Category: Eagles offseason news

Eagles penalty for allegedly tampering with Saquon Barkley won’t come during 2024 NFL draft

The league’s review into tampering allegations against the Falcons and Eagles is ongoing and will not conclude this week during the draft

The Eagles and Falcons will both likely receive penalties for tampering during the NFL free agency period, but according to Adam Schefter, that resolution won’t happen before or during this weekend’s draft.

Cousins has admitted that he communicated with Atlanta’s athletic trainer and head of public relations before the NFL’s new league year.

Cousins left the Minnesota Vikings to sign a four-year, $180 deal with the Atlanta Falcons, and Barkley left the New York Giants to join Philadelphia on a three-year, $37.8 million contract.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

During an interview prior to free agency, Barkley’s college head coach at Penn State, James Franklin, referenced the star running back and Eagles general manager Howie Roseman speaking on the phone during the legal tampering period.

Schefter previously reported that discipline is coming soon, with the punishment likely harsher for the Falcons, given Cousins’ on-the-record statement.

The Dolphins lost their 2023 first-round draft choice and a 2024 third-rounder for tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton thrice from 2019 through 2022. Miami owner Stephen Ross was fined $1.5 million, and team vice chair and limited partner Bruce Beal received a $500,000 fine.

Kansas City lost their 2016 third-rounder and a 2017 sixth-round choice for tampering with former Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in 2015. The Chiefs were hit with a $250,000 fine, and new head coach Andy Reid ($75,000) as well as then-general manager John Dorsey ($25,000) were also fined.

2024 NFL Draft: Eagles looking to trade up for one of the top cornerbacks?

ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman is looking to trade up for a top CB like Terrion Arnold or Quinyon Mitchell

The NFL draft is just four days away. While some general managers will operate passively, Eagles executive Howie Roseman will be among the most aggressive at adding elite talent.

The final week of draft preparation will present plenty of news and rumors, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter is reporting that Roseman and Philadelphia could be looking for an aggressive move up the board for one of the top cornerbacks.

If Roseman wants a cornerback at No. 22, as many people around the league believe he could, he might have to move up again. Per sources, he already has been calling around, gauging what a trade up might look like to be prepared for what has become a near-annual tradition. It’s also worth noting Roseman, who has been Philly’s GM since 2010, has never drafted a corner, tight end, running back or safety in Round 1.

Roseman has traded up in four of the past five years to select offensive tackle Andre Dillard (2019), wide receiver Devonta Smith (2021), defensive tackle Jordan Davis (2022), and star defensive tackle Jalen Carter, Davis’ teammate at Georgia (2023).

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

The Eagles hadn’t drafted a cornerback in the first round since 2002 when they selected Lito Sheppard, but Darius Slay and James Bradberry are 30 or over. The young core of Eli Ricks, Kelee Ringo, Josh Jobe, and Zech McPhearson suffered a baptism by fire in 2023, leaving some doubt about a potential star out of the group.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=15489]

Eagles CB Isaiah Rodgers not among five suspended players reinstated by the NFL

Eagles CB Isaiah Rodgers not among five players reinstated by the NFL on Thursday

Timing is everything, and for Eagles suspended cornerback Isaiah Rodgers, Thursday, April 18 was not the day.

The NFL reinstated wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore, defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor, linebacker Rashod Berry, and defensive end Shaka Toney off the reserve/suspended list.

All five were suspended for the entire 2023 season.

Toney will return to the Commanders roster.

The Lions released Cephus, Moore, and Taylor and are free to sign with new teams.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Rodgers was the only name missing from the list, and that should be concerning for Philadelphia since the talented cornerback was suspended around the same time last off-season.

In February, he spoke to The Inquirer about his suspension, saying that “the more than 100 bets placed on his gambling account were on behalf of friends and family in his native Florida, a state where sports betting was not legal at the time.”

Rodgers stated that most of the bets were between $25 and $50 and included wagers related to Colts games, Rodgers confirmed, one was Jonathan Taylor’s over/under rushing yards prop.

The NFL’s revised rules on gambling state that there is now a minimum of a two-year suspension if a player bets on an NFL game involving his team, something Rodgers did.

The suspensions were part of a more harsh crackdown on gambling last offseason, with the league banning players from betting on any sport if the players are placing the bets at the team facility.

Cam Jurgens says Eagles gave him Jason Kelce’s old locker

The Philadelphia Eagles put Cam Jurgens into Jason Kelce’s old locker at the NovaCare Complex after the All-Pro retired this offseason

Nothing says the Cam Jurgens era is officially here like the Eagles moving his locker into Jason Kelce’s old locker stall.

While meeting with the media on Wednesday, Jurgens told the press that the equipment crew moved his stuff into Kelce’s old stall, but he didn’t notice until he struggled to find his old locker.

If lockers dictate who’ll be a starter, second-year offensive guard Tyler Steen assumed Jurgen’s old stall.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Jurgens is athletic and powerful, putting his potential as a center on display as a rookie during the 2022 preseason.

Kelce hand-picked him as his eventual replacement two drafts ago.

Jurgens was stout in the running game but had some issues with pass protection. In 2023, Jurgens allowed no sacks and gave up 22 QB pressures. In 2023, Kelce allowed only 11 pressures despite playing nearly twice as many snaps.

Jurgens’s 63.0 PFF grade ranked 29th out of all NFL guards.

Eagles updated 76-player roster as 2024 offseason program gets underway

We’re looking at the Philadelphia Eagles updated 76 man roster as the offseason workout program gets underway

The Eagles are back at the NovaCare Complex as the offseason program begins for 76 select veterans and second-year players.

The nine-week training program has three phases: one mandatory minicamp for the entire roster and one rookie minicamp for each group.

Phase One consists of the first two weeks of the program, with activities limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and physical rehabilitation only.

Phase Two consists of the next three weeks of the program with on-field workouts, which may include individual or group instruction.

Phase Three consists of the next four weeks of the program, during which teams may conduct ten days of organized team practice activities, or “OTAs.”

No live contact is permitted, but 7-on-7, 9-on-7, and 11-on-11 drills are allowed.

The Eagles are changing their offseason program, including adding a mandatory minicamp for the first time under Nick Sirianni. They will have 7 OTAs (May 20, May 22-23, May 28, May 30-31) and three days of mandatory minicamp (June 4-6). In 2022 and 2023, they had six total OTAs.

With the workouts and on-field training underway, we’re looking at Philadelphia’s updated 76-player roster ahead of next week’s NFL draft.

Eagles agree to 3-year, $75M contract extension with WR DeVonta Smith

The Philadelphia Eagles are signing DeVonta Smith to a three-year, $75 million extension that runs through the 2028 season.

Wide receiver DeVonta Smith, the Eagles’ first-round draft pick in 2020, and the Eagles have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2028 season.

The team announced the deal on Monday. It includes exercising Smith’s fifth-year option for the 2025 season.

According to Ian Rapoport, Smith gets a three-year, $75 million extension extension that includes $51 million guaranteed.

Smith has recorded 240 catches for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns over three seasons with Philadelphia.

Smith shattered the Eagles rookie record for receiving yards (916) in 2021, surpassing a mark previously held by DeSean Jackson, and established a team record for single-season receptions by a wide receiver (95) in 2022.

Smith logged 1,000 yards receiving for a second consecutive year in 2023.

Eagles to sign TE C.J. Uzomah to a 1-year deal

The Philadelphia Eagles are signing veteran tight end C.J. Uzomah to a one-year deal

The Eagles are adding more talent to the tight end position, as Ian Rapoport reports that veteran tight end C.J. Ozomah is headed to Philadelphia on a one-year deal.

Uzomah was released by the Jets in March in a move that saved the team about $5.3 million on their salary cap.

The 31-year-old Uzomah was scheduled to count $11.2 million against the Jets cap.

Uzomah had only eight receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown last season and was passed by Tyler Conklin on the depth chart. Uzomah didn’t have a catch after Week 10 and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 6 with a knee injury and missed the final five games.

Uzomah was Cincinnati’s fifth-round pick in 2015 out of Auburn. He spent his first seven seasons with the Bengals. He has 192 career catches for 1,881 yards and 16 touchdowns.

He’ll give Kellen Moore another versatile weapon in the passing game.

Eagles are working to sign WR DeVonta Smith to a long term deal

The Philadelphia Eagles are working to sign wide receiver DeVonta Smith to a long term deal and the contract could be worth $25 million per year

After signing Landon Dickerson and Jordan Mailata to massive contract extensions, Eagles GM Howie Roseman is hopeful he can extend DeVonta Smith.

According to ESPN’s Tim McManus, Philadelphia is working behind the scenes on a new contract for the Heisman Trophy winner, and it could exceed $25 million per season.

Smith is under contract through 2024 at a base salary of just over $1 million.

Still, the Eagles have until May 2 to exercise the fifth-year option on Smith’s rookie deal, which has a current value of $16 million for the 2025 season, according to OverTheCap.

The 10th overall pick in the 2020 draft, Smith has recorded 240 catches for 3,178 yards and 19 touchdowns over three seasons with Philadelphia.

Smith shattered the Eagles rookie record for receiving yards (916) in 2021, surpassing a mark previously held by DeSean Jackson, and established a new high for single-season receptions (95) in ’22.

Smith logged 1,000 yards receiving for a second consecutive year in 2023.

WATCH: Aaron Donald says Jason Kelce, Eagles scheme gave him the most trouble

Former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald told Chris Long and The Green Light Gang that Jason Kelce gave him the most problems

Los Angeles Rams 8-time All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald recently announced his retirement after ten seasons in the NFL.

Donald will join Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox as potential 2029 Pro Football Hall of Fame nominees.

“I have been fortunate to play football at the highest level for ten years. I’m thankful for the people I’ve met along the way, the relationships I’ve built, and the things I’ve accomplished with my teammates and individually,” Donald said in a lengthy statement in which he thanked both the cities of St. Louis and Los Angeles.

Donald walks away with 10 Pro Bowl selections, eight first-team All-Pro honors, three AP Defensive Player of the Year awards, a Super Bowl ring, and a place on the Pro Football Hall of Fame All-Decade Team of the 2010s.

During a recent interview on the Green Light With Chris Long Podcast, Donald was asked which offensive line or individual player has given him the most problems over his career.

Donald wasted no time naming Kelce and the Eagles’ scheme for always game-planning and assigning multiple players to him.

Donald had five solo tackles and five assists in 5 games against the Eagles.

Reed Blankenship says he’s feeling 100 percent after surgery to repair groin injury

Philadelphia Eagles safety Reed Blankenship feeling normal after surgery to repair groin injury

The Eagles signed Reed Blankenship to a one-year contract extension on Monday. The move keeps him in Philadelphia for two more years while keeping him out of restricted free agency.

Blankenship saw his play decline down the stretch. On Tuesday, the safety revealed that he dealt with a groin injury late in the 2023 season and told reporters that he had surgery to repair the issue.

“I’m pretty much 100 percent back to normal, and it feels good now not being as sore anymore like I did this past season dealing with it,” Blankenship said via Brooks Kubena of TheAthletic.com. “Now, I’m ready to go and excited to show what I can do.”

Blankenship started all 15 games he played last season and led the Eagles with 113 tackles, three interceptions, 11 passes defensed, and a fumble recovery.