Eagles News: Za’Darius Smith reveals why he left Philadelphia last year

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Za’Darius Smith retired last season to be with his mother before she died - PFT

Za’Darius Smith’s retirement took the Eagles by surprise last season and the veteran outside linebacker explained the decision in his first press conference since coming out of retirement to join the Falcons. Smith said on Tuesday that family matters led to the decision to step away from the game because it was the only way he could be with his mother during a difficult time. “I wasn’t supposed to retire,” Smith said. “I wasn’t going to tell the story, but I’m going to tell it. I got a phone call from my mom’s doctor telling me that she don’t have much longer to be on this Earth. I let the team know. Obviously they wasn’t trying to let me leave, but that was the only thing I had left — to retire. So I retired.”

Eagles-Patriots Film Review: Ty Robinson showing signs of life! - BGN

Robinson certainly showed signs of life against the Patriots. He finished with four tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits. Not bad! More importantly for me, though, was that the style of performance looked familiar. This was the version of Robinson we saw in college, which I will get into later. Before getting into Robinson’s performance, let’s start with Kelee Ringo. I was critical of Ringo after the opening preseason game because he remains one of the most frustrating players on the roster. The physical talent is obvious, but he has struggled to translate those traits into consistent play within this particular scheme. This was a better performance. Ringo makes an excellent play on the ball on the Patriots’ opening series, staying connected to the receiver and using his length and athleticism to contest the catch. If anything, I think he will be disappointed that he doesn’t pick this off because he has great hands. I am still not convinced everything will come together for Ringo in Fangio’s defense. Technical and processing issues keep popping up, and the fit has never looked completely natural to me. However, there is a capable NFL cornerback in there if he can become more consistent. The talent is too evident to dismiss. Which makes him even more frustrating…

Eagles positional group review: Better or worse since the start of training camp? - PhillyVoice

Jalen Hurts aside, the plan at QB2 is weird and confusing. Andy Dalton is not a QB2 anymore, and for some strange reason he has gotten significantly more reps with the second-team offense than Tanner McKee has this offseason. Clearly, the team thinks less of McKee than the fans and media do. If I had to guess, the Eagles’ QB2 this season will be McKee, and Dalton won’t be on the roster, whether he’s traded or outright cut. But who knows? Until that actually happens, Dalton is the QB2. Verdict: Worse 👎 (mainly because of the strange QB2 situation).

Short Term vs Long Term - Iggles Blitz

Eli Stowers is off to a slow start. That has some people questioning why Howie chose him, knowing this team had Super Bowl potential. Was adding a project a smart move? That is debatable. But Howie did this with his eyes wide open. He valued Stowers potential enough to make the move. Howie thinks Stowers can be an impact player that is a major factor for the Eagles in the future. We don’t know how much Stowers will be able to do this year. The problem with Stowers isn’t a lack of talent. He’s struggling because he is thinking too much. I’ve used this example before. Think about driving. You hop in a car and take off without doing much thinking. A 16-year old who is new has to think about every step. They lack experience. The veteran driver does things without even realizing what they are doing. It is more instinctive than thinking. Stowers is like the young driver. Things aren’t natural for him right now. He’s not able to take advantage of his natural ability. I think Stowers will overcome this. He’s stayed late to work on the JUGs machine. His effort on STs is good. His effort as a blocker has improved. Stowers is doing what he can to play better. The more reps he gets, the more natural he’ll play. He needs time, reps, and coaching.

NFC East Preview: Is This the Cowboys’ Year? - The Ringer

I think that the defense will carry this team to a bunch of wins early on, and the hope has to be that the offense can eventually find its footing and catch up. In some ways, this offseason has worked out great for Hurts’s standing among Eagles fans. They’ve rallied behind him after the Brown drama and will point out to any unsuspecting hater that Hurts balled out in both of his Super Bowl appearances and that the team has won 76 percent of the games he’s started over the past four seasons. He’s their guy, and they very badly want this new experiment to work. The biggest factor that will determine whether the Eagles are just a good team or a legit Super Bowl contender is the offensive line. There’s a scenario in which this group bounces back after a down season.[1] There’s also a scenario in which this group struggles in a new scheme without Stoutland pulling the strings and the 2026 Eagles end up looking a lot like the 2025 Eagles. Bottom line: The defense offers a high floor, and the offense will determine the Eagles’ ceiling. I still see enough talent here for another division crown. Projected record: 11-6.

Eagles practice observations: Trending up and down at the completion of camp; cornerback greatness - Inquirer

Trending down. Hollywood Brown. He’s probably on the 53-man roster, and may end up getting more playing time if Lemon needs developing. But Brown hasn’t popped like the speedster was expected to. He may need some time to adjust to a new scheme. Andy Dalton. The veteran quarterback didn’t ask to be traded here. That doesn’t excuse his spotty play in an offense he had experience with. But it’s hard to see why the Eagles felt it necessary to push McKee and cut into his repetitions in a new scheme. Maybe Dalton can turn it on at the end to win the job. Landon Dickerson. No one can deny the left guard’s toughness and what he’s already accomplished. He still has gas in the tank. But of the five starting O-linemen, he may not be an ideal fit in the new wide-zone blocking scheme. As for whether he can make it through the season, that is to be determined. An example of Dickerson’s sluggishness in the new scheme came on Wednesday when he was late to the second level and Campbell plugged Barkley.

Jalen Hurts: ‘I’m in a good spot’ in new offense with season nearing - NBCSP

Jalen Hurts has had to shoulder a lot this summer as the Eagles make a massive offensive shift to run a new scheme under new OC Sean Mannion. As training camp ended on Wednesday, where is Hurts’ command of this offense? “I feel like I’m in a good spot,” Hurts said after Day 17 of camp. “Feel like I’m in a good spot. It think it’s about really looking at the experiences. The experiences don’t mean anything until you reflect on them and grow from them and you start to apply them. So we’re very widespread in what we’re doing right now and I think that’s good. And so when we can hone it down and kind of see who we are, establish exactly what the identity is for us, it’ll come together. So still very early.”

2026 NFL season: Ranking all 32 teams’ watchability, excitement - ESPN

15) Philadelphia Eagles. When have the Nick Sirianni-led Eagles not been dramatic? When they’re good, running back Saquon Barkley has score-from-anywhere potential. Quarterback Jalen Hurts has a beautiful deep ball along the sideline, and receiver DeVonta Smith is a more-than-capable beneficiary of A.J. Brown’s departure. The defense is also studded with star playmakers -- Jalen Carter, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Zack Baun. When they’re bad? Still watchable. Incessant three-and-outs can be boring, but sideline drama never is. Brown’s departure might limit some of the eye-in-the-sky sideline shots we get during broadcasts, but we should still get a few terse sideline conversations between Sirianni and Hurts while Big Dom looms in the background ominously. I’m guessing the new offense under coordinator Sean Mannion gives us a few of these moments, which will be good for internet reactions and Monday morning talk shows at the very least.

A.J. Epenesa is another Eagle learning a new position. Can he supply much-needed depth? - The Athletic

These are new lessons for a former Iowa defensive lineman — the son of a former Iowa defensive lineman — who, at 270 pounds as an All-American high schooler and at 280 pounds as an All-Big Ten Hawkeye, has known little else than surging across the line of scrimmage. “I wasn’t covering any wheel routes back then,” Epenesa laughed. Nor in Buffalo, where Epenesa spent six seasons within former Bills coach Sean McDermott’s attack-oriented, one-gap scheme. Epenesa averaged 0.7 coverage snaps across 105 regular-season and playoff games, according to TruMedia. He totaled four interceptions, including a pick-six in 2023, but he pointed out that each pick was a heads-up play in a series of rushes that forced quarterbacks to make bad decisions. “I’m kind of put in a different situation now where I won’t be able to get up the field as quickly as I have in the past,” Epenesa said. Epenesa is a standing edge defender now — a new role, he said, in which he could be dropping in coverage “every other play.” He is covering wheel routes. And the flats in zone coverage. And a list of other dropback responsibilities. He is the latest of a long list of edge rushers who have had to learn how to drop in coverage under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. “He’s done really well with it,” Fangio said of Epenesa. “And I think he’ll continue to improve.”

Will Shipley: ‘My role will always be evolving’ - PhiladelphiaEagles.com

The difference in the Eagles’ rushing attack between Week 1 and Week 2 of the NFL preseason was noticeable to say the least. Eagles running backs only accounted for 29 yards on the ground in Baltimore. Seven days later and that number more than tripled to 90 against the Patriots. Will Shipley led the way with 11 carries for 56 rushing yards in under two quarters of play. The difference according to Shipley? The offensive line. “Those boys up front were doing a great job on their combo blocks and really just stretching the field. We were making them cover sideline to sideline,” Shipley said. The initial struggle and subsequent improvement aren’t surprising. The Eagles have been adjusting to a new scheme under Offensive Coordinator Sean Mannion this offseason, and Baltimore was the first time that the offense ran the scheme in a live-game setting. “It’s just continuing to evolve and continuing to just get better and better and just all 11 be on the same page,” Shipley said. “Taking every opportunity to look at film, get better, just clean up some mistakes that we made or just taking advantage of opportunities.”

Former Penn State Football Running Back Miles Sanders Arrested For DUI - Onward State

Former Penn State football running back Miles Sanders was arrested on DUI and careless driving charges on June 8 near Pittsburgh, according to court documents. Police were called to William Penn Highway in Churchill Borough, where they found Sanders slumped over in the driver’s seat of his car in the middle of the highway. The officers attempted to wake him but described Sanders as “extremely lethargic.” Police said Sanders smelled of alcohol as he exited the car and that Sanders admitted to drinking earlier in the day. He performed poorly on three separate field sobriety tests and tested positive for alcohol on the portable breath test, at which point police took him into custody.

Cowboys can do something for first time in over 40 years this Friday night - Blogging The Boys

If the Cowboys win on Friday night then they will go 3-0 in the preseason, obviously, and finish the period with an undefeated record (also obviously). The thing about the previous years listed though is that they, like most of NFL history, are from a time in which the preseason was four games. This makes some of this a bit weird. With a win on Friday the Cowboys would finish undefeated (3-0 as opposed to 4-0) for the first time in the preseason since 1985. That was over 40 years ago. Way before we knew what The Drought™ was/is. While the Cowboys haven’t gone undefeated in a preseason since 1985 they have won three games in one as a result of it usually being a four-game variety. The last time that Dallas won at least three games in a single exhibition window was not quite as long ago, it was 2002.

Adam Peters must be aggressive fixing Commanders center situation - Hogs Haven

That left reserves Julian Good-Jones and Matt Gulbin to fill a void, and results haven’t been great. Head coach Dan Quinn stuck with Good-Jones as the primary center (with Allegretti out) for weeks, and it didn’t work out well. Then he put Gulbin front and, well, center heading into the preseason’s final week. While this center setup has been messy for a while, it came to a head during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Ravens. On-site reporters generally agreed that the offensive line play was poor, especially at the center spot.

Will Giants’ starters play vs. Jets? We don’t know, but they should - Big Blue View

New York Giants head coach John Harbaugh told Boomer and Gio on WFAN that he was “waffling” about whether or not to play quarterback Jaxson Dart on Friday night in the preseason finale against the New York Jets. On Wednesday afternoon, Harbaugh told media that he would “just leave it up in the air right now.” “We’ll see where we’re at,” Harbaugh said. “There would be things to be gained for those guys to play defensively as well, from a communication standpoint. But there’s risk. It’s just a balancing act of what we gain the most from with the least amount of risk. That’s what we’ve got to figure out.” One of the winningest NFL head coaches of all time, Harbaugh doesn’t need Big Blue View’s help making decisions. I am going to offer it, anyway. Play the starters, John. At least on offense.

NFL says players who return to college will be ineligible to play in 2026 - NFL.com

Players who leave the NFL to return to college won’t be allowed to come back to the league this season. NFL executive Troy Vincent reiterated the longstanding policy at the league’s meetings Wednesday, saying players who go back to college will be ineligible to play in 2026. Vincent said any player who does that would instead become a free agent for the 2027 season.

The NFL killed the Pro Bowl, marking first league to abolish its All-Star Game - SB Nation

The Pro Bowl is no more. The NFL is abolishing its annual All-Star Game this season, according to Jonathan Jones of The Athletic. The NFL stopped doing NFC vs. AFC for the Pro Bowl in 2013, and since then it has undergone some radical changes. The league shifted to the “Pro Bowl Games” the four years, which featured various skills competitions and a flag football game. Now it’s finally over thanks to dwindling ratings and a lack of participation from key players. The Pro Bowl just wasn’t what it used to be. Shedeur Sanders even got a Pro Bowl nod last year for in a season in which he started eight games, and threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions. The Pro Bowl ratings have been in steady decline. The 2026 event pulled in a record low 1.6 million viewers. The 2025 Pro Bowl pulled in 4.7 million viewers, which was down from 5.8 million viewers in 2024.

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NFC East Mixtape

Rank the four wide receiver rooms in the NFC East

The week of ranking personnel on the NFC East Mixtape Feed continues on! I'm shifting the attention to the wide receiver room where there's a whole lot of star power across the division.

I'll list the top three wideouts for each of the four NFC East teams with my rankings. Let's get after it...

Cowboys (CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy): Lamb is the division’s clear-cut best wideout and Pickens is the best No. 2 receiver in the whole sport.

Commanders (Terry McLaurin, Stefon Diggs, Antonio Williams): While I don’t think McLaurin is as good in a vacuum as the Eagles’ No. 1 wideout farther down these rankings, the presence of the veteran Diggs, off-the-field baggage aside, will be a mighty aid to quarterback Jayden Daniels and rounds out this group well.

Eagles (DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Makai Lemon): While it’s not definitive that Lemon, the rookie first-round pick for the team, will be the Eagles’ No. 3 receiver, let’s go with him for now. After A.J. Brown's departure, Smith is primed for the best statistical season of his career. Wicks has exceeded expectations in camp after an offseason trade that sent him to Philly, but he’s, naturally, no Brown. An injury-filled summer continues to have Lemon as an unknown commodity right now.

Giants (Malik Nabers, Darius Slayton, Darnell Mooney): The Calvin Austin ACL injury is brutal for New York’s depth. Nabers had a monster rookie campaign in 2024, but a season-ending ACL tear limited him to just four games in 2025. Let’s see how he bounces back from that.

Be sure to vote in our poll for the best overall wide receiver room too!

Friday: Ranking the best defenses in the division...

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