athletic as DeJean. Downs never did athletic testing so we have to go off film. No matter where they play him, Downs sure seems like he’ll be an upgrade. The outside corners will be DaRon Bland and Shavon Revel. Bland was an INT machine in 2023. He’s only played 19 games since then, with just one pick. He can be a solid corner, but that season seems more and more like an anomaly. Revel started 5 games last year and showed promise. He was great in college, but an ACL limited his rookie season. Dallas added veterans Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick for depth. Durant is versatile and could fill several spots if needed. They also drafted Devin Moore in the fourth round. He is a talented corner.

Parker’s system will involve complex coverages that require the guys to all be on the same page as a play unfolds. This group has to stay healthy so they can build chemistry. If guys are coming and going from the lineup Parker will have to dumb down some of what he wants to do. You don’t want blown coverages.

There is no question the defense will be greatly improved from last season. I just don’t see this as suddenly being a Top 10 unit. There are too many new faces, too many questions and a first time DC running the show. There will be some bad games and some bumps in the road. One of the real keys will be the health of some key players. Dallas hasn’t had great luck with that in recent years. A new scheme isn’t likely to affect whether guys get injured or not.

The offense should be one of the best in the league. Dak Prescott has become one of the best QBs in the league. His health is critical. In an odd trend, he hasn’t played a full season in an even-numbered year since 2018. This is 2026. I don’t wish injuries on anyone, but that just caught my eye. Prescott has terrific receivers and a good TE. The emergence of Javonte Williams brought the running game alive last year and made a big difference. The OL is talented, but can be erratic. LT Tyler Guyton hasn’t fully realized his potential yet. RT Terence Steele runs hot and cold. RG Tyler Booker is the real deal and the foundation of the OL.

There is another key factor to look at, one that often goes overlooked. The schedule.

Dallas has the #4 most difficult schedule in the league. Last year they had it easy. We’ll see how Dallas handles playing tougher opponents. That will challenge their coaches and players in a big way.

The Cowboys are a more talented team this year. They are better constructed. They seem to have a good plan in place. They deserve lots of praise. I also think they are going to be challenged in some ways that are being overlooked. Most importantly of all, they must have their key guys stay healthy. That’s been an issue in recent years. They could challenge the Eagles for the NFC East, but I see Dallas as more of a wild card team this year. Offseason hype rarely matches regular season performance.

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I could see Parker wanting someone with experience in his system to help teach the other DBs. There is real value in that. They’ve got a bunch of bodies at corner so Jackson might be hesitant, but it doesn’t seem like he’s gotten much attention in free agency. This might be his best move.

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Eagles Notebook

Posted May 5th, 2026 | 1 Comment »

There isn’t one huge story for today so let’s cover a variety of smaller topics. Things tend to settle down in May so compelling stories won’t be as easy to come by. But there is always something to discuss.

We’ll start with an AJ Brown “update”. The update is that we’re now less than a month away from the trade probably happening. As much as I hate to see him go, I’m ready for this to be done so we can move on.

I think the Eagles will also get a mid-round 2027 draft pick. Howie loves to stockpile picks so he’s got plenty of resources, for either making picks or making trades. Someone asked if the Pats might include a player in the trade. They wondered about someone who just got drafted. I don’t see that. Howie likes his roster so he’d probably rather have the picks. Also, the Pats are trying to build their roster so they can remain a Super Bowl contender. They’d rather give future picks than someone who can help them win this season.

AJ Brown recently held his football camp. He didn’t address the trade situation. We just have to wait a few more weeks.

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Good news there. The front office has lost some key pieces recently so Howie made sure to keep some important guys around. We all know Big Dom. Zach offered some insight on Ferrari and his role.

Ferrari has been with the Eagles since 2016 after joining the franchise from the league office and was promoted to assistant GM in 2022. He plays a critical role in football operations, especially with league matters and rules compliance. Ferrari played a key behind-the-scenes role in the team’s defense of the Tush Push last spring.

Look for Howie to promote some people from within or hire some new talent to help replace the guys who recently left.

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Thor Nystrom is a football writer/analyst who does a lot with the draft and also UDFAs. He rated all the UDFA classes signed by each team. The Eagles were second in the NFC. That’s not an accident. They are normally high up in his rankings. As I mentioned in my recent roster building piece, the Eagles are aggressive with UDFAs. They know there are talented players to be found. Here are some of Thor’s thoughts.

With the selection of UGA OG Micah Morris on Day 3, the Eagles upped their number of rostered Georgia Bulldogs to six – matching the number of Alabama alums. The UDFA signings of LB Deontae Lawson and OG Jaeden Roberts – the two-best prospects in Philadelphia’s crop – allowed Alabama to once again overtake Georgia in sheer numbers on Philly’s roster.

Lawson and Roberts were both top-200 prospects on my board – each has a legitimate shot to crack the Week 1 roster.

Lawson was a productive multi-year SEC starter – medical questions and a lack of pre-draft athletic testing kept him out of the draft despite legitimate tape. Lawson actually intended to declare for last year’s draft, but a torn ACL from 2024 ultimately changed those plans. Lawson didn’t miss any time in 2025, but he battled a nagging foot injury during the fall that often had him changing out of cleats into walking boots after games. He’s going to compete for a special-teams role initially.

Good stuff from Thor.

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Nothing came of this yet. Johnson began his career as a safety and then moved to CB. He started 6 games in 2024. Could be competition at either safety or corner if the Eagles bring him on.

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Someone asked me to break down the differences in Jonathan Greenard and Bryce Huff. We think Greenard will be a key addition. Huff was a huge disappointment.

Scheme fit is the real key here. Huff was terrific with the Jets. He lined up wide and just flew off the edge. He didn’t have to worry about playing the run. He was always in attack mode. That was perfect in Robert Saleh’s system.

Vic Fangio runs a very different system. He likes to play a light box. That means the edge rushers must be good run defenders. Think about Nolan Smith blowing up pulling blockers or Jaelan Phillips setting the edge to keep runs contained. Huff wanted no part of that. My guess is that Howie thought the pass rush skills were so valuable that they would offset run deficiencies. Huff never bought into Fangio’s system and Fangio never bought into Huff.

Greenard is very different. He is explosive off the edge, but will play the run. He also has the ability to drop into coverage, which is important to Fangio when he’s trying to confuse QBs. Greenard can win with speed and power. He’s good with moves. He’ll shoot inside and mix in a spin move. He is tough to block. And he will get down and dirty against the run.

Very different players. Huff had 7 career starts when he was signed. He had been a designated pass rusher for the Jets. Greenard has 49 career starts. He has played a lot more football than Huff did. Greenard should be an impact player for the Eagles.

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The Eagles released UDFA safety Tucker Large due to an injury.

They signed LB Isiah King. He’s 6-2, 224 and runs 4.61. King was a big time playmaker in college and solid in coverage.

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