Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …
Eagles show off Jalen Hurts TD following his infamous viral interception – SB Nation
That leads us to this clip shared by the Philadelphia Eagles’ social media team, offering you a glimpse of what quarterback Jalen Hurts was looking at during a recent throw during practice. You’ll hear Hurts and the Eagles offense break the huddle, a protection call at the line — which seems to be a slide protection moving running back Saquon Barkley to the right — and then a throw over the middle for a touchdown to Dallas Goedert.
From the eyes of QB1 pic.twitter.com/EQNisXLgJW
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) August 18, 2026Six players we’ll be watching at Eagles-Patriots joint practices – PhillyVoice
1) QB Jalen Hurts: We’ve seen Hurts battle it out against Vic Fangio and the Eagles’ stellar defense all summer, but this will be an opportunity to run Sean Mannion’s offense against a different look, and another good defense. The Eagles’ second- and third-string units looked like crap in the first preseason game against the Ravens last Saturday. That performance was rightfully dismissed, for the most part. But certainly it will be alarming if the starters look anything like what we saw in Baltimore.
Eagles-Ravens Film Review: Thoughts on Eli Stowers, Markel Bell, Willie Lampkin, and much more – BGN
We are back! Sort of. The Eagles’ preseason opener was hardly an inspiring return to watching the Eagles. I am not interested in using a preseason game featuring almost no established starters to make sweeping declarations about Sean Mannion. The Eagles have repeatedly demonstrated that they are happy to sacrifice preseason entertainment to protect important players and conceal the more meaningful parts of the playbook. Whether you agree with that approach or not, this organization does not treat these games as rehearsals for its actual offense. There were still some early indications of Mannion’s influence, particularly in the running game. As part of the run-game data we are tracking for our Patreon this season, I charted six Outside Zone runs and three Duo runs. That is not a large enough sample to declare that the Eagles have transformed their offensive identity, but the emphasis was noticeable. The structure of the running game was more interesting than the results, especially when you add in more under center runs. The other important piece of context is that Baltimore’s defense was not nearly as vanilla as the Eagles’ offense. Jesse Minter called several creative pressures and tested the communication and protection rules of an inexperienced offensive line. By comparison, the Eagles kept everything extremely basic.
Big Days Coming Up – Iggles Blitz
These will be important days for the starters and other key players. It would be great for the Eagles to come out like a well-oiled machine and show how good they are. There will be value no matter what happens. The Eagles will find out where they stand when facing talented competition. That will tell the players and coaches what this team’s strengths and weaknesses are. A lot of attention will be on Jalen Hurts and the Eagles offense. How will they do against another team? They have gotten better during the summer so the timing of this test is good for them. Hopefully DeVonta Smith will be able to participate. He would be a difference-maker for the offense. Without him there will be a lot of pressure for the other receivers to step up. The Eagles need to get a better feel for where this WR corps is right now. Darius Cooper could use a good showing after being up and down vs the Ravens. Both Tanner McKee and Andy Dalton need a good showing after their struggles in Baltimore. The quick turnaround is probably the best thing for them.
Eagles Diehard Q&A: Is the training camp vibe different for the Birds in a post-A.J. Brown world? – PHLY
From Jonathan on Twitter: What’s your level of concern with Makai Lemon injury and his impact on the season since he currently isn’t practicing? Lemon seems like he’s closing in on a return after taking a big step forward in his rehab process during Monday’s practice, but he’s missed significant enough time to wonder if he’ll hit the ground running by Week 1. His role is so scheme-specific (heavy motion out of the slot, option routes, finding soft spots against specific zone coverages), it’s easy to see him needing time to master all the details. Maybe he will be comparable to Cooper DeJean in that it takes him a few weeks to break into the starting lineup at this point.
Roob’s Observations: The challenge Howie Roseman faces deciding what WRs to keep – NBCSP
ROSTER CONFUSION AT WIDE RECEIVER: Howie Roseman will have some interesting decisions to make on roster cutdown day Aug. 30, none more interesting than wide receiver. DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon and Dontyvion Wicks are locks, which leaves a likely two spots for Darius Cooper, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore, Johnny Wilson and Britain Covey to fight over. Here’s the thing. Moore and Cooper have both out-played Brown by a wide margin, but the Eagles gave Brown $5 million in guaranteed money where Moore and Cooper are on minimum-wage deals with no guarantees. Cooper has had an outstanding camp and I feel like he’s close to a lock, but Moore and Brown are both proven veterans – Brown’s had a 1,000-yard season and a couple 700-yard seasons and had 587 yards and five TDs with the Chiefs last year, and Moore averaged 50 catches for 541 yards from 2021 through 2024 with the Jets and Browns. Cooper, for all his potential, has nine career catches. Moore is more likely to clear waivers than Cooper, so the move might be to keep Brown and Cooper, cut Moore and try to get him back on the practice squad. Unless Howie decides to protect the whole group and keep six. With Lemon sidelined the last two weeks, Cooper and Moore in particular have had strong camps and both deserve to be on the roster. Wilson has a unique skill set with his physicality and blocking ability, and Covey is the Eagles’ best punt returner, but there just isn’t room for those guys. Too many wide receivers is an unusual problem for a franchise that over the past three decades years usually hasn’t had enough.
Jason Kelce will call an Eagles game as ESPN expands role – Inquirer
Jason Kelce spent 13 seasons with the Eagles. Now he’ll get the chance to call a Birds game. The former offensive lineman turned podcaster and ESPN announcer is jumping to the booth to call a handful of NFL games this season on the NFL Network, the network announced. Kelce will join play-by-play announcer Dave Pasch and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner to call four games, including the Eagles’ Week 5 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars in London on Oct. 11. Here are the four games Kelce, Pasch, and Warner will call: Week 4: Colts at Commanders in London (Oct. 4) … Week 5: Eagles at Jaguars in London (Oct. 11) … Week 7: Steelers at Saints in Paris (Oct. 25) … Week 16: TBD matchup (Dec. 26).
Eagles Pro Bowl Legend William Thomas to officiate joint practices against the Patriots – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
A familiar face will be manning the Umpire position when the officials line up for Wednesday’s and Thursday’s joint practices with the New England Patriots – Eagles Legend William Thomas has the duties as his officiating career enters its 11th season. Thomas, an Eagle from 1991-99, jumped into the business when the NFL reached out to former players to gauge their interest in joining the officiating ranks. “It was something that interested me, getting back on the field,” said Thomas, who started in the Colonial Athletic League in college football, then moved to the American Athletic Conference for three years, and is now in his fifth year with the Atlantic Coast Conference. “It’s fun, it’s fast-moving, and my goal is to become an official in the NFL. That’s what I’m working towards.” The fact that Thomas is a former Eagle has no bearing on his officiating – he was in South Philadelphia last summer as part of the NFL’s John Mackey Development Program when the Cleveland Browns had joint practice work against the Eagles – but he will see some familiar faces from his Umpire position.
Patriots welcoming increased competition during Eagles joint practices – Pats Pulpit
Over the last several years, the Eagles have been known for their dominance on both sides of the trenches. Their offense, in particular, is composed of a hard-nosed unit that blocks in front of their star running back, Saquon Barkley. Head coach Mike Vrabel sees the upcoming practices as a chance to emphasize physicality. “I think the message this week is really just physicality,” Boutte said of Vrabel’s message entering this week. “[Philadelphia’s] coming here this week. A great team, but it all starts up front. So, we have to handle our thing up front [and] win our battles outside. They’re known for winning. They’re a good team. They came here three years ago. We joint-practiced [with] them. So, I think that was pretty cool. So, another opportunity, two days, to get better.”
Falcons sign edge rusher Za’Darius Smith to one-year deal – The Falcoholic
Here comes some help for Atlanta’s pass rush, and from a source that would have seemed mighty unlikely even a month ago. The Falcons announced Tuesday morning that they had signed Za’Darius Smith to a one year contract, bringing the 34-year-old into the fold after the team lost Jalon Walker for the year to injury and learned they will be without James Pearce Jr. for the first eight games of the season. The three-time Pro Bowler has 70.5 career sacks to his name over an 11 year career that has seen him play for the Ravens, Packers, Vikings, Browns, Lions, and Eagles. He overlapped with Kevin Stefanski in 2023, making this a logical reunion. The reason this signing is a surprise is that until quite recently, Smith was retired. He un-retired and worked out for the Browns, where he was widely expected to sign, but then wound up joining Atlanta instead.
Multiple brawls mar Saints-Cowboys joint practice session – ESPN
The joint practice session between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints devolved into a WWE-style brawl Tuesday. Punches were thrown, helmets were tossed, and at one point, Saints tight end Brock Rechsteiner, son of WWE Hall of Famer Scott Steiner, grabbed a Cowboys player and body-slammed him to the turf. That scuffle happened after Cowboys cornerback Caelen Carson punched Rechsteiner, who was then yanked around by the face mask as teammates poured in. The situation between the two teams was heated enough that Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer and Saints coach Kellen Moore discussed whether to continue.
Cowboys secondary already looks nothing like last year – Blogging The Boys
Yes, it’s just one preseason game. Yes, most of the players on the field against the Seahawks on Sunday won’t make the 53-man roster. Yes, individual preseason stats mean next to nothing when the regular season rolls around. But you can’t just ignore what happens in these preseason games either. One interesting stat that popped after the game (per Bobby Belt) was the fact that the Cowboys had 19 missed tackles in last year’s preseason opener. On Sunday, Next Gen Stats charted the Cowboys with zero missed tackles. Will that carry over into the regular season? Who knows. But is it indicative of an improved defensive performance? Probably.
Commanders transactions: Jerome Ford to IR among several roster moves – Hogs Haven
Ford and receiver River Cracraft were moved to IR as part of a series of roster moves announced before Tuesday’s non-padded practice. [BLG Note: Cracraft is a former Eagle who was with Philly in 2019.]
Roster move: Veteran WR JuJu Smith-Schuster released – Big Blue View
The New York Giants announced Tuesday afternoon that they’ve released veteran wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Giants initially signed Smith-Schuster along with Odell Beckham Jr. and Braxton Berrios earlier this summer following a veteran workout. The Giants sought to add both depth and competition to a receiver position that’s being rebuilt on the fly. Smith-Schuster spent the last week dealing with an “old knee” (in the words of Giants head coach John Harbaugh). Smith-Schuster wasn’t mentioned often in practice reports, even before his knee flared up. Conversely, Beckham has been carving out a larger role for himself with the starters while Berrios has been a fixture on special teams. At the same time, rookie receiver Malachi Fields has been ascending, giving the Giants sorely-needed size, strength, and perimeter blocking on their offense.
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