The preseason is not for the faint of heart. After going over 6 months without football, we cling to grainy practice footage and exhibition games between backups for sustenance. We’ve wandered through the desert of the NFL offseason hungry for football only to be handed a ketchup sandwich. That ketchup sandwich is the preseason. It’s empty calories with a level of excitement that makes Downton Abbey look like Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. It makes Mister Rogers look like Metallica. That being said, I absolutely love it.

I’m prone to taking an early August contest between the Eagles and Ravens backups too seriously. Writing notes on how many snaps backup defensive lineman Ty Robinson is getting while I navigate the confused and concerned looks from my girlfriend wondering why I’m pretty much watching dudes practice. I love seeing rookies’ flash potential. I love seeing longtime backups get their opportunity to show what they can do. I love jumping to conclusions based on games that mean nothing. Preseason is a drug I can’t seem to kick.

For us fans, the preseason doesn’t reveal much while also revealing everything. Coaches play generally vanilla schemes and rely on bland playcalling to assess talent, so as not to show their cards ahead of the season. Starters who do play in the preseason don’t play with maximum effort. But we get to see highly drafted rookies touch grass in our favorite uniforms for the first time (unless that rookie is Makai Lemon) and the development of second-year players primed to bump up their playing time. We get to find heroes in the rough. Those undrafted rookies or wayward vets getting another chance to show what they can do. Getting attached to dudes like that is like falling in love with a Game of Thrones character who dies two episodes later. The feats of most preseason heroes don’t often transfer to the regular season, but occasionally they make the leap.

That’s what brings us here today, ladies and gentlemen. Today we answer the question that literally no one has been wondering. Who are the greatest preseason players in Eagles history? By Eagles history, we ofcourse mean since 2014 when the NFL started tracking preseason statistics. We’ll look at the heroes in the rough, the highly touted stars, and the wayward veterans who showed up when the lights were dimmest and the stands were at less than capacity. This is your Philadelphia Eagles All-Preseason team.

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Quarterback: 2015 Sam Bradford

In 2015, Chip Kelly locked Howie Roseman in a closet in the Novacare Complex and took the wheel. Driving under the influence of power, Kelly flipped future Eagles savior “Well Endowed” Nick Foles, a 2015 4th-round pick, and a 2016 2nd-round pick to Jeff Fisher’s St. Louis Rams for Sam Bradford (a man who played with the largest sleeves known to man). Sammy Sleeves came to Philly with high hopes for a team in desperate need of a franchise quarterback. He had a lot on his shoulders (literally, due to the size of his enormous shoulder pads).

But Sleevey Nicks flashed some signs of excellence. In the 2015 preseason, Bradford played two games to near perfection. He threw for an 86.7% completion percentage, going 13-for-15 to the tune of 156 yards and 3 touchdowns (including throwing 10-for-10 and 121 yards against Green Bay).

Unfortunately, that success didn’t translate to the regular season as Paul Thomas Sleeverson went 7-7 in games he started, throwing for 19 touchdowns (tied for 22nd in the league that season) and 14 interceptions (tied with Eli Manning for 7th-most in the league that season). Chip got fired and Howie eventually kicked down the door of the closet, shipped Sleevie Wonder to Minnesota for a first-round pick, and used the capital from that trade to draft Carson Wentz. The rest is history. But the sleeves will never be forgotten.

Running Back: 2015 Raheem Mostert

In 2015, someone clearly dumped an Alex Mack level of toxic goo into the Philadelphia water supply that turned everyone into a superhero. The same preseason that Sammy lit his sleeves on fire spinning the pigskin, an undrafted running back out of Purdue grabbed lightning in the palm of his hand. Raheem Mostert led the league in yards from scrimmage in the preseason. He was the next Darren Sproles. A versatile back who was a strong runner, a dangerous receiver, and a powder keg of a kick returner. The rare player who was a threat to score every time he touched the ball.

Mostert played in 4 games and ran for 157 yards at 4.03 yards per carry. On top of that, he had 14 catches for 194 yards at a whopping 13.86 yards per reception. The man was the human torch. Unfortunately, Mostert ran into an unstoppable force known as Eagles head coach Chip Kelly. He got cut from the Birds after his legendary preseason performance to make room for running backs DeMarco Murray (PTSD activated), Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, and Kenjon Barner.

Mostert finally caught on in his 4th year in the league, running for 772 yards and 8 touchdowns in Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco offense in 2019. He ran for over 1000 yards and 18 touchdowns with Miami and Mike McDaniel when the vibes were excellent in South Beach in 2023 and is currently mentoring 2nd-year running back Ashton Jeanty on the Las Vegas Raiders.

Wide Receiver: 2018 Shelton Gibson

I don’t know if you remember, but the Eagles weren’t always the best at drafting wide receivers (see: Reagor, Jalen). Enter Shelton Gibson. The 5th-round pick out of West Virginia was the Jerry Rice of Josh Huffs. The Larry Fitzgerald of Marvin McNutts.

In 2018, coming off a Super Bowl he was not a part of, Gibson came out swinging. In 3 preseason games, he caught 9 passes for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns. Gibson looked like he’d become a contributor to an Eagles team looking to repeat. Unfortunately, in three seasons with the Eagles, Gibson failed to make much of a mark. He caught a total of 3 passes for 59 yards. Those are Sean McVay in college numbers.

Tight End: 2018 Dallas Goedert

The same season Young Shelton broke out as a preseason receiver, Philadelphia was introduced to a future legend. It was clear from the jump that Dallas Goedert had the goods. The Man Named After A City played in 3 games and caught 9 balls for 149 yards and 1 TD. Two Super Bowl appearances and one Super Bowl win later, he is now one of the top 3 the greatest tight ends in Philadelphia Eagles history.

Defensive Tackle: 2021 T.Y. McGill

First off, T.Y. McGill sounds like the lead character in a Pixar movie about a private detective who’s also a fish who is investigating the lowering water levels in his home pond. It will be called “Up to My Gills” and T.Y. McGill will be voiced by Josh Brolin.

Anyway, dude was a defensive tackle for the Birds who made is mark in the preseason. The year before, McGill appeared in 7 games for the Birds in 2020 and recorded a half sack, 3 QB hits, 1 tackle for loss, and 9 tackles. The following preseason, McGill had 3 sacks, 1 pass defended, and 5 QB hits in 2 games. Unfortunately, he was traded to Washington after the preseason and then to Minnesota later in the year.

Defensive End: 2019 Daeshon Hall

In 2019, all of the clocks in Daeshon Hall’s house were set to Demon Time. The former 3rd-round pick from the Carolina Panthers was signed by Philly in December of 2018 off the Texans practice squad. That preseason, Daeshon went off.

In 4 games, he recorded 10 tackles, 4 sacks, and 11 quarterback hits. Hall got some playing time for the Eagles that season, recording 1.5 sacks, 9 tackles, and 3 quarterback hits that season. Unfortunately, he tore his ACL in the last game of the 2019 season and was cut from the team the next year. He never managed to catch his footing again in the league.

Linebacker: 2017 Mychal Kendricks

Can I interest you in a linebacker who was really fast and hit really hard? That was Mychal Kendricks. A player who was fun to watch and occasionally slightly frustrating. But at his best, Kendricks was a human wrecking ball.

That season, Kendricks started at weakside linebacker next to Nigel Bradham and Jordan Hicks. In the preseason (back then a 5-year veteran would still play in the preseason), Kendricks just kind of bullied people. Appearing in 3 games, he got 1 sack, 4 tackles, and two tackles for loss, but also somehow caught 3 interceptions (1 in each game he played) and returned one for a touchdown.

Kendricks played 7 total years in Philly and helped lead us to our first-ever Super Bowl win later that year.

Cornerback: 2023 Eli Ricks

Ricks signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent out of Alabama. Ricks was also generally unimpressive. He had long arms and liked to use those for anything but covering wide receivers.

In the 2023 preseason, he flashed some potential, totaling 4 passes defensed and 1 interception returned for a TD. It looked like the Eagles unearthed some solid corner depth behind James Bradberry and Darius Slay. He played for the Birds for two years and was on the Super Bowl-winning roster in 2024. Other than that, he kind of stunk.

Safety: 2015 Ed Reynolds

Where my real sickos at? Ed Reynolds looked like a safety you would want on your team in 2015. He was 6’2”, big-bodied, super physical, and smart, playing for David Shaw’s Stanford team in college. His dad was a linebacker in the NFL. In 4 games that preseason, Reynolds recorded 14 tackles and 2 interceptions. He flew around like a wild man.

Unfortunately, Right Said Ed only played 1 season in Philly and appeared in 6 games, recording 21 tackles and 1 interception.

Not featured: Offensive line, because I need someone to start tracking offensive lineman data in the preseason.

Finding the offensive coordinator of your dreams is easy. Just take 3 simple steps:

1. Find a backup quarterback who was decent in college but not so great in the pros

2. Make sure they are 40 years old or younger. Bonus points if they were born after Sir-Mix-A-Lot dropped “Baby Got Back.”

3. Hand them the keys, light a cigar, and congratulate yourself on a job well done.

In the modern era of football, NFL teams have embraced the ingenuity of young offensive minds. If you’re close to Justin Bieber’s age and sat next to Sean McVay on a flight, we’ve got a job for you! But this past offseason, that embrace has gone into hyperdrive. And teams looking for fresh perspectives have entrusted their offenses to one particular group of ex-players: young backup quarterbacks.

Specifically, quarterbacks who kind of sucked in the NFL. Stunk. Blew chunks. As they say, those who can’t do become offensive coordinators. These days it’s almost better to be a backup quarterback on a good team than a starter on a bad one (looking at you 2045 Philadelphia Eagles Head Coach Tanner McKee).

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The ex-quarterback coaching pivot reached its apex in the mid-aughts when career NFL backup Gary Kubiak won it all with Peyton Manning as head coach of the Broncos in 2015, and long-time backup quarterbacks-turned-coaches Doug Pederson and Frank Reich hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the Birds in 2017. Since 2000, teams have looked at coaches who were quarterbacks in college or the NFL as a golden ticket for offensive stewardship. 13 of 27 Super Bowl-winning teams since the turn of the century have employed a former quarterback as their offensive playcaller. And honestly, most of those dudes were not great at tossing the pigskin in the pros.

The most successful ex-quarterbacks to call a Super Bowl-winning offense by professional pass attempts since 2000 are Byron Leftwich with Tampa Bay in 2020 (had 1,905 career pro attempts), Doug Pederson (had 522 career pro pass attempts), Gary Kubiak (9 seasons with 298 pass attempts), Matt Cavanaugh with Baltimore in 2000 (won two Super Bowls backing up Joe Montana with the 49ers), and Kellen Moore (104 pro pass attempts).

In fact, most great offensive minds were not great players. Kyle Shanahan totaled 127 yards receiving in two seasons as a walk-on at the University of Texas. Sean McVay had 312 yards receiving in three seasons at Miami of Ohio. Andy Reid played offensive line at Glendale Community College. Ben Johnson was a reserve quarterback at UNC for three seasons.

But the argument for backup quarterbacks is that they are uniquely conditioned to excel as coaches. They spend time studying the stars, picking up the idiosyncrasies of coaching, understanding offense as a whole rather than a part. They are unburdened by the curse of natural talent. Without the innate athleticism and instincts to make the right play, they rely on hard work and an astute understanding of the game.

As backup QB who once ran out of the back of his own end zone, Dan Orlovsky said in an article in The Athletic in 2018, “You’re always the guy who is really good but not good enough. Why are you not good enough is probably tied to the physical, so how do you hang on, how do you play for a long time? A lot of the cases it’s because you have a good brain.”

This season, 18 teams will have new offensive play-callers. 10 of those 18 are former college or professional quarterbacks, bringing the league total to 53% of playcallers being ex-quarterbacks. 4 of those 10 are ex-quarterbacks over 40 who will make you think you woke up in a time machine (Frank Reich and Matt Nagy are the offensive coordinators of New York teams? Did I wake up in 2018?). Also, fun fact: new Browns head coach Todd Monken was ripping zingers for Division II school Knox College in the 80s and still has the record for most touchdowns thrown in a game, most passing touchdowns in a season, and most completions in a game. Call him Touchdown Todd.

6 of those 10 new ex-quarterback playcallers are 40 or under. A tradition that started after Sean McVay took the league by storm in his early 30s and got jobs for ex-quarterbacks like Matt LaFleur. I call this new class of offensive playcallers the OC Bros. They are the wunderkinds. The young guns that teams believe can punch their ticket to a championship-level offense. They bow at the altar of Zac Taylor. This season, those guys are:

• Mike LaFleur, Arizona Cardinals Head Coach (39 years old)

• Tommy Reese, Atlanta Falcons Offensive Coordinator (34 years old)

• Zac Robinson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator (39 years old)

• Davis Webb, Denver Broncos Offensive Coordinator (31 years old)

• Sean Mannion, Philadelphia Eagles Offensive Coordinator (34 years old)

• David Blough, Washington Commanders Offensive Coordinator (31 years old)

Two of these guys are 1 B.J.B. ( “before Justin Bieber was born”). The job market for a young former QB is bustling. But these OC Bros need to meet a strict set of circumstances to become the head offensive honcho. So if you’re looking to go from backup quarterback in the league to offensive coordinator, there are a few steps you need to take.

Step 1: Have a great college football career

Listen, even Matt LaFleur left Saginaw Valley State University as the all-time leader in passing yards in school history. To become a bad backup quarterback in the league, you need to be a good one in college. Tommy Reese ranks top 4 in career passing yards and touchdowns at Notre Dame. Zac Robinson set the record for offensive yards at Oklahoma State.

Davis Webb threw for nearly 10,000 yards at Texas Tech and Cal. Sean Mannion is the all-time leader in passing yards and touchdowns at Oregon State and 5th all-time in Pac-12 passing yards, right below Jared Goff and above Michael Penix Jr. And David Blough is ranked 3rd in career passing touchdowns at Purdue, 4th all-time in career passing yards, and threw for the most yards in a single game in Purdue history. Get a little dip on that chip so you can make it into the shield.

The exception here is Mike LaFleur, who played quarterback at DII Elmhurst University before converting to safety his senior year.

Step 2: Backup a good quarterback

The best OC Bros learn from being in the presence of excellence, whether from the bench or the practice squad. It’s their proximity to greatness that makes them…maybe great. Zac Robinson was drafted by New England in the 7th round when Tom Brady was there. Davis Webb played with Baker Mayfield and Patrick Mahomes in college, and backed up Eli Manning after he was drafted by the Giants in the 3rd round and Josh Allen later in his career. Sean Mannion backed up Nick Foles (our lord and savior), Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins. David Blough backed up Matthew Stafford while with the Lions.

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Step 3: Have an unsuccessful playing career

And do it fast before you turn 40! The OC Bro needs to embrace his future rather than his present. Mike LaFleur and Tommy Reese never made it to the league as a quarterback. Check. Zac Robinson made it to the league but never took a meaningful snap. Check. Davis Webb played one game in his career (his last game ever) against the Eagles in 2022, where he went 23/40 for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns (one passing, one rushing). We’ll allow it.

Sean Mannion appeared in 14 total games in his 6-year career and threw for only 573 yards, 1 touchdown, and 3 interceptions. Solid. David Blough, unfortunately the most successful of the bunch, started 9 games in the NFL, throwing for 1,435 yds, 6 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Almost legitimate, but we’ll allow it.

Step 4: Be in the presence of great coaches

The final step is a big one. If you spent your career learning from Freddie Kitchens, I've got bad news for you. But if you shook Kyle Shanahan’s hand or got yelled at by Bill Belichick one time, you’re in the running.

Mike LaFleur spent most of his coaching career with Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay. Tommy Reese coached under Brian Kelly at his alma mater and served as the offensive coordinator at Alabama during Nick Saban’s last season as head coach before joining Kevin Stefanski in Cleveland.

Zac Robinson spent his entire coaching career under Sean McVay. He called plays with Atlanta for the last two seasons under Raheem Morris, leading them to the 13th- and 26th-ranked offenses respectively (not the best). Davis Webb played under Kliff Kingsbury and Brian Daboll, and coached under Sean Payton (the OG OC Bro).

Sean Mannion played under Sean McVay, Pete Caroll, and Kevin O’Connell before coaching under Matt LaFleur. David Blough played under Dan Campbell and played and coached under Kliff Kingsbury.

And there you have it! A simple guide to success. It’s hard enough in this economy. Keep slinging that pigskin, but not too well, and send a cold email to Kyle Shanahan for a coaching internship.

Greatness can always fall victim to circumstance. Crowded rosters, overlooked skillsets, miscalculations of potential. Even the clearest diamonds go through the rough. But all it takes is one opportunity for someone to show what they can really do. Think Steve Young, Jeremy Lin, Willie Beamen, that snowman from Frozen, or Peter Parker when he got bitten by that spider (yes, I saw Spiderman the other day; why do you ask). Circumstances can be beyond our control, but true greatness lies in taking advantage of the opportunities given to you (writing that down for a self-help book one day).

The Philadelphia Eagles, for all intents and purposes, are stacked. Loaded. Brimming with elite athleticism, skill, and pure uncut grade-A moxie. They’re not like “Los Angeles Rams potential greatest d-line of all-time stacked.” But despite losing A.J. Brown and his Twitter fingers, they are still an extremely talented team at most positions. Still with that wealth of talent, the Eagles have a couple of players with untapped potential. Diamonds in the rough. And as more and more opportunities present themselves, the greatness of those players is starting to shine through.

This year, two players are slated to take the next step. And if they do, it will have ripple effects across the entire team. So who are the Eagles’ two secret stars?

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The Swagger of Jalyx Hunt

It’s natural law that if your name ends in an “x” you’re guaranteed to excel at hitting quarterbacks (see: Crosy, Maxx). Entering his third year in the league, Jalyx “Big Pimpin’” Hunt has already started to make his mark on the league (including when he answered his draft day phone call from Howie Roseman like this).

Despite being thought of as a raw prospect who would take time to develop, Jalyx’s elite athleticism, intelligence, and overwhelming swagger have his hype train ahead of schedule. The former Cornell safety turned Houston Christian defensive end adjusted to the NFL quickly.

Last season, we saw a glimpse of Hunt’s potential as he had several SportsCenter Top Ten-worthy plays. There was his Pick 6 against the ghost of Carson Wentz and the Vikings, his two sacks against Josh Allen and the Bills in Buffalo, his forced fumble against the Chargers, his interception against Chicago where he batted the ball at the line of scrimmage and right into his own hands, and his agile diving interception in front of Deebo Samuel against the Commanders. Homie is a certified baller.

As Eagles legendary defensive end Brandon Graham said via NBC Sports Philadelphia, Hunt is “somebody that caught on real quick…You see his regimen of what he’s learned from the first year, watching other people, Sweaty [Josh Sweat], me, all the guys in front of him. And then you just seen him applying it the way he does it.”

Hunt has the underrated ability to improve year after year. In 2024, he played 24.6% of snaps in the regular season, and logged 1.5 sacks, 21 tackles, and 3 quarterback hits. In the Eagles’ Super Bowl postseason run that same season, Hunt saw his snaps jump to 37.9%, and he logged 1.5 sacks, 10 tackles, and 3 quarterback hits.

After the departure of Josh Sweat following the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season, Hunt’s snap percentage jumped to 61.5% in 2025. With increased playing time, Hunt hooped. He logged 6.5 sacks, 52 tackles, 3 interceptions (including the Wentz pick-six), and 2 forced fumbles.

Last year, Hunt became the first Eagle ever to lead the team in interceptions AND sacks in a single season. He was also 8th in the league in quarterback knockdowns and tied with his 2024 draft classmate Laiatu Latu of the Colts for 1st in the league in interceptions by an edge or outside linebacker.

Jalyx’s background as a safety at Cornell before converting to a defensive end at Houston Christian gave him experience both rushing the passer and dropping into coverage, making him a chess piece for defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.

So far in training camp, Hunt has been showing out despite the absence of his newly acquired co-star defensive end Jonathan Greenard, who’s out with a pectoral injury. When asked if Hunt is ready to take the next step, Fangio (a man who doesn’t really compliment anyone) went out of his way to add some fuel to the hype train.

“Yeah, I am looking for that,” Fangio said of Hunt back in a May press conference. “He’s very capable of it….He’s had a nice progression. I see him growing his game in all aspects. I think he can and will rush better. He’ll play the run better. It’s just the natural progression…Yeah, I think he’s just ready to keep getting better and better.”

The Birds are hoping that they can add Jalyx to a list of defensive difference-makers they’ve drafted in the third round in the modern era, including Nakobe Dean (2022), Milton Williams (2021), Jordan Hicks (2015), Bennie Logan (2013), Derrick Burgess (2001), and Jeremiah Trotter (1998). We’ll see if Big Pimpin’ can make a big mark on the league this year.

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Untapped Potential of Tank Bigsby

Honey Badger. Sweetness. The Fridge. There’s nothing like a man who plays football like his nickname.

After Week 1 last year, Howie Roseman pulled the trigger on a trade for Jacksonville running back Tank Bigsby. The Eagles initially claimed the move was for Bigsby’s kick return ability (which was weird because that wasn’t Bigsby’s calling card), but once they came to their senses, they handed Bigsby the rock, and he showed what he can do.

Tank entered the league in 2023 as one of the top 10 rushers in Auburn University history. His reward was being drafted by the dysfunctional Jacksonville Jaguars and our old friend (certified ball-knower) then-head coach Doug Pederson. Bigsby entered a crowded Jaguars running back room dripping with potential.

In 2024, he showed what he could do, running for 766 yards and 7 touchdowns at 4.6 yards per carry. His play was on par with backs like J.K. Dobbins and Jordan Mason, who got the chance to start with new teams in 2025.

Bigsby also boasted 168 carries in 2024 to Travis Etienne’s 150 despite starting 1 game. But issues with fumbles, a crowded backfield, and a new regime under Liam Coen forced Jacksonville to trade Bigsby to Philly for 5th and 6th-round picks last year.

Tank didn’t get a touch until Week 7 against Minnesota, taking his first handoff for 11 yards. Despite low usage (thanks to offensive playcalling that resembles a flaming trash can), Bigsby averaged a league-high 5.9 yards per carry (#1 for backs with at least 50 carries). He had 58 touches for 344 yards and 2 touchdowns. Despite his absurd efficiency, the Eagles’ struggling running game failed to give Bigsby opportunities.

After his single carry in the Minnesota game, Bigsby had a stellar performance against the New York Giants the next week, taking 9 carries for 104 yards. After that, he only saw 9 attempts over the next 5 games, including a 4-carry, 34-yard game against Detroit.

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In the 16 games he was available for the Eagles, Bigsby received over 4 carries in just 5 games. Last season, Barkley had 280 carries to Bigsby’s 58. That’s a stark contrast to the Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run when backups Kenneth Gainwell and Will Shipley saw 75 and 30 attempts in the regular season, respectively.

Now Tank will never overtake All-World superstar Saquon Barkley. But Barkley’s usage in his two seasons in Midnight Green is through the roof. He has the most touches for a back in the league in the last two years. Unlocking Tank could take some of those touches off Barkley’s plate to keep him fresh throughout the season as Saquon approaches 30.

This year, Philly will look to maximize their rushing attack in Sean Mannion’s offense. The new offense, which utilizes an outside zone running attack, is the perfect fit for a decisive, one-cut, downhill runner like Bigsby. And so far in camp, Tank’s been showing out.

As Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia said at the start of camp, “For the second straight day, I’m going to say it: Tank Bigsby just brings so much juice. It’s fun to watch him play.” Bigsby has been getting involved in the passing game and has shown his ability as a capable pass protector (see this highlight where he bodyslams Commanders linebacker Bobby Wagner or this press conference where he promises to protect Jalen Hurts with his life).

Nick Sirianni spoke highly of Bigsby, saying, “That’s Tank Bigsby, he is constantly running to the football, he is constantly doing everything he’s supposed to do.” All signs point to Tank time, and once the Tank gets rolling, he’ll be hard to stop (okay, I’m out of tank puns).

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A great philosopher once said, “We’re talking about practice. Not a game. Not a game. Not a game. We’re talking about practice.” I’m struggling to remember the context, but I’m pretty sure he was talking about NFL Training Camp.

Teams around the league have begun reporting to their training camps, with Eagles’ players reporting today (or if you’re from the future, Tuesday, July 28). For the next several weeks, we’ll talk about dudes practicing in shorts (and sometimes pads) as teams prepare to kick off the season in September. In Philadelphia, the start of this training camp caps off one of the most eventful Eagles off-seasons in recent memory.

Despite returning 9 of 11 starters on offense and 8 of 11 starters on defense, this Eagles team made some monumental changes this past offseason, including overhauling their offensive system, making changes to the coaching staff, bringing in new talent, and trading away their star wide receiver. With all that change, the Eagles have more questions than answers ahead of the 2026 season.

So while you’re watching grainy footage on Twitter of a late-round defensive lineman to determine whether or not they’ll make the final roster or trying to determine how long Jalen Hurts is going to rock the mustache look, here are the 10 juiciest storylines to follow for the next month or so.

1. Can Sean Mannion Get The Most Out of Jalen Hurts?

Hurts will be playing for his 5th offensive coordinator in six seasons. That’s like being married 5 times in 6 years. After a successful 1-year stint as Jordan Love’s quarterback coach in Green Bay, Sean Mannion and this offensive staff hope to get Jalen back on track after a down year.

I broke down Mannion’s experience earlier in the offseason. The hope is that his knowledge of the quarterback position can help Hurts continue to develop while accentuating QB1’s strengths.

As football fans, we’ve never really seen the McVay/LaFleur offense, with a quarterback as mobile as Hurts, over the course of a full season (with the closest comparison being two games of Malik Willis last season). Mannion will look to get Hurts comfortable with a pure progression passing game that asks him to read the entire field and take snaps under center.

Big Sean (nickname pending) will also need to find ways to get Hurts more involved in the run game than he was last year when Hurts rushed for the least amount of yards since becoming a full-time starter in 2021. We’ll see if Mannion is the Prince Who Was Promised or just another Sean in South Philly.

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2. How Deep Is The Offensive Line?

It’s hard to think of 5 words less inspiring than Stem Cell Treatment in Colombia. But that’s exactly what Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson did this offseason to fix injuries that limited their effectiveness last year.

Jurgens and Dickerson both missed 2 games last year, left tackle Jordan Mailata missed 1 game, and future Hall-of-Famer Lane Johnson missed the last 8 games of the season and is also 36 (which, as a man in my 30s, I refuse to admit is old out of a sense of pride and delusion).

The Eagles’ line has the potential to be one of the best in the league next year if they can just stay healthy. But if they can’t, the depth behind them is shaky. The Birds re-signed reliable swing tackle Fred Johnson (Fred Again!), who filled in admirably for Johnson last year. They brought in (man whose name breeds unfortunate expectations) Michael Jordan to shore up their depth in the interior line. The 6’ 6” offensive guard started 9 games for Tampa Bay last year and graded highly as a pass blocker (19th among 81 qualified guards according to John McMullen of Sports Illustrated).

The Eagles are hoping anyone from a crop of young players that includes Drew Kendall, Jake Majors, Myles Hinton, Willie Lampkin, and rookies Micah Morris out of Georgia and Markel Bell (a literal giant) out of Miami can step up. Unfortunately, the Eagles no longer have Jeff Stoutland and his magic touch for developing offensive linemen. Hopefully our boy Stout left a little of that magic behind for new offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who has a mixed track record.

3. Wide Receiver #2, Who?

After the departure of A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith is getting a well-deserved opportunity to be the head honcho in this wide receiver room. Behind Smith, the depth chart is very much up for grabs.

Insert Dontayvion Wicks. The 25-year-old is a lethal route runner with a very high ceiling. Unfortunately, he never reached that ceiling in Green Bay due to inconsistent play and a very serious case of the drops (although Wicks lowered his drops from 9 in 2024 to just 3 last year). Wicks does his best work out of the slot and is an excellent blocker, which could pay dividends for a team looking to get back to a dominant run game.

Also insert rookie Makai Lemon. The first-round pick is a tough receiver who also does his best work out of the slot, is a great route runner and blocker, is very tough to bring down, and has a serious case of “that dog in him”. The Birds also brought in field-stretching wide receivers Hollywood Brown (who should change his name to South Philly Brown) and Elijah Moore.

It seems like the Eagles have a few guys with similar profiles. But it also seems like they’ve built a positionless basketball-style receiver room, where Mannion can move players around the field to hunt mismatches. Hopefully the next few weeks will give us a sense of the vision for this post-A.J. Brown receiving group.

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4. Big Bets on 2nd Year Defenders

This past offseason, the Eagles let linebacker Nakobe Dean and safety Reed Blankenship sign with other teams (I’m not crying, you’re crying). Allowing both players to walk places big bets on second-year safety Andrew Mukuba and second-year linebacker Jihaad Campbell.

Mukuba started most of the season next to Blankenship last year, and showed real flashes, including a game-tilting interception against Kansas City in Week 2. Just as he started to catch his stride, Mukuba fractured his right ankle in Week 12 against Dallas. The Eagles made no significant moves at safety and are going into the season with Mukuba as the unquestioned starter. But he still has a lot to prove.

Jihaad Campbell looked like one of the league’s most explosive linebackers last year when filling in for an injured Nakobe Dean in Weeks 1 through 6. After Dean came back, Campbell’s playing time diminished, but in Year 2, the Birds are showing faith in Campbell’s ability to become a difference-making linebacker. Unfortunately, Campbell missed most of the offseason programming with a shoulder injury, so it may take a bit for him to get up to speed.

5. Will Jalen Carter Get Paid?

Titans defensive lineman Jeffrey Simmons became the highest-paid defensive tackle in the league this offseason, signing a $105.8M deal for 3 years with $100M guaranteed. That’s diving in a pool full of gold coins like DuckTales money. Jalen Carter is hoping for similar pools of money from Howie Roseman.

Carter is potentially the most talented player on a defense full of ridiculously talented players. He is capable of single-handedly shifting the outcome of a game with raw athleticism and intelligence (when he’s not spitting on anyone like that dinosaur from Jurassic Park). Unfortunately, Carter had a down year in 2025.

He was 18th in pass rush win rate (Jeffrey Simmons was 2nd). He was 110th in tackles for loss and 115th in sacks with only 3 (Simmons had 11). Carter’s inconsistency and waning effort don’t do him any favors. Plus the Eagles are looking at top-of-the-market deals coming up for players like Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt (if Hunt continues to improve), plus a decision on whether or not to hold onto stud lineman Moro Ojomo.

Odds are that Carter gets the bag from the Birds. But Philly may want to see a step forward from the big man before handing out a new deal.

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6. How Will Nick Sirianni Use ChatGPT?

A recent article from The Athletic’s Zach Berman mentioned that Nick Sirianni is using ChatGPT to help with his messaging to players.

Will Nick use ChatGPT to generate a video of Jalen Hurts’ face onto Michael Jordan’s body in footage of Jordan’s legendary flu game? Will he realize that Kevin Patullo was actually using ChatGPT to draw up plays last year? During a heated matchup with the defense this summer, will he prompt ChatGPT, “You are long-time defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Tell me how you would stop yourself?” Will Howie Roseman see how well ChatGPT is doing and hire it as the first robot assistant coach?

7. Can The Running Game Get Back on The Right Track?

The Eagles’ running game last year was as effective as Ben Simmons in the 3-point contest. After a down year for Saquon and an injury-riddled Eagles offensive line, Sirianni and Mannion, along with newly hired run game coordinator Ryan Mahaffey, will look to breathe life into this once potent ground game.

The Eagles are shifting to a wide zone scheme that’s prevalent in Shanahan-McVay offenses. With that change should come more under-center runs for Barkley. But how will the offensive line adjust to a blocking scheme they’ve never run before?

And will Mannion look to get backup running back Tank Bigsby more involved to help spell Barkley? In 2025, Bigsby had only 58 carries, despite rushing for 5.9 yards per attempt (first among running backs with at least 50 carries).

8. How Dominant Can This Defensive Line and Cornerback Room Be?

Could Uncle Vic turn out an all-time defense this year? With the addition of Jonathan Greenard, Arnold Ebiketie, and A.J. Epenesa, the Birds have improved depth and versatility on their defensive line.

Greenard is an absolute stud who has 38 sacks in 6 seasons with the Vikings and Texans, and despite dealing with a shoulder injury last year, still had the 7th-highest pressure rate in the league. Ebiketie is a pass-rush specialist who ranked 10th in the league in quarterback pressure rate last year and led the Falcons with 6 sacks in 2024. Epenesa may have lost a little juice but provides great value as a rotational pass rusher. He had at least 6 sacks in each season between 2022-2024.

This cornerback room is a brick wall. The Birds added uber-talented (yet occasionally penalty-stricken) cornerback Riq Woolen to a group that includes 1st team All-Pros Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

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9. Who is QB2?

The Eagles traded a seventh-round pick for Andy Dalton this offseason to beef up their quarterback room. But does the presence of the Red Rifle spell a murky future for Tanner McKee (AKA the Stanford Slingshot)? The Eagles’ quarterback room is better than it was last year. But with McKee being in the last year of his rookie contract and his trade market drier than a saltine, his reps in training camp will tell us a lot about his future with the team.

10. Will Jake Elliott Get His Groove Back?

Last year, “Jake the Make” became “Jake the Kind of Miss From Over 40 Yards”. I literally don’t know what kickers do all day, but hopefully Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay gets access to Nick Sirianni’s ChatGPT account to find ways to get Jake his confidence back.

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Tony Wroten. Lavoy Allen. Michael Carter-Williams. Nerlens Noel. K.J. McDaniels. Henry Sims. Isaiah Canaan. Robert Covington. JaKarr Sampson. Tim Frazier. Richaun Holmes. Jerami Grant. Nik Stauskas. Elton Brand. Hollis Thompson. Jahlil Okafor being benched for no reason. Sergio Rodriguez. T.J. McConnell. Ersan Ilyasova. Justin Anderson. Jerryd Bayless. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot. Ben Simmons. Marco Bellinelli. Markelle Fultz’s shooting arm. Mikal Bridges being traded in front of his mom. Zhaire Smith’s peanut allergy. The Homie Dario. Amir Johnson. James Ennis III. Shake Milton. Tobias Harris over Jimmy Butler. Al Horford for some reason. Raul Neto. Jaden Springer. J.J. Redick. Landry Shamet. Seth Curry. James Harden.

The Process was built around the promise that years of pain, underperformance, and a lack of talent would eventually result in acquiring the type of elite players who could bring a championship to the city of Philadelphia. As Sam Hinkie said in his resignation letter, “If you want to have real success you have to be very often willing to do something different from the herd.” Turns out Sam was foreshadowing a real bummer for one of the most dysfunctional franchises in basketball.

At a time when the sun revolved around superstars, the Sixers hitched their wagon to acquiring the wealth of resources they needed to go star hunting. But those years of pain and underperformance turned into more years of pain and underperformance. From our general manager using his burner account to trash his own players before blaming the whole thing on his wife to the four fortuitous bounces of Kawhi Leonard’s game-winning shot in the 2019 Eastern Conference Semis.

Being a Sixers fan meant expecting the worst. Heartbreak adds up. Disappointment compounds. The team’s 3-1 comeback against the Boston Celtics this past postseason gave Sixers fans a reason to believe. And a reason to believe is a dangerous thing. For once, the team exceeded expectations against a hated rival we haven’t beaten since E.T. dropped in movie theaters.

The city was electric. We stood on the shoulders of a 7-foot Cameroonian giant and tossed both middle fingers up at Boston. Joel pushed his body to the brink and carried this team past the finish line on one leg. We witnessed the arrival of Tyrese Maxey, and saw a turbocharged babyface point guard turn into an assassin before our eyes.

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But the good vibes were short-lived, as they usually are. The Sixers were immediately deleted by the New York Knickerbocker buzzsaw. They beat us down without blinking an eye, filled our arenas with their fans, and rode that momentum all the way to the championship. Ownership didn’t really seem to care. Same old, same old.

The Sixers were dead in the water. As fans, we had no hope. The Knicks series showed that the compounding disappointment over the years calcified into fan disengagement. The Sixers broke our hearts too many times. They were stuck in no-man’s land due to the contracts of two aging superstars. We began talking ourselves into the potential of another year of the Embiid-Maxy-George-Edgecombe core. Maybe if they can stay healthy. Maybe if V.J. takes the leap. Maybe I’ll just focus on the Eagles instead.

On top of that, Daryl Morey was fired for failing to build a team that could make it past the second round of the playoffs. The Sixers gave decorated former Golden State Warriors General Manager Bob Myers the wheel, and he hired Mike Gansey, some guy who looks kind of like Chase Utley, to run the team.

But then something happened. The entropy of the league and the savviness of our new Chase Utley look-alike brought the Philadelphia 76ers Finals MVP Jaylen Brown. Managing to acquire Brown while trading away Paul George’s contract is enough to get a statue in front of the Art Museum. The Sixers did something good, and it was confusing. Little did we know the good times would keep on rolling. After weeks of flirting with the idea (and many podcast episodes involving LeBron’s agent Rich Paul and a whiteboard), the greatest basketball player of all-time chose this city and this roster to finish out his career.

Good things never happen to the Philadelphia 76ers. At least they haven’t for most of my life. I watched Allen Iverson beat the Lakers in the 2001 Finals before being stomped out the next 4 games. I still have PTSD from the Kawhi bounce. Being in a position to convince the leading scorer of all-time to join our team feels insane. It’s unheard of. Like a dream that could be snatched away by the jaws of reality at any moment. After years of The Process, years of heartache and disappointment, we’ve finally reached the best Sixers team of my lifetime.

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LeBron James is coming to South Philly. We’re a city with a historical aversion to kings, but in this case we’ll make an exception. Despite the gray hairs winning the battle of LeBron’s beard, James is still a top player in the NBA. He’s a lethal addition to a championship-caliber roster who is single-handedly capable of shifting the outcome of a game at will through otherworldly athleticism and basketball genius. He is who The Process was built for. The ultimate co-star for an already stacked ensemble. And best of all, he doesn’t need to be The Guy.

For years, the weight of The Process and all of its expectations was placed on Joel Embiid. The sheer gravity of those expectations took its toll on his body and mind. But now with the development of Tyrese Maxey into a true superstar, the raw potential of V.J. Edgecombe, the accolades of Jaylen Brown, and the basketball genius of LeBron James, Embiid doesn’t have to shoulder the load like he once did.

The Sixers immediately become the best starting five LeBron has ever played with. Despite being hobbled by injuries, Joel Embiid is hands-down the most talented big LeBron has ever played with. Despite the bumps and bruises, Joel is still a world-destroyer. LeBron’s impact on the continued development of V.J. Edgecombe could have a monumental impact on the second-year player’s career. The addition of Dean Wade, Anfernee Simons, what’s left of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and rookie scorcher LaBaron Philon gives the Sixers a solid amount of depth. There’s a lot to figure out in terms of fit on the court, usage rates, and all of the other things the regular season is for. But for the first time in a long time, the Sixers have a complete team.

Team construction aside, LeBron bringing his talents to South Philly will have a ripple effect on this city. His arrival is giving hope to a fanbase deeply in need of some. A fanbase who, before this summer, became disengaged with the culture of a team steeped in disappointment with ownership who didn’t seem to care much about the fans at all.

But LeBron James is one of the few people in the world who can stop time. He can shift fortunes both on and off the basketball court. He can help bring that change. His impact will be felt on Philadelphia fandom, culture, and economy. The City of Brotherly Love has been clamoring for the Sixers to parade down Broad Street, Larry O’Brien Trophy in hand. A dream deferred but now suddenly within the realm of possibility.

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No matter the pain and disappointment and heartbreak, they are a team that we can’t quit. And now we’re feeling the unfamiliar sensations of hope, the trepidation of getting carried away, the cautiousness of excitement. It feels weird to be this stoked on the Sixers. But when it comes to being a fan, getting carried away is the point.

The Process was always meant to get here. There’s a lot to figure out on the court. But for the first time in a very long time, it feels good to be a Sixers fan.

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I bet you’re wondering how I got here. 7 days ago, I was let go from my job. No matter your relationship with your job, there is a certain level of ego death that happens when you’re laid off. The things that you thought made you valuable, like driving product launches and answering emails on time, slowly slip away, putting a part of your identity in a tailspin. It’s like when Carson Wentz lost the jaw-dropping athleticism to make plays. Or when Michael Vick’s speed started to fade. You’re forced to recalibrate and become a new version of yourself. The freedom is intoxicating, but the weight of uncertainty can be hard to carry.

To help me structure my days, my girlfriend has been finding side quests for me to do while I figure out what’s next. She saw a post on Instagram and immediately decided what my next one should be. The Price Is Right was going to be hosting live auditions in Philadelphia. The winners get a free trip to Los Angeles to be on the show.

Now, if you live under a rock (or are not as intimately familiar with CBS Daytime programming as every kid in the 90’s who stayed home sick from school), The Price Is Right is the pinnacle of game shows. Hosted by Drew Carey (who took over for the legendary Bob Barker in 2007 AKA the man who punched Happy Gilmore in the face), The Price Is Right pretty much asks contestants to name the price of things for the chance to win big prizes. Prizes include two Kawasaki Ninja motorcycles you may never use or a giant sauna that will surely not fit into your one-bedroom apartment. The show is a cultural institution.

I’ve never been a diehard The Price is Right fan (A Pricehead?) and don’t really know much about the rules, but my girlfriend is very wise and knows I love a side quest. So I arrived at the Rivers Casino in Philadelphia (where the slot machines were way too packed for 10 am on a Wednesday) and stumbled around to find where the auditions were taking place. I followed a group of people into an elevator with a girl, a younger couple, and two sisters wearing homemade The Price Is Right shirts that said “Our Mom Won in 1983.” I asked them if their mom actually won, and they confirmed that she was the big winner of the entire Showcase Showdown (the grand finale where you win a bunch of money, I think).

I. Losing Your Mind in The Parking Garage

Stepping out of the elevator, we entered a parking garage flooded with people waiting in a long line that zig-zagged throughout the space. At the end of the line was a guard and two massive doors entering the casino. Little did I know most of the people in line were The Price Is Right superfans. Contestant hopefuls were dripping in The Price Is Right merchandise, both official and DIY.

I’m talking shirts with catchphrases, plush versions of the microphone stands they have on the show, giant nametags, and homemade props. One man even had a miniature version of the Plinko game that he carried around, asking people to spin. Outside of the elaborate props and attire, one thing became apparent. Every single person was acting absolutely wild.

A woman in a DIY The Price Is Right tie-dye shirt was holding her phone high to record herself while screaming “ahhhhhhh” with everything she had and dancing with strangers around her. She did this every 5 minutes for the two hours it took to get inside.

While in line, my friend A.J. texted me and gave me the scoop. Apparently it’s a well-known secret that The Price Is Right is trying to cast people who act as crazy as possible. When you look up information for the audition online, they tell you to be enthusiastic. But what they really want is for you to be as over-the-top as possible. A.J. also mentioned that it’s known that producers will start the scouting process while you’re in line. So the crazier you act in line, the more likely you are to be face-to-face with Drew Carey next to a pair of Kawasaki Ninja motorcycles.

Everyone else seemed to have gotten the memo. They called to the producers like the Sirens called to Odysseus. After reading A.J.’s text, I felt myself leaning in. I began high-fiving people around me and joining in on chants.

Something to know about Philadelphians is that whenever enthusiasm reaches a fever pitch, there are only two outcomes. One involves feats of strength, like climbing poles or flipping trash cans. But the other, no matter where you are, is the emergence of an Eagles chant. As excitement heightened among the crowd, the E-A-G-L-E-S chant rang down like a crack of thunder over and over again. What was most jarring was that people weren’t on their phones. The need to showcase your enthusiasm to get the attention of producers rendered doomscrolling a liability.

I began building relationships with the people around me. Behind me was the couple I entered the elevator with. The boyfriend was wearing a Brian Dawkins jersey. I asked him what he thought about the A.J. Brown trade, and he lamented that even though A.J. was talented, he needed to go to protect the locker room. I responded by saying “he be tweeting too much,” to which the girlfriend agreed and said she was glad he was gone.

I spoke to a man next to me who mentioned that his dad was on The Price Is Right in the 60’s and was one number away from winning a brand new car. He said now it was his turn and he was back to avenge his dad. There was also a man dressed as a giant pickle, which no one addressed.

Ahead of me was the girl I entered the elevator with. I introduced myself. Her name was Izzy, and she took the day off work to audition for the show even though she, much like me, doesn’t really watch it. As we chatted, a woman with red-dyed hair in the back of the line was waving her arms aggressively in our direction. I couldn’t tell if she was trying to get my attention or Izzy’s. The answer revealed itself when she approached us and gave Izzy a big hug. Her name was Renee, and she and Izzy used to work together. They casually caught up, and it became apparent that Renee was going to keep her newfound spot in line.

Renee turned around and thanked me for letting her cut. Apparently, today was her 60th birthday. Izzy and I congratulated her and started singing happy birthday as Renee danced. We talked about her birthday plans, which included using the $60 her barber gave her as a birthday gift to drink as much tequila as possible and sing karaoke. We shared where we were all from, how she and Izzy know each other, and talked about the wisdom of Kenny Rogers’ song “The Gambler” (“sometimes knowing when to walk away could save your life,” said Renee).

We inched closer and closer to the big doors. Every 20 minutes or so, they’d let a group of people in. As the people walked through the doors, the crowd in the garage would cheer for them. The woman who was screaming while recording herself shook the earth when she entered, as her “ahhhh’s” echoed behind the big double doors threatening to shatter the glass. Sitting outside of the threshold we waited 2 hours to cross, we started chatting with a group of older women, which included 90-year-old Audrey and her two sisters. Audrey said “we’re all family now” and told us she was going to win it all.

Finally, it was our turn. On our way in, an older woman with a cane and a red dress who was sitting on a stool just outside of the doors hopped into the line with us. “They let me sit outside for a little bit, but now I’m coming in with y’all,” she whispered to me. The relief of finally making it to our destination was diminished by the realization that this wasn’t our destination at all. It was just…another line. One where the end didn’t feel so clear.

II. Journey Through the L-Shaped Hall

In this new line, you could see people who finished their audition and were leaving with a big yellow name tag on their chest. As they walked towards the exit, the entire crowd would cheer for each person one by one and high-five them. Occasionally, a cameraman would come out and film the line, to which everyone responded by screaming at the top of our lungs like some sort of group psychosis.

The vibes were immaculate. Some people started hitting the casino bar and were drinking beers (at noon). Renee, Izzy, and I made friends with two women wearing matching outfits who were ahead of us. Their names were Pam and Sam. Pam and Sam looked almost identical even though Pam was Sam’s aunt. They wore matching DIY shirts with their faces on them that said, “Pick Us Next.”

Pam and Sam heard us talking about Renee’s birthday, and Sam mentioned that her birthday was the week before. Renee dove into a deep discussion about astrology, mostly about how Cancers are dope and all of her good friends are Virgos. We sang and celebrated.

Izzy mentioned that there’s a birthday bar in Philadelphia. I knew they were talking about Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar in South Philly, a crunchy dive bar that can best be described as cavernous and always open. We all made plans to meet there after the audition to celebrate Renee’s 60th birthday, which prompted her and I to start singing “we’re going to the birthday bar” in a variety of melodies.

As the cheers continued for people walking back from their auditions, the guy in the Brian Dawkins jersey and I started specific chants for people based on their names, which we could see on their giant name tags. At one point, a man who worked at the casino pointed at his coworker, saying, “he’s a Cowboys fan,” to which the entire crowd booed relentlessly. The only moment of negativity up to that point.

Audrey decided she needed to rest her legs after standing for two hours. She left the line and ventured ahead, saying that she’d meet us all up front and hop back in line when we got there. The woman with the red dress and the cane left to go to the bathroom and didn’t return.

Ahead of us were a pair of women who brought one of those portable karaoke microphones you give to people as a white elephant gift. They kept pulling up songs on YouTube and asking people to sing. Although everyone there embraced the most exaggerated caricatures of themselves to get on TV, they still couldn’t bear the public shame that is singing karaoke in a room full of strangers wearing The Price Is Right merch.

Feeling jazzed up from singing with Renee, I volunteered myself as tribute. They asked me if I knew the Eagles Fight Song, not knowing they were talking to the esteemed writer of a low-level Eagles newsletter. I grabbed the mic and began singing, “Fly Eagles Fly... on the road to vict-or-yyyy.” The crowd erupted and began singing in unison. Singing the Eagles fight song in this environment is like fishing with dynamite. Or like Victor Wembanyama getting buckets in AAU.

Ahead of me was an 80-year-old woman with a walker named Miss Crystal. I held the mic towards Miss Crystal as she shouted “E-A-G-L…”. She gave me a big smile and a hug afterwards, and we all exchanged high fives. The man in the pickle costume grabbed the microphone and began singing “Dancing On My Own,” which not a lot of people knew the words to, but jumped in on the “oooooo’s” during the chorus. Dawkin’s Jersey’s girlfriend wondered aloud, “Is he dressed as a pickle or a cucumber?”

Behind me was a man who looked like a much older Stephen A. Smith and his wife (maybe?), who was much shorter. As the crowd cheered on people who auditioned as they left, he would occasionally bark at them instead. You know, like a dog. His wife had her hands under the back of his shirt. She rubbed his back until everyone around them was uncomfortable. This went on for the duration of our time in line.

After another hour, we made it to the front of this line only to find ourselves at the back of a third line. It was the Inception of lines. A line within a line. At this point, the hallway began to take shape. We could now see that this hallway was shaped like a long L. In this newest line, we were close to the hitch of the L. Beyond that hitch was a big mysterious room where we assumed the auditions were taking place.

Curious about what lay ahead, I hopped out of line to go to the bathroom, which was just past the big mysterious room, while Izzy and Renee held my place. As I walked past the hitch, I peered into the room, which looked like a concert hall lit with nothing but purple lights, two big screens, and a pattern of green squares in the shape of money projected on the walls. As I passed the room, I saw a man in a suit on stage with a mic in his hand. He spoke to people in the audience who were clamoring for his attention like he was Usher doing a residency in Vegas.

“They’re giving things away in there,” Audrey said to me as she sat on a platform between the two large entrances to the big room. I went to the bathroom at the tip of the L where a man congratulated me on my Eagles Fight Song from earlier. “Great chant back there. You really got the crowd going,” he said. As I left the bathroom and headed back to secure my place in line, I promised Audrey I’d get her chicken fingers from a nearby concession stand. After delivering her the goods, I found my way back to Izzy and Renee.

At this point, we were 3 hours into our journey. Fatigue had started to set in like a cold chill. People were talking less and less. The cheers died down. As my friend in the Dawkins jersey and I cheered for people leaving, we were met with little to no response. Standing in line for 3 hours is hard on your body and your mind. I was convinced that The Price Is Right was trying to break us down just to see if we could build ourselves up again.

As we reached the hook in the L, the casino employee waved us into the big hall where we picked up Audrey.

III. Mini-Footballs in the Big Money Room

We entered the room to find ourselves at the back of what felt like the final line. It snaked throughout the middle of the room in 4 rows. On the left side of the room was the stage that I saw the suited man on earlier.

On the wall behind the stage, there was a giant projector screen playing episodes of The Price is Right. But weirdly enough, they were playing episodes from 2011 on YouTube. Unfortunately, the Rivers Casino does not have access to a YouTube Premium account, so next to the stage sat a man whose sole purpose was to skip the ads on YouTube when they came up. Across from the stage was a giant step and repeat with a cardboard cutout of Drew Carey.

We felt the energy slowly creep back into our bones. After all this time, we were so close. Renee started singing “we’re going to the birthday bar” as we all danced to get our enthusiasm back. Suddenly the suited man returned to the stage and grabbed the mic. He captivated the audience by seemingly doing nothing and being dressed like Dwight from The Office.

“Who loves the Eagles?” the man said. “Yeaaaaa!!” the crowd responded. “What about the Phillies?” he continued. “Yeaaaah!!” yelled the crowd. “What about…the Union,” referring to Philadelphia’s downtrodden MLS team. The crowd responded half-heartedly. Then the man mentioned that he had a special surprise for us and that as Philadelphia sports fans we were going to love it. While he finished speaking, the doors next to the stage flung open as a beaming light emanated into the event space.

The man on stage continued. “Introducing your own…Philly Sports Guy!” Emerging from the light was indeed the Philly Sports Guy. If you’re unfamiliar with Philly Sports Guy (or just learned that this guy you see at Eagles games refers to himself as Philly Sports Guy and seems to have built a business off of it), he’s a kind of well-known Philadelphia superfan. He sports a gelled-up mohawk that’s dyed green with a silver-painted face and pops of kelly green around his eyes and his mouth. He’s usually wearing an Eagles jersey with pads on under it and can be seen cheering on the Birds at the Linc every Sunday. He is our self-appointed people’s champion as Philly sports fans. A man who embodies an extreme characterization of us, which was on par with what all of us were doing to try to get on The Price is Right.

“I’m excited to be here with youse!” the Philly Sports Guy bellowed while donning a Philadelphia Union jersey, his patented silver-painted face, and a blue mohawk. “Youse have been waiting in line for soow long, and I was supposed to be waiting there with ya. So I’m gonna hang out for a bit and give away some free things. Starting wit these!” He pulled four mini-footballs out of his pocket and began throwing them to the crowd. His wife (and/or manager) was behind him in a Philadelphia Union jersey, recording his every movement.

“It’s her birthday!” I screamed while pointing at Renee. He pointed at us and threw a football that hit Renee in the chest and rolled on the ground before I picked it up and handed it to her. “Thank you Jeremy, it’s my birthdaaay!” Renee screamed as we both started dancing. Philly Sports Guy wove through the line with the dexterity of Jerome Bettis scoring from the 1-yard line. People paused and took pictures with him. We did the E-A-G-L-E-S chant a few times, which Miss Crystal couldn’t have been more excited about.

He found his way back to Renee, Izzy, Dawkins jersey, his girlfriend, and me. “I need you to do me a favor,” I said, looking into his silver-painted face. “I need you to start the Fly Eagles Fly song with me.” Philly Sports Guy looked at me with a weariness in his eyes. For a moment he stepped out of character. “I would, buddy, but I think I cooked my voice up there,” as he pointed at the stage. Taking advantage of this moment of connection, he continued. “Plus they won’t even let me go down into the casino after this. Apparently it’s against the law or something.” He uttered the words as he walked away.

I stood there confused at what he was even talking about. Dawkins jersey looked at me and said, “yea apparently you can’t have your face painted in a casino; it’s a state law.” Philly Sports Guy climbed back on the stage, his duties done for the day. He bid the crowd adieu, but not before one last Eagles chant that I’m sure blew out his voice. A sacrifice he made for the spirit of fandom. He waved slowly as he disappeared back into the light of the double doors, followed by his wife/manager. Miss Crystal was ecstatic, holding a little football she managed to catch.

The journey continued as we slowly moved forward. Our group was commenting on old The Price Is Right episodes being projected on the walls to keep our vibes high, mostly discussing how things like a GPS and Sprint mobile phones used to be considered massive prizes.

Emerging from the audition room, we saw a familiar face. It was the old lady with the cane in red who hopped in line with us when we initially entered the casino. She used her veteran savvy to make it to the front of the line to audition ahead of us. She stopped to offer us some unsolicited advice. “When you go in, they’re gonna ask you your name, age, where you’re from, and what would make you a good The Price is Right contestant. Then they gonna ask you to say ‘come on down.’” Anyone who has watched The Price is Right knows the patented catchphrase “Come On Down” whenever someone gets chosen from the audience to participate in the game show.

“What’d you say when they asked you what would make you a good contestant?” Izzy inquired, to which the old lady in red replied, “Because I’m me!” before turning around and walking out of the room.

After 45 minutes, we finally made it to the front. Everyone around us was high-fiving, including three older men who were veterans ahead of us (one of whom proclaimed, “They said they chose me so y’all can all go home”).

We approached the table lined with people from CBS accepting release forms. They reviewed our forms and wrote our names on the big yellow name tags before guiding us to the final room.

In this room, the line was only 6 people long. Each person had one of three colors written on their name tag, which told you the designated area you were assigned for your live audition. Each space was a little cove separated by black curtains with the front wide open so a person behind the camera could ask you questions. Unfortunately, the lack of a front made it so that everyone waiting in line could see and hear your audition. One by one, they called us in. Izzy, Renee, Dawkins jersey, and his girlfriend, and finally me.

As I entered my designated area, I talked to Dan the cameraman. “Wild day, huh?” I said, to which he replied, “Nothing like it” in a genuine tone. He and I riffed a little bit before he started asking me questions. He asked me my name, age, and where I was from, which I tried to answer with an enthusiasm that almost made my head explode.

“What would make you a good The Price Is Right contestant?” he asked. This was the one question I thought I could improvise in the moment, but couldn’t have been more wrong about. I fumbled in my response, managing to cobbble the words together like a science project you built the night before class. “Um, because it combines my two favorite things, solving puzzles and yelling at people.” Dan looked confused but intrigued before quickly moving on to the final test. “Alright, now give me a ‘come on down.’” This I was ready for. I melodically bellowed, “Come on down!” holding the note for so long that I thought I was going to pass out. “You have a great voice,” Dan said reassuringly before we parted ways.

After 30-seconds, it was over. A 4-hour wait for 30 seconds. The long journey was a true test of will, like a triathlon or watching a Cleveland Browns game. As I left the room, I cheered to get the remaining nerves out. A few people responded who saw me do the Eagles Fight Song earlier, but everyone looked exhausted. I met Izzy, Renee, Pam, and Sam next to the Drew Carey cutout. We said nothing about our auditions other than how short they were. We wove our way through the casino towards the exit where the tired crowd had run out of cheers to give.

I drove to South Philly and met the crew at Ray’s Happy Birthday Bar. Upon entering, Renee was blasting Keith Sweat on the jukebox, and we sang “Twisted” together. Everyone was still wearing their yellow name tag with pride. We took shots to celebrate her 60th birthday and befriended some Dodgers fans who were in town for the series against the Phillies.

It was truly a confusing day. A day that made no sense. But also incredible. For one day, getting laid off was kind of great. Sometimes you forget how big and weird life is. And the bigness and weirdness is kind of the point. Honestly, I don’t know if a day like that could happen outside of Philly where sports fandom connects us all in a possibly unhealthy but definitely very fun way. So next time you have the opportunity for a side quest, I say “Come on down!”

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In 2002, A.J. Feeley was one of the greatest quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. Granted, I was 13 years old, wore a shark tooth necklace, and listened to Ja Rule’s Pain is Love on my Walkman until the CD wore down. So my judgement was a little shaky. Nonetheless, sometimes your heart betrays you before your eyes can. But not with A.J.

That year, the Philadelphia Eagles’ third-string quarterback stepped into action after starting quarterback Donovan McNabb and second-string quarterback Koy Detmer both went down with injuries. Feeley played out of his mind, leading the 8-3 Eagles to four straight wins. He became a Philly folk hero. Our newest testament to an unshakeable belief in the underdog. Feeley bottled up all of that moxie and headed south to start for the Miami Dolphins, where he was…pretty bad.

Feeley’s story is a familiar one. It emulates the trajectory of many players who grow into fan favorites in the City of Brotherly Love. Our beautiful city has an affinity for a certain kind of athlete. We’re a city of underdogs who love to root for the underdog.

Philadelphia is a town that values a blue-collar, hard-working mentality. We believe that with a commitment to the grind and a toughness like sandpaper, you can do pretty much anything. We look for those same qualities in our athletes, and we fall in love with players who reflect those values. Dudes who get punched in the face and punch back harder.

You see it in all-time Philly greats. The Mount Rushmore. The Jason Kelces, the Randall Cunninghams, the Allen Iversons. The superstars who were counted out but proved the doubters wrong through sheer will and athletic excellence. But the real secret sauce is the T.J. McConnells, the Donald Brashears, the Duce Staleys, the Shane Victorinos. The folk heroes. The underrated athletes whose confidence, toughness, and love for the game make fans fall in love with them. The ones who get way less love outside of this city than they deserve.

So today, we’re going to rank those underrated Philadelphia fan favorites. The forgotten who should be thought of way more often. To rank them, I hit up my buddy Tom Cristino. Tom has a photographic memory of Philly sports, a habit of calling into WIP late at night, and (unfortunately, like me) a deep love for the Process Sixers. I talk to Tom about what makes a fan favorite in Philly and ask him to rank his all-time Philly guys.

TOM’S RULES OF THE ROAD

(Most) players selected meet the following criteria:

1. No players who were on a championship team (well, almost no one)

2. No active players

3. They need to generally be considered underrated.

4. No untouchables or players on the Mount Rushmore of Philly sports (i.e., Jason Kelce, Reggie White, Allen Iverson etc.)

5. (Mostly) athletes who were active between 2000 and 2025

Before you dive into your list, can you tell us what makes a player become a fan favorite in Philadelphia?

TOM: I mean, it’s work ethic. It’s that blue-collar mentality that Philadelphia is known for. If there's one image I can think of that stands out, it’s Manny Machado getting out of the limo to meet with the Phillies, with the blue-collar worker going up to him and shaking his hand.

And it’s like, I know it was staged, but that’s how I think of it. That’s the city, right? You got this blue-collar guy, lunch pail, on the way home from work. We love when you leave it all on the field.

As an example, who would you say is a Mount Rushmore guy that fits the mold?

TOM: Maybe this is the first hot take of many that you’ll hear, but I feel like the greatest Philadelphia Eagle of all-time is Lane Johnson.

Wow, number one Philadelphia Eagle of all time?

TOM: I think he could go down, man. He just shows up to work every day and does his job consistently. 13 years at such a physically demanding position, day in and day out. Two Super Bowls. And Lane, he’s not a distraction to the media. You don’t hear his name called too often. He just shows up and does the damn thing, man.

Alright, let’s get down to business. How do you want to start?

TOM: I have honorable mentions before I go into my actual list.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Matt Geiger, Philadelphia 76ers

TOM: Okay, this is my worst one on the list, I promise you. But when you think of that 2001 76ers team, Jeremy, alright? That team was really good. And everyone goes, yeah, Iverson, Dikembe, Eric Snow. And then who’s the next person you say? Everyone always remembers Matt Geiger. So I don’t know what it was about that dude. But Philly loved him, all right? I don’t know what it is.

I feel like he had a strong goatee as well.

Jon Dorenbos, Philadelphia Eagles

TOM: Dorenbos gets an honorable mention for me because again, he’s a dude who showed up and did his damn job every single game. A great long snapper. He had the Pro Bowls, and he was a wing bowl commissioner. Had a crazy childhood, tragedy in the family, overcame it all, and became a fan favorite. Then he’s doing all the magic tricks on national TV. Eagles fans love that guy.

Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard, Philadelphia Eagles

TOM: I’m going to give an honorable mention to the Sheldon Brown and Lito Shepard duo, man. Two cornerbacks that really held it down for six seasons together. 37 career interceptions. Some really big plays. There’s the Sheldon Brown hit stick on Reggie Bush. The Lito Shepard pick-six in the game when T.O. comes back. Just a great duo to have.

Smarty Jones, um…horse

(Laughs)

TOM: Listen, Jeremy, you’re laughing okay, but my man…actually, my horse…was on Sports Illustrated, bro. This guy was big, alright? And he was an inch away at the Belmont Stakes from getting that Triple Crown. I just remember Philly was in a frenzy when that dude was racing.

I don’t know how you do your social posts or your blog posts, but I think if you can crop my face onto Smarty Jones, that would be amazing. So you have my permission to do that.

Jameer Nelson, Saint Joseph’s

TOM: Jameer Nelson gets an honorable mention because, again, March Madness was a big cultural moment, and we’ll never forget that St. Joe’s run.

Monet Davis, Team Pennsylvania

TOM: Little League World Series. She balled out.

Wow, Monet Davis.

TOM: Listen, when you have a Philly person doing really big in a cultural moment, it checks the box. Then you get on Sports Illustrated. That’s when the town falls in love with you. And then…you lose at the very final moment.

Incredible honorable mentions. The Smarty Jones selection by itself. We could end everything right now. That’s top-notch.

TOM: I have a fun Smarty Jones story. So I remember one night I was coming back from one of our late-night stints out after work. And I get off the PATCO, and I’m driving home, and I remember calling into WIP, something I always did, especially with the late-night hosts. I remember the topic of discussion that night was the biggest Philly sports disappointments. And I called in and brought up Smarty Jones at like 2 a.m. And I got off, and the host went on a tangent for about 20 minutes about Smarty Jones. And I was like, see, I was right. Smarty Jones was a huge fan favorite.

Alright, let’s actually change this to be the top 10 Smarty Jones moments.

10. Freddie Mitchell

TOM: Alright, so at number 10, I’m going with Freddie Mitchell. First off, he’s got a great nickname. Fred X. He always delivers. And I don’t know what it is, but I feel like Philadelphia sports fans have some sort of deep connection to the wide receiver #3 position. And there have been better wide receiver #3s than Freddie Mitchell, okay? But there’s certainly been worse.

If you take a list of the top 50 plays in Philadelphia Eagles history, Freddie Mitchell’s got two of them. He’s got 4th and 26, which I mean is just so well known. And then the other Freddie Mitchell play is on Monday Night Football against Dallas, and McNabb goes on that 17-second scramble all over the backfield, going crazy, and he launches that bomb 50 yards downfield, and Freddie Mitchell catches it.

I think the other thing about Freddie Mitchell is that he possessed an irrational confidence in himself. Like, he thought he was the best receiver on the field. And if it’s a superstar, that can sometimes be a little off-putting. But when it’s the WR3 behind Todd Pinkston. You’re kind of like, I rock with this. This guy is nuts. And I love that.

TOM: He hated McNabb. Like, I get it. Like you had a beef with your quarterback or whatever, but 4th and 26 will just always be one of those moments I’ll never forget. Fred X gets a mention on my list, man. I don’t care how crazy it is.

9. Raul Ibanez

TOM: Really known for his two seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, okay? Electric, his first season, and had a pretty good second season as well. In his first season, he had 272 hits, 34 homers, and 93 RBIs. And my man, I swear, every single person at Citizens Bank Park was rocking his jersey. Every single person on the Jersey Boardwalk was rocking his jersey.

He came in and just tore it up for two seasons. Then he got a little bad the last two seasons. But, I mean, that first season, you lose Pat the Bat. A fan favorite who has been a core member of that team. And you’re replacing him with Raul Ibanez, and my man drops 34 homers in his first season with the Phillies, dude.

Every time he got a big hit, the whole crowds cheering “Rauuuuul!”

Now when you’re down at the Jersey Shore, you know, walking around Sea Isle and Ocean City, they got the Ibanez shirts everywhere. It’s a shame because they should have had some more championships in that era. But I feel like we kind of forget about Raul, man.

8. Kyle Korver

TOM: There are so many 76ers I could have picked from, especially because I’m a Process guy, you know. But I wanted to go a little pre-process era here. And I was thinking, who was that fan favorite that everyone gravitated towards during that Iverson era? And the name I came up with was Kyle Korver, man.

Yes. 100%.

TOM: He was only with the team for four seasons, which I knew he had a shorter stint with us. I didn’t think it was that short. But when you look up who has the most career threes in Sixers franchise history, he’s top 10.

I can’t believe he was only there for four seasons.

TOM: For some reason, again, like, you go to…I almost called it Wells Fargo. You go to Xfinity Live Arena now...stupid-ass name.

Terrible name.

TOM: You still see Korver jerseys, dude. There’s something about this, like, Korver aura that, like, him being that great role player who came in and hit the threes. You’ll never hear anything bad said about Kyle Korver. And, again, like maybe I’m stretching a bit here Jeremy, but he was a dude who had a job. He went in and did it, and he did it really well.

It was also at that time before the 3-point revolution in the NBA. And it seemed like he could just hit a three like it’s nothing.

TOM: It’s so funny ‘cause Korver would go down and hit back-to-back threes and another team would call a timeout and then like, okay, then you get cold, and that may have been all Korver did all night, but whatever, he did his job.

Who’s the better Sixer, Matt Geiger or Kyle Korver?

TOM: Oh, it’s a close one, man. It’s a close one. You never forget the name Matt Geiger. I don’t know what it is, man. If you want to Photoshop my face on him, you can do that too.

We’ll figure it out in post.

7. Jeremiah Trotter

TOM: When we talk about that era of Eagles’ defense and the greatest Eagles, you just don’t hear Trotter’s name mentioned that often. And I feel like Trotter deserves a little bit more credit. He was the anchor of that Super Bowl team that went in ‘04. Top five in franchise history in tackles, despite playing significantly less games than some of the longest tenured Eagles. Four-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro. And I mean, like, I’m going to give you another hot take here. Brian Dawkins gets a little overhyped, right?

Whoa!

TOM: I love Dawkins. He’s a top four safety of all time. But I do feel like we give Dawkins way more love than the other guys on the team, right? Like you don’t hear about Trotter.

I’m going to title this. Tom Cristino hates Brian Dawkins, loves Smarty Jones.

TOM: I think he’s an all-time great!

For Trotter to play the way he did as the middle linebacker for that complex Jim Johnson defense at a time when the Eagles were not prioritizing the linebacker group was incredible.

TOM: We could sit here and do a Sporcle of the terrible linebackers this team put out on the field from 2000 to 2024. I mean, we had Casey Matthews out there, bro.

That was terrible.

TOM: We had like Joe Mays. I mean, we like we had some bums out there. I remember when we had Stewart Bradley, and we thought this guy was going to be like the next huge defensive player. But then he tears his ACL with that stupid training camp Flight Night, and then the Eagles organization shuts it down, never to be had again.

But, bro, like, I do remember watching Trotter as a kid. It was so much fun. And he was a stud. I mean, he was great. And having his son on the team now, dude is so cool.

One of my picks for underrated plays in Super Bowl 57 was after we scored one of our like 14 touchdowns that game against the Chiefs. On kickoff coverage, Trotter Jr. makes the tackle, and he does the axman celebration. I remember just screaming in my house like “he did the axman!”

His impact is also felt for years by the fact that they couldn’t replace him. They struggled to find a good middle linebacker debatably until, I don’t know, Nigel Bradham?

TOM: You had one-year stints. Like Jordan Hicks came in. He had one good year. DeMeco Ryans came in and had one good year. Kiko Alonso. You had all these guys come in and just like one good year. But Trotter held it down for multiple seasons, man, and he was the heart and soul of that defense.

6. Randy Wolf

TOM: Eight seasons. 184 games, so a long tenure. Been named to an All-Star game. 1,000 strikeouts, okay? Probably, if my Phillies history is accurate here, one of the best left-handed pitchers who didn’t win a World Series.

As a kid, he was like one of my first favorite Phillies. Loved him. He pitched the first game at Citizens Bank Park. That was the era of Phillies fandom, too, where, like, every player had a fan group in the crowd. Randy Wolf had the “Wolf Pack.” A bunch of dudes from South Philly just up in the nosebleeds wearing wolf masks with a sign that was made with a Sharpie and a Sharpie only.

A bunch of guys just hammered off their asses.

TOM: Amazing stuff, man. I need a documentary on where those guys are now. But Randy Wolf had a decent stint with the Phillies. Great left-handed pitcher. The other left-handed pitchers who have had obviously dominant success with the Phillies, like Cole Hamels and Jamie Moyer, got their rings, you know. Steve Carlton, they’re champions. So I just wanted to give Wolf a little bit of kudos here because he’s a fan favorite growing up. And he’s just one of them guys where no one says anything bad about, right? Dude’s kind of like a little bit of a legend, man.

That was also at a time when the Phillies needed some juice.

TOM: They weren’t that good. Back to the fandoms, I remember you had Brandon Duckworth, and you had the fan group that was in the stadium with the Duck Pond. You had Pat Burrell and Burrell’s Girls. You had all these fan groups just all coming into the stadium just to try to mimic what the Wolfpack was doing.

I don’t know, man. Just something about watching old Comcast Sportsnet highlights. And every time Randy Wolf got a strikeout, they panned to the Wolfpack. That’s just like cinema to me.

5. David Akers

TOM: 12 seasons with the Eagles. Six Pro Bowls, two-time first-team All-Pro. Eagles Hall of Famer, Eagles 75th anniversary team, NFL 2000s all-decade team. Most points in Eagles history. Iconic 2018 draft day speech.

I also still see a ton of David Akers jerseys.

TOM: Here’s the other stat that I looked up for this, and you’re going to freaking love it. And this is like one of those stats where, like, I think if it were more widely known, it would just make us love the aura of Akers more.

He’s top five in NFL history in tackles for a kicker. Like, really? Because I remember as a kid, Akers would get down there and have some of those nice flying body tackles, and you’d be like, “this is the coolest thing ever. Our kicker just laid out this returner.”

I think it’s so Philly. And dude’s a good guy. We have our local Shop Rite right up the street here. I remember as a kid, he was up there. It felt like every other Saturday, he was signing autographs for people.

And yeah, man, like 12 seasons, I mean you’re talking about like that era of kickers with the Polish Cannon Sebastian Janikowski, and obviously Adam Vinatieri, but like Akers was right there right as one of the best kickers of that era. So gotta love my man David.

4. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee

TOM: A dominant pitching duo from 2009 to 2014. Couldn’t pick between them, and they both deserve a spot on my list, man. I mean, the excitement after that ‘08 World Series win and then to land those guys in free agency the years after and then just to see what they did. Yeah, unbelievable, man. Everyone knows where they were when those two guys were pitching. We had such a great lineup of hitters, and people tuned into the Phillies to watch those two guys pitch.

Those guys were automatic. They put on clinics. His nickname was “Doc” for a reason. It’s like you literally were watching surgery when he pitched.

Those two guys were absolute dominance. I mean, you had Doc throwing the perfect game against the Marlins. You had the postseason no-hitter against the Reds. An NL Cy Young winner. Combined, they had over 100 wins and 1,300 strikeouts. They were so fun to watch.

It’s crazy that Doc never got a World Series, man. It’s absolutely insane.

3. The Legion of Doom, Eric Lindros, John Leclair, and Mikael Renberg

TOM: I’m getting creative again here with you Jeremy, because I couldn’t just pick one. And I’m probably going against my criteria a little bit here because, like I said, I wanted to make sure I had teams that I watched and I kind of caught the tail end of the Legion of Doom. That was sort of when I just started watching the Flyers.

I do remember my parents watching the ‘97 Stanley Cup final against the Red Wings, but like just little bits and pieces. But I mean, I couldn’t do a list without putting a Flyer on here.

You know man, like you talk about the greatest athletes in Philly history, I think Lindros kind of gets out there. I mean, just the mid-90s, a great era of hockey in general, and they just were so dominant, man. I was looking up their stats, and I was just like, my goodness. They had three seasons together. In today’s hockey, you just see the lines shift so much. So the fact that these dudes played on the same line for so long is incredible. But they had 305 goals and 361 assists together, and 56 goals in the playoffs. You know, in 1997, the year they go to the Cup, they get 104 goals. I know they got swept off the ice by the Red Wings, but still, that Red Wings team was like...

Those were insane Red Wings teams.

TOM: I was like, oh, the lines that the Red Wings had back then were called the Russian Five because they were just getting all these Russians out there, and they were just smoking us. But the Legion of Doom, man, they had the nickname, they had the dominance.

Eric Lindross, he’s one of the more polarizing athletes in Philadelphia sports history. He maybe doesn’t fit the bill in terms of the prototypical Philly athlete because he became a little high-maintenance with some of the contract disputes and all that stuff. And he was injury prone, which we know that Philly sports fans do not like an injury prone player. But when he was healthy and on the ice, dude was one of the best to ever do it.

And I mean, I’d say from what I know of Lindros, talent-wise, he’s probably one of the most talented athletes that ever came through this town. But the injuries, like just like Embiid, man. A talented player, but you know the injuries catch up to you, man, especially when they’re scary head injuries. But I’ve gone through rabbit holes of some Lindros and Legion of Doom highlights, man, and they’re fun to watch.

2. Donovan McNabb

TOM: I think that because he didn’t win a championship and now you have two Eagles teams that won championships, he just doesn’t get the credit he deserves. And I mean, like, I love Jalen. I love Nick Foles. But that run that McNabb had. That was right when you and I started being fans of the Eagles. Like, true diehards, truly understanding and watching the games. I’ll never forget what McNabb brought to the city and what he did.

I understand he had some flaws in his game, and he didn’t get the big one. He wasn’t exactly loved by the media. But all that being said, when you watch McNabb play, he was lights freaking out, man. The early McNabb clips of him breaking away on 30-yard scrambles. That dual-threat quarterback archetype, before the Lamar Jackson kind of quarterback came into the game.

He could run, he could pass. He had a cannon of an arm. I mean, if you look at that era of quarterbacks too, he’s right there behind Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, and Tom Brady. He’s right underneath those guys, you know?

He was a dude who, to a fault, protected the football so well, right? He kind of became known for passing the ball to the receiver’s feet. But it’s like, dude, he did it because he didn’t want to throw an interception. And that year in ‘04 when they ended up going to the Super Bowl, he had 31 touchdowns and only 8 interceptions. Like, that is a ridiculous ratio, man.

92 wins, most passing yards, and most touchdowns in franchise history. He’s actually 12th in franchise history for rushing, which I think is a cool little stat.

I guess you could say he’s the greatest quarterback in franchise history, right?

TOM: I think so. The stats are there. The longevity was there. I guess I say longevity. It’s more like his peak; that five-year, four-year stretch there was just insane. And like again, you talk about it being a team sport. He never really had a lot of help, right? He got stuck throwing the ball to Freddie Mitchell. He got stuck throwing the ball to Todd Pinkston, like...

James Thrash. Chad Lewis…

TOM: You know, exactly. Guys that were like, okay. But when he had to T.O. for one season, you saw what he did, man. And it makes you think, what if he had a guy like T.O. for his whole career? What could have been?

It kind of pains me because Eli Manning likely is going to get into the Hall of Fame, and it’s just like, ah man, we always had Eli’s number. It just like kills me that like Eli Manning, and even Big Ben, probably gets into the Hall. I would take McNabb over those guys any Sunday, any season.

Also, he went to four NFC Championships in a row.

TOM: Five total because they went in 2009 with the Cardinals. And I saw this stat that the Eagles defense gave up something like 27 points per game in those NFC Championship games.

1. Joe Frazier

TOM: I don’t think people consider him untouchable as often as I would like.

He’s got a statue after him, okay? He’s a Hall of Famer. Gold medalist with multiple Sports Illustrated covers. One of the best nicknames in all of sports. Absolutely known for his greatness, toughness, and victories. And what was probably the greatest individual moment in all of sports history when he was the first ever to knock down Muhammad Ali.

When COVID happened, and there were no sports, and ESPN was replaying all these great games, I couldn’t rewatch sports. I can’t do it. Don’t know why. Just have no interest in it. Don’t enjoy it.

So my wife and I started watching boxing documentaries, and then we started going down some rabbit holes on ESPN Classics and YouTube, and we started watching so many boxing fights. I mean, we were watching like Mike Tyson’s early fights. We were watching Floyd Mayweather’s early fights. Like we were finding boxing matches from the thirties and the forties with grainy footage. We were just having so much fun with it.

We watched probably close to 15 or 20 Joe Frazier fights that we could find. And, did the same with Ali. And it was just like, we...this guy, the way he boxed, man. He was a freaking pit bull in the ring, man. He was so ferocious.

Yeah, what was his style like?

TOM: He just went after you, man. He just went right after you. It didn’t matter who you were. He was tough as nails, man.

In the fight of the century, it’s this big moment. He knocks down Ali. He gets the win. I mean, you’re talking about the sports world being absolutely rocked. I mean, if I had a chance to go back and watch any game live or any moment in sports live, I’m probably picking a Frazier-Ali fight, right?

And if you go back and you watch the second fight between the two of them. It’s controversial. Joe Frazier won that second fight. I know they gave it to Ali, but you go back and watch it, man. It just felt a little rigged. Joe Frazier kicks his ass in the first, and in my opinion, takes him in the second. And then they go to the Thrilla in Manila, man. They fight in this 100-degree weather. They’re both like out there about to die. And Ali wins the third fight because Frazier’s eye wouldn’t open up, and they had to call it a TKO.

But Frazier never quit against Ali, man. He’s the prototype of what you’d want a Philly athlete to be. So tough and fought to the very end.

Who’s the better athlete, Joe Frazier or Smarty Jones?

TOM: Man, I don’t know, man. I bet you what, that would be a good fight. I think Joe Frazier could take down a horse. I don’t know. It’d be fun.

Watching A.J. Brown play football for the Philadelphia Eagles was a spiritual experience. It was football nirvana. At his best, Brown was GameShark. A one-of-a-kind cheat code. A skyscraper that ran like a freight train with hands that could catch lightning. He was a Megazord. A collection of Julio Jones’ body, Anquan Boldin’s strength, and Calvin Johnson’s hands. He was the sun. With a gravity that offenses revolved around and defenses couldn’t contain. A physically dominant receiver who could make grown men feel small. Men who spent their entire lives honing their craft and training their bodies to stop a player like him. Who, despite all of that honing and all of that training, were still left feeling helpless when A.J. pulled passes out of the air over their heads. He was a wrecking ball. He shattered time and space and flattened odds through a lethal combination of unbridled skill and relentless willpower. His player comp was the meteor that took out the dinosaurs.

After an extended breakup (that felt like the summer before you and your high school girlfriend were going away to separate colleges), the Eagles and A.J. Brown have gone their separate ways. The Eagles traded Brown to his favorite childhood team, the New England Patriots, in exchange for a 2028 1st round pick and a 2027 5th. Brown reunites with Mike Vrabel, who was his head coach for the first 3 seasons of his career.

Brown leaves the Eagles as one of the dominant receivers to wear midnight green (if not the most dominant). He displayed a level of superstar talent Eagles fans haven’t seen since Terrell Owens graced the City of Brotherly Love (a man who ironically did not possess much brotherly love). Brown has the top two receiving seasons by yards in Eagles history. He has the 2nd and 5th seasons with the most receptions by an Eagles pass catcher. He has the 9th most receiving yards in Eagles franchise history (despite playing fewer seasons with the team than anyone else in the top 10). In 2022, he broke Calvin Johnson’s record with 125+ receiving yards in six consecutive games. And in case you forgot, Calvin Johnson was really good at football.

To know the difference A.J. Brown made on the Eagles offense, you just need to watch a game. But to know the impact A.J. Brown made on Philadelphia, you need to bleed Kelly Green. Throughout the team’s history, Philadelphia has rarely been a hotbed for wide receiver talent. We had our Terrell Owenses and DeSean Jacksons and Alshon Jeffreys. But we also suffered through long, grueling years of Jalen Reagors, Josh Huffs, Hank Basketts, Nelson Agholors, Dorial Green-Beckhams, J.J. Arcega-Whitesides, Mack Hollinses, John Hightowers, Riley Coopers, Steve Smiths (the way less good one), and Quez Watkinses. But Brown changed all of that.

On draft night in 2022, when Howie Roseman acquired Brown from the Tennessee Titans, he altered the course of NFL history. Since that night, Brown made a habit of putting the city of Philadelphia on his back and carrying us to the promised land. Catch after catch. Yard after yard. Down after down.

His career in South Philly is pure mythology. There was his 156-yard, 3-touchdown performance against Pittsburgh in 2022, where he caught a touchdown over two Pittsburgh defenders and pointed at them one by one as they fell to the ground. There was his 119-yard, 2-touchdown revenge game against Tennessee that same season. A game so dominant it resulted in Tennessee firing its general manager, Jon Robinson, two days later.

Or his 9 catch, 175 yard, 2 touchdown performance against Washington in 2023 when he banished Emmanuel Forbes to the shadow realm. And his 6-catch, 96-yard, 1-touchdown performance against Washington in the 2024 NFC Championship Game to take Philly back to the Super Bowl. Not to mention his 6-catch, 109-yard, and 1 touchdown performance against Los Angeles last season that fueled one of the greatest comebacks in Philadelphia Eagles history.

His dominance defined the most successful era of Eagles football. His superhuman ability helped Jalen Hurts develop into a Super Bowl MVP quarterback. He was room for error incarnate. A player capable of making bad throws look good and good throws look legendary. His playmaking allowed DeVonta Smith the room to grow into his own brilliance. He even made an obscure self-help book into a #1 bestseller after reading it on the bench during Philly’s postseason win over Green Bay in 2024.

Outside of the cryptic tweets and confessional Twitch streams, Brown is known as a high-character teammate, a relentless worker, and a fierce advocate for mental health. He showed a vulnerability and openness that’s rare among football players. We know that giants bleed, but rarely do they show us their wounds to make us feel better about our own. A.J. continues to do that.

History will be kind to A.J. He will be remembered as one of the greatest Eagles of all-time. A two-time NFC Champion and, more importantly, a Super Bowl Champion. A player who helped turn a formerly championship-starved city into one that consistently graced the mountaintop.

So, what happens from here? Brown goes on to Foxboro in the hopes that he’s the missing piece for a Patriots team coming off a Super Bowl loss. One that enters the 2026 season entrenched in scandal. He will be paired with Drake Maye in an offense that can play to his skill set in diversified ways. Maye gets a deep ball threat and a big target who can excel on the perimeter and in the middle of the field.

The Eagles will grow and move on. The same way all of us do when we lose a key part of ourselves. It’s hard to say they’ll be better for it, but they’ll be different, which may be better in the long run. After getting a 2028 1st and a 2027 5th from New England, the Eagles walk away with 15 picks in the next two drafts and the financial resources to extend some of their younger players, like Jalen Carter.

DeVonta Smith steps into Brown’s shadow as the Eagles’ new #1 receiver. A role he’s more than equipped to fill. And Jalen Hurts loses a player he’s depended on in the best years of his career. A security blanket with an unspoken on-the-field connection. Though their friendship may have transformed, the former best friends still had an otherworldly football connection as dealers of the deep ball. Hurts has already started to embrace evolution without Brown to hopefully become a more complete quarterback in a pure progression passing attack that spreads the ball around.

All good things must come to an end. Brown’s career with Philadelphia is one for the record books. While the time is right for Brown and the Birds to move on, I can’t help but get hung up on nostalgia. The good times. Like most Eagles fans, I couldn’t be more thankful for Brown. He’s an all-time legend who leaves the city he called home for the past 4 years better than he found it.

Each breakup feels like the first time. It’s a series of endings wrapped in uncertain new beginnings. No matter the nature of the decoupling, the complications can play your aorta like a baby grand. Whether that’s unrequited love from your high school crush, the end of your first long-term relationship, or…losing a record-breaking, perennial 1,000-yard receiver who helped lead you to two Super Bowls.

A.J. Brown is moving on. The inevitability of his departure from the City of Brotherly Love has been written in the stars (and Adam Schefter’s Twitter feed) all offseason. After June 1, when the dead cap hit accrued from moving him lowers, the Birds will trade Brown to his next team (most likely the New England Cheating Vrabels).

A tumultuous (and slightly hilarious) few years that included reading a self-help book on the sidelines of a playoff game, sending cryptic tweets, and sharing frustrations on Twitch streams will officially come to an end. A.J’s flair for the dramatic should be studied. But his dominance on the field should be celebrated.

Brown is simply one of the greatest receivers ever to wear midnight green. He’s a beloved teammate and a record-breaking world-destroyer who helped Eagles football soar to its highest heights. But unfortunately, some relationships come to an end. Some love doesn’t last. Some offensive coordinators are Kevin Patullo.

No one knows breakups better than Philadelphia fans. We’ve seen a soon-to-be-ex wide receiver do situps in his driveway. We’ve seen the team eat a Duck Tales-sized pool of money to move on from a certain North Dakota quarterback (rhymes with Warson Centz). We’ve seen an aging running back join and then quickly unjoin the team before ever playing a snap. We value loyalty over everything. And nothing cuts deeper than someone who doesn’t want to be here.

So to work through our feelings of losing A.J., I thought it would be appropriate to put together a playlist. A collection of songs for Birds fans to listen to while we work through our emotions. Like that “breakup mix” that’s still in your CD case from middle school that for some reason includes 3 songs from Ja Rule’s Pain Is Love album (hypothetically speaking ofcourse).

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To build the perfect playlist for the cause, I hit up my homie and Philadelphia legend Bruce Warren. Bruce spent 36 years at WXPN (Philly’s premier public radio station) as a DJ and Program Director and was the Executive Producer at the legendary Philadelphia venue World Cafe Live. Bruce’s love for music and love for the Birds cannot be understated.

As Bruce said of the Eagles losing Brown, “while it stinks, cause he’s amazing, both the Eagles and A.J. have read the writing on the wall. It looks like the Eagles’ offense just doesn’t have the kind of role he wants.” I believe the streets call that conscious uncoupling.

So, we present to you the Bye Bye A.J. playlist. A collection of songs to get you through every stage of losing Brown. From sadness to nostalgia to hopefulness to “don’t let the door hit ya where the good lord split ya.”

We wish our mercurial wide receiver the best of luck heading to greener pastures (or “paschtaaas” as they pronounce it in New England). Take a listen, feel your feelings, and rewatch A.J. Brown highlights from the 2022 season. And comment below to tell us which song you’ll be playing when the Eagles trade A.J.

Catch up on all things A.J. Brown:

At Dickinson College, it was ritual to drink lukewarm Bud heavies and play FIFA with my friends. And when blessed with the opportunity to hit sticks, it was my destiny to get smacked. Walloped. Pan-fried. Despite growing up playing soccer and digesting my fair share of half-time orange slices, I understood very little about the game. What’s worse is that I had no allegiance to a team. I chose what team to play with based on whether or not I recognized any of their players. I was surrounded by friends who were Chelsea and Manchester United fans, while depriving myself of a global fandom experience and the opportunity to finish sentences with “innit.”

On a professional sports level, I invested all of my fan stock into the tumultuous experience of rooting for the Philadelphia Eagles (we will forget about the 76ers at this time for mental health purposes). The waters are rocky, the vibes are mixed. But I’ve always been interested in the Premier League, and to supplement my obsession with the NFL, I’ve always wanted to find a soccer team to root for. But between new shows on Apple TV+ and scrolling through (name your app), I simply haven’t had the time.

With the NFL offseason slowing down and the World Cup coming to the States, there’s no better time to get in the game (the wise words of EA Sports). So to better understand the Premier League and to help me choose a team to devote my undying loyalty to, I recruited one of my oldest friends and diehard Premier League fan , to break it all down for me by comparing European soccer to American football.

Before Arsenal (new favorite team contender #1) takes on PSG this Saturday in the Champions League final, Rotimi talks to me about the structure of the Premier League, why there aren’t any playoffs, why relegation feels like going to the sunken place, and all while making NFL comparisons for Premier League teams.

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You’re a Chelsea fan, right?

ROTIMI: Yeah, I’m a Chelsea fan. When we were in college, as you know, I studied abroad in London. Growing up, we played FIFA all the time, right? And I would rotate between a few different teams, Chelsea being one of them, but also, embarrassingly, Tottenham. When I studied abroad in London, a big reason why I became a Chelsea fan was one of the trips that my program offered was the opportunity to tour Stamford Bridge, which is the stadium that Chelsea plays in. There was something about the grounds that felt historic.

One of the transformative things that Chelsea experienced was in 2004, when we had a Russian oligarch, Roman Abramovich, step into the building, and he just started spending. And so a club that was historic and had a lot of history to it, but not necessarily like a ton of success, became incredibly successful over a 15-year period. And so, yeah, that’s around when I joined in 2010, we won our first Champions League. I want to say in 2012.

The first one that they won in 2012?

ROTIMI: Yeah, the first Champions League. We won the league for the first time in 2005 and have won it a few times since then. When Roman came on board, we became a team that won a lot of trophies and had this incredible ambition. And so growing up as a hurt Washington Redskins fan, it felt good to support a team that actually won something instead of a team that was, you know, ridiculously poorly managed. In addition, you know, my mom grew up in London and not too far from the Chelsea stadium. I think the last reason is that we had all of these African powerhouses, Didier Drogba, John Obi Mikel.

Can you explain the Premier League to me like I’m a 7-year-old? Like, how does relegation work? How long is the season? When do the playoffs start?

ROTIMI: Ooh, playoffs. Okay. We’ve got a lot to discuss.

Let’s do it.

ROTIMI: The Premier League is the top league in English football. Let’s say there are four divisions. There’s really more than that, but you have League Two, League One, the Championship, and then the Premier League.

The Premier League is the top English league and has 20 teams. Each of those 20 teams plays one another in the league, home and away, so twice in total.

For all 20 teams?

ROTIMI: Yeah, so there are 38 weeks in the league. That’s in the league itself, but then there are four competitions a year. So you have two English domestic tournaments that run through the year.

One is the FA Cup, which includes not just those top four divisions, but all the divisions underneath. They call them non-division teams. That’s the oldest tournament. And that happens in parallel to the regular Premier League season. So every few weeks, instead of playing a Premier League match, you’ll play in this tournament that’s basically single elimination.

And so what spices up football in general is having these tournaments on top of this longstanding season, right? Because you mentioned playoffs, the Premier League doesn’t have playoffs. Instead, it has a point system.

How’s the point system work?

ROTIMI: If you win a match, you get 3 points, if you draw a match, you get 1 point, and if you lose a match, you get 0 points. At the end of the 38 weeks, whichever team has the most points wins the Premier League. And so winning the Premier League is a marathon. It’s a sign that you are the most consistent team.

So there’s no championship game or like anything like that?

ROTIMI: Not in the Premier League. So I mentioned the Premier League and the FA Cup. You also have the domestic trophy that we call the Carabao Cup, which is just basically a tournament for the top divisions in English football.

And then you have the Champions League. The Champions League is a long-term tournament that happens again in parallel with the normal season, and it isn’t just the English teams. It’s the best of the English teams playing the best of the Spanish teams, best of the French teams, best of the German teams, and so on. So it’s like a club World Cup that happens every single year.

It’s a huge deal to qualify for the Champions League, and the best players want to play in the Champions League, and they want to join the teams that are going to qualify for the Champions League. So earlier, when I mentioned Chelsea just hasn’t really been the same for the last few years. We haven’t made the Champions League three out of the last four years. It has a huge effect on the talent that we’re able to attract. It’s like joining the Washington Wizards, being like, you guys aren’t going to make the playoffs. Why would I join you?

So do all the world’s best players want to play in the Premier League?

ROTIMI: It’s actually a little bit more nuanced. The Premier League has the best global viewership, and it’s considered the most competitive league. By most competitive, it means that you tune in, and the team that’s in first place could easily lose to the team that’s in 15th place. The quality is great, but the play style is different.

La Liga (the Spanish league) is really exciting to watch. If you’re a Spanish player, maybe you want to stay in a league where it’s all Spanish, you know, it’s Spanish referees, Spanish culture. So yeah, I think that it’s a little bit more nuanced. I think often, yes, the best players will go to the Premier League, but that’s not necessarily true. Like Messi, for example, never played in the Premier League.

Oh really?

ROTIMI: Yeah, no, he never went to the Premier League. Cristiano Ronaldo was at Manchester United and then left. He played in Italy, he played on, you know, the best team overall. And that’s the interesting thing about the Champions League, right? Like the Premier League is the best, the most competitive league, but it doesn’t necessarily always have the best team. The Champions League normally determines the best team.

So a lot of these players are going to roll from the Champions League right into the World Cup?

ROTIMI: Yeah, which is insane, right? So you have 38 matches as part of your normal season, right? And then, depending on how far you go in each of these tournaments, maybe at this point in the season, you’ve played 60 matches already.

What about the current landscape of the league in general? Historically, who are the top teams?

ROTIMI: So Arsenal, they haven’t won the league in like 20 years, but they finally won it this year. There’s a sort of joke that they are perpetually second place. Like for the last, I think three years, they’ve been second place in the league. They’ve lost to Man City in a couple of finals. They, you know, they just keep on coming in second place.

It also feels deeply millennial to be an Arsenal fan.

ROTIMI: I can see that, yeah. Arsenal is based in London, so I think they have some international appeal. They have historic players like Thierry Henry, arguably one of the best players ever in the Premier League, who played there. They have this reputation of playing really good football. Nowadays, they are…what was that sort of thing in the NFL where, like, it’s not a QB sneak, but it was like a something bum thing. I can’t remember what it was, but people were talking about it.

The tush push?

ROTIMI: Tush push, yeah! Maybe not the exact same, but like they’ve scored 17 goals from corner kicks, right? And so like their style of play, people consider it quite boring, and they’re not exciting to watch, even though they grind out results often by set pieces like corner kicks or free kicks.

A big topic of conversation in the NFL was when the Eagles were the best in the league at doing a tush push. And the league tried to ban it because they were so effective at doing it.

ROTIMI: I think it’s very similar. The narrative has been like, well, Arsenal’s been playing rugby on these corners. They haven’t gotten called for all the antics that they’ve pulled. And so people are anticipating that over the summer, they’ll probably change the rules, or like the refs will start enforcing fouls on these corner kicks.

Do you see a lot of parity in the league, or do you see teams build dynasties?

ROTIMI: Yeah, so Man City has definitely been the most recent dynasty. I think Man United is the previous. The Dallas Cowboys, to me, are like Manchester United, where they have their glory days of the past, where they were very dominant. They have maybe the best manager in Premier League history, Sir Alex Ferguson. They were a true dynasty. They were incredible in the 90s and early 2000s. And then, you know, they’ve been mid or trash for the last 10 years, and this year they’re in third place.

And then you have Man City, who are like the Kansas City Chiefs, who are now all of a sudden really, really good. People joke that they don’t really have any real fans. Like, it’s kind of true. I go to bars to watch matches, and like, I go see a Spurs match. It’s packed with Spurs fans. I go see an Arsenal match, Liverpool match, Chelsea match. You got those fans there. I watch Man City play, and I don’t see a single fan. Like they just don’t really exist.

They’re like an industry plant.

ROTIMI: Yeah, exactly. I think it’s a psyop of some sort. So you have what you call the Big Six. Arsenal, Man City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, and then Tottenham.

Tottenham’s in the big six? Weren’t they kind of bad for a while and then kind of got good?

ROTIMI: They’ve been bad for most of the time I’ve been following soccer. They had one year, maybe two years, when they came in second place. They call them “Spursy”. Like it’s Spursy to like fuck up a lead. They’re just like, kind of nervy and will often fuck up when it looks like they have control.

That’s like how NFL fans traditionally talk about the Los Angeles Chargers and “Chargering”.

ROTIMI: So, something we haven’t talked about yet is that the bottom three teams every year will get relegated. And then the top three teams from the championship will get promoted. And this is another really fun thing about the Premier League is that, yes, you’re interested in seeing who’s going to win the league. You also want to see who are going to be the top four or five teams that qualify for the Champions League. And then you’re also invested in seeing what three teams are going to unfortunately miss out and get relegated.

And getting relegated in the Premier League is kind of like, you know, it’s like a disaster for your finances because you’re not getting that broadcast revenue that you would from the Premier League. If you’re a top talent, you want to be in the Premier League. So now your players are going to ask for transfers out. Sometimes you see teams get relegated and then they just keep on getting stuck in the championship or relegated even further.

It reminds me of that scene in “Get Out” when he sinks into the chair, and he’s just falling.

ROTIMI: You’re in the sunken place.

Do you feel like for those teams, getting to the Premier League is pretty much all that they play for? That they’re like, “okay, we made it to the Premier League. This is it for us.”

ROTIMI: You know, I think so. But then you have these other tournaments, right, where, like, your objective might be, let’s get to the semifinals of the FA Cup. Let’s see if we can really do that, right? And sometimes that happens. Sometimes you even make it to the final. Being a Washington Commanders fan, there was just nothing for us to celebrate ever. And it’s like, pretty American and very capitalistic in that, like, you’re all fighting to win one trophy. And if you don’t win it, like, too bad.

Like, zero-sum.

ROTIMI: Yeah. If you ain’t first, you’re last, right? Whereas here, there are four opportunities for you to win. And then also there are opportunities for you to stay up or to qualify for different competitions. So like, I think that every season there’s like basically 8 or so Premier League teams out of 20 that have something to really celebrate. And that’s kind of cool.

Ok, let’s do an exercise. Give each of the Premier League Big Six teams an NFL Team comparison. We talked about how Manchester United is very much like the Dallas Cowboys. Manchester City is kind of like the Kansas City Chiefs.

ROTIMI: Man City may even be like the Patriots and, you know, in that time where they were just dominant, right? Let’s talk Liverpool. I think that it’s a historic club with a sort of working-class background. I think it’s a pretty working-class town where it’s really all about the club. That’s what everyone there is passionate about. I would say it reminds me a little bit of the Green Bay Packers.

That’s exactly what I was gonna say. Are they always competitive but never really win it all?

ROTIMI: They’re always competitive and they win sometimes, and they’ve had periods of a ton of success. I think that what hurt them is that Man City was in their dynasty when they were maybe at their peak. So they didn’t win as much as they could have. They were kind of second place for several years, even when they were historically breaking records. City was just doing even better.

That sounds exactly like the Packers.

ROTIMI: I guess Arsenal was historically kind of successful with periods of being underachievers. But I think some people are drawn to them for the longest time because they had this coach, Arsène Wenger, this French dude, and he was always applauded for playing beautiful football. Even if they didn’t win much, they were like, oh, they’re very, you know, beautiful. And I’m not sure what the equivalent of that would be in the NFL.

I honestly think it’s the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles had Andy Reid for a long time. They always got close but could never win. And then they moved on from him, and had a period where they weren’t so great before having this resurgence where they won two Super Bowls in the past nine years. Not to mention the tush push equivalent with what Arsenal is doing with the corner kicks feels very similar. They feel like they’re a team that’s finally at the top after a long time of being a bridesmaid.

ROTIMI: Yeah, I could totally see that. So Tottenham is considered a big club even though they haven’t won shit. We always joke that they won their first big trophy last year when they won the Europa League. The Europa League is like the NIT, right? So if you don’t qualify for the Champions League, there’s another European competition called the Europa League, and they won that last year. And so, that’s the first trophy, honestly, I can remember them winning in like over a decade. You mentioned the Chargers earlier, and maybe that’s the closest equivalent.

Yeah, or even the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are a team that everybody loves. Everybody applauds the Bills for being this incredible franchise, but they have not won shit.

ROTIMI: Didn’t they lose the Super Bowl four years in a row?

Yeah, back in the ‘90s.

ROTIMI: Good Lord, that’s very Spursy.

What about Chelsea?

ROTIMI: I’m too close to this. I really do feel like right now we’re entering our Dan Snyder era where our management’s throwing us into the ground. But I feel like for a long time we were well financially backed. We’d fire coaches very regularly, but, like, it would somehow work or we’d win.

Interesting.

ROTIMI: And so I’m not sure if there is a team like that in the NFL that has been successful under different managers and has had a lot of money. Chelsea itself is in a ritzy part of London. Tickets are expensive, and I think we get a lot of tourists. So when you go to Stamford Bridge, it is kind of embarrassing. And our fans are used to success. So we’re in this tumultuous period where everyone’s disappointed, and we’re booing the team at halftime when we’re down a goal because we expect better. So there’s a level of entitlement. There’s a level of posh London. I’m trying to think of what NFL clubs represent that…

Even the trajectory of like, you had this period of dominance and then because of ownership or whoever’s calling the shots, things have kind of gone under a little bit and there’s a lot of frustration because there’s an expectation with winning. It kind of reminds me of the New York Giants, as terrible as that sounds. The Giants had this deep culture of winning in the ‘90s and the 2000s. They’re a historic franchise that in recent years has become shit. They really pissed off a fan base that has an expectation of winning with all of their sports. You know what I mean?

ROTIMI: I really like that. I did not think of that, honestly, but I think that is kind of spot on, the entitlement aspect.

One club that’s well run, but doesn’t have that much to show for it, is this club called Brighton. They’re solidly mid-table, but they are really good at recruiting players and developing young talent. And they are admired by everyone who cares about data. They do a really good job of buying low, selling high, and finding these gems that nobody else is, really recruiting. I’m curious if there’s an NFL team that everyone’s like “Oh, they have like a really good offensive coordinator, there’s such a well-run operation,” even if they haven’t really made it to the Super Bowl or anything like that.

I think it’s the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings have a head coach who’s an offensive genius. They find these diamonds in the rough. They’re the ones who resurrected Sam Darnold’s career before he went on and won with the Seahawks last year. They signed Kyler Murray from the Cardinals this year. They bring in these guys who are kind of like these reclamation projects and manage to find value in them because the offensive system is so strong. They lean into analytics, but they just haven’t won it all. They’re in a really tough division. And even though they always have one of the best records in the league, they can’t seem to go all the way.

ROTIMI: Yeah. I can see that.

As a Philly sports fan myself, you know, I’ve been looking for a Premier League team since we were in college. What is a team that you would recommend to Philly sports fans?

ROTIMI: I think when I look at the top six, like honestly, I don’t know that any of them really match what I would think of as far as that Philly grit. And I also have to come to this as a Washington Commanders fan. Like, your fan base, I think, has a level of toxicity.

100%.

ROTIMI: I’m trying to also match that. And to me, when I think of the diehard fans, I think of Newcastle, I think of Leeds, and I think of Aston Villa. Now, Aston Villa is an interesting one. I think they have a good amount of history. They’ve been asleep for a long time, but now they’re seriously in contention. They made it to the Champions League. They won the Europa League. And I do feel they’re well-run and a hard-fighting team.

We haven’t really talked much about the style of football. I think that a lot of teams, modern teams, are taking this sort of, like, possession base where, you know, you’re trying to have the ball as much as possible. And I feel like Aston Villa doesn’t really care as much about that. Like, they’re just like, let’s just go out and win.

But I think of the top six, maybe Liverpool or Arsenal. The Arsenal comparisons are real in terms of the tush push and in terms of where they are at this point. They used to play a very possession style, and now they’ve gotten a little bit more, just like win at all costs. Their fans are known for being delusional. For the longest time, they thought they were the best team ever, and everyone just sort of laughed at them, and now they won. It’s this huge crisis because nobody wants Arsenal fans to actually win something.

Dude, thanks for literally taking the time to explain this to me.

ROTIMI: Yeah, man. I mean, it’s definitely so different from how sports are in the U.S. But it makes every game kind of count. I love the way that every game counts in the NFL. There are also different things to play for. And that keeps it interesting.

It’s late May, and we are starving. For a moment, as the air thickens and the temperature skyrockets, the NFL season has unraveled. We’re left with nothing but rumors of who did and who didn’t attend A.J. Brown’s wedding to sustain ourselves. Nolan Smith got so bored that he decided to audition for Fast and the Furious 12: How Much Faster Can We Go.

Luckily, the Eagles know this. And to keep us fed with NFL news, the Birds made their coordinators available to the media today for the first time all offseason. Like a pie cooling on the windowsill in a Looney Tunes cartoon, we lifted our noses and slowly levitated towards the grumpy words of Vic Fangio.

What’s special about this media availability is that this is the first time Eagles fans are hearing from new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion (AKA The Prince Who Was Promised AKA Not Kevin Patullo). Mannion lent his voice to answer the offseason-old questions that Eagles fans have been lobbing into the Twitterverse somewhere on the feed between Mike Vrabel-Dianna Russini conspiracy theories and random ads for wigs for your Roomba (seriously, don’t go on Twitter). Mannion touched on his vision for the offense, what it’s like working with Jalen Hurts, why he decided to take the Eagles job, and more. Local reporters tossed questions at the new Eagles OC in Philly accents thicker than a Rita’s gelati.

But before “Boyz II Mann-ion” entered stage left, we heard from Vic Fangio, who spoke on Jonathan Greenard, Tariq Woolen, and Jihaad Campbell in between beautiful rants on the irrelevance of coaching titles and his disappointment with the Phillies because they fired Rob Thompson (this one’s for Topper). Vic has reached the age where he has no use for coachspeak and instead, like your uncle at Thanksgiving dinner, says literally whatever is on his mind at the moment.

Special Teams Coordinator Michael Clay (a man you forgot coached for the Eagles) also talked to the media. Clay touched on Jake Elliott’s confidence, Braden Mann’s extension, and Makai Lemon returning punts before casually mentioning that he intercepted Sean Mannion in college. So in between the coachspeak…kind of a wild ride?

But what did Vic say about almost retiring in the offseason? Did Michael Clay (a man who could literally tell me he coaches for the Eagles and I wouldn’t believe him) lowkey drop some wisdom about the principles of coaching? And did Sean Mannion knock it out of the park before unfortunately name-dropping Jared Goff, Kirk Cousins, Geno Smith, and Drew Lock as his quarterback influences? Let’s dive in.

What Did Vic Say? (Aside From Being Mad at the Phillies)

On almost retiring in the offseason

Nah I wasn’t close…I never got serious to where I would’ve done it…the doctors told me I’m reverse aging.

I like the group of guys we have. I like working with them. I still like the challenge of the job. Work for a good organization. It’s something you’ll always think about at the end of the year, but in the end, I didn’t come close to doing it. I really don’t foresee myself doing it. I’m good for two years, at least.

On the Eagles trading for Jonathan Greenard

Pressure on the quarterback is also important, and he’s been able to do that throughout his career. He’s strong on the edge versus the run game. So we’re excited to have him.

On the Eagles signing Tariq Woolen

I’m excited to have him. We looked at him during the middle of last season a little bit because they may have been interested in trading him. You know we didn’t decide to do it…When it came to free agent time, and I actually sat down and watched him thoroughly, I was excited for him.

He’s a rare guy, you don’t see a lot of corners in the league who are 6’ 4”. It’s hard to find guys at those heights who can move and mirror receivers. He can get in and out of breaks. He obviously has good downfield speed. His length is more of an asset than a detriment in his case….seems to be a great guy, he’s into being here.

*Translation: Holy shit I can’t believe we got this guy

Regarding the second safety spot

It’s open. I think Marcus will put up a good claim for it. In base, it’ll be Cooper. When we go to nickel, Coop comes up and plays nickel. We’re taking a good look at Michael Carter back there.

On safety Drew Mukuba and Michael Carter

Started off the season up and down, had some shaky plays. But I feel like the last 5 or 6 games prior to him getting hurt, he was coming on. And hopefully, he’ll be able to pick up from there.

On linebacker Jihaad Campbell and replacing Nakobe Dean

He’s not going to be able to take part in these OTAs until maybe later, maybe not. But he’ll be ready for training camp.

I think we’ll have guys who will step up. Zack did a good job of that. Obviously, Reed did a great job quarterbacking the secondary. I think Andrew will be able to step up his game there along those lines. And if (Marcus) Epps is the guy, he’ll definitely be able to do that also.

*Editor’s Note: It looks like Marcus Epps is most likely the favorite to start at that second safety spot barring a trade

On Uar Bernard

I had a similar experience when I was with the Niners. We have a guy by the name of Lawrence Okoye who was an Olympic discus thrower for England. Looked a lot like how Uar looks now. It never worked for him, but patience will need to be a virtue. Both on his part and ours.

On Jalen Carter

I think his shoulders are fine. He’s had a good offseason of lifting. He started that earlier than normal for him, and you can see the difference in that regard. So I think he’s in a better spot now than he was.

On Jalyx Hunt taking the next step

Just keep doing what he’s doing. He’s had a nice progression. I see him growing his game in all aspects. I think he can and will rush better. He’ll play the run better. Just the natural progression…

I think he’s ready to keep getting better and better.

Random Rant on Coaching Titles

These titles you guys see across the league. Pass game coordinators? Run game coordinators? There’s many more. Assistant head coach, associate head coach. This, that, and the other. You know what those titles mean? About as much as this bottle of water is gonna mean after I finish drinking it.

About Jeff Stoutland

He seems to be enjoying himself. He’s playing a lot of golf. I don’t know if he’s gotten any better, but he’s trying.

How About Michael Clay?

On Braden Mann

We’re very very happy that he’s back… coming out of college, Braden was that guy at Texas A&M.

On Jake Elliott’s confidence

Long career, still confident in him. You can go game by game, situation by situation…for Jake 10 years in the NFL, 10 years doing it in Philadelphia, big kicks, it’s hard to go against the confidence in that.

Jake is going to be his hardest critic of all time. It’s on me to help him keep his confidence up because a confident kicker is a dangerous kicker…for a lot of these players, when bad things happen, they fall into that pit hole of “am I good enough?” Obviously, you’re good enough because you play in the NFL.

For him to fall in love with the game again and keep that energy up and keep that confidence up is going to be big for Jake, and that’s where I come in.

*Editor’s note: It sounds like Jake is working on getting his confidence back after a tough year

On signing JT Gray

His tenacity, his understanding, with so many special teams snaps. He’ll bring something to the table that maybe us coaches don’t see in between the plays.

On Makai Lemon returning punts

I like Makai. He has that California feel. That California confidence…he’s out there in tackling drills…he’ll definitely be in the mix, just like a whole lot of people will be.

On Uar Bernard

Patience is key. He’s already got a lot on his plate playing a new sport. But that’s the beauty of coaching…you gotta try to coach them as hard as you possibly can without killing their confidence and seeing what they can do to help out the team.

What Did Sean Mannion Say?

On his early relationship with Jalen Hurts

I think it starts really with connecting with him on a personal level. Get to know him, get to know what his interests are, what makes him tick. Then once you start to get to know a guy on person level, then the football connection comes pretty easy…he’s been a pleasure to work with, and really, since I got the job, to be able to connect with him on a personal level and then a football level has been great.

What he wants the offense to look like

We talk about play style a lot. Being great teammates. When you turn on the tape, what does the Eagles offense look like? Those are the things that we really want to stand out.

Obviously, there’s things I believe in and schematically have a background in. But ultimately it’s going to be a blend…it’s all about maximizing things for the players…how do we put all of our players really in a position to succeed and maximize their strengths.

Regarding Jalen’s learning process

I think Jalen’s been outstanding in the meetings. And I think going through multiple coordinators and stuff, you can tell he’s a really capable learner. And that’s been really fun to work with on a daily basis.

What he loved about the Eagles’ job opportunity

I think the first thing is the Eagles have been an outstanding organization, just top to bottom. You know that from afar, just from the results on the field and the culture and the system of excellence that they’ve built here. And getting to talk to Nick and see the way he views the game, seeing the way he views building a program, and running an organization, and all the things that we really value here.

Tough, detailed, together. You can just tell it was a great fit and in perfect alignment with how I view the game as well…all of the things you know about the organization from afar become validated when you see behind the curtain.

His excitement about Makai Lemon

Really excited to bring him on board. I think the way he works at practice is really impressive. He’s a tremendous young talent. But even just out at practices, you can see he practices hard, he studies hard, he really takes a lot of pride in all the little details and that’s the sign of a true pro.

*Editor’s note: Lemon’s got the juice

On Run Game Coordinator/Tight Ends Coach Ryan Mahaffey

Ryan and I have obviously worked together, and I think some of the things that we’re bringing in, Ryan has a background in. And his background is unique. He’s been with the offensive line a lot of the time, he’s been with the receiving group…Ryan’s a very detailed guy, he understands the schematic elements, he knows how all the pieces fit…he’s a tremendous teacher, detail-oriented, he’s gonna be a great fit for that group.

On the new Offensive Line Coach Chris Kuper

I first was with Chris as a player when he was in Minnesota. You could just tell he’s a great teacher. Detailed, he played for a long time in the NFL. I think the way he’s gonna be able to connect with all of our players, especially a veteran group of guys…it’s gonna be a great fit for us. Great teacher, great communicator, really good at teaching the fundamentals, understands a wide variety of schemes and what we want to do…and ultimately I’m a believer that coaching is teaching at its truest sense and I pride myself on being a good teacher.

The change in offensive playcalling verbiage

It’s a blend. Obviously, there are things schematically that we’re bringing. There are things that the Eagles offense has really thrived with doing in years past. So in terms of verbiage and terminology, it’s what makes sense to keep, what with some of the new changes coming in needs to change, so that’s something we’ve looked at really from day one.

Jalen Hurts strengths

Jalen’s been awesome. He can really do anything we ask of him. He’s accurate. He’s a great athlete. He really attacks the fundamentals. That’s what’s been really fun to watch these last two weeks. He’s always coming, wanting more things to work on, wanting more things regarding fundamentals. Timing, understanding the scheme. He’s hungry for more, and those are the guys that are fun to work with…He has a great process in the meetings. He always asks really thought-provoking questions, he’s detailed, and attacks his fundamentals. He’s always the guy who stays after practice and is working on things. Those are the guys you love to work with.

*Editor’s note: How many of Jalen’s thought-provoking questions have been in quotes that sound like a mix of Socrates, Shakespeare, and Deion Sanders?

On the Eagles’ wide receivers

It’s a really exciting group. Smitty’s been awesome. It’s a really fun group…our offense is not about any one piece it’s about how we all fit together. The wide receiver group specifically has been a lot of fun. I think we have a lot of guys with complementary skill sets.

Mannion’s coaching Influences

It really starts with my dad. My dad was a long-time high school football coach. Been around the game my entire life. He’s a teacher. My mom’s a teacher. You can hear me talk about the teaching influence a lot when it comes to coaching. Just the drive, the work ethic, the relationships with the players, the commitment to the fundamentals, my dad was a huge influence for me there.

My college coach, Mike Riley…great leader of men, great communicator. Matt LaFleur, gave me my first job in this league, I’ll always be grateful for that. I learned a ton from him as a player, learned a ton from him as a coach. He’s a tremendous coach, tremendous leader, learned a ton from him.

Teaching the quarterback position

I think everything has a pre-determined timing and a rhythm to the play. Installing a scheme that has proper timing and proper rhythm in terms of how different elements in the concepts work with one another, making sure the timing of one route marries to the timing of another route, and then you train the quarterback to really understand that and listen to his feet. If your footwork is sound and your rhythms good, it’s gonna feel like the ball wants to come out. And if it’s not that’s when you move on.

Jalen running more

He is uniquely skilled in that way. That’ll be a part of it. But it won’t be the only part of it.

*Translation: “To answer your question, I don’t know yet, homie.”

What kind of playcaller he wants to be

I want to be someone who is versatile, who is always looking to attack defenses in different ways, who’s always looking to evolve. And ultimately always looking to maximize the talents of our players.

*Translation: “I’d like to be the opposite of Kevin Patullo”

On marrying the run and the pass game

That’s absolutely a huge part of what we want to do. We want to make sure that as many elements of our offense that they fit together, that they look the same. How do we build this wide array of things that kind of start off of a similar type of look.

The NFL season is a feature film. It’s a hit you can’t miss. It’s like Rocky IV if you’re the Seattle Seahawks or Scary Movie IV if you’re the Cleveland Browns. If this metaphor makes any sense, then that means the regular season schedule is the script. It’s that long title screen at the beginning of Star Wars that’s iconic, but also, if we’re being honest, a little hard to read. Every game is a series of plot points and storylines born out of first downs, interceptions, and Jalen Carter potentially spitting on someone.

A month removed from the draft, the NFL released the 2026 regular-season schedule last week. It’s an opportunity for fans to project how their team’s story will be told. A peek through the looking glass at what stands between preseason hopes and postseason dreams. For our Birds, those obstacles are kind of steep.

After becoming the first repeat champion of the NFC East since 2004 (the last time they did it), the Philadelphia Eagles are on a road to redemption after being bounced from the playoffs in the wild-card round. In 2026, they will be playing 7 teams who had over 10 wins in 2025, along with four teams coming off their bye weeks in the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Commanders, the New York Giants, and the Indianapolis Colts.

They also play each of their NFC East rivals in back-to-back-to-back games in Weeks 7 through 9, and will be in a whopping 6 primetime games (second to only the Rams). Unfortunately, rest will also be hard to come by. According to NFL Analyst Arif Hasan, the Eagles have the second-lowest Net Rest Differential (which is the sum of net rest days vs. opponents) in the upcoming season.

But how will the schedule shape up for Philly? To make sense of each matchup this season, we’ll be utilizing a critical school of thought known as Big Willie Style. It’s a method I’ve been a master in since watching Wild Wild West in my parents’ living room and pretending the pencils in my hands were six-shooters. Since playing the Men in Black theme song on my walkman over and over again, despite it skipping at the 1:30 mark. There’s no better way to analyze the blockbuster of the Eagles’ season than through the lens of blockbusters by the Fresh Prince himself.

So, to get a sense of Philly’s 2026 schedule, we’re going to compare every Eagles game to a Will Smith movie. Will Philadelphia use that flashy thingy from Men in Black to eliminate any memory of their playoff loss? Or will a shaky offense make them Enemy of the State? Do I have enough Will Smith puns in me to get the job done? I think…maybe?

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Week 1: Eagles vs. Commanders

The Pursuit of Happyness

After a tumultuous season that felt like sleeping in metaphorical bathrooms while watching their dreams slip through their fingers, the Eagles are looking to get back on track. They face a Commanders team with a shaky defense that went 5-12 in 2025. The Eagles haven’t lost in Week 1 since 2020. Much like Will Smith as Chris Gardner in The Pursuit of Happyness, the Eagles are hoping that all of their hard work will finally put them on a path toward their dreams before Sirianni gets fired and has to go door-to-door selling bone density scanners.

Week 2: Eagles at Titans

After Earth

The Titans are bad. And much like the movie After Earth, no one should watch this or remember it even happened.

Week 3: Eagles at Bears

Wild Wild West

After getting embarrassed by the Chicago Bears on Black Friday Football (which is a thing now thanks to our Amazon overlords), the Birds are out for revenge. The Eagles are hoping to follow the path of (wicky wicky wild wild west) Jim West in his revenge plot against General Bloodbath McGrath and Dr. Arliss Loveless (that weird little guy in the giant spider). Can Vic Fangio’s defense take down Ben Johnson’s giant spider of an offense in its second year with Caleb Williams? Is Nick Sirianni technically Kevin Kline in this? Wait, Salma Hayek was in that movie? As Sisqo would say, “we’re going straiiight tooo the wild wild west Soldier Field.”

Week 4: Eagles vs. Rams

Bad Boys II

This whole game will be like that shoot-out in the Haitian drug den at the beginning of Bad Boys II. And similar to Bad Boys II, this game will try to live up to the insanity of the first one. Last year, the Rams stormed out to a commanding 26-7 lead in South Philly before a mixture of cojones and pure gusto brought the Eagles back to steal this one. It’s a comeback that included Jalen Hurts calling his own plays, Jalen Carter blocking a field goal and Jordan Davis also blocking a field goal and returning it for a touchdown. It was simply one of the greatest Eagles victories of all time. Will the rematch have more firepower than last year? Can Jalen Hurts go full Mike Lowrey, or will he be stifled by scheme lord Sean McVay in the role of Johnny Tapia? This is a tough two-game stretch for the Birds against back-to-back Super Bowl contenders.

Week 5: Eagles vs. Jaguars in London (said in a British accent)

Focus

Wait, the Eagles are playing in London? And they’re playing the Jaguars? Why is this game on at 9am? Is that a soccer stadium? Shit, I forgot to set my fantasy football lineup. This game will feel like watching Will Smith and Margot Robbie’s con-man thriller Focus. A movie that leaves you with feelings of confusion and thinking “wait, was that good?” only to realize “I never want to watch that again.” The Jags went 13-4 last year and are a tough out. The last time these teams played, Saquon Barkley reverse-hurdled into everyone’s hearts. So…hopefully that happens again. And the last time Vic Fangio faced Liam Coen, Coen was coordinating the Buccaneers offense and hung up 33 points on the Eagles in Fangio’s first year with the team. This is a sticky one, innit?

Week 6: Eagles vs. Panthers

Hitch

Fresh off a trip to Londontown, the Eagles will still be sweating fish and chips when the Panthers arrive in South Philly a week later. The Panthers (lucky for them) will be fresh off their bye week. Unfortunately, this matchup has trap game written all over it. The Eagles will play the role of Alex “Hitch” Hitchens, who, through their sloppy play, could help lovable goof Bryce Young get his game back. As Hitch once said, “Life is not the amount of breaths you take, it’s the moments that take your breath away.” And we hope the Eagles don’t take our breath away by dropping this one. The entire game will be like that dance scene with Kevin James, a mix of joy and confusion until someone gets slapped in the face with reality.

Week 7: Eagles vs. Cowboys

Independence Day

An existential threat comes home for Monday Night Football. One that’s foreign but also very familiar. One that has a lot of firepower, like that giant laser thing in that alien spaceship. Can Vic Fangio’s defense square up against a Dallas offense with otherworldly receiving talent? Can Sean Mannion’s offense navigate a new-look Dallas defense led by former Eagles secondary coach Christian Parker? Hopefully, the Birds can punch down Dallas and shout “Welcome to Earth” while lighting a victory cigar and declaring independence from the rest of the field in the NFC East.

Week 8: Eagles at Commanders

Men in Black

The Eagles travel to Maryland to take on the Commanders on Sunday Night Football. Jayden Daniels is a legitimate alien. He goes into the locker room at halftime and asks for “Sugar. Water.” Jalen Hurts and Sean Mannion hope to team up like J and K to carve up a leaky Commanders defense with a new-look receiving corps as their noisy cricket. It’ll be tough sledding against a Commanders team coming off their bye week. But if they can manage to take down their second NFC East opponent in two weeks, I expect Jalen Hurts to open his postgame press conference by saying, “N.Y.P.D. means I will Knock Your Punk Ass Down.”

Week 9: Eagles vs. Giants

Bad Boys for Life

This is Philly’s third NFC East matchup in three weeks. The Giants haven’t beaten the Eagles at home since 2013. This rivalry is similar to the third Bad Boys movie. It’s not really good anymore; there are younger people involved that I don’t really recognize, and the whole thing has lost a little juice, even though I’ll still watch it for the jokes. I anticipate a beatdown by the Birds.

Week 10: Bye Week

Week 11: Eagles vs. Steelers

Fresh Prince Season 1, Episode 11 “Courting Disaster”

Not a movie, but a reason to bring up the fact that every quarterback on the Steelers’ roster throws the football with the accuracy of Carlton attempting the game-winning shot at the end of this episode.

Week 12: Eagles at Cowboys on Thanksgiving

I Am Legend

At the end of I Am Legend, Dr. Robert Neville stands behind bulletproof glass in his basement, surrounded by the very mutant zombie…um…vampire things he’s spent every day hunting. This is exactly what the Eagles will experience as they enter Jerry World. Like I Am Legend, the scene of this game is set at the site of a devastating collapse. Last year in this stadium, the Eagles blew a 21-point lead to Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. We’ll see if Nick Sirianni’s team has the firepower to bring down Dallas in enemy territory or if their efforts simply won’t be enough. I’m still hazy on what happens at the end of this movie, like, should we be happy or sad? And why did they have to kill off the dog? Ah shit, now I’m getting off track. (goes to watch I Am Legend)

Week 13: Eagles at Colts

Shark Tale

At this point, the Colts will be feeling themselves. They’re coming to South Philly off a bye, and before that, they will have faced one team with a 2025 winning record in their last 3 games. They’ll be talking that shit like Oscar, the fish Will Smith voices in Shark Tale, who claims he took down a shark even though he didn’t. After an emotional Thanksgiving game for Philly and with a little extra rest, we’ll see if the Colts can carry that confidence when a real shark like the Eagles shows up.

Week 14: Eagles at Cardinals

The Legend of Bagger Vance

Much like the friendly ghost of caddy Bagger Vance, the Cardinals arrive to remind the Eagles what it feels like to have an easy win again.

Week 15: Eagles vs. Seahawks

I, Robot

When people speak of the inevitability of AI, they’re strictly talking about Mike Macdonald’s defense. The man himself is a machine with more processing power than an unwanted data center. Not even Kalshi can predict his next move. Playing this defense is like that chase scene in I, Robot when a million androids are diving on Will Smith’s (unfortunately named, Detective Spooner’s) car. We’ll see if Sean Mannion’s new offense can keep the Birds on the road or if the Super Bowl-winning Seahawks will veer them off course.

Week 16: Eagles vs. Texans on Christmas Eve

Ali

If Vic Fangio is one of the greatest defensive coordinators of all time, DeMeco Ryans is on his way to becoming George Foreman. The Eagles will have a tough time moving the ball against a Texans defense that always seems to hit its stride late in the season. This is a heavyweight defensive battle on Christmas Eve. Watching it will feel like getting coal in your stocking. We’ll see if the Eagles can rope-a-dope their second elite defense in two weeks or if they’ll get knocked out.

Week 17: Eagles at 49ers

The Slap

The Eagles and 49ers have beef. The Niners B-team came into Lincoln Financial Field and beat the 2025 Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round. The disrespect. The audacity. The 49ers should be reminded to keep our metaphorical wife’s name out of their mouth. This is about revenge. In primetime, on a Sunday Night, with the whole world watching, the Eagles will look to confidently stand up, walk onto the stage that is Levi’s Stadium, and slap the 49ers in the face before calmly returning to their seats. And just like Will, they hope to win it all afterwards. It will be electric.

Week 18: Eagles at Giants

Aladdin

After an insane 3-game slog, big blue men will show up and grant the Eagles their wish for an end-of-the-season victory.

Catch up on Burds of a Feather:

The Philadelphia 76ers shouldn’t be here. They have no right. Not these Philadelphia 76ers with an oft-injured center who had an emergency appendectomy three weeks ago. One who collects obscure injuries like Pokémon cards. Not these Philadelphia 76ers led by an undersized guard who’s had to carry the weight of the team through high-minute counts and a rotating supporting cast. Not these 76ers, whose third star rode an underwhelming career in the Delaware Valley to a 25-game suspension in the middle of the season. Not these 76ers, whose big three played a total of 21 regular-season games together. Not these 76ers, who were banking on a 20-year-old rookie to be a major contributor against flamethrowers in green and white who’ve seen the view from the mountaintop. Not THESE 76ers, whose head coach had one foot out the door after another disappointing season, only to delay his slow march into unemployment by beating the Magic in the play-in tournament.

These Philadelphia 76ers should not be here. But the beautiful thing about narratives is that they beg to be rewritten. The beautiful thing about expectations is that they can be adjusted. The beautiful thing about underdogs is that they never doubt for a second that they can win.

And winning is exactly what Joel Embiid and the Sixers did against a Boston team that seemed destined to be one of the last teams dancing when the music ended. They scratched and clawed their way back from a 3-1 series deficit. And in a Game 7 that will be remembered in Philadelphia for a long time, the Sixers finally beat the Boston Celtics to advance to the second round of the playoffs. Better yet, they did it in the Garden in front of the Boston faithful. And as my homie Keenan mentioned, they also did it with only three points off the bench last night.

How do you like them apples (said in Good Will Hunting voice)?

The Sixers haven’t beaten the Celtics in the playoffs since 1982. That’s literally the year “Eye of the Tiger” dropped. That’s a lifetime ago. Close to my lifetime. In all of my years on earth, I’ve seen volcanoes, I’ve seen comets, I’ve seen a squirrel eat an entire piece of thin crust pizza. But I’ve never seen the Sixers beat the Celtics in the playoffs until now.

So much of life comes down to timing. Hard work, talent, strategy, and luck are all prerequisites for success. But all four bend the knee to the shifting sands of time. And finally, for the Sixers, the timing was on their side. A team that seemed cursed by the sins of The Process era finally saw the stars align. This team chose the perfect moment to become the version of themselves they were meant to be.

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Joel Embiid was transcendent. His return in this series shifted the sheer physics of the court like Matthew McConaughey catapulting through wormholes. Joel played like he shed the weight of expectations along with the weight of his appendix. The Celtics’ defense had no answer for him in the post, and when he wasn’t scoring with singular brilliance, his sheer gravity opened up opportunities for the rest of his team.

Joel is the sun. He is the engine. His ceiling is the ceiling for this team. He once again showed why he is one of the most skilled and talented big men of all time. A one-of-a-kind world destroyer who overcame bad injury luck with a toughness that would break a lesser man. Embiid is grit personified. He is one of the greatest Philadelphia athletes we’ve ever had the pleasure of watching dominate his sport.

If Joel is the engine, then Tyrese is the ignition. Maxey has elevated his game to superstar levels this season, solidifying himself as The Guy. That Dude. A Cold Blooded Killer. His speed, agility, and Cirque du Soleil finishing skills contorted a Celtics defense that thought they had an answer for him, only to realize they were taking the wrong test. He’s a Rubik’s Cube. Maxey played free and unfettered basketball, giving this team exactly what it needed when it needed it. He held his ground defensively, never shying away from tough matchups. Watching him play basketball is like witnessing pure art. Michelangelo’s David. James Harden’s stepback. Tyrese has leveled up. He always knew how to score. Now he knows how to win.

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Paul George proved that a 25-game suspension can be good for the mind, body, and soul. Ever since returning to the Sixers from his suspension, George has looked like a completely different player than we’ve seen in red, white, and blue. He’s looked more like himself than he has in years. The Paul George Who Was Promised. George was a steady veteran presence for the Sixers who excelled as a third option. He hit buckets when the team needed it, facilitated on fast breaks, and provided his signature defense. This is what the team envisioned when they signed PG. The arrival of Playoff P.

V.J. Edgecombe delivered with an all-encompassing aura. Edgecombe’s rare athleticism is only matched by his fearlessness. The 20-year-old rookie looked like he belonged and, in some moments, like one of the best players on the court (for reference, when I was 20, I was drinking Four Lokos in a college basement). His stout defense, ability to hit open threes, and capacity to create opportunities at such a young age and on such a big stage is incredible.

Kelly Oubre excelled as a role player, cutting to the basket when the opportunities presented themselves and providing a sheer will to win with a swagger that could engulf possessions. Quentin Grimes played like every bucket was a new contract, shining off the bench and at several moments singlehandedly altering the course of the game offensively and defensively. Andre Drummond provided strong backup minutes, using his mass to grab boards and hit timely corner threes.

The Philadelphia 76ers are not supposed to be here. But here they are. Context is important. It’s the first round of the playoffs, and the Sixers find themselves heading into a second-round rematch with a Knicks team that just blew the doors off the Atlanta C.J. McCollums. But you know what…fuck the context. The Sixers just completed a 3-1 comeback against one of the best teams in the league.

For now, the Philadelphia 76ers are immortal. They got their teeth kicked in and realized they don’t need teeth anyway. They are a team that embodies the city they call home. A manifestation of talent and grit that continues to raise the ceiling. For now, the Philadelphia 76ers have altered the course of history. And maybe this is exactly where they should’ve been all along.

You go to dinner at your parents’ house, and your uncle is there. He’s quirky but overall a pretty good time. He’s the kind of guy who uses a traffic cone to reserve a parking spot in front of his house and watches NCIS reruns like LeBron watches game tape. When he’s not bumping that same Rick James CD in his Dodge Neon, he’s devouring a healthy diet of Sports Radio WIP. He’s gotten close to calling in a few times, but doesn’t love the sound of his own voice. Eagles football is his religion, and Reggie White is his holy ghost.

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He usually asks you things like “now nephew, what is all this I hear about Jalen Hurts” or “young fella, what’s good with your guy Sirianni?” Before you can answer, he offers nostalgia as a solution, saying things like “now (insert player from the 80’s) that was a real (insert their position)” or “the game hasn’t been the same since the pads got smaller.”

Like clockwork, before the pot roast hits the plate, he pops the cap off a fresh Yuengling and hurls a question in your general direction, “So, what’s going on with the Birds?”

Your uncle asks a fair question. We have reached offseason purgatory. Free agency and the NFL draft are over, and training camp doesn’t start until late June. For the next few months, us football sickos will have to find new hobbies like woodworking or betting our life savings on how many clouds will be in the sky on a particular day on Kalshi.

But for the past few months, the Eagles have made some big changes. They’ve shed some skin and embraced an offensive metamorphosis under new coordinator Sean Mannion. So there’s a lot to catch your uncle up on. And after he tells you about Ron Jaworski and the 1981 Super Bowl, here’s how you can answer his question.

How Did the Eagles Do in the Draft?

In the past week, football pundits graded each NFL team’s draft. Grades are typically assigned based on which teams the media thinks got the most value or brought in the best talent for their systems and situations.

Fortunately for Birds fans, the football community thought Howie Roseman drafted pretty well this year. Unfortunately, a draft grade is like farting in a movie theater. In the moment, it’s all anyone can think about, but a few months from now, most people won’t even remember it happened.

The Eagles brought in a group of high upside players who have a lot to prove. Some players could help the team immediately, some could grow into contributors in a few seasons, and some could become integral pieces to the team’s present and future identity. But Philly still took some risks. They bet on past production at key positions and took big swings on players with elite physical traits. Here’s a look at who they drafted.

• Makai Lemon (wide receiver from USC): I wrote about my guy Makai last week. He’s a versatile wide receiver who does his best work out of the slot and in the middle of the field. He plays like a pitbull (the dog, not Mr. Worldwide), with the toughness of that old pair of New Balances you still wear. Dude catches everything thrown in his direction. He’s a little undersized and lacks elite physical traits, but has a serious case of “that dog in him.” If Jalen Hurts can evolve his game to attack the middle of the field, Lemon will be his best friend.

• Eli Stowers (tight end from Vanderbilt): Stowers won the John Mackey Award last year as the best tight end in college football. Coached by ex-Eagle Jordan Matthews, Stowers plays like a supersized slot receiver with smooth route running and great hands. He’s an explosive pass catcher and incredible athlete who should do well as long as he’s not asked to block anyone.

• Markel Bell (offensive lineman from Miami): Markel Bell is big, but he’s also huge. On top of that, he’s enormous. He didn’t allow a sack as a senior. Did I also mention, he’s massive? (check out this review of Bell on the Trenchwarfare Substack)

• Cole Payton (quarterback out of North Dakota State AKA “The House that Wentz Built”): Cole Payton’s draft comp is a trebuchet. He’s a mountain of a man who, at 6-foot-3, 232 lbs, is bigger than A.J. Brown. He throws the ball far and fast, had a 72% completion percentage in 2025, and sprints like a runaway train (he had 29 carries of 10-plus yards in 2025). The downside, he’s only thrown 282 passes in his college football career and needs to tighten up some inconsistent mechanics.

• Micah Morris (offensive lineman out of Georgia): The only Georgia lineman to start every game in 2025 also never allowed a sack. A raw player who has work to do to become a starting guard in the NFL.

• Cole Wisniewski (safety out of Texas Tech): The Eagles put a quarter in the safety machine and are hoping it spits out another Reed Blankenship.

• Uar Bernard (just a dude from Nigeria): The most fascinating pick is a dude who has never played football at all. Bernard is part of the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program that gives opportunities to players abroad. The same program that brought Jordan Mailata to the Eagles in 2018 (which turned out pretty well). Uar is built like he was bitten by a radioactive spider. He has a chance to be one of the most insane athletes to ever touch a football field. The 6-foot-4, 306 lbs, 21-year-old Nigerian is training to be a defensive lineman. Bernard’s testing was off the charts with a broad jump that was 14 inches more than any other defensive tackle in the combine and a 4.63 40-yard dash.

• Keyshawn James-Newby (defensive end out of the University of New Mexico): Led the Mountain West in sacks last year, so that’s something. But overall would be pleasantly surprised if he made an impact.

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How’s the Roster Shaping Up?

The Eagles have spent premium resources solidifying Sean Mannion’s vision for the offense. With an impending A.J. Brown trade, they overhauled their wide receiver room with the additions of Hollywood Brown (who I argue should change his name to “South Philly” Brown), Dontayvion Wicks (AKA “Don Wick)”, Elijah Moore, and Makai Lemon as they shift towards a more egalitarian approach to complement DeVonta Smith.

They brought back Dallas Goedert (AKA The Man Named After A City), signed a couple of blocking tight ends, and drafted a supersized pass catcher in Eli Stowers.

The defensive roster looks strong with the addition of Tariq Woolen in the secondary and the acquisition of veteran pass rusher Jonathan Greenard, whom the Eagles acquired from the Minnesota Vikings during the draft for two 3rd-round picks. Greenard is a certified stud and was only traded from Minnesota because the money didn’t work with the Vikings’ current cap situation. The 28-year-old is a versatile pass rusher who was 7th in the league in pressure rate last year despite dealing with a shoulder injury. He steps into Jaelan Phillips’ role as the premier pass rusher on the defensive line alongside Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and newly signed Arnold Ebiketie.

So what are the Eagles’ remaining needs? The only glaring hole in Uncle Vic Fangio’s defense is at safety. Andrew Mukuba steps back into the starting role after an up-and-down rookie season that ended early with injury. Marcus Epps is set to start across from him, and Michael Carter, whom the Eagles traded for from the Jets last year, is making the switch from slot to safety.

The safety group is as inspiring as a made-for-TV movie about Joey Chestnut (“How one man ate a million hotdogs. A&E presents Hunger for Greatness: The Joey Chestnut Story”). But I think Howie Roseman is comfortable going into the season with replacement-level play at the position.

There are solid starting safeties available in the free agent market, and the Eagles are banking on an improved secondary with Tariq Woolen being able to take the pressure off the safeties in Fangio’s scheme. The safety position is one you can easily cover up. The main thing the Eagles will miss from the loss of Reed Blankenship is his play in the run game.

The Eagles could also use solid depth on the offensive and defensive lines. Roseman drafted offensive linemen who feel more like long-term projects rather than short-term understudies. With injuries weaving their way through this offensive line last year, it would behoove the Birds to bring in some free-agent depth in case someone goes down. Maybe a reunion with our old friend Mekhi Becton is in the works?

Aside from Becton, there are several veteran linemen available who have experience in the new wide zone scheme with ties to Mannion’s influences in Sean McVay, Kevin O’Connell, or Matt LaFleur. The defensive line could use some depth on the interior as well. Someone who can eat up snaps (also like Joey Chestnut) and provide solid run support. Veteran options are available to sign there as well.

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What’s this I Hear About The Eagles Losing Front Office Executives?

In less sexy news, the Eagles lost two key members of their front office this week in Assistant General Manager Alec Halaby and Senior Vice President Bryce Johnston. Howie Roseman’s front office has been a wellspring of talent for the past several years, with teams around the league wanting a piece of the Kelly Green mojo. Both Halaby and Johnston are big losses for the franchise.

Halaby was instrumental in implementing advanced analytics throughout the organization. After starting as an intern in 2007, he rose through the ranks and played a pivotal role in player acquisition and evaluation, team-building, and sports performance. He helped overhaul the Eagles into one of the most forward-thinking and innovative front offices.

Bryce Johnston was the cap guru. He acted as the Eagles’ lead cap strategist and played a key role in player contract negotiations. Johnston leaves to join the Atlanta Falcons as their Senior Vice President of Football Administration under General Manager Ian Cunningham (another Eagles front office alum).

If you’re interested in replacing them, just drop off your resume on the doorstep of the Linc wrapped in an A.J. Brown jersey.

So What’s Next?

This is where you tell your uncle during dessert how we’ll all be held hostage by the A.J. Brown trade speculation for the next month. But a resolution is coming after June 1, when the dead cap hit for trading Brown goes down, so until then, maybe find time to catch up on episodes of NCIS and research the World Cup.

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NFL draft picks are one-way tickets. They’re pennies in a fountain. They’re reckless gambles at the blackjack table. Visions coming to fruition through the waving of a draft card. But very rarely are draft picks omens. Like storm clouds rolling over the horizon or HR putting an impromptu meeting on your calendar. An abrupt signal of the end of an era and the beginning of a new one. Omens happen rarely, but last night was one of those moments when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted USC receiver Makai Lemon.

In the first round of the NFL Draft, the Eagles traded two fourth-round picks and the 23rd overall pick to the Dallas Jerry Joneses for the 20th overall pick and a 2027 7th rounder. In recent drafts, Howie Roseman has never been shy about going to get his man. And after a quiet fall down draft boards, Roseman let the line loose and reeled in Makai Lemon.

Lemon is a Grade A, organic certified baller. He won the Biletnikoff Award as college football’s best wide receiver in 2025. He’s a maniac who prefers to set all of his clocks to demon time. Lemon had 4 games of over 150 yards receiving last year, caught a touchdown in 66% of his games, and averaged 14.6 yards per reception.

Though he’s undersized and lacks elite physical traits, “make-you-miss-Makai” catches everything, consistently gets open with smooth route running skills, is tough to tackle, blocks his ass off, and has the kind of insane competitiveness that could make a South Philly father-of-three who gets up at 4 am to tailgate, crush Bud Light’s, and yell at the opposing team bus look like a boy scout. A lot of draft experts who are way smarter than me compare Lemon to Amon-Ra St. Brown, another USC alumnus who’s lit the league on fire in Detroit. He has the skills to be a quarterback’s best friend.

Makai’s main selling point is his versatility. He can play inside or outside with the yards after catch skills to shine in the Shanahan-McVay-inspired scheme Philadelphia will run under new offensive coordinator Sean Mannion. As USC coach Lincoln Riley said of Lemon on The Jim Rome Show, according to Yahoo Sports:

“I think this guy’s the most versatile receiver in the country. I think he’s a scheme fit. You could make an argument that there’s really not a scheme in the league that he would not fit in with well. He can play in the slot, he can play outside, he’s good after the catch, his contested catches are as good as anybody I’ve ever coached. Route running ability it’s all there.”

Lemon spoke of his versatility himself at the combine, telling teams:

“Anywhere I go on the field, I’m gonna dominate, no matter if I’m inside, outside, no matter where I’m at. I’m gonna do my best to do that. And if you put me on the field anywhere you’re gonna see that.”

Howie Roseman has made a sport out of targeting elite talent who fall in the draft. In the Nick Sirianni era, the Eagles have pivoted their draft strategy from picking players based on need to bringing in the top-ranked player on their draft board. They’ve exercised this in recent years by moving up for players like Jalen Carter, Cooper DeJean, and Jihaad Campbell, using the first round to get blue-chip talent in the building, no matter the position of need. In the case of Lemon, Howie saw an elite player available later than expected who was too good to pass up.

Philadelphia gave up two 4th-round picks to move up three spots. The price seems steep at first, until you realize that the Eagles have not had a 4th-round draft pick make it to their second contract since Josh Sweat and Avonte Maddox, who were both drafted in 2018. Past Eagles 4th-round picks are a who’s who of disappointment, including Kelee Ringo, Will Shipley, K’Von Wallace, and Zech McPherson. The Eagles used capital from a round where they’ve historically struggled to find elite talent to get premium talent in the room.

Lemon joins another former Biletnikoff Award winner, presumed Eagles number 1 wide receiver DeVonta Smith (who won the award as college football’s top receiver in 2020). The Birds have shifted their wide receiver group from players with defined roles to a group of versatile dudes who can play all over the field at any time, including Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown. The streets call that positionless basketball. It’s a group of receivers whose skillsets can mask the offense’s intentions on a down-to-down basis. If Lemon reaches his potential as the Eagles’ wide receiver 2, it slots Wicks and Brown into their natural positions on the depth chart.

But as Lemon’s door opens, A.J. Brown’s closes. Makai’s arrival all but confirms that A.J. Brown will no longer be an Eagle after June 1. Rumors have swirled that the Eagles have already agreed to a deal with New England for Brown. Actions speak louder than words, and Philadelphia’s actions for the past month have been screaming infidelities (much like Mike Vrabel’s trip to Sedona, am I right!?).

Drafting Lemon ensures that Sirianni and his offensive staff can easily transition into the next era of Eagles football. They take on Brown’s dead cap hit but save future dollars that can go towards extending defensive players like Jalen Carter. Still, it’s hard to say the Eagles will be better off without a receiver of Brown’s caliber. As one of the most accomplished Eagles wide receivers of all time, losing Brown feels bittersweet. The relentless gravity of this story comes to an end, but when the music stops, he’ll be remembered as an all-time Eagle for what he accomplished in his time here. The disintegration of Brown’s relationship with the team feels like one of the biggest failings of this era of Eagles football.

As the draft marches on, the Eagles need to use their remaining draft capital on high-upside talent in the trenches. They haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first two rounds since 2022 and the first three rounds since 2023. Though this draft lacks truly elite talent on the line, there is a lot of talent to be had. The line bouncing back is crucial to this team’s success.

For now, we’re truly witnessing a new era of Eagles football. An omen hasn’t hit this hard since the Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in 2020 shortly after Carson Wentz signed a new record-breaking deal. We know Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie are not afraid of change. They see its eventualities, its ugliness, harsh truths, and all. And one year removed from a Super Bowl victory, the Eagles continue to embrace it.

In 2008, I was on my way back from a high school track meet when the Eagles drafted DeSean Jackson. As soon as I got home, I devoured his highlights on YouTube. I watched his kick return against Tennessee more than I’ve said my own name. With each passing highlight reel, I pinned every hope I had on a 5’10” wide receiver who was 175 lbs soaking wet with speed that could shatter the sound barrier.

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In football, it’s the hope that kills you. But also, the hope is the entire point. Being a fan is about getting carried away, jumping guns, getting ahead of ourselves. It’s about being so enamored with hopes and dreams and visions of Lombardi Trophies dancing in our heads that we fall in love with the sheer potential of a young player.

The NFL Draft is one week away. One week until we pin our outsized expectations on college kids fresh out of frat parties. One week until we convince ourselves that some NFL rookie is just what our team needs to get over the hump. Some of us will be right. But unfortunately, most of us will be wrong.

The draft is a combination of art, science, and slot machine. Every prospect feels like a dice roll. But recently, fortune has favored Philadelphia. After years of Danny Watkinses and Jalen Reagors (sorry for the PTSD), Howie Roseman has solidified himself as one of the best general managers in the biz, due in part to his stellar results on draft night.

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Since Nick Sirianni was hired in 2021, the Eagles have drafted players who directly contributed to their second Super Bowl win, including DeVonta Smith, Landon Dickerson, Milton Williams, Jordan Davis, Cam Jurgens, Nakobe Dean, Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jalyx Hunt. Howie’s been on a heater.

Roseman will look to carry that momentum into a draft that’s lowkey important for the team’s future. The Eagles have several present and future needs to address on both sides of the ball (i.e. who’s playing safety?), so there are a lot of directions they could go in. They sit at pick #23 in the first round and currently have 8 total picks in the draft, including 6 in the first 4 rounds.

To help make sense of all of this, I interviewed my guy from Calo Football. Al is an incredible football writer and fellow Birds fan. He’s been covering the draft in-depth, providing excellent rankings on draft prospects by position and deep analysis on each player. I talked to Al about the best fits for the Birds, players they should avoid in the first round, and his favorite player to watch in the draft. Let’s see who looks good in midnight green (said in Bob Barker voice)!

What are the strengths and weaknesses of this draft class?

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AL: The first weakness that comes to mind is how thin of a quarterback class this is. It’s trending that we won’t see more than 3-4 total taken before Day 3, and that might be generous. Don’t be surprised if the Eagles move Tanner McKee to a needy team after signing Andy Dalton.

There is also a lack of true blue-chip prospects at the top. I personally think it makes it more fun because of the uncertainty for almost every team, but it leads people to label this as a weaker class.

Strengths include edge and wide receiver depth. We should see a lot of edge rushers go in Round 1. In my latest article, I discuss how many starting caliber receivers there are, and I expect the Eagles to dip into that pool with one of their three picks on Day 2.

Which prospect is the best fit for the Eagles in the first round?

My first choice that is a realistic option at #23 would be edge rusher Keldric Faulk out of Auburn. He offers inside-out versatility with experience playing across the defensive line. Most evaluators believe he also has untapped upside as a pass rusher as he will be playing his first NFL season at just 21 years old. He’s a run defense upgrade and a rotational rusher as a floor outcome in year one.

We’ll talk about who I think they are considering on the offensive side of the ball a little later.

Which prospects should the Eagles stay away from in the first round?

Alabama QB Ty Simpson… just kidding. They visited with offensive tackle Caleb Lomu out of Utah recently. But I would rather not draft a left tackle who needs refinement with a first-round pick in a draft where they have plenty of other needs. His primary position isn’t one of those needs.

The Eagles have benefited from elite prospects tumbling down draft boards in recent years.

Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean fell in 2024, and the Eagles took advantage. Last year, it was Jihaad Campbell. Who has the potential to be that prospect this year?

Wide Receiver Jordyn Tyson out of Arizona State is my #1 WR in the class. He has some injury history, so if he makes it to near pick 20, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Howie make a move. Defensively, Faulk would be a slight slide that I could easily see happening and am hoping for. Unfortunately, there just aren’t many elite prospects that would get me as excited as Quinyon and DeJean did at those spots. Some potential for fallers on Day 2 for sure, though.

Who are the Day 2 and Day 3 prospects you love for the Eagles?

WR Chris Bell out of Louisville is higher in my receiver rankings than most. He’s been comped to A.J. Brown a little too much, but it’s a fit when it comes to body type and physicality. You won’t catch me comping Day 2 picks to All-Pros, but he would pair nicely with DeVonta Smith. He has a recent ACL injury, causing a bit of a discount right now. He was a projected first-round pick earlier in the college football season.

The Eagles are having a bunch of tight ends on visits, and most are fringe Day 2/early Day 3 guys. This tight end class is deep, so teams might just wait it out until a small run happens. Max Klare is my TE3 in the class and has visited. He’s more of a smooth-mover receiving weapon than an inline enforcer. Justin Joly, Oscar Delp, Jack Endries, and Tanner Koziol are more tight end names to keep in mind for Day 3.

Who’s your draft sleeper? The one player who fits well for Philly but who no one is talking about.

I’ll give a couple. Missouri Guard Keagan Trost, Arizona Safety Genesis Smith, and Cincinnati TE Joe Royer. Also really like De’Zhaun Stribling, wide receiver out of Ole Miss. He’s been a recent riser for teams, so he’s getting himself out of “sleeper” territory.

If the Eagles made up their mind about trading A.J. Brown, which WR should they explore drafting to help replace his production?

Tyson would be my 1st choice, and I mentioned Bell as a Day 2 pick. Omar Cooper Jr. out of Indiana is another name who has been tied to them and had a top-30 visit. Good player who would provide some yards after catch for a receiver room that will need that element replaced with the departure of A.J.

Made big time plays for Indiana in big games and has clear juice in the stem of his routes and with the ball in his hands. He’s relatively slot-dependent, but I wouldn’t be mad about it in the mid-20s.

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The Eagles haven’t drafted an offensive lineman in the first 3 rounds in two years (Tyler Steen in 2023).

Should the Eagles draft an offensive lineman in the top 100? If so, who’s the best fit for the zone blocking scheme under the Eagles’ new offensive line coach, Chris Kuper?

I really like Max Iheanachor out of Arizona State. He’s an athletic right tackle with traits that show high-end upside. With a year behind Lane Johnson, he would get the refinement he needs and be ideal for the zone blocking scheme the Eagles are transitioning to. The unfortunate part about this draft in general is its lack of elite talent. So this is an upside play, which is always part of the criteria when you pick in the 20s.

Which draft fit for the Eagles has the best YouTube highlights?

The top receivers are all fits for the Eagles, with the expectation for me that A.J. Brown will be traded. I think they are going to see where the board plays out, but I would say WR is one of the top-3 positions they will be looking at in Round 1. Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Makai Lemon (USC), and Jordyn Tyson all have great highlights, same with KC Concepcion (Texas A&M) and Omar Cooper.

Who’s your single favorite player to watch in this draft?

RB Jeremiah Love out of Notre Dame and it’s not particularly close.

What’s your biggest hot take about this draft?

For the Eagles specifically, I think there is enough starting potential depth at safety and TE that I don’t want them to draft #1 TE Kenyon Sadiq (Oregon) in Round 1 or Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt) in Round 2. Those two have been mocked to them frequently. They signed FOUR tight ends in free agency, they will draft one, but there are plenty I like that won’t require premium draft capital. That seems to be the route they are trending at the moment.

Check out more draft coverage from Al at Calo Football

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As the great philosopher Beyonce once said, “I’ll be your sweet dream or a beautiful nightmare.” She, of course, was referring to the experience of rooting for the Philadelphia 76ers. Basketball is built on hope, and the Sixers offer plenty of it. But for every step forward this team takes, they always seem to take two steps back.

Being a Sixers fan is a roller coaster of emotions. It’s like getting excited for a snow day as a kid, only for the next day to be 60 degrees and raining. It’s like when magicians perform that trick where they try to pull a tablecloth out from under a bunch of dishes, but all of the dishes come crashing down. It literally feels like this:

Sixers fandom is a shot and chaser of hope and despair taken over and over until you can barely stand. The potential is intoxicating. When Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Paul George, and V.J. Edgecombe are at their best, it’s like staring at the Mona Lisa. A work of art that’s meant to be admired and savored. What’s worse is that potential never feels too far away. What could be feels endlessly closer than what actually is.

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As a franchise that may or may not be cursed by the spirit of Bryan Colangelo, this Sixers season has felt like many others. A combination of high hopes and bad fortune. In 2025-26, they dealt with a slew of Joel Embiid injuries, a 25-game suspension for Paul George, and trading away a promising young player for pennies. They’ve also seen a magnificent season from Tyrese Maxey, Paul George return to form, Joel Embiid look dominant on one leg, and a promising start to the career of rookie phenom V.J. Edgecombe. Still, entering the playoffs, the Sixers have a lot of questions to answer.

So to answer those questions, I interviewed my buddy Sean, one of my best friends and one of the biggest Sixers fans I know. Unfortunately for us, an hour before we were scheduled to talk, Shams reported that Joel Embiid is getting an emergency appendectomy shortly before the Sixers were scheduled to play Houston (a game they ended up losing).

In years past, Embiid has been allergic to staying healthy for the playoffs. Add this to the list of playoff (or pre-playoff) injuries for Joel, including a broken face, a knee injury, and a sudden bout of Bell’s Palsy, just to name a few. Once again, the Sixers will be without their centerpiece as we enter the postseason.

So to get ready for the playoffs (and process our shared basketball trauma), Sean and I talk about the Joel news, the Sixers playoff chances, Maxey’s next step, and why you can’t trust Daryl Morey.

An hour before this conversation, we got a Shams tweet. You remember how Woj had like a ‘Woj bomb?” What would you call a Shams news drop? A Sha-blam?

SEAN: Oh, that’s a good one. What would I call his alerts? This one was a kick in the face. I don’t think we can use it for all of them, but this last one felt like a kick in the face.

An hour before we had this conversation that we had planned, Shams tweeted that Joel Embiid has appendicitis and is getting surgery in Houston this afternoon. So he’ll be out for a few weeks, including the first round of the playoffs. How are you feeling?

SEAN: So I think if I had to describe myself as…if there’s Sixers fans archetypes, based on me and like the people that I know and talk to a lot about the Sixers, I feel like there’s a few archetypes. I think I fall into the one that’s a realist, maybe cautiously optimistic. So at times I can be very critical of the Sixers, but I still get caught up in just being a fan. I can ignore the facts of the situation at times just because I want to see the Sixers do well. So that being said, how I was feeling coming into this part of the season was getting excited again. They were pulling me back in. Paul George is back from his suspension. He’s been playing well.

I feel like he’s moving really well.

SEAN: I went with the fam and we saw the Detroit game live. That was my first time seeing Paul George play in person. And I love going to the games in person cause like, you get to understand the feel of a player’s game and what they look like a little differently.

And I agree, he was moving so well and getting to his spots, taking his time. He looks so strong, like a veteran, you know what I mean? Like, he may not have the same step that he used to, but he’s using his body to like create space and get the shot off that he wants. He looked really good, yeah. So I was really excited, even though we lost that game. I’ve still been excited, yeah. Just about the way he’d been playing.

But sorry, your question. What was your question?

How are you feeling right now?

SEAN: Real dejected. I was excited for the playoffs. Now, not so much.

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How do you feel about their playoff chances?

SEAN: Okay, this is really pessimistic. And part of this is me as a fan, I like to prepare myself mentally for the worst in hopes that the team does better and proves me wrong. Whenever I criticize the Sixers, there’s nothing more that I want than to be proven wrong.

That being said, I feel as though we’ll be lucky to make it out of the play-in. And I feel as though we will be even luckier to win a first-round matchup against, you know, depending on where we land, Detroit, Boston, or New York. Even Cleveland, I would feel a little shaky against. But either way, I don’t feel great.

Without Embiid, do you think the Sixers can make it out of the play-in? Which of those potential play-in opponents scares you the most?

SEAN: Without Joel, I do think they can make it out of the play-in. It’s gonna be more difficult, obviously. That goes without saying, but I think they can still do it. The teams that scare me the most, I’m torn between Charlotte and Miami, only because Miami, they’re always good, right? They’re well-coached. That team’s been together for a while, like that core, so they know how to play together. The Hornets are scary, just because of the tear they’ve been on. They’ve been one of the best teams in the past several weeks in the league, like when it comes to just all the advanced stats. They’re probably my favorite team to watch at the moment.

What’s the reason for that?

SEAN: They look like they’re having so much fun. Really meshing and playing well. They trust each other. They’re just a fun team. You can tell that they’re really enjoying playing together.

They share the ball. LaMelo is obviously just like, it’s like he’s playing pickup basketball the way that he’s, the stuff he’s doing. Kon Knueppel. Like he’s playing with no fear. He doesn’t play like a rookie. But yeah, they’re just like a young, exciting team.

One of the things that I was thinking about is how the most devastating part about the Sixers is how endlessly close they are to reaching their potential. If this team were fully healthy, how far do you think that they could go?

SEAN: Yeah. That’s like the life of a Sixers fan. I think fully healthy (which we say this every year), but a fully healthy Sixers team could come out of the East. I mean, they’re obviously there from a talent standpoint. Joel, PG, Tyrese. I think having them as your three, or just on paper alone, that just makes us one of the better teams just off the strength of having them on the team.

I think having Paul George as a third option, where the expectation isn’t on him to have to come in and deliver a type of superstar performance. Like, he could just be Paul George. I think that also makes them really dangerous because he struggled in the playoffs, probably since he left the Pacers, when there’s a lot of pressure on him. In this scenario, he’s a third option. So I think that really helps him.

And then depth-wise, this is the deepest team since some of those Ben Simmons teams that we’ve seen in a while. When I look at our bench, or even that 6th, 7th guy. You’ve got V.J., who’s playing really well, not just for rookie, but in general. Kelly Oubre’s been playing so well. Quentin Grimes, like my man’s trying to get a contract. This dude is hooping. And then I do like Barlow, I like Edwards, I like all of them. But I think we just got a really nice deep team with guys that know how to play their role, and they play hard and can impact the game.

Do you think that depth could carry them through the last two games of the season and out of the play-in?

SEAN: Yeah, I definitely do. The Sixers have a tendency to drop those games that should be easy wins for them. So I don’t think Indiana or Milwaukee are going to be cakewalks, just because that’s just what the Sixers do, you know?

I had to look it up because the feeling I’ve had this season is like every Sixers game feels stressful, you know? There’s been few instances when I’ve watched a game this season where it’s been like a comfortable win, or I feel comfortable throughout the entire game, like, oh, we got it. And I was just looking at the standings for the play-in stuff. And the Sixers not only have the lowest differential of teams with winning records, but they’re the only team with a negative differential.

Why is that?

SEAN: I don’t know what it is against good teams, bad teams. It just feels like it doesn’t matter. It’s always close. They’ve had some exciting wins against good teams, but then, you know, they’ll turn around, and we’ll be barely beating Portland or something like that.

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What does that say about Nick Nurse?

SEAN: Overall, I do like Nick Nurse. I think he’s a good coach. Thinking about this season, it is hard for me to give a really fair assessment of him and the coaching staff, just because availability for the roster has been so up and down.

Like Embiid, obviously, I mean, he’s always hurt. So you’re dealing with Embiid and his injuries. PG got that suspension. Tyrese was out for a little bit with his recent injury. So I think all that considered for the team to still be, you know, six games above 500, like that’s, I think that’s pretty good, honestly.

I think Doc Rivers, in the same scenario, would not have been able to get this.

Can we also do a quick sidebar on how you feel about Doc Rivers being in the Hall of Fame?

SEAN: Wait, excuse me? No, he’s not...

Bro, you didn’t see this?

SEAN: He was? How? Okay, what? That’s crazy, bro. I can see him getting into the Hall of Fame, but maybe like later. Bill Belichick didn’t make it into the Hall of Fame this year, but Doc Rivers did. That’s crazy.

Anyway, you were saying, Doc Rivers in the same situation…

SEAN: Yeah, just only because he was the last coach. Yes, I think Nick Nurse is the best coach we’ve had in a while. And I wouldn’t wanna mess that up unless somebody stellar came along.

What’s the temperature check on Daryl Morey?

SEAN: On Daryl Morey? If your goal is to sell tickets and make money for your franchise, I think he’s great. He can bring in stars. He’s not afraid to pull that trigger and bring in big names that are gonna be good for revenue for a team.

But if you want to build a winning team that has a strong future outlook and a plan beyond just one or two guys, I haven’t seen that from Daryl Morey. Maybe I’m wrong. I just haven’t seen him as that type of GM.

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That’s real.

SEAN: Yeah. So I don’t like Daryl Morey. I would like to see him gone, honestly. Come on, bro. What are we doing? You’re extending Joel. When we already know his injury history, you’re giving my man a fat extension.

You’re bringing in aging all-stars that have not proven to be able to like…I love Paul George’s game. I get he’s your favorite player’s favorite player. Obviously he’s great at basketball. But my man hasn’t shown the ability to deliver when it’s needed most. And you’re like, I already have an aging, injury-prone superstar. Let me bring in another one.

That begs the question: What do you think about the McCain trade in hindsight?

SEAN: I think I’m in the minority of Sixers fans where I think he is a good player and he’s gonna have a good career and do really well. A lot of other fans I talk to, they didn’t feel so bad about him getting traded. But for the most part, we all agree that what we got in return was not sufficient.

So even if you don’t agree that McCain was gonna turn into a great player, I think most people agree that Daryl Morey didn’t get that great a return for him. It was a bad trade. It was a weird time to sell.

Like, if you got a guy that you know you wanna move on from, like, why not try to boost his value before moving him? Jared was just coming back from injury. Like, if you wanna move him, at least give him a little more free rein to perform and get his numbers up so you can get more back.

If you’re Daryl Morey and you’re trying to sell high on this guy and Nick Nurse isn’t playing him as much as he should, you have to say, “get my guy some minutes. Let’s get his value up.”

SEAN: Facts, facts. And when he came out, and he finally spoke about it, it didn’t add up. He said their strategy for trading Jared was to get some pieces so that they could then flip that and turn it into a deal that would add talent now to the team, like talent that they could use. I don’t know what talent other than Jared McCain, but I guess, you know, he wanted to take those picks and flip them into something else. And with NBA trades, I haven’t seen it work like that. Typically, if a front office knows that they’re trading one guy in order to complete a large trade, they do it all at once, or they don’t make a move until they know that that other trade has materialized.

His excuse just made no sense. To still say that you traded Jared McCain to get those assets and then, you know, whatever deal you wanted didn’t materialize. It’s like, this should have been contingent. And if that wasn’t there, then you don’t move Jared McCain.

Which, again, Daryl Morey, like in long-term outlook, I don’t even know if he cares to plan beyond his tenure.

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Daryl Morey is a liar. That’s what James Harden said.

SEAN: (Laughs) Look, I’m starting to believe James. Daryl Morey, man, compared to, in terms of like his ability and what type of GM you want, right? Sam Presti is probably one of the best GMs in the league.

If Sam Presti, coming off a championship, can look at Jared McCain and see value in him and his talent, and find minutes for him in his rotation, the fact that Daryl Morey says that we sold high and Jared wasn’t a fit for THIS Sixers team that we’re talking about may not be able to make it out of the play-in.

Like that gap in the assessment of McCain’s talent between these two, I’m going to take Sam Presti. And the last thing I’ll say on this, too is a lot of people were saying we don’t need Jared McCain. We already have too many options in the backcourt. Then why did we bring in Cameron Payne? After getting rid of Jared McCain.

And who’s better, Cameron Payne or Jared McCain? Like, what are we talking about? Like, who would you rather have right now, bro?

I wonder if anybody out there is arguing Cam Payne over Jared McCain.

SEAN: It’s Daryl Morey. He’s the guy.

V.J. Edgecombe is third in Rookie of the Year odds. How do you feel about his first season? And do you see him as a major contributor going into the playoffs?

SEAN: V.J. has been the best and most enjoyable part of the Sixers season as a fan. Hands down. He’s been like the clear bright spot.

I wasn’t expecting him to be this good. I was really high on V.J. just after he got drafted, learning about him and seeing, you know, I started my YouTube timeline, started getting filled with like his pre-season workout videos. Like just seeing his drive and his competitiveness and hearing him speak.

He just seems like he’s got a good head and shoulders. And he’s like the type of dude that you want on your team. He’s really mature. So, V.J., man, I hope he’s the Sixer forever. And I hope he likes it here, and I hope Philly fans treat him right.

In terms of him contributing in the playoffs, I think we’re gonna need him to show up big in the play-in, but I’m not so naive as not to recognize that he is a rookie. So I think that’s not fair to him or any rookie going into your playoffs to expect him to have to play big.

NBA playoff basketball is different, man. It’s crazy. The next level that these guys take and the way they elevate their game in the playoffs. Obviously, I would love to see V.J. have a great playoff run. I just don’t expect it because he is a rookie, and that level of play, it shifts to another gear.

And I don’t think that would be fair to even have to put that much pressure on him. And we shouldn’t be. So I think if his performance could be the icing on the cake, that’s what I would expect. It’s like the cherry on the top, but I would still expect Tyrese, you know, Joel, if we make it into the playoffs and he’s healthy. And PG, even other guys like Kelly Oubre, right?

Whereas V.J., the message to him should be like, be comfortable, play confidently, fill in where you can, but like, we’re not expecting him to come out here and drop 25 points.

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He’s one of those players that just moves different. He’s so athletic.

SEAN: It’s insane. When he jumps, dude, it’s like, it just looks like he’s in the air a little bit longer than like you would expect a person to be. In terms of like his build and athleticism, it’s probably since like Allen Iverson, since there’s been a player like this. Like the way he’s moving, or if he just looks, he looks a little extra, like more athletic, a little degree of athleticism, a little bit higher than like the rest of everybody else on the court. The way that he can just like get in the air, it looks like it’s defying just physics at times. V.J. is so good, bro. I’m such a V.J. fan.

In Joel’s absence, who will have to step up if the Sixers are to make a run?

SEAN: It’s gotta be Tyrese. I know that’s the obvious answer, but I think he’s made the leap. It just seems like every year he’s getting better and better, but I think this is the year where he’s made that leap. Where he’s the type of player who knows how to win a game, which I think is hard. That’s a common trajectory. Guys come in, they’re talented. They get their numbers. They’re good NBA players. And then around 3 or 4, maybe year 5, there’s a certain point where they figure out how to win an NBA game, which I think is a skill that the top players have. Instead of just going out and scoring a whole bunch of buckets, they know how to win a game in the NBA. And I think Tyrese has that ability now.

He’s been really fast, blows by everybody, gets buckets. His shots are getting better. All that stuff. But now I think he has that poise. He just knows how to manage a game and can win a game for us.

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And that’s just like a feel for the game, you think?

SEAN: Yeah, yeah. It’s like he’s the clear leader on the team.

Last year, he was emerging as the leader, but as a person just watching, it was never clear who actually was “the guy.” But now, when you watch the Sixers, it’s clear, it’s Maxey. Like this is his team. And I think it’s just his poise in those moments.

This season, he’s had some big crunch-time plays for us. And like his level of play down the stretch, he just looks comfortable. Like he’s arrived in my mind, he’s that guy.

I think Kelly and PG, them playing well, it’s gonna be huge. But Tyrese, man, it’s the obvious answer.

Okay. I wanna give you a little space to talk about Joel Embiid.

SEAN: Man, in general, I appreciate Joel Embiid and his career. As a fan, whenever his career is over, I’m gonna look back on it and be thankful as a Sixers fan that we had Joel Embiid. I think he’s gonna go down as one of the greatest bigs. I don’t know where he lands on that list. I don’t really care, but I think either, when you talk about bigs, I think he’s always gonna come up because he was just magnificent.

Like I’ve had some of my most fun watching, it wasn’t until like between Allen Iverson and Joel Embiid, like in between, I just, I didn’t have as many moments, you know, like watching the Sixers, where it was just so much fun to just be a fan and watch those games. And Joel brought so much joy back to me as a Sixers fan, personally, and like the rest of the fan base. So yeah, overall, thankful, appreciative that we got to have Joel play for our organization.

I’m just, I’m thankful as well as a fan, but I do, from a realist standpoint, if he’s not healthy and he’s still getting paid, the Sixers are kind of held hostage by him. Because of Daryl Morey, bro.

Because of Daryl fucking Morey.

It all comes back to Daryl, bro.

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There’s a story about a man who defied logic. Who carried unearned confidence on his back. Unearned in the eyes of the public, but not for those who saw him sweat, train, and struggle. He would fall and get up again with determination that bordered on insanity. Until he took all of that sweat and all of that training and all of those struggles into an arena he had no right being in against an opponent he had no chance against. And to everyone’s surprise, he won. I am, of course, referring to the plot of Rocky II (and Rocky III and Rocky IV…).

Philadelphia mythology is built on underdogs. The Creeds and Vince Papalis, who dare to grab their dreams out of thin air. It’s an American story. We love someone who is self-made. It’s reflected in the adoration we have for our professional athletes. Which begs the question, why are people so weird about Jalen Hurts?

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The winningest quarterback in Philadelphia history has a story fit for a Disney movie. You know the one. The first freshman quarterback to start for Nick Saban at Alabama who was eventually benched, only to come back and lead his team to a historic comeback in the SEC championship game. Transferred to Oklahoma and became a Heisman Trophy finalist. Drafted in the second round by a team that already had a star quarterback, he grabbed the reins and eventually led his team to two Super Bowls in three years and one Super Bowl victory. Outdueling potentially the greatest quarterback of all time on football’s biggest stage, twice. You know, Disney stuff.

Despite winning 64.7% of his games as a starter, winning a Super Bowl, and never missing the playoffs as a full-season starter, a portion of NFL fans perpetually question Jalen Hurts’ ability to do the things that he’s already done. It’s a constant trending topic on Twitter or a segment on “name your ESPN debate show.”

For all intents and purposes, Hurts should be a pretty uncontroversial figure. Off the field he’s quiet, focused, and very private. He’s known for having high character and an intense dedication to his craft. He’s an avid philanthropist who has changed lives in Philadelphia through his foundation, including donating $200,000 to provide 300 air conditioning units to the School District of Philadelphia. He recently wrote a children’s book. Hurts has cemented himself as a cultural figure who connects with a wider coalition of fans non-NFL fans and those who are new to the game.

Yet in a league that employs many struggling quarterbacks and difficult personalities, Hurts is the lightning rod. The fire that draws trolls out of their caves. Fodder for beefs in the comment section and a money maker for engagement bots. Out of all of the flawed players in the NFL, why is it that a Super Bowl MVP with one of the highest winning percentages in the league is the one makes people so mad?

Jalen Hurts, The Quarterback

Following a difficult year and the worst offensive output of the Nick Sirianni era, Hurts and the Eagles are at an inflection point. They’ve brought in a new offensive coordinator in 33-year-old Sean Mannion. Rumors continue to swirl about their intentions to trade away star wide receiver A.J. Brown. And owner Jeffrey Lurie has expressed his urgency for a third Lombardi Trophy. The Eagles are looking to win now while building a sustainable future with an aging offensive championship core. At the eye of the hurricane sits Jalen Hurts.

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A recent ESPN piece by NFL reporters Tim McManus and Jeremy Fowler sparked outrage this week, detailing the friction within the Eagles organization, primarily centered on Jalen Hurts and how his preferences, personality, and fringed relationships have contributed to the Eagles offense becoming “calcified.”

Outrage on your Twitter feed aside, if you read the article, McManus and Fowler are very fair about Hurts strengths and shortcomings. They provide balanced reporting from multiple sources that often conflict (many of whom are anonymous which isn’t ideal). On the field, the article focuses on an infamous moment in the 2026 playoff game against the San Francisco 49ers (a moment I have chosen to black out from my memory, even though I was at the game).

On 4th down with the game on the line, the Eagles made a baffling call to run a basic four verts play as their last gasp. The play (predictably) failed, and the Eagles were bounced from the playoffs by a weak Niners team. McManus and Fowler state that the call was a preference by Jalen Hurts, reporting:

As one team source recalled, Hurts was the one who recommended four verts. A separate source with knowledge of the situation says that though the Eagles’ quarterback did suggest it, he was simply responding to a question about his preferences.

Hurts is a flawed quarterback, much like every other quarterback in the NFL. Justin Herbert and Lamar Jackson struggle to win big postseason games. Josh Allen’s controlled deconstruction of defenses can unravel into unwavering chaos. Joe Burrow has an extensive injury history. Hurts is no different.

He can hold onto the ball for too long, he can audible to the wrong play, he can be too conservative, and he often turns down tight window throws. But he also makes dynamic plays out of structure, throws a beautiful deep ball, elevates the team as a runner, plays his best ball in the biggest moments, and most importantly, wins and wins often. Within the City of Brotherly Love, we know of Hurts imperfections, which makes performances like last year’s Super Bowl victory even sweeter. The story of Jalen Hurts is one of a quarterback capable of overcoming those imperfections to accomplish great things.

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And therein lies the rub. Or at least the start of it. Hurts’ value is in the eye of the Kelly Green beholder. There’s discomfort in the juxtaposition between his victories and his stats. It leads to conflicting takes about whether or not he’s elite. Where he ranks on quarterback power rankings, or how he compares to other quarterbacks who are easier to define by traditional standards. Hurts detractors vehemently swear that he’s an overrated player who’s carried by his team, unlike many of his peers. Even though the main thing Hurts does so well is the very reason we play the game. He wins.

Whether it’s the impossibly high standards we put on Black quarterbacks (a very real conversation for another time), lack of understanding of his value, or the extremely talented Eagles roster who’s dominance diminishes individual contributions, Hurts never seems to get a fair shake. The strength of your roster is a fair point for any NFL player, but who are we to diminish an individual’s contributions based on hypotheticals. The team you’re on is the team you’re on.

Aside from otherworldly physical traits, Hurts superpowers are scoffed at as intangibles that are hard to measure. Primarily, his ability to win and his ability to improve year over year. One instance that speaks to this in McManus and Fowler’s article is Hurts’ improvement against zone coverage last season.

He faced zone coverages -- long considered a Hurts weakness by some scouts and defensive coaches in the league -- on 56.2% of the Eagles’ offensive plays, the second-highest rate of his career. His completion percentage against zone (69%) was significantly better than against man (59%).

Anyone who watched the Eagles recently knows that the offensive skill players were attempting to operate within a flawed system. One that we, for some reason, expect Hurts to overcome to prove to us that he’s worthy. Hurts is simply like any other quarterback, elevated by good coaching and brought down by bad. The untimely four verts call is an example of that. Hurts existed within a system he no longer trusted, so he subverted it. The same way employees do when they work for a CEO with little to no vision. As McManus and Fowler wrote:

In (Kellen) Moore, he had a coach who, according to a team source, was matter-of-fact about how the offense would function and in correcting Hurts’ mistakes when necessary. It was a similar dynamic with Steichen. When lines were more blurred, like in 2023 when Hurts, Sirianni, and then OC Brian Johnson weren’t aligned in their visions, Hurts had more of a tendency to search for answers outside of the game plan, a team source said.

While imperfect and overly critiqued, Hurts commands high praise from beloved Hall-of-Fame caliber quarterbacks. Peyton Manning has said of Hurts that “his appreciation of the cerebral part of the game is what is impressive to me” and “I think the sky is the limit for this guy.” Tom Brady has offered praise in the past. Michael Jordan has shown his admiration. But despite the endorsements and the results, Hurts’ standing in the NFL continues to be questioned.

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Jalen Hurts, the Teammate

“(He’s) got a lot of self-esteem and he feels comfortable being by himself, feels comfortable with his own world. I do know on the road, most of the time, he spends it in his room.” This is a quote from Phil Jackson about Kobe Bryant in an interview with 60 Minutes in 2001. Bryant, like Michael Jordan before him, was defined by his maniacal work ethic, unrelenting intensity, and difficult personality. But also Kobe, like Michael before him, kept winning.

As I wrote last year, Jalen Hurts is one of many athletes that abides by what I call The Michael Jordan Intensity Operating System. A “win-at-all-costs” mentality that uplifts work ethic and dedication to the game, but also one that can fray relationships with teammates and coaches. McManus and Fowler described Hurts well, saying:

Hurts is an introvert by nature, sources close to him said, which can make him hard to read. Some might view him as a stoic leader with the calm approach needed to navigate the exaggerated ups and downs that come with playing in a rabid sports city such as Philadelphia. Others might view him as detached and above it all.

They continued, saying of Hurts,

His steely resolve can be both a benefit and a hindrance as the face of the franchise. Force fields are good for keeping unnecessary distractions out but bad for connectivity and allowing essential items in.

Coach Nick Sirianni has compared Hurts’ leadership-style to Michael Jordan, and his agent, Nicole Lynn, “likened his obsessive work ethic to that of former Los Angeles Lakers great Kobe Bryant.” As McManus and Fowler wrote, “that unrelenting, demanding mentality toward not just himself but his teammates can be met with mixed reactions.”

The dynamics of an NFL locker room are complicated. The same way they are in a workplace, a community, or a home. Mounting pressure can shapeshift relationships. Feelings get hurt. Friendships are tested.

An example of this is Hurts’ well-documented relationship with A.J. Brown (which I wrote about last year). McManus and Fowler reiterated the struggles, saying:

Multiple team sources say they never saw Brown and Hurts engage in an argument during the season and were professional throughout the season. But both also tend to internalize issues, which leads to a lack of communication, sources said. “Clearing the air probably doesn’t happen as often as it should,” a source said.

Hurts is stoic and calm but also fiery and demanding in his own way, wanting to do what it takes to win. That relentless demand brings visions of Kobe and Jordan, and I have no doubt it can rub people the wrong way. But Hurts is not Kobe (just ask Smush Parker) or Jordan (just watch The Last Dance).

Phil Jackson referred to Kobe as “uncoachable” and “would go against the grain of the team.” Phil wasn’t the best, but that speaks to how Kobe was perceived at the time. Steve Kerr (who got in a fist fight with Michael Jordan) once said that “Michael would just bludgeon everyone around him.” Jordan himself once said, “If you don’t get on the same level as me, then it’s going to be hell for you.” Both were difficult personalities, but we all decided that the results justified the means. So many athletes formed their perspectives from watching Michael and Kobe. A crazed competitiveness that defined generations.

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That’s not necessarily Hurts, although parts of it are. While demanding and naturally reclusive, Hurts has made an effort to change. We’ve seen him hold himself accountable and continue to learn and evolve. Hurts worked with Nick Sirianni to fix their rift, which led to a Super Bowl-winning season. He’s made an effort to come out of his shell and connect with his teammates. McManus and Fowler reference Brandon Graham speaking of Hurts working to change after receiving criticism that he’s not vocal enough or connecting with teammates, saying:

“It’s big of him to be stepping out because he’s the top dog and he knows that, being that quarterback and everybody wanting to be in your presence. I’m happy he’s coming out of his shell.”

It could be that Hurts’ detractors react negatively to how his personality feels so close to Kobe or Jordan without the same level of results. We live in a culture of comparison and level-setting. No one can get too high. Hurts speaks in inspirational sayings and gives press conferences that make Nick Saban look like the most charming man alive. But Hurts is who he is and has never shied away from that.

McManus and Fowler attributed a lot of what’s happened with the Eagles offense to Jalen’s preferences, writing:

He has pushed back on changes that would diversify the scheme, sources said, including when it comes to him going under center more. He has shown a reluctance to let it rip at times, particularly against zone coverage. He diverts from the game plan and changes playcalls to what some feel is an excessive degree. His strong preferences, coupled with the coaches’ efforts to play to his strengths, which include his deep-ball accuracy and throws to the perimeter, limit the breadth to which the offense can expand -- or at least that’s the way it has gone in the past.

Mike Tomlin once said, “I love to hear coaches resist the responsibility of coaching…they talk negatively about a dude that can’t learn…if everybody could learn, we’d need less coaches. If the group didn’t need management, then we wouldn’t make as much.” As a coach’s son who played under one of the most demanding college football coaches of all-time and has shown an ability to listen to leaders with a clear vision, I don’t think we can say Jalen Hurts isn’t coachable. Every NFL player has their preferences. It’s the job of NFL coaches to decide when to lean into those preferences and when to do what is best for your team and your vision. It’s Nick Sirianni’s responsibility to say that we shouldn’t run four verts.

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If the Eagles want to soar back to championship heights, they need to be unafraid to push Hurts out of his comfort zone. To coach him hard. Nick Sirianni and his staff need firm belief in a system, rigid expectations, and a lack of fear to push their star quarterback to do the things he doesn’t like doing. Discomfort is how you grow. That’s what coaching is for.

Hurts, who is on his 6th offensive coordinator in 7 seasons, has had to learn and unlearn over and over again. And despite the change, he has reached the pinnacle of his sport.

His story is an underdog story. A player who may not be for everyone, but definitely isn’t worth the strife.

I spent the past week in Guatemala, my first trip to Central America. I watched the sky paint the backs of volcanoes as the afternoon fog lowered to kiss the trees. White clouds moved with purpose above me as lush greenery consumed the earth around me. As I stood in wonder of nature’s brilliance, one singular thought kept crossing my mind...“damn, the Eagles are looking pretty light at the safety position.”

As we move on from winter like Kevin Patullo’s offensive coordinator career, we turn the page toward one of the most important months in the NFL calendar and the official start of draft season. Three weeks removed from the start of free agency, the 2026 Eagles are starting to take shape. As currently constructed, Howie Roseman’s creation is speckled with weak spots and question marks. Like an IKEA table you’re missing a couple screws for that doesn’t look quite like the picture.

But Howie attended the Daryl Morey School of “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over.” The team in April is not the final team. The next phase is infusing an expensive roster with young, inexpensive talent through the NFL Draft, which kicks off on April 23. As we gear up for the next hallmark of the NFL season (and inhale YouTube highlights of D3 tight ends we swear are hidden gems), here’s where the Birds stand entering draft season.

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The Beat Goes On for A.J. Brown

This A.J. Brown story is like getting your teeth cleaned at the dentist. People are yapping at you throughout the whole thing, and all you can think about is when it’s going to be over. As the question of Arthur Juan’s future remains, the Eagles have made some minor moves at wide receiver.

Hollywood comes to South Philly as Marquise Brown signed a 1-year deal with his favorite childhood team. Hollywood has the potential to be a game-breaking #3 wide receiver for Philly, with the speed to stretch the field for one of the best deep ball throwers in the league, in Jalen Hurts. His addition to the team feels more complementary to the roster as currently constructed, rather than a direct replacement for Brown’s production.

The more interesting signing is the Eagles bringing in wide receiver Elijah Moore, a former 2nd-round pick by the Jets in 2021 and a close friend of A.J. Brown. Moore and Brown played together at Ole Miss in 2018 and have a famously close relationship. Moore spoke with ESPN about their relationship in 2022, saying:

“I wouldn’t even call it a friendship. It’s family. The things we’ve been through, the things we talk about, it has real substance. That’s someone who is connected to me in a way that’s more than… He’s blood.”

Moore’s signing is notable because he’s not an especially accomplished wide receiver. He played two years with the Jets, two years in Cleveland, and last year in Buffalo, where he logged 112 yards in 9 games last year for a notoriously light receiving core. He still hasn’t topped the 5 touchdown mark he set in his rookie year as a highly-touted prospect with the Jets. It’s hard to fault Moore; having the Jets and Browns on your resume is like getting an entry-level job at a landfill fresh out of college. But still, Moore will have to fight for a roster spot in Philly.

The Eagles love taking a chance on undervalued prospects, but I see the Moore signing as…um…more. As mentioned in a profile on Brown in the Athletic by Brooks Kubena, A.J. doesn’t consider himself to have many close friends, saying, “Obviously, I have teammates who I care about, and I love. But as far as close friends who I can truly, truly depend on, I think that’s just a lot. And I don’t want to place that on someone.”

“A.J. is particular,” said Moore in the same piece. “When you call someone a friend, it’s like basically one level below a wife: a true friend. A friend that’s seen everything, all your flaws, not going to judge you, but also work through them with you.” Moore helped A.J. when he was dealing with significant mental health struggles in the 2020 season, and the college teammates have stayed close.

It’s hard to interpret the Moore signing as anything less than an effort to create a positive environment for A.J. Howie Roseman denied this in his press availability at the Annual League Meeting earlier this week, saying, “Everything we’re doing is based on the particulars of the players. There’s nothing we’re doing to do favors [for] ... anyone.”

But I don’t know if I believe that. All week at the Annual League Meeting, the Eagles have kept the company line, reiterating that “A.J. Brown is an Eagle for now.” Earlier in the offseason, Roseman alluded to the fact that the Eagles are in the business of having great players, and A.J. Brown is a great player.

Color me delusional, but I think this move is all about optionality. I don’t think moving on from A.J. is as set in stone as the narrative would have us believe. I think Howie Roseman and the Eagles are keeping their options open. If you can create a positive environment for Brown in an offense that he wants to continue to be a part of, then roll the dice in 2026 and work together to try to bring a third Lombardi to Philadelphia. If Brown sees the offense and the environment as untenable for his goals, then trade him to New England after June 1 when his dead money hit lessens. And if Moore gives you any sort of production, that’s icing on the cake.

Eagles Insider Derek Gunn shared an interesting note on 97.5 the Fanatic, saying, “The Eagles are not actively trying to move A.J. As smart of a business entity as they are, you have to listen to any and every offer. Obviously, whatever offers and rumors that have been out there have not been good enough to entice the Eagles to make the move.” Patriots GM Eliot Wolf echoed those thoughts on an appearance on Up and Adams, saying, “A.J. Brown is a member of the Eagles, as Howie mentioned yesterday, and we haven’t had any conversations about anything regarding that in a long time.”

So, we’ll see what happens. Either way, I expect the Eagles to draft a rookie wide receiver in the middle rounds as a low-cost option to strengthen a position group that would suddenly look less formidable if you remove Brown.

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Safety? Hardly Knew Ye.

With the loss of Reed Blankenship, the Eagles’ safety room is looking thinner than George Costanza’s hairline. The Birds are leaning on second-year safety Andrew Mukuba, coming off a season-ending injury and an up-and-down performance in 2025, to lead the position group.

As Mukuba looks to reach his potential as an undersized ballhawk, he’ll be flanked by Michael Carter II (a former slot corner who the Eagles traded for last year) or Marcus Epps (who was a steady hand in Mukuba’s place last season). The Eagles also signed safety J.T. Gray, an 8-year veteran and 3-time All-Pro special teams player. Gray’s never started a game at safety, so the Eagles will look to take advantage of his difference-making skills on special teams.

The Eagles also didn’t invest in safety heavily last year around Blankenship and Mukuba. With a strong cornerback group bolstered by the signing of former Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen, the Eagles are comfortable with having safety as a weak spot, knowing their cornerbacks, led by Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, can make up the difference.

There are still free agent options on the market, including former Steelers safeties Chuck Clark and Kyle Dugger, and former Texans safety Jimmie Ward. But expect the Eagles to evaluate what they have before making any additional moves.

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Can I Get a Pass Rusher?

After the Panthers pried away Jaelan Phillips by paying him the GDP of a small island nation, the Eagles are left with a gaping hole at pass rusher, a position the Eagles historically place high value on. But who will devour quarterbacks across from promising youngsters Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt?

The Eagles signed former Falcons edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie and former first-round pick Joe Tryon-Shoyinka, who played for Cleveland and Chicago last year. Both are undervalued players with high upside. Despite that, neither is meant to fully replace what Phillips and Josh Sweat, before him, brought to this team.

I can see the Eagles drafting an edge rusher in what looks like a very deep class. On the other side of the draft, if the Eagles still feel like there’s a hole at the position, they have some free agent options. Bills defensive end A.J. Epenesa was connected to the Birds before signing with Cleveland. But Cleveland recently opted not to sign Epenesa after issues with his physical. Is that Howie’s theme music I hear?

Other free agent options are oft-injured but still productive edge Joey Bosa, who played 15 games in Buffalo last year and logged 5 sacks, and human building who’s seemingly on a new team every season, Jadeveon Clowney.

The most interesting option? 33-year-old Leonard Floyd, who played under Vic Fangio in Chicago. Last season with Atlanta, Floyd had 19 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 10 quarterback pressures, and 11 quarterback hits in 15 games. Daniel Popper of The Athletic wrote, “Floyd still has the juice to press tackles to the corner as a rotational rusher. He produced pressure on 13 percent of his pass-rush snaps, a rate that ranked in the top 50 among all players with at least 200 pass-rushing snaps. It topped his pressure rate from each of the previous three seasons.”

The other option is the trade market. Does Philly let the dust settle after the draft and look at a trade to bring Josh Sweat back home from Arizona? Or potentially trade for the Vikings, Jonathan Greenard? You know what, f*** it, I’ll do it. Put me in Howie.

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Stem Cells, Bounce-Backs, and the Offensive Line

Philly’s offensive line is looking for a bounce-back performance after a down year, while also learning an entirely new scheme. On top of that, a long-time strength suddenly has some big question marks. The biggest of all is their overall health. Last year, the Eagles’ offensive line missed a total of 14 games (8 of those by Lane Johnson and another 3 by Cam Jurgens).

In a recent interview with Bussin’ with the Boys, Jurgens explained his injury issues, saying his disc “broke off and got wrapped around my sciatic nerve, so it was just like suffocating my leg. It was hard to walk, I don’t know how I was playing.” Not great!

The Eagles’ 2024 Super Bowl run clearly took a huge toll. Both Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens have both gone to Colombia to seek stem cell treatment for their injuries. Going to another country to seek cutting-edge medical procedures is always a good sign!

On top of that, the Eagles are weirdly light in offensive line depth. They lost occasional human turnstile, occasional replacement-level lineman Brett Toth to the 49ers. Their backups include undersized center Willie Lampkin and unproven second-year players Drew Kendall, Jake Majors (a player I’m not convinced is real), Cameron Williams, and Myles Hinton. The expectation for all of those players to develop with the loss of Jeff Stoutland is a tall order.

I can see the Eagles tapping into a draft class with strong interior line prospects come April 23. If they want to work the market, there are options, including old friend Mekhi Becton (who is still very large). Expect the Birds to work through the draft and let the market settle before bringing someone in.

One move the Eagles did make was bringing back swing tackle Fred Johnson on a 1-year deal. Johnson is a locker-room favorite and played well last season, filling in for an injured Lane Johnson in 8 games. Johnson is also familiar with the Shanahan-McVay system, playing under former Rams quarterbacks coach Zac Taylor as a backup with the Bengals, and spending training camp with McVay disciple Liam Coen and the Jaguars last year.

Fred’s success in that system is yet to be seen since he was cut by the Bengals, and the Jags traded him back to Philly. Still, his familiarity with the system could really help this group.

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The Tanner McKee Trade Machine

We’re keeping the Trade Tanner dream alive, but the market has really dried up for our boy Tanner McKee. Entering the last year of his rookie contract, Philly was expected to trade Tanner to a quarterback-hungry team. But then Kyler Murray got released, Geno Smith got traded, and Malik Willis took his talents to South Beach.

In the meantime, the Eagles traded a 2027 7th-round pick for Andy Dalton, who’s known as a great mentor to young quarterbacks and almost ran away with the Panthers’ starting job before a car accident two years ago handed the reins to Bryce Young. Dalton is a great player to have in the building to help with Jalen Hurts’ development. Hurts is now surrounded by current and former NFL veteran quarterbacks in Dalton, offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, and offensive coach Jerrod Johnson.

McKee’s market may be drying up, but out of the NFL veteran options available, he looks like the best in a market filled with Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, and Aaron Rodgers (who is Pittsburgh or bust). McKee has potential as a bridge-starter for a rebuilding team and could be on the move after the draft.

Depending on how things shake out, maybe McKee gets a chance with the Arizona Cardinals, the last stop on the QB-needy merry-go-round, and a team that’s dying to draft Ty Simpson way too high. Arizona would be better suited to take a chance on the Stanford Slingshot.

Eagles Draft Picks this Year

• 1st Round: Own Pick (No. 23 overall)

• 2nd Round: Own Pick (No. 54 overall)

• 3rd Round: From Jets (No. 68 overall, Haason Reddick Trade)

• 3rd Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 98 overall)

• 4th Round: From Falcons (No. 114 overall, Sydney Brown Trade)

• 4th Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 137 overall)

• 5th Round: From Falcons (No. 153 overall, 2025 NFL Draft Trade)

• 5th Round: Compensatory Pick (No. 178 overall)

• 6th Round: From Falcons (No. 197 overall, Sydney Brown Trade)

After committing truancy, terrorizing a small town, and driving his friend to a mental breakdown, Ferris Bueller once said, “Life moves pretty fast; if you don’t stop and look around every once in a while, you might miss it.” That also pretty much describes Maxx Crosby’s career with the Baltimore Ravens. (Editor’s note: I have an idea for a sequel called Ferris Bueller’s PTO where a grown-up Ferris plays hooky from work and loses his job.)

It’s been a little over two weeks since the Ravens backed out of the blockbuster deal that would bring Crosby to Charm City for the cost of two first-round picks. The Ravens went into full panic mode. They had 8 modelos, got married to a stranger in a Vegas chapel, and woke up the next morning regretting their decision. They used a failed physical by Crosby to pull out of the deal and sign Trey Hendrickson at a lower cost instead. It’s a move that has already had ripple effects across the league. As Al Pacino once shouted in the raspiest voice you’ve ever heard in your life, “Life is a game of inches, so is football.”

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta leaves us with one of the biggest “what-ifs” in football history. Crosby is a game wrecker who could’ve wrecked games on Baltimore’s behalf. The man spells his first name with two x’s; he’s built for this. Crosby could’ve been the missing piece the franchise needed to compete for their first Super Bowl since 2013, and a chance for Lamar Jackson to finally breathe in that championship air. Instead, Crosby is banished back to the shadow realm (also known as Las Vegas) to hang out with Tom Brady’s weird trainer while trying to drag the Raiders out of their 20-plus-year slump.

The Crosby situation evokes memories of other players who were on track to play for a certain team before things fizzled out at the last minute. We’ll call them the Never-There All-Stars. Players whose illustrious careers include legacies for teams they’ve never even played for. Those small decisions changed football history. Life is a game of inches, so is football.

So today I’m linking up with one of my favorite Substack writers to dive into our favorite Never-There All-Stars and explore the stories of some “almost happeneds” and “could have beens” all while Tommy tackles some Giants PTSD and I get mad at Chip Kelly all over again.

Brett Favre to Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TOMMY: As I was researching this trade, I was reminded that Favre’s last pass as a Packer was an overtime pick to Corey Webster in the 2007 NFC Championship Game. That sent me down a rabbit hole of nostalgia and bitter anger at what the piece-of-shit Giants have become, but this isn’t about that.

Maybe that bitterness bled into my view of Brett Favre. Or maybe the research just reminded me that I always kind of thought he was a dick. I loved watching him play and respect the hell out of his game, but whether he is or was a dick has no impact on what happened between him, the Bucs, his agent, and eventually, the Jets.

With 2005 first-round pick Aaron Rodgers, another dick with caveats, waiting to take over, and Favre throwing two overtime interceptions in the playoffs over a four-year stretch, the Packers were ready to move on from their three-time MVP and Super Bowl champion.

The 2007 Jon Gruden-coached Bucs won the NFC South at 9–7 but were bounced in the Wild Card round by the New York Giants (nostalgia, bitterness). They were looking for an upgrade over the aging but efficient Jeff Garcia, who had 13 starts, a 64% completion rate, 13 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions at 37 years old. A reunion between Gruden and Favre, who had previously worked together in Green Bay, felt like it was lining up.

With little interest around the league and Tampa Bay as the only real bidder, Favre believed the deal was a foregone conclusion. The Bucs staff was celebrating, and Favre had already started studying the playbook.

What unfolded, according to former Bucs GM Mark Dominik with additional reporting from JoeBucsFan, was that Tampa did not push hard enough. They were essentially bidding against themselves and did not want to overpay. The Jets ended up landing Favre for a conditional fourth-round pick. It could escalate to a second if he played 70 percent of snaps and the team made the playoffs, or even a first if they won the Super Bowl.

The Bucs had a deal in place, and Favre was on board. But when news broke publicly that he had been traded to the Jets, not Tampa, without his knowledge, everything shifted.

Favre told the Orlando Sentinel, “[Mike Tannenbaum] knew that by making that trade there was a chance I could turn it down, but when the trade was made and it was public news without my knowledge, how could I change my mind?”

“There had been enough dirt kicked around up to that point. That’s basically what happened. And it was a tough, tough decision. When that was done for me, without my consent, I was like, ‘I’m not going to make things any worse.’ And I think that’s exactly what the Packers were banking on.”

Jeff Garcia returned as the starter for the Bucs, who again went 9–7 in 2008 but finished third in the division after losing their final four games, which cost Gruden his job.

Favre started all 16 games for the 2008 Jets, who also went 9–7 and missed the playoffs. He threw 22 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. A year later, he nearly took the Vikings to the Super Bowl, falling in overtime to the Saints.

Here is how Dominik looks back on it:

“I look back on that and say if we had just upped our ante a little bit more, I wonder how many lives would be different than they are today versus Brett going to the Jets and then Minnesota. Because we went 9–7 in 2008 without Brett Favre, and I gotta think we would have been 11–5 easily, if not better, with Brett Favre, and that would have been awesome to see.”

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Frank Gore and the Philadelphia Eagles

JEREMY: Coming off his second 10-6 season with the Philadelphia Eagles, Chip Kelly went full Napoleon mode to seize ultimate control of the team. He traded away star running back LeSean McCoy, planted a story fabricating star wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s gang ties, traded future Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles for Sam Bradford (a man whose sleeves were longer than his career in Philly), and banished Howie Roseman into a closet in the Novacare Complex. Don’t let anyone tell you that a team can’t change its fortunes in an offseason.

After agreeing to a monstrous deal with promising (and future catastrophic) cornerback Byron Maxwell to start the offseason, Kelly had his eyes set on bringing legendary 49ers running back Frank Gore to South Philly. Gore was one of the most productive running backs in the league. A consistent top 5 fantasy pick that your most desperate friend kept trying to trade you Ben Roethlisberger and Laverneus Coles for. He was steady and reliable, a walking 1000-yard season and the perfect fit for the offense Chip Kelly wanted to run.

During the legal tampering period, Gore agreed to a deal with Philly. The streets rejoiced. Losing LeSean McCoy sucked, but at least an NFL legend was entering the building. But less than 24 hours later, fortunes had changed.

Gore backed out of his deal with the Eagles to play with Andrew Luck and the Chuck Pagano-led Indianapolis Colts. Gore explained his decision years later, saying:

“Nick Foles called me, I committed to him and said I was going to come. He called me, said congrats, can’t wait to get on the field. And then the next day he gets traded. Then I see Jeremy Maclin, he goes to Kansas City…so I saw the Colts, they were off the AFC championship, I thought if I go to the Colts and I called Andre Johnson, I think we can get them over the top. That’s why I went to Indy.”

The 2015 Colts went 8-8 before firing offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton (whose name sounds like a character from the Pixar movie Cars) mid-season and replacing him with Rob Chudzinski (whose name sounds like your frat brothers’ brother who would come to visit and pass out at 8 pm from a serious case of intoxication). They lost the division for the first time in 4 years to the Bill O’Brien and Brian Hoyer-led Houston Texans, but Gore played well. He ran for 967 yards and 6 touchdowns in 2015 and had his last 1,000-yard season with the Colts in 2016.

As for the 2015 Eagles, they crashed out like your friend who’s losing in Settlers of Catan and flips the board out of frustration. Chip Kelly thought he was conducting an orchestra, but instead was conducting a 10-car pile-up. The Birds pivoted from Gore to sign former Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, who went from rushing for 1,845 yards and 13 touchdowns with Dallas to rushing for 702 yards and 6 touchdowns in Philly. The Eagles went 7-9, missed the playoffs, and Chip Kelly was fired, leading to Howie Roseman’s re-emergence and subsequent revenge tour that brought Philadelphia its first Super Bowl just two years later. Karma is a Birds fan.

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A-Rod to Red Sox

TOMMY: I mentioned I was bitter writing about two teams that the Giants defeated on their way to their glorious Super Bowl victory against the undefeated Patriots. This isn’t about that, but I wish it was.

Researching this trade took a serious emotional toll on me. The only thing keeping me from DMing Jeremy right now to say I don’t want to do this trade is how the 2009 season ended in Yankee Stadium. This isn’t really about that either.

On December 11, 2000, the Texas Rangers signed Alex Rodriguez, the 25-year-old shortstop coming off three consecutive 40-plus home run seasons, to a fucking gobsmacking, at the time, 10-year, $252 million contract. Over the next three years, A-Rod put up two 50-plus home run seasons, won an MVP, and earned two Gold Gloves. What he didn’t do was play in a playoff game. The Rangers finished last in their division all three years.

With a massive financial burden and no team success to show for it, the Rangers started looking for suitors.

Enter the piece of shit, goddamned, motherfucking Red Sox, from here on out referred to as the Red Sox.

And so my pain begins with one of the most joyful moments of my non-father, non-husband life (just in case she reads this), and the last game of the Red Sox 2003 season. In the bottom of the 11th inning, in a 5-5 game, Aaron Boone sent Tim Wakefield’s first pitch into deep left field, sending the Yankees to their sixth World Series in eight years and sending their rivals home disappointed again.

Their plan to overcome the “Evil Empire” (give me a fuckin break) was to acquire the reigning MVP, Gold Glove shortstop, and finally break the curse from 1918.

Reading ESPN’s 30 for 30 Shorts: How the Sox Lost A-Rod reminded me of the deal that was on the table:

• Red Sox receive: Alex Rodriguez

• White Sox receive: Nomahhhh (Nomar Garciaparra)

• Rangers receive: Manny Ramirez and Jon Lester

The issue was the $179 million remaining on A-Rod’s deal. Theo Epstein called it a “non-starter.”

A-Rod, who at the time and many times after I thought was a total dick, agreed to reduce his salary to join the Red Sox at shortstop. He even signed the restructured deal.

The Players Association put the kibosh on it, worried it would set a precedent that could cost other players money. Trade over. Fuck the Red Sox. Yes.

Enter the New York Yankees. Fresh off Boone’s home run, he promptly blew out his knee playing basketball, and the Yankees suddenly needed a third baseman.

A-Rod had already agreed to less money, not a very dickish thing to do. Now the Yankees asked him to change both his number and his position, moving off shortstop, where he was unquestionably the best regular-season shortstop in the game, for a chance at a title. He agreed. Not dickish at all.

The Yankees essentially traded Alfonso Soriano, a great regular-season player and a dog shit postseason second baseman, to the Rangers for A-Rod, with Texas sending cash.

Now the stage was set for the Yankees to dominate the Red Sox for years to come. More championships, more shit-talking. It all lined up perfectly. Varitek versus A-Rod during the regular season, rivalry boiling over, and then the Red Sox and Yankees meet again in the 2004 ALCS.

We all know the story, and I am still dealing with the emotions, but I’ll recap it quickly.

The Yankees jumped out to a commanding 3-0 series lead. Game 4, up a run in the ninth. Yada yada yada, Mueller grounded off Mo, the Red Sox win that game in 11 on a David Ortiz home run, take the next three, including another extra innings win (maroooooooone), Big Papi, and go on to sweep the Cardinals and break the curse.

They would win two more World Series before A-Rod retired in 2016.

Ultimately, A-Rod did get his long-awaited World Series ring in 2009 with the New York Yankees, but this isn’t about that.

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Eli Manning and the Chargers

JEREMY: Imagine you’re fresh out of college. You get an opportunity at a consulting firm, but it’s not the one you want. So you demand they send you to that other firm or else you’re not showing up on Monday. That’s pretty much what Eli Manning did in 2004. The balls, the chutzpah, the cojones.

The 2004 draft class was loaded with talent, including quarterbacks Eli Manning, Phillip Rivers, and Ben Roethlisberger (side note: is the 2004 draft the greatest of all-time? It also included Sean Taylor, Kellen Winslow, Jonathan Vilma, Vince Wilfork, Steven Jackson, Jason Babin, Karlos Dansby, Julius Jones, and Bob Sanders.) At the top of the draft was good ol’ Eli, coming off a legendary season at Ole Miss.

The San Diego Chargers had long struggled to find their quarterback of the future. San Diego was a place where young quarterbacks went to fail, from the Ryan Leaf disaster to an underwhelming first two seasons from a young quarterback out of Purdue named Drew Brees. With that in mind, general manager A.J. Smith and head coach Marty Schottenheimer had their sights set on Eli.

But Manning was football royalty. His nobility gave him some sway and he intended to use it. Knowing that San Diego was going to draft him, he told them thanks but no thanks as his camp told the Chargers that he wouldn’t play for them if drafted there. Manning said this years later to CBS Sports:

“Going through the draft process, I was just worried about the Chargers organization at the time. I felt it was the right decision and I had a little pull. I quietly tried to say ‘Hey, please don’t draft me, it can be our secret,’ and they didn’t keep the secret part very well.”

Word of the possibility of Manning refusing to play for San Diego reached Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi. The Giants were slated to pick 4th that year and were looking to draft Ben Roethlisberger out of Miami Ohio. In NFL Meetings that spring, Accorsi let San Diego know that New York would be interested in making a deal if Manning’s threat came to fruition. But San Diego called the bluff.

They chose Manning number one on draft night, and things went as predicted. Like when your girlfriend says she doesn’t want to go see the new John Wick, so you decide to take her there on a surprise date, hoping it will change her mind.

Eli refused to go to San Diego, forcing the Chargers to make a deal with New York. They landed on trading Manning to New York in exchange for #4 draft pick Phillip Rivers, a 2004 3rd round pick (that became Nate Kaeding, one of the best Chargers kickers of all-time), a 2005 first-round pick (that became All-Pro linebacker Shawne Merriman), and a 2005 fifth-round pick.

Manning went on to lead New York to two Super Bowls. In San Diego, Drew Brees ended up having his two best years with the Chargers after Rivers was drafted but left for New Orleans in 2006. Rivers became the great quarterback the Chargers had been waiting for, developing into one of the best players in the league and starting for the team until 2020.

The Oppenheimer moment for the Eli Manning trade was John Elway threatening to play for the Yankees when he was drafted by the Baltimore Colts in 1983, before finally being traded to Denver. The general manager for the Colts at the time was none other than Ernie Accorsi.

Chris Paul to the Lakers

JEREMY: The Phil Jackson Lakers dynasty was finally coming to a close. After rediscovering themselves in the late aughts to win two championships in three years, Kobe’s purple and gold were ousted in the conference semis by the eventual champion Dallas Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki. The worst kid in your math class who wore a Pau Gasol jersey to school every day was finally quiet.

The following season, the league entered a 5-month lockout that ended with a new collective bargaining agreement centered on competitive balance between large and small market teams. With the lockout coming to a close, the Lakers thought it was the perfect opportunity to reassert their dominance by trading for the league’s best point guard. A real “you come at the king, you best not miss” moment.

Chris Paul was coming off an all-star season with the New Orleans Hornets, but made it clear that he intended to become a free agent after the season instead of signing an extension with the team. The Hornets were a mess. Their owner ran out of money, and they were technically owned and operated by the NBA itself. Paul wanted out.

Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak smelled blood in the water and reached a deal with the Hornets to acquire the Point God in a three-way trade that would give the Hornets Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, Goran Dragic, and a 2012 first-round pick, while trading All-Star big man Pau Gasol to Houston.

Kobe Bryant and CP3 would’ve been a revelation. One of the greatest scorers of a generation, paired with one of the greatest point guards of all-time, not yet at his apex. The toxicity of their personalities alone would’ve been the stuff for an HBO Original Series. Unfortunately, the NBA owners deprived us of that rich potential. In less than an hour, NBA Commissioner David Stern informed the teams that the deal could not happen.

The NBA owners were outraged at the big-market Lakers continuing their dominance with a trade like this. The owners and Stern argued that it obstructed the competitive balance that the whole lockout was meant to solve. Cleveland Cavaliers owner Dan Gilbert (who I imagine talks like a kid who’s a temper tantrum away from being placed in time-out), in an email to Stern, called the trade “a travesty” and said, “I just don’t see how this trade can be allowed to happen.” Gilbert got his payback when LeBron James left Cleveland to form a superteam with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. He who fucks around finds out.

As a result, Paul was instead traded to the Los Angeles Clippers for Eric Gordon, Chris Kaman, Al-Farouq Aminu, and a 2012 first-round pick (which became Austin Rivers). The Lakers pivoted and acquired Steve Nash in a sign-and-trade from Phoenix while also trading for Dwight Howard in a four-team trade, which resulted in Andrew Bynum heading to the 76ers (a point I only mention because I’m a Sixers fan and still mad about it). The Lakers superteam crashed out under Mike Brown, and Paul helped lead one of the most successful eras of Clippers basketball.

Still, we dream of what could’ve been with Chris Paul and Kobe yelling at each other on the bench while leading the Lake Show to their first championship in the post-Phil Jackson era. We don’t know what we missed.

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