Eagles News: Philadelphia has two of the NFL’s top 10 interior offensive linemen

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Ranking top 10 NFL interior offensive linemen of 2023: NFC East representatives at top, Chiefs duo makes list - CBS Sports
2) JASON KELCE. On his way to the Hall of Fame, Kelce had his best season as a pass blocker at the age of 35. Kelce didn’t allow a sack or a quarterback hit in 2022, giving up just eight pressures with a pressure rate allowed a career best of 1.3% (third best amongst all NFL players, minimum 500 snaps.) Kelce was always a dominant run blocker, with last season being no exception — especially in the second level. That paved the way for another First Team All-Pro selection, his fifth in the last six years. The elder Kelce brother is one of just eight centers to earn five First-Team All-Pro selections, and the previous seven each have made the Hall of Fame. Kelce is showing no signs of slowing down as he enters his 13th season. [...] 9) LANDON DICKERSON. Already a Pro Bowler in his second season, Dickerson has developed into one of the best pass-blocking guards in the NFL. He allowed just one sack and three quarterback hits in 581 pass-blocking snaps, with 17 pressures and a pressure rate allowed of 2.9%. Dickerson was also vital toward the Eagles having the No. 1 run offense in the NFL over the last two seasons and was a force in goal line situations. He was one of the most improved pass blockers in the league last seaosn and is only 24. Expect Dickerson to be on this list for a long time.

Celebrating Jason Kelce - Iggles Blitz
My nephew recently asked me who my favorite Eagle was. All time? Reggie White. He was perfect. Great player. Great dude. Cool name. Cool number. Played on a great defense. I loved everything about Reggie. He never won a Super Bowl as an Eagle. Heck, he only won a single playoff game. But I wouldn’t trade watching him for anything. My nephew asked about the current Eagles. I said AJ Brown, but then changed to Jason Kelce a moment later. Offensive linemen just don’t jump to the front of your mind that often. Kelce should. He’s special. Let’s start with Kelce the football player. He might be the most athletic center to ever play in the NFL. Kelce weighed 280 pounds at the 2011 Scouting Combine. He ran 4.89 and had a short shuttle time of 4.14. LeSean McCoy, a dynamic RB who ran for more than 11,000 yards in his career, had a SS time of 4.18 at 198 pounds. DeSean Jackson is one of the fastest players to ever play in the NFL. At his Pro Day in 2008, Jackson was 169 pounds and had a SS time of 4.19. Kelce’s mobility and agility is freakish.

Podcasts: A mailbag episode, and one last review of all the NFC East teams’ most glaring flaws - PhillyVoice
In the latest episode of BGN Radio, Brandon Gowton and I took your questions in a marathon mailbag episode (BGN Radio #327 below). We also joined Cowboys writer RJ Ochoa on the NFC East Mixtape to discuss my NFC East “dumpster fire” series.

Philadelphia Eagles 2023 betting lines, odds, schedule ATS - ESPN
D’Andre Swift over 4.5 rush TDs. Projection: 5.9 (14 games). Swift is entering his fourth NFL campaign having never scored fewer than five rushing TDs in a single season. And that is despite having yet to clear 151 carries (121.3 average) or 14 games played in a season. Swift now heads to a better offense (granted, not by much. The Eagles have scored only nine more offensive TDs than the Lions over the past three seasons) and his primary competition for work will be oft-injured Rashaad Penny (13 rush TDs in 42 games) and 191-pound Kenneth Gainwell. The Eagles led the NFL in rush TDs (32), expected rush TDs (28.4) and carries inside the opponent’s five-yard line (41) last season, so Swift is set up very well to push for a half dozen scores.

Joe Burrow’s contract, Jimmy Garoppolo’s foot and one summer concern for all 32 NFL teams - The Athletic
Will the Eagles get enough production at linebacker? The Eagles are known to place less of a priority on linebackers, but T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White provided solid production last season at a position that had been a problem in recent years. Both Edwards and White departed in free agency. The Eagles now turn to 2022 third-round pick Nakobe Dean, with Nicholas Morrow the frontrunner to start next to him. Dean was a top linebacker at Georgia in 2021, although he could not beat out Edwards and White for playing time last season. Morrow is on his third team in three seasons. He might be pushed by Christian Elliss for playing time. Whoever it is, the Eagles need consistency at linebacker, and that’s a big question at this point.

Eagles mailbag: Predicting most snaps for Eagles rookies - NBCSP
So after seeing Sirianni play Gainwell more in the playoffs despite having a Pro Bowl running back in a career season, it’s fair to assume he won’t be married to any of these current running backs in 2023. All four of the top guys — Gainwell, D’Andre Swift, Rashaad Penny and Boston Scott — will be fighting for roles in training camp and will be fighting for snaps in the regular season. If I had to predict the top back in this rotation, I’d go with Swift. Gainwell showed some promise in the playoffs but we haven’t seen enough of him. Penny is a great player when he’s healthy but his injury history is an obvious concern. And Scott seems best suited as a rotational backup unless the Eagles are facing the Giants. Even though I think Swift is going to end up leading the team in scrimmage yards among this running back group, there will likely be times when Sirianni rides the hot hand. If Penny is going off it’s going to be hard to stop feeding him; same with Gainwell. So I don’t think the lead back will change every week but I also don’t expect to see a season where one guy is clearly the top back every week like last year. It could make some fantasy football owners very frustrated.

Seven-round NFL mock draft, Round 1: Building a win-now team from active players for 2023 season - NFL.com
4 - Jalen Hurts to the Colts: New Indianapolis head coach (and former Philadelphia offensive coordinator) Shane Steichen is happy to reunite with his former Eagles protégé..

C.J. Gardner-Johnson chimes in on Super Bowl LVII grass - PFT
Man pre-game I went through 3 different cleats!!” Gardner-Johnson tweeted. “Even the studs wasn’t working explain that please.” Added Gardner-Johnson: “Run that bowl back on legit grass, the Dline SMASH that Oline I’m sorry.” The idea that the bad grass affected both teams equally ignores the differences between them. The Eagles had a much better pass rush. And the slippery field took just enough steam out of the pass rush to give Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes enough time to find open receivers.

Celebrate our In-Dak-pendence with 4 reasons to love the QB for America’s Team, Dak Prescott - Blogging The Boys
It’s been nearly 250 years since the 13 original colonies declared their independence from the British rule of King George III. A lot has changed since then. We have electric cars now, the internet, and even Pepsi-flavored ketchup, so clearly, things are looking up. We also have had over 60 years of Dallas Cowboys football and during most of that time we’ve been graced with the presence of Roger Staubach, Troy Aikman, Danny White, Tony Romo, and now Dak Prescott. And while it’s easy to take for granted that we have a special quarterback, sometimes it’s good to have a reminder. As we celebrate our freedom, let’s take a moment to also appreciate the greatness that is Dak Prescott with four reasons to love the quarterback for America’s Team. [BLG Note: This headline ...]

The Giants’ good problem of two good tight ends - Big Blue View
A year ago, Daniel Bellinger was a relatively unheralded fourth-round draft pick of the New York Giants in a deep tight end draft class, the sixth tight end selected. Once the season began, though, Bellinger grew into a significant part of the Giants’ offense. Despite a horrific eye injury suffered in Jacksonville that caused him to miss five games, Bellinger finished fifth in receptions among his rookie counterparts with an outstanding 90.9% completion rate. Big things were anticipated from him in 2023.

Mark Tyler’s Commanders 2023 Season Predictions - Quarterback - Hogs Haven
Sam Howell - Howell will enter training camp as the presumed QB1. Now, that being said, Ron Rivera insists there will indeed be a “quarterback competition” between the second-year player and veteran Jacoby Brissett, but Sam is expected to be given every opportunity to win the job to start the season, and I believe that is exactly what he will do. Sam has borderline elite arm strength, great ball placement that allows his receivers to maximize yards after the catch, a thickly-built frame and sneaky athleticism. He needs to work on his mechanics in the pocket and his decision making to take the jump into respectability. Make no mistake - he will take some risks as he has a bit of a gunslinger mentality, but if he learns to play within his means, and takes what the defense is giving him, the team could have great success under his leadership.

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