Eagles News: NFL executives predict Jalen Carter will be DROY

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NFL execs pick award winners for 2023: Predicting MVP, top rookies - ESPN+
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles. Some evaluators agree that Carter was possibly the best singular talent in the 2023 draft. He fell to ninth overall to the Eagles, who add another explosive player to their defensive line. “If not for character stuff, he would have gone in the top four to five,” an AFC exec said. “As long as he stays the course during the season, he’ll have a huge year. A strong defensive line around him will help him.” Carter is slated to start alongside former All-Pro Fletcher Cox, with former Georgia Bulldogs teammate Jordan Davis in the mix at defensive tackle. Questions persist about whether Carter can produce consistently. “He’s a flash player, so he will have some wow moments, but I’m not sure the consistency will be there,” a high-ranking NFL personnel evaluator said. Also creating buzz: Emmanuel Forbes (Commanders), Will Anderson Jr. (Texans)

A Special Dude - Iggles Blitz
Carter then had some impressive moments in the joint practices with the Browns and Colts. Those of us not in attendance weren’t able to see him in action so we can’t wait to see him in the season opener. I’m torn on what to expect. The rational part of me says to keep expectations down. The delusional nut job that occupies a lot of my brain expects to see a green tornado destroying the Patriots offense repeatedly. No matter what, it will be great to finally see him on the field for an extended amount of time. We’ll finally get an idea of what Carter can do this year. I think one thing that will really help Carter is that he’s not here to carry the defense. He’s not here to be the key to the DL. The Eagles are still loaded up front. Carter can be a game changer, but he won’t have to feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. If Jordan Davis falls on him he may think he’s got the weight of the world on him, but that is a bit different.

Eagles Film Room: Previewing the 2023 offense - BGN
3. Where can the Eagles offense improve? Ryan: This is easy for me - the screen game. We should be a deadly screen team and with the addition of De’Andre Swift, it has to be a big element that improves. We need to incorporate the running back in the offense more in the passing game. My take: You can’t really disagree with this can you? I would also add to this that I want to see the Eagles using more choice routes with the back, as the 49ers did a lot with CMC last year, for example. This is a new thing I think we could see with Swift in particular.

10 Eagles predictions heading into the 2023 NFL season - PhillyVoice
In 2023, the Eagles are scheduled to face Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, a presumably healthy Aaron Rodgers, Tua Tagovailoa, Matthew Stafford, and Dak Prescott twice. That’s seven games against top 12 quarterbacks. Add in teams like the Vikings, 49ers, and Seahawks, who all have premium weapons in the passing game, and, well, I’ll save you the suspense... the Eagles won’t have the No. 1 pass defense in the NFL in 2023, nor will they sack opposing quarterbacks 70 times. A recent trend in NFL defensive strategy is to not give up “the big play.” The side effect of that strategy, as Philadelphians have seen the last two seasons, is watching as good quarterbacks carve up those defenses in the short to intermediate parts of the field, often leading to long, frustrating TD drives. Good offenses around the league know how play against the Jonathan Gannons and the Brandon Staleys of the NFL by now, and by the time these “no big plays” defenses have to play in games of real consequence — the playoffs — they’re a lot more likely to have to try to win games against top tier quarterbacks. The Eagles were lucky to avoid good quarterbacks in their first two playoff games before running into a great one in the Super Bowl. The Eagles wanted to retain Gannon. They’re way better off that he left for Arizona. This defense can be better than it was in 2022, and still not look as impressive in the stat sheet, because in my opinion it should be better equipped make it at least a little bit harder on quality quarterbacks. Teams with championship aspirations should have defenses designed to slow down good quarterbacks, not just feast on the crappy ones.

Myself and Mississippi - Inquirer
The Titans drafted him in the second round in 2019, and while he had immediate success, a litany of injuries in his second season had taken a mental toll. There were other off-the-field issues at the time that A.J. Brown has kept private, but he revealed in November 2021 that he contemplated suicide during the 2020 season. The Browns had long advocated for their children to speak up when in trouble, Shareda said, but A.J. was often prideful. Addressing his depression publicly was a huge personal step, but it also helped many people he didn’t even know. His sisters said he can still be indecipherable.“It’s hard for us to picture him now. We don’t know if he’s sad, we don’t know if he’s happy. We’re like, ‘Whatcha thinking?’” Reva said. “Like, I follow up on him now and say, ‘How’s your mental?’ If he shakes his head, I know he’s good. “But I love that about him because he knows. And sometimes if he does, you know, get out of his shell, he’ll bring it back.”

2023 NFC win-total projections: Eagles, 49ers remain atop conference; Cowboys, Packers miss playoffs - NFL.com
Jalen Hurts is my QB3 in fantasy football. While I’m not forecasting another season of 13 rushing touchdowns, I do project he’ll have 11, with another 26 TDs through the air. My favorite stat on the Eagles from last season was that their offensive line (best in the league based on win share; forecasted to repeat in 2023) showed the least amount of fatigue from the first to fourth quarter. I measure this by reaction time and how long blocks are effective for O-linemen.

Eagles are loaded, but here are 10 areas of concern - NBCSP
Linebacker: Five days before opening day, the off-ball linebackers on the 53-man roster are Nakobe Dean, who’s looked good this summer but has played 34 lifetime snaps on defense; veteran Zach Cunningham, who wasn’t even on a roster the first two weeks of training camp; and Christian Ellis, who’s played 29 career snaps on defense. If Dean can be the player he started to show in camp and Cunningham can be the type of player he was a couple years ago with the Texans, the Eagles will be OK, but there’s no depth, very little experience and more questions than answers.

All eyes on Eagles’ Jalen Hurts after walking through the fire into superstardom - The Athletic
A player seldom arrives in Philadelphia without a story about Hurts reaching out. Nobody in the locker room seems anonymous to Hurts. The Eagles acquired Albert Okwuegbunam last week. He’s their fourth tight end. Hurts sought him out and reflected on plays Okwuegbunam made in a 2018 Alabama-Missouri game. Hurts knows what he does is watched and can matter even more than his words. There was a moment in practice this summer when Eagles coach Nick Sirianni hollered at the quarterback for a procedural mistake. Hurts considered it for a moment on the sideline, then dropped to the ground and did pushups on his own. The implication was clear. No one is above being coached. He can’t preach accountability if he also isn’t accountable. When Sirianni first arrived in 2021, Hurts told him: “Just coach me hard.” They’ve had memorable sideline interactions where their shared background as sons of coaches is apparent.

Ten Bold(ish) Predictions for the 2023 NFL Season - The Ringer
3. Jalen Hurts will lead the NFL in completion percentage. In general, we overrate the degree to which quarterbacks can actually improve their accuracy once they get to the NFL. Hurts is the rare player who has done it. He completed 52 percent of his passes in four starts as a rookie in 2020. In 2021, that number jumped up to 61.3 percent as the Eagles made the playoffs. And during last year’s Super Bowl run, it rose all the way up to 66.5 percent. I know 2020 was a small sample, but that’s a 14.5 percent jump in two seasons! Hurts’s completion percentage last season ranked 11th among starting quarterbacks. He’s not a quarterback who likes to dink and dunk. Hurts wants to push the ball downfield. And while other quarterbacks benefit from easy completions on checkdowns, Hurts often just takes off and scrambles in those situations. But his overall accuracy numbers are impressive.

The ‘main thing’ for Jalen Hurts: Inside the QB’s quest for excellence - PE.com
“Attitude reflects leadership,” Hurts said. “I am always aware of the role that I play in that. It happens naturally, everywhere that I have been and for every team I have played for.” Hurts is always one of the first ones in and last ones out of the NovaCare Complex. He is setting an example of work ethic, dedication, and passion for his craft and creating a culture within the organization. He has noticed more teammates coming in early and staying late to continue working out or to watch film. “That is what you want,” Hurts said. “It is not a self-gratifying feeling; it is what you need to win. If I am the person to set the temperature and pace for that; that is what needs to be done for us to be where we need to be.” “He is one of the hardest workers in the building, everyone knows that,” said wide receiver A.J. Brown. “He is focused on being consistent and leading this team.” Hurts is setting the tone for his teammates, and they are following his example.

Patriots place veteran offensive lineman Riley Reiff on injured reserve amid series of Week 1 moves - Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots will be without Riley Reiff for a minimum of four games to begin the regular season. The organization officially placed the veteran offensive lineman on injured reserve amid a series of moves Monday, per the NFL wire. Reiff, 34, departed from the preseason finale with a leg injury and hadn’t returned to practice since then. The March arrival was among 11 blockers on New England’s initial 53-man roster after last week’s deadline passed, making him eligible for a return later in the fall. He worked exclusively at right guard in August action.

Report: Cowboys starting LG Tyler Smith left practice early with hamstring issue - Blogging The Boys
As it stands now, Smith would be replaced by rookie Asim Richards, according to the depth chart at DallasCowboys.com. T.J. Bass and Josh Ball also are listed as backup guards, but the team has shown a preference for keeping players at one position as much as possible. Richards has looked promising during the preseason, but is still learning to play the pro game. He would be an unquestionable downgrade, and with the rising defensive line of the Giants, that is not a comfortable thought.

Giants roster move: Cole Beasley moved to practice squad/injured list; Cam Sims signed - Big Blue View
The New York Giants have placed veteran wide receiver Cole Beasley on the practice squad/injured list, and added wide receiver Cam Sims to replace him. Beasley, 34, is in his 13th NFL season. He dealt with a bruised quad early in training camp, and missed a significant amount of time later in camp with another leg injury. The injury likely factored into Beasley not making the 53-man roster. Like with the 53-man roster, being placed on practice squad/injured means Beasley can’t be brought to the main roster for at least the first four games.

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