Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Rookie Camp Opens

Posted May 2nd, 2026 | 1 Comment »

Eagles rookies got on the field on Friday. They are prospects no more. They are Eagles. You had the draft picks, 8 officially signed UDFAs and a bunch of tryout invitees. These are very basic practices so don’t expect too much.

Makai Lemon got a lot of attention since he was the star of the team’s draft class.

You see quickness, great body control and natural hands. We saw all of that on his college tape, but it is always reassuring to see it from the player once he’s in your uniform and on your practice field. You can see a real difference in him and the guys after him. Lemon makes it look natural, almost easy. That’s what you want from a first round pick. If things are forced, stiff or almost mechanical, that’s not going to work in the NFL.

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Jimmy Bama put up his practice notes. I’m glad he covered Eli Stowers and his blocking. Here are some quotes from the rookie TE.

“I think that moving from quarterback and getting into blocking is just new. It’s really new, because quarterbacks are never asked to block. It’s something that’s new and you just have to learn the technique. That wasn’t necessarily a hurdle, but just the thing that you have to learn the most. You really have to get your technique down, and a lot of it is reps so you get the muscle memory.

“The other side of it is just the will to want to block, and I have that and I want to be the best blocker that I can be. And from that point it’s just learning my techniques and really practicing it.”

There is no disputing that his in-line blocking was bad. That doesn’t mean he can’t develop that skill in the NFL. One of the things that gives me hope is that Stowers is tough with the ball in his hands. He doesn’t avoid contact. He will go through a tackler to try to get more yards, especially if he’s anywhere close to the end zone. That toughness can be tapped into to help him become an effective blocker.

The real key to blocking is desire. Puka Nacua is a good blocker because he’s tough and battles. Grant Calcaterra struggles most of the time and his body language tells you he doesn’t want to do it. If you embrace blocking, you can improve. Stowers is addressing the issue and knows eyes are on him. Hopefully that motivates him to really work on it.

He did show good effort at times in college. There is something to work with.

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The UDFAs are:

DB Kapena Gushiken
S Tucker Large
LB Deontae Lawson
S Maximus Pulley
OG Jaeden Roberts
LS Rocco Underwood
ED Joshua Weru
TE Dae’Quan Wright

I wrote notes on these players in a previous post.

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There were some veterans free agents brought in for a look.

OG Michael Jordan – 6-6, 312 – He’s got 49 career starts. Started 9 games for Tampa last year. If the Eagles want a veteran backup on the inside, he would make some sense.

ED Isaiah Thomas – 6-5, 272 – Has good size, but minimal experience. He’s only played in 12 games and was out of the league last year. One career sack. I did like him coming out of college.

RB Elijah Mitchell – 5-10, 200 – Played well for the Niners in the past. Has 1,523 career rushing yards. Averages 4.7 ypc. Was with KC last year, but barely played. Eagles might want someone to help eat up reps in TC.

RB Khalil Herbert – 5-9, 212 – Has 1, 957 career rushing yards. Averages 4.7 ypc. Another solid vet who could make sense for depth this summer. Was with the Jets last year.

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Here are a couple of quick videos from beat reporters. They focused on DT Uar Bernard.

This dude is one heck of an athlete. I sure hope they can tap into his potential.

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Here is a random nugget.

He’s still getting traded, but there isn’t animosity between him and the team.

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This is the first camp without Jeff Stoutland since the Andy Reid era. That means new drills and new ways of doing things.

Kuper knows the new scheme well and is a good fit from that perspective. Now we have to find out what kind of teacher he is. Nick Sirianni didn’t make this hire lightly. He knows having a good OL coach is critical to having a good OL. Kuper has good players to work with so he should deliver good results. He’ll definitely be under the microscope this season.

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Some International Flavor

Posted May 1st, 2026 | Comments Off on Some International Flavor

The Eagles added a pair of defensive prospects from the International Pathway Program. This isn’t a whim or a public relations move. The Eagles think these highly athletic prospects can develop into legitimate NFL players.

DT Uar Bernard was drafted in the seventh round and ED Josh Weru was signed as a UDFA. Here is the man who oversaw them joining the IPP program and becoming NFL prospects. He has a lot of good background information on them. You’ll want to watch this.

That should get you pretty fired up about Bernard and Weru. These guys are special athletes. They have unique potential. There is a lot of work in converting them from athletes to football players, but Weru’s rugby background will help him and Bernard’s basketball background can help him. Their transition will be easier than Jordan Mailata’s. He had to learn how to play OT and then how to work with the rest of the OL. Bernard and Weru will be DL. They are more individualistic. See ball, get ball. Kill the QB. That’s less complicated. I’m excited to see what they can do. Eagles players are also excited,

That’s pretty cool.

I mentioned recently that the Eagles would have roster exemptions for both. I thought Howie Roseman had said that. Apparently I was wrong. There will only be one exemption available. That will be important in early September when the Eagles have to figure out what to do with them.

It is possible that one of them will show enough that the team decides to keep him on the roster. Neither guy is going to play this year. They have too much to learn. But if one shows substantial progress, he could make the team and simply be inactive for the whole season. If they struggle, one gets the exemption and the other likely goes to the practice squad. These decisions are down the road. We need to see what these guys look like over the summer.

The Eagles did a lot of work on these guys before the draft. They wanted to see if the guys were worth investing time and resources in. Obviously they felt this was a gamble worth taking. If you hit on just one of them, that’s huge. You have to appreciate how creative and aggressive the Eagles are in trying to find players.

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UPDATE – The Eagles announced their UDFA signings. King wasn’t listed. That means he’s likely just invited to rookie camp. He could earn a spot with a good showing.

I somehow missed a UDFA signing. The Eagles added LB Isiah King from Idaho. He’s 6-3, 224 and runs 4.61. I was impressed by his cover skills. He’s good at playing the passing lanes. Good tackler. Was outstanding at his level. Adjusting to NFL competition will be his biggest challenge. He’s no longer the best athlete on the field. Intriguing guy worth taking a look at. Vic Frangio loves athletic LBs who can cover.

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The Eagles are already busy signing their picks.

This is more of a formality these days. Still, always good to see things going smoothly.

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Here is the upcoming schedule for the team.

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I have been reading a lot of draft reviews. Source after source keeps going on about what a bad draft class this was. I think there is some exaggeration in that. There are players to be found every year. It is up to the team to find them.

I’m especially impressed with what the Eagles got late in the draft. I thought OG Micah Morris and S Cole Wisniewski were great value picks. I think both can absolutely be good depth pieces. I think they both  have starting potential. They’re big, talented and athletic. I like them more than what the Eagles did late last year.

Keyshawn James-Newby wasn’t someone I had studied, but since the draft I’ve been very impressed with his potential. He played at New Mexico so the level of competition is going to be a massive jump for him. That said, when he did play UCLA or Michigan, KJN showed up and showed out. He didn’t seem the least bit bothered by bigger schools.

Most importantly, he feels like a good fit for what Vic Fangio wants in an edge rusher. Talent is important, but scheme fit can have a major impact on whether a player succeeds or not. I’m excited to see him this summer.

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