Eagles’ regular season countdown: Every player to wear No. 98 for Philadelphia

With Eagles training camp less than 100 days away, we’re looking at every player to wear the No. 98 for Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Eagles will kick off their 2023 regular season against the New England Patriots on Sept. 10, now 90 days away.

From now until the start of the season, we’ll be counting down each day by revisiting the players who have worn that specific jersey number.

No. 98 is currently worn by first-round pick Jalen Carter, who will be a key rotational piece and star at the defensive tackle position.

There have been some memorable players to don the number, including legendary Bears head coach Mike Ditka.

With 90 days until kickoff, here’s a look at every player to ever wear No. 98 for the Eagles (via Pro Football Reference):

Damion Willis, Blake Martinez were highest-graded Giants vs. Patriots

WR Damion Willis and LB Blake Martinez earned the New York Giants’ highest offensive and defensive grades in a loss to the Patriots.

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The New York Giants dropped their preseason finale to the New England Patriots, 22-20, and there were plenty of reasons to come away concerned. We’ll get to those.

Before we do however, there were also several reasons to feel optimistic. Case in point: linebacker Blake Martinez demonstrating a significant improvement in coverage — if even just for a day.

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Martinez led the Giants defense with a Pro Football Focus grade of 91.7. He was followed by defensive back Julian Love (89.5), and defensive linemen Elijah Qualls (80.7) and Austin Johnson (76.2).

Other notable defensive grades include linebacker Lorenzo Carter (74.3), cornerback Sam Beal (69.7) and cornerback Rodarius Williams (59.8).

The lowest-graded Giants defenders on Sunday were linebackers Trent Harris (29.9) and Niko Lalos (24.3).

On the offensive side of the ball, wide receiver Damion Willis led the way with a PFF grade of 92.5. He was followed by guard Will Hernandez (92.2), offensive tackle Jackson Barton (78.7) and tight end Nakia Griffin-Stewart (74.7).

Fullback Eli Penny earned a 73.7, while quarterback Daniel Jones graded out at 53.8.

The Giants’ lowest-graded offensive players were running back Devontae Booker (42.1) and wide receiver Darius Slayton (41.4).

Offensive tackles Andrew Thomas and Matt Peart earned grades of 53.4 and 48.5, respectively.

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Giants sign DT Elijah Qualls, waive DT R.J. McIntosh

The New York Giants have signed veteran DT Elijah Qualls and waived DT R.J. McIntosh, a 2018 fifth-round pick.

The New York Giants announced on Wednesday that they’ve signed veteran defensive tackle Elijah Qualls.

Originally a sixth-round pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2017 NFL draft, Qualls has also spent time with the Carolina Panthers (2018-2019), Baltimore Ravens (2019), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2019) and DC Defenders of the XFL.

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In six career games, Qualls has recorded four tackles and one QB hit.

The Giants also announced that they have waived defensive lineman R.J. McIntosh.

McIntosh was a fifth-round pick of the Giants out of Miami in the 2018 NFL draft. He started his NFL career on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury (NFI) list after being diagnosed with a thyroid condition during the NFL combine.

In early November of 2018, McIntosh was activated from NFI and placed on the Giants’ active roster.

McIntosh has appeared in 18 career games, recording 18 tackles, three QB hits and two sacks. However, he has not played in a game since 2019 having been a healthy scratch for all 16 games a season ago.

Finally, the Giants have waived wide receiver Derrick Dillon.

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