Eagles News: “I wonder if Howie Roseman regrets not trying to keep Isaiah Rodgers”

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Roob’s Observations: The Eagles’ cornerback competition has become a big concern – NBCSP
1B. I wonder if Howie Roseman regrets not trying to keep Isaiah Rodgers. Rodgers was very good last year after missing all of 2023 with that suspension. Out of 107 corners who played at least 400 snaps in 2024, Rodgers’ 73.2 Pro Football Focus grade was 23rd-highest. And his contract with the Vikings – two years, $11.05 million – would have been manageable for the Eagles. Roseman was in the mode where he just wasn’t going to keep any non-essential free agent, and I get it. That was the plan all along. To rely on draft picks and go young and cheap. And Rodgers is 27 and maybe a little too old and a little too pricey to fit into that philosophy. But the Eagles could sure use him right now. He’d be their 2nd-best outside corner by far.

25 Eagles players to watch in the Browns preseason game – BGN
Following two joint training camp practices between the teams, the Philadelphia Eagles will face the Cleveland Browns in a preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field with a 1:00 PM Eastern start time on Saturday afternoon. The Birds are unlikely to suit up their starters since 1) they already saw a lot of reps in practice this week and 2) they just don’t like to risk their key players getting hurt in a preseason game. With that in mind, here are the most interesting Eagles to watch against the Browns. For your viewing assistance, I’ve listed jersey numbers next to the player names.

Eagles vs Browns Joint Practice Day 2 Observations: Eagles LOSE Day 2 (With BLG!!) – Go Birds Podcast
Brandon Lee Gowton joins Eliot Shorr-Parks and James Seltzer to break down the second day of Eagles/Browns joint practices and the guys debate if we should be worried about the Eagles’ lackluster performance in Day 2.

Five things to watch in the Eagles-Browns preseason game – PhillyVoice
2) The Eagles have another quarterback to showcase. That would be Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who the Eagles acquired when they traded Kenny Pickett to the Browns. “DTR” has outplayed sixth-round rookie Kyle McCord throughout the summer, but McCord is more likely to make the roster as the QB3 because he is a rookie with more theoretical upside than DTR, a third-year pro. The Eagles could make the rare decision to keep four quarterbacks, with DTR serving as the QB3 and McCord as the developmental QB4, but then they’d have two inactive quarterbacks on gameday (with one serving as the “emergency QB”). The decision on what to do at the QB3 spot would be much easier on Howie Roseman and the Eagles’ staff if some team in need of better QB depth offered some kind of late round pick or a depth player at another position for DTR.

Top 26 Players to Watch on Saturday – Iggles Blitz
Will Shipley – The numbers looked good last week, but the tape didn’t. Shipley needs to do a better job of getting the most out of whatever is there. He shouldn’t need great blocking on every run. He’s got to show he can get the tough yards.

NFL preseason Week 2: Players to watch, including an Eagles-Browns QB flying under the radar – Yahoo! Sports
Would a desperate team offer a juicy first-round selection or some package to entice Roseman? Essentially all of the quarterback seats are already taken. And teams that I think have the biggest quarterback questions marks and injuries — the Rams with Matthew Stafford’s back odyssey, and, again, gestures toward the Browns’ quarterback room/medical tent — are on different points of the contention timeline. The Rams looked like they were ready to make a push in a fairly wide open NFC behind a strong offense and young pass rush. That path becomes a little more wobbly with the possibility of Davante Adams’ favorite quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, behind center. And there is absolutely no path if Stetson Bennett IV was asked to start. Head coach Sean McVay is a gameplanning maestro but I think he can take Garoppolo only so far. So, if there is a real feel to make a run this year (remember, this is the Rams, with Les “F Them Picks” Snead and McVay we’re talking about), I think it makes sense for the Rams to be aggressive. They have a strong collection of skill players in Adams, Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, their funky bunch of tight ends and an offensive line that should at least be above board in 2025. The defense has questions, but a pass rush that has some real teeth to it can help a team go on a run. If they believed in McKee, he could be a good fit for what McVay’s offense has turned into, and he could be a viable answer to bridge a chance at a playoff run this year and a path going forward. Even if Stafford can play this season, I don’t think there’s a disruption of any parties’ timelines even considering contracts. And, perhaps because the football gods have a sense of humor, the two teams that I think could be interested are the two teams with two first-round selections in 2026.

Howie Roseman details the last-minute negotiations to get the A.J. Brown deal done – PFT
“We had the trade done, the terms agreed to in the morning. We had to get a contract done with him,” Roseman said. “I said, Jon, if we can’t get a contract done, we can’t do this trade. We can’t trade you a one and a three for one year of a player. We’ve got to get the contract done first.” Roseman didn’t want word to leak out that the Titans had agreed to trade Browns to the Eagles, because he didn’t want to be left holding the bag if Brown declined to sign a new contract with the Eagles. “I’m trying to finish the contract, and so nobody knew except a couple people that we were even doing it because I said, Imagine this falls apart, I’m going to be the GM who can’t get a deal done with AJ,” Roseman said.

What did Eagles rookie learn during his meeting of the ‘freaks’? It could make him a superstar. – NJ.com
“Really just two freaks talking to each other,” Campbell said Thursday. ”He’s a great guy … Just talking about habits, finding a routine, especially me, coming in as a rookie and honing in who I am as a person. Being who I am, always staying that way, and just working hard.” Garrett destroyed the Eagles’ offense in both joint practices this week. What made it even more impressive is who he beat: Eagles All-Pro left tackle Jordan Mailata. Mailata told reporters he will ’get a giggle out of’ watching his film against Garrett. There are only a few unstoppable players in the NFL — Garrett is one of them. An offensive tackle can do everything right and still lose to him.

Spadaro: 6 things to watch in Saturday’s preseason matchup vs. Browns – PE.com
1. The cornerback position, continued. Who earns the starting job opposite Quinyon Mitchell? This has been a Training Camp-long position to watch and it continues. The Eagles are likely to get newly acquired cornerback Jakorian Bennett on the field for the first time in a game situation as he joins Adoree’ Jackson, Ringo, and Eli Ricks in the mix. The Eagles have some options here and, clearly, the action on Saturday goes quite a ways toward making a decision.
Bowen: Jordan Davis and a bunch of young dudes will have to carry the Eagles’ defensive line – PHLY
Given that the Eagles’ starters won’t play Saturday, “this is where we’ll get it in,” Davis said. Davis’ weight loss is encouraging, but ultimately, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is the reason fans have faith in the Eagles to defend their title, despite the loss of Williams, edge rusher Josh Sweat, corner Darius Slay, linebacker Oren Burks, safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and that Brandon Graham guy from the Super Bowl unit. “Smart. He cares about how smart his defense is,” Davis said, when asked about Fangio. “Obviously, the physicality is going to show for itself. Even today, we had box drills afterwards. It’s just little things like that, it kind of keeps us engaged, keeps us in shape. Because, you know, it’s never a day off with him. “He’s seen it all. … He knows what he’s doing.”

Injury update on Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel for end of Browns training camp – Dawgs By Nature
A complicated, messy situation for the Cleveland Browns is going to come to an end, at some point, but will the team have enough information by the end of training camp? No, we are not talking about RB Quinshon Judkins or even WR Isaiah Bond. It is the Browns quarterback competition that has to have some, at least initial, finality to it. Leader of the competition, Joe Flacco, has remained healthy throughout training camp. Kenny Pickett was the first QB to get injured, then rookie Dillon Gabriel joined him, both with hamstring issues. Shedeur Sanders, fresh off an electric start in preseason Week 1, then joined the injured list with an oblique strain that will keep him out of Week 2 of preseason. Friday night, multiple reports came out that Gabriel was likely to play Saturday against the Philadelphia Eagles and Sanders would likely be back in time for the final preseason game.

Mark Tyler’s initial Washington Commanders 53-man roster prediction – Hogs Haven
Every year around this time I make my initial 53-man roster prediction. Sometimes I end up making some big changes before my final one is put out, and other times it stays pretty true to my first. In this year’s initial, I went 25 on offense and 25 on defense – with the obvious three specials teams slots. [BLG Note: This prediction has the Commanders keeping three former Eagles players on their roster.]

5 players to watch in the Cowboys preseason game against the Ravens – Blogging The Boys
Joe Milton, QB: All eyes are on the Cowboys’ new shiny new pass-throwing toy last Saturday after a Jekyll and Hyde performance last Saturday. The second-year quarterback was all over the place early, misfiring on all cylinders, but then settled down late in the third quarter. The team would love to see less of the ugly stuff and more of the latter. Milton appears to be the team’s ride-or-die backup with the “break glass if necessary” Will Grier as a last resort. Seeing him show a little more consistency would calm things for a bit, as well as provide better opportunities for bottom-roster wide receivers to fight for a spot on the team.

Malik Nabers dealing with another injury, per report – Big Blue View
New York Giants star wide receiver Malik Nabers has been sidelined for more than a week, missing the team’s preseason opener against the Buffalo Bills and joint practices against the New York Jets. The good news, per ESPN’s Jordan Ranaan, is that Nabers is not dealing with a recurrence of the toe injury that kept him out of OTAs and mandatory minicamp in the spring, or the shoulder injury he sustained early in training camp. The bad news is that, per Ranaan, this is yet another “very minor thing.”

4 NFL trades that should happen before the regular season – SB Nation
Terry McLaurin to the Houston Texans. Let’s throw another random one out there that makes a lot of sense when you think about it a little deeper. At this point it’s unclear if the Commanders and McLaurin will be able to work this out. It’s extremely dumb, but it is what it is. While there’s no doubt both these teams need each other more than they want to admit, this could also be the breaking point. If there’s one thing we know about the Texans it’s that they love the idea of overloading on weapons for C.J. Stroud. To this end McLaurin would be a major upgrade at WR, arguably giving the team one of the better units in the NFL with Nico Collins and Tank Dell to accompany McLaurin. Why didn’t I mention WR2 Christian Kirk? Because he’s heading to Washington in this scenario. Commanders OC Kliff Kingsbury was able to unlock Kirk in Arizona and turn him into a 1,000 yard receiver. Nobody else has really been able to do this. If the Commanders feel the need to trade McLaurin, then Kirk feels like an ideal replacement who can stretch the field, do everything McLaurin does, and perhaps even fit the Kingsbury system a little better. Meanwhile for the Texans it’s a solid upgrade that fits their mold of trying to overwhelm teams through the air.

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