Eagles News: Nakobe Dean among top breakout candidates

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Five Eagles breakout candidates in 2023 - PhillyVoice
1) LB Nakobe Dean. When the Eagles’ selected Dean in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft, it was widely hailed as a steal. Many (self included) thought that Dean had a chance to start as a rookie in the Eagles’ defense. It didn’t happen that way, as he had a quiet training camp, while T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White made plays regularly in practice. Dean is challenged by his lack of ideal size, and he isn’t an elite athlete by NFL standards. He’ll have to rely on his instincts and intelligence at the NFL level. At some point, if his professional career follows in the same path as his college career, he’ll be one of the smartest players on the field, but he didn’t have that advantage last summer while trying to learn two positions (MIKE and WILL) simultaneously in a new defensive scheme. Edwards and White earned starting roles, and mostly stayed healthy in 2022, keeping Dean sidelined. Dean got to play 15 snaps in the regular defense in a December game against the Titans after White got hurt, and he had a promising performance. Dean will head into 2023 as the presumptive top player on the Eagles’ linebacker totem pole. Whether he is successful or not will depend on his ability to transition mentally from reactionary player to a player who sees the action before it happens.

‘Georgia Philly Dawgs’ the answer to replenish Eagles’ defensive line? - ESPN
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Nakobe Dean already had eyes toward the 2023 season in the immediate aftermath of February’s stinging 38-35 loss to Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII. “It fuels me heavy. I’m probably going to take a couple days to get my body right and then I’m at it,” he said at his locker stall inside State Farm Stadium. “I don’t plan on waiting another seven, eight years before I make another Super Bowl. I’m trying to be the best that I can to get this team to another Super Bowl and win it.”

Eagles depth chart following the 2023 NFL Draft: Offense edition - BGN
If Penny can stay healthy (a ginormous “if”), he’s the favorite to lead the Eagles in carries this season. Even if that’s the case, Swift could still top all running backs in total touches due to his pass-catching value. The Eagles’ RB usage could vary depending on who has the hot feet (note: hot “hand” just doesn’t make sense to me when we’re talking about running backs). Gainwell could be poised to make a bit of a leap after showing promise in the playoffs ... still, his usage likely maxes out as a role player. [Enter joke about Scott scoring touchdowns against the New York Giants this season here.] Sermon was interestingly name-dropped by Nick Sirianni earlier this offseason ... the numbers are working against him but an injury could open up an opportunity for him. Brooks is likely a camp body/practice squad contender.

At the Podium: Veteran Players talk with the Philly media - BGN Radio
Veteran Eagles players James Bradberry, Dallas Goedert, Jason Kelce and A.J. Brown speak with the Philly media.

Ranking the easiest, hardest schedules for all 32 NFL teams: Saints, Falcons and Colts have favorable schedules in 2023 - PFF
22. Philadelphia Eagles. Projected win total: 10.2. Easiest game: Week 17 vs. Arizona Cardinals. Hardest game: Week 11 vs. Kansas City Chiefs. After a Week 10 bye, the Eagles have a three-week stretch against the Chiefs, Bills and 49ers. There will be a battle for the NFC East this season, and the second half of their season will not be a walk in the park.

Jason Kelce: ‘In some ways, it’s going to be harder’ - PE.com
When you’ve been in the NFL for as long as Jason Kelce, a sixth-round draft pick in 2011, remember, you know that it’s May and that all the hype and the pomp and circumstance around a team at this time of year means a hill of beans. You know that whatever happened the season before – good or not so much – is long forgotten by the time the team gathers in the spring and coordinates steps for the year ahead. You know there is going to be change, no matter how much the roster has turned over. You know that to be great, you have to be patient and bear the responsibility of the process, step by step. Is it “running it back,” as some like to say? “I don’t feel that way,” Kelce said on Wednesday at the NovaCare Complex as he continued preparation for the 13th season of a marvelous Eagles career that includes five All-Pro selections, six Pro Bowls, and two Super Bowl appearances with a victory in Super Bowl LII. “I know some people like saying that. I firmly believe that no two teams are the same. Even if we returned every single player, every single coach this year, it’s a new year. The opponents are going to change, the schedule is different, you’re going to have different things happen to you throughout the team throughout the season. No two seasons are going to be the same. No two teams are going to be the same. This thing is constantly evolving.

Ranking the eight NFL divisions by quarterback: AFC claims top three spots; North headlines NFC side - NFL.com
5) NFC East. Dallas Cowboys: Dak Prescott. New York Giants: Daniel Jones. Philadelphia Eagles: Jalen Hurts. Washington Commanders: Sam Howell. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: Hurts is a certified star. He finished second in MVP voting and then went out and matched Patrick Mahomes on Super Bowl Sunday. (Shoot, you could argue the losing quarterback deserved MVP honors in Super Bowl LVII.) After the Eagles’ field general, the division’s quarterbacking gets interesting ... I always defend Dak, but last year wasn’t great, to say the least. He led the NFL with 15 interceptions despite missing five games due to injury. Now, the optimist would say that the injury — a fractured thumb in the season opener — doomed Prescott’s season before it really got going. I’m open to that possibility. I’m also open to the possibility that the soon-to-be 30-year-old could benefit from Mike McCarthy taking the play-calling reins and Brandin Cooks joining the receiving corps. The Cooks trade, in particular, strikes me as one of the most underrated moves in the entire NFL offseason. So maybe I won’t need to defend Dak in 2023!

The 2023 NFL Quarterback Commitment Index: Post-Draft Edition - The Ringer
Relationship Goals: Kansas City Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes, Philadelphia Eagles and Jalen Hurts, Buffalo Bills and Josh Allen. These are the couples you see on Instagram that make you think, “Why can’t I be as happy as them?” The newest couple in this group is Jalen Hurts and the Eagles, who ascended to the top tier after their wedding (or, uh, contract extension) last month. Hurts is now under contract through 2028 on a deal worth up to $255 million. When the Eagles drafted Hurts in 2020, GM Howie Roseman said they wanted to be a “QB factory” (total fuccboi move). But Hurts and the Eagles’ narrow Super Bowl loss convinced them to settle down. Life (and questionable defensive holding penalties) comes at you fast.

The pressure is on Michael Gallup to have a bounce-back season in 2023 - Blogging The Boys
Though it may not seem like it, Gallup could be in danger of falling out of favor with the team entirely if he has another down season. As we’ve seen with the Cowboys releasing Ezekiel Elliott, anyone can find themselves on the chopping block. Simply put, the Cowboys could be ready to part with Gallup early in his contract if he has another disappointing season. Let’s examine Gallup’s contract details. Gallup’s five-year deal has an out after this season. If released after the 2023 season, Gallup would count for 13M of dead cap money that would be spread over the remaining years of the contract. It’s a hefty cost but certainly manageable. In fairness to Gallup, most players struggle in their first return to action following an ACL injury, but we’d be remiss to not notice the changes among the offensive skill positions.

Can the 2023 Giants compete with their NFC East foes? - Big Blue View
In principle we should expect no drop off in the Eagles’ relentless pass rush, which means that it will be up to Evan Neal to take a big enough step forward that Haason Reddick cannot wreck games and for rookie center John Michael Schmitz to figure things out quickly enough that when the Giants finally face the Eagles on Christmas Day, the Giants do not find coal in their stockings. At linebacker T.J. Edwards, who had his best season, and Kyzir White are both gone. Replacing them as starters are promising second year player Nakobe Dean and replacement-level free agent signing Nicholas Morrow. The cornerback room remains the same, with Darius Slay, James Bradberry, and Avonte Maddox all returning, while the safety group is new with second-year player Reed Blankenship and journeyman former Steeler Terrell Edmunds now the starters. Not to be overlooked is that the Eagles have new coordinators on both offense (Brian Johnson, their former quarterbacks coach) and defense (Sean Desai, former associate defensive head coach for the Seattle Seahawks). Whether the Eagles’ offensive and defensive philosophy change in any notable way remains to be seen.

Washington Post article helps explain why the NFL owners are struggling to finalize the purchase agreement for the Commanders - Hogs Haven
The Washington Post published a story today that details some aspects that have not been made public before of the sale agreement for the Washington Commanders between Dan Snyder and the Josh Harris group. The Post story says that the contract includes an “earnout”, which the story describes as “a form of contingent, deferred consideration that is often utilized to reconcile a difference of opinions between the buyer and the seller regarding the fair market value of the target business as of the date of the closing.” The article goes on to say that this is a common structure in high-dollar deals in most business settings, but that it is not common in the sale of sports franchises.

Jaguars sign Sammis Reyes, release safety Deionte Thompson - PFT
Reyes became the first player from Chile to play in the NFL with Washington during the 2021 season. He appeared in 11 games and recorded two tackles on special teams. The Commanders released Reyes with an injury settlement last year and he spent time on the Bears practice squad later in the season. [BLG Note: Reyes participated in the Eagles’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player.]

Welcome to Playing Through: SB Nation’s premier golf community - SB Nation
The 2023 golf season is shaping up to be unlike any other. From Tiger Woods’ upcoming Monday night rounds with Rory McIlroy, the rising stars that have emerged from the pandemic, to the PGA Tour’s growing rivalry with LIV Golf, new voices are taking over the conversation. SB Nation is proud to introduce Playing Through, a new one-stop shop golf community for hobbyists and the golf-obsessed. Maybe you are an avid golfer who tunes in every weekend, or possibly a bit more casual of a fan with interest when the majors arrive. Some of you might even be energized with what the LPGA or DP World Tours are doing. Whatever it might be, Playing Through has you covered.

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