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  • Roob’s Random Observations: Why I like the Eagles’ Sean Mannion hire

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    Why I have a good feeling about the Sean Mannion hire, a couple one-time mediocre Eagles who have huge roles on Super Bowl teams and a look at the Eagles’ chances to re-sign Jaelan Phillips.

    The offseason began too soon, but at least we’ve got weekly 10 Random Observations to get us through to the 2026 season, now just 31 short weeks away!

    1. I know the default reaction for a lot of people is going to be that Sean Mannion sucks and the Eagles are clueless and don’t know what they’re doing and they just hired an offensive coordinator with no experience and this is going to be another disaster. And I get it. After a year of Kevin Patullo, it’s hard to have faith in the Eagle’ hiring process. But I beg to differ. I like the move a lot and out of the remaining candidates I believe Mannion was by far the best option. I love that he’s been around so many successful quarterbacks in his career – from Nick Foles to Jared Goff to Kirk Cousins to Russell Wilson to Jordan Love – as well as highly regarded offensive coaches – from Matt LaFleur to Sean McVay to Liam Coen to Zac Taylor to Kevin Stefanski to Shane Waldron to Kevin O’Connell to Klint and Gary Kubiak to Drew Petzing to Rick Dennison to Greg Olson to Dave Canales to Pete Carroll. That’s quite a group of top-notch guys to learn from. Now, just having those connections doesn’t guarantee anything. But by all accounts this is a very smart, very driven, very inventive offensive mind who is very highly regarded by some incredibly successful coaches and players. I like his resume. I like the references. I like the connections. I like what he did with Love this past year. This is a guy who will bring energy and creativity, two things this offense was desperately missing in 2025. And I like that this was more of a front office hire than a Nick Sirianni hire. Jeff Lurie has a remarkable track record when it comes to hiring, and you have to remember nobody had heard of Andy Reid when Lurie hired him in 1999, Doug Pederson wasn’t on anybody’s radar when Lurie hired him in 2016 and even a guy like Shane Steichen, as good a play caller as we’ve ever seen around here, was a complete unknown when the Eagles hired him as offensive coordinator in 2021. It’s easy to just assume this won’t work, but I’m going the other way on this one. I like the hire. I’m glad the Eagles went outside the box and tabbed a young, up-and-comer instead of another retread, and I can’t wait to see Mannion in action. I think they nailed this one.

    2. Nobody in the NFL has more postseason receptions of at least 30 yards in the last two seasons than Mack Hollins. Good ol’ Mack is one of five WRs with three 30-yarders over the last two postseasons, along with Terry McLaurin, Puca Nakua, Christian Kirk and Dyami Brown. Hollins had one regular-season 30-yard catch in three years with the Eagles. So Mack has more postseason catches of at least 30 yards since leaving the Eagles as he had in the regular season with the Eagles. Great to see Mack having success. It didn’t happen here, but he kept grinding and he’s now one of Drake Maye’s favorite receivers in his ninth NFL season. 

    3. A similar story of a mediocre Eagle now playing a key role on a Super Bowl team is Josh Jobe, who has developed into an outstanding cornerback on one of the NFL’s best defenses after starting his career as an undrafted rookie with the Eagles. Jobe made the Eagles as an undrafted rookie in 2022 and spent two years here, mainly on special teams although he did start three games in 2023. He was a tough, physical player with the Eagles and you could see that on special teams, but he just didn’t have the technique to function as a full-time corner and with Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell in the fold last summer they released him after training camp. But he’s grown into a huge role with the Seahawks, where he started off on the practice squad last year. This year, he started 15 games in the regular season and both postseason games, and out of 113 corners who were targeted at least 20 times this year, he ranked 12th with a 49.5 opposing QB completion percentage and 16th with 5.7 yards per target. The last former Eagles cornerback to start for a Super Bowl winner was Otis Smith, another undrafted player. Smith was here from 1990 through 1994 and started for the 2001 Patriots during their Super Bowl run. Smith finished his career with 31 interceptions, including one off Kurt Warner with a 30-yard return in Super Bowl XXXVI at the Superdome.That’s the only Super Bowl interception by a former Eagle. So far. 

    4. We’ve spoken so much about Dallas Goedert and Nakobe Dean and their potential forays into free agency, but an intriguing guy for the Eagles right now is Jaelan Phillips, who spent the second half of the season here after Howie Roseman acquired him from the Dolphins for a 2026 3rd-round pick. The first reaction to the news was that you don’t trade a 3rd-round pick for an eight-game rental, so I assume Howie planned all along to try and re-sign Phillips when he made the deal. The need is definitely there. Jalyx Hunt was very good this year but Nolan Smith had a disappointing season and other than Brandon Graham, who turns 38 in April and may or may not return, the cupboard is bare at edge after Smith and Hunt. The problem is that edge rushers make a fortune. Twenty edges played on contracts in 2025 averaging at least $15 million, and the fact that Phillips is only 26 makes him attractive. But he’s only averaged 5 ½ sacks in his first five seasons, which ranked 50th in the NFL during that span, and he only had two sacks in eight games after arriving here, although his pressure numbers were solid and he was very good against the run. And he’s dealt with injuries that limited him to just 12 games in 2023 and 2024. So the lack of elite production and the injuries could keep his value down. If he wants something in the $15 million range, which could very well be the case, I don’t see it happening. But if the demand isn’t there for him and you can lock him up for closer to $10 to $12 million, that’s a no-brainer. I talked to Phillips on locker clean-out day, and he spoke highly about his time here: “I loved it here. It’s very, very blessed and fortunate that the team brought me in. I love the guys, I love the coaching staff, everybody in this building. You know, it’s a very special place, so I’m definitely grateful.” I asked what the Eagles chances were of re-signing him and he said: “I would love to be here. But I don’t have any experience with free agency or anything like that, so we’ll just have to see how everything works out. But I have a lot of faith in this team, and we’d love to be here. I do think it’s a realistic possibility. I know the organization wants me here, and I definitely want to be here, so we’ll try to make things work out.”

    5A. About 9 ½ minutes into his first NFL game, opening day 2020 against Washington at FedEx Field, Jalen Reagor caught a 55-yard pass from Carson Wentz with former Eagle Ronald Darby covering him. It was the Eagles’ 11th play of the season and probably the fifth or sixth play of Reagor’s career. Reagor played 65 more games and was targeted 161 more times and never caught another pass that long. In fact, he only had one more entire game with 55 yards, a 57-yard game a year later against Washington at the Linc. 

    5B. Since 2001, 104 wide receivers have been drafted in the first round and Reagor is the only one who never had 60 yards in a game. The last 1st-round WR before Reagor who never had a 60-yard game was R. Jay Soward, the 29th pick in 2000. Soward played one year for the Jaguars and never had more than 45 yards in a game. He was indefinitely suspended by the NFL before his second season for violating the league’s substance policy and never played in the NFL again. He did wind up playing in the CFL, winning a Grey Cup with the Toronto Argonauts in 2004. One of his teammates on the Argos was Bernard Williams, the Eagles’ 1st-round pick in 1994, who was also serving an indefinite NFL suspension.

    6. It’s easy to look back on the 2025 season as a disaster because of the way it ended, with a gruesome home wild-card loss to the 49ers in a game they led by six points going into the fourth quarter. But the Eagles did a lot of good things this year. They beat five teams that finished with winning records, and only the NFC-champion Seahawks – with six – won more. They also won three road games against teams with winning records, tied with the Seahawks for most in the league. They won six road games, and only the Patriots, Seahawks and 49ers won more. They became one of only two teams to reach the playoffs in each of the last five years, along with the Bills. And they had one of the best defenses in the NFL and in the first eight games after the bye they allowed just 14 ½ points per game, their best eight-game span in 21 years. We’ve got a pretty high bar set here when an 11-win playoff season feels so disappointing. 

    7. Jalen Hurts Stat of the Week: Hurts was the only quarterback in the NFL this year to throw at least 25 touchdown passes and six or fewer interceptions. It was his third career season with 18 or more TDs and six or fewer INTs. In NFL history, only Aaron Rodgers – with six – has more. Drew Brees also had three seasons with 18 or more TDs and six or fewer INTs. Out of 152 quarterbacks in NFL history to throw at least 100 touchdown passes, Hurts’ interception percentage – one every 53 attempts – is 7th-best, behind only Rodgers (one every 71), Justin Herbert (one every 59), Tom Brady (one every 57), Joe Burrow (one every 55) Patrick Mahomes (one every 55) and Russell Wilson (one every 54).

    8. Only four tight ends have had 13 touchdowns with a catch percentage (catches per target) over 70 percent in a season since Stathead started tracking targets and catch percentage in 1978: Antonio Gates, Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski and Dallas Goedert. Now that’s elite company! 

    9. Until the 49ers game, the Eagles had won seven straight playoff games as favorites of at least six points dating back to 1981, when they lost 27-21 to the Giants in a wild-card game at the Vet as seven-point favorites. Giants quarterback Scott Brunner only completed nine passes in that game, but three of them were touchdowns. Rob Carpenter killed the Eagles with 161 rushing yards, still the most ever against the Eagles. 

    10A. The Bill Belichick snub is a disgrace obviously, but the true root of the problem is that the Hall of Fame insists on lumping senior candidates with coaches and contributors into the same category. So voters are put in the position where they can vote for any three candidates in what is now a combined senior candidate and coaches and contributors category. How can that be one category? Makes zero sense. They used to be separate categories but the Hall of Fame merged them a few years ago. I would guess the reason at least 11 voters left Belichick off their ballot was because they believed he would still get the necessary 40 votes to get in and it was more important to them to put their support behind the long-shot senior candidates, Roger Craig, L.C. Greenwood and Kenny Anderson. If you really believe Kenny Anderson should be in the Hall – and he should be – you have much more of a chance to impact his chances than Belichick’s chances because obviously Belichick will eventually get in. Voters shouldn’t have to choose between voting for a deserving coach and voting for three deserving senior candidates. They need to separate categories to avoid exactly this sort of travesty.

    10B. I would have voted for Belichick if I were a Hall of Fame voter, but I sure don’t feel bad for him. Freaking cheater.

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    Reuben Frank

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  • Live updates: Eagles break out the kelly greens for matchup vs Cowboys

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    What to Know

    Follow along for live updates as the Eagles visit the Cowboys for the Week 12 division matchup.

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    Brooke Destra

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  • In Roob’s Eagles Obs: Trying to make sense of mystifying A.J. Brown situation

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    Growing weary of A.J. Brown drama, understanding Howie Roseman’s cornerback additions and a historic stretch for Jalen Hurts. That’s a taste of what’s in store for you with this week’s Roob’s Random Eagles Observations.

    There’s no bye week for Roob’s Obs! 

    1. This constant A.J. Brown drama is exhausting. Hey, the dude is a top-five wide receiver and he’s higher than fifth. I love watching him play. Guy’s a beast. But the social media stuff isn’t helping anybody and I can’t imagine Jeff Lurie, Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni are thrilled with it. He never comes out and says what he’s thinking, he just keeps sending out these cryptic tweets that leave everybody guessing and force the media to run to his locker and ask what he meant. Does he just crave attention? Is he unhappy being an Eagle? Does he want to play elsewhere? Does he have issues with Jalen Hurts? Nobody has any clue because he never comes out and actually says anything, he just hints at it, then either apologizes or says he was misunderstood or just smiles and says he doesn’t want to talk about it. It’s so tiresome. It’s this endless cycle of A.J. sending out social media posts and everybody trying to figure out what he means. How about this: Get rid of social media and just play football and if you have something to say, just come out and say it instead of playing this game of hinting at it with enigmatic tweets. Hey, Brown is not a bad guy. This isn’t T.O. here. This is a dude who plays hard whether he’s running a route or blocking and has never gotten into trouble off the field. But the constant drama is just silly and unnecessary. Brown isn’t getting traded this year, but if it doesn’t stop I wonder when it will just be too much for the Eagles to deal with.

    2. The Eagles have faced 841 regular-season passes by opposing quarterbacks since their last interception by a cornerback.

    3A. With slot corner Michael Carter and outside corner Jaire Alexander both in the fold after two more Howie Roseman trades, the Eagles still have question marks at cornerback but they also have options. Carter in the slot and Cooper DeJean is an option. Alexander at outside corner is an option. But those are hardly locks. The 1-7 Jets gave up on Carter and the 3-5 Ravens gave up on Alexander, so we’re not talking about guys at the top of their game here. The Eagles basically gave up a couple late-round picks in the hopes that Carter and Alexander can help a secondary that needs help. But neither one is a lock. Carter is here in case Vic Fangio wants to move Cooper DeJean to outside corner full-time so they have an experienced slot to replace DeJean. But that’s hardly a lock. And Alexander is here to see if he can revive his career to the point where he’s a better option at outside corner than Kelee Ringo, Adoree’ Jackson or Jackorian Bennett. And that’s hardly a lock, either. Carter and Alexander are no-risk moves. Howie didn’t give up much for either one, they’ve both been very good players in the past – a few years in the past – and if they don’t work out, no harm done. They give Fangio options. But it could very well be that the Eagles’ strongest cornerback lineup is still Quinyon Mitchell and Ringo outside and DeJean inside. 

    3B. With these trade-deadline type of moves, it’s never as easy as just sticking a new guy out there and saying, “Go play.” There’s a reason most of these moves don’t work. Robert Quinn? Kary Vincent Jr.? Kevin Byard? Genard Avery? Golden Tate? Jay Ajayi certainly helped, but that was eight years ago now. It’s just really challenging for a player to change teams in the middle of a season, learn a new scheme, get used to new coaches, move to a new city, build a rapport with new teammates and go out and play at a high level soon after uprooting his life. 

    4. It’s been 38 years and I still can’t wrap my arms around what Reggie White did in 1987. In a strike-shortened season – three games were played by replacement players and a fourth was cancelled – White had 21 sacks in just 12 games. At the time, that was the most sacks in a season and to this day, nearly four decades later, it’s still 6th-most in NFL history and also remains the Eagles’ single-season record. And he did it in just 12 games, the most sacks ever by an NFL player in a 12-game span within one season. What may be even crazier is that from Week 13 of the 1986 season through Week 12 of 1987, Reggie had 24 sacks in 12 games – an average of two per game. In those 12 games, he had four sacks once, three sacks twice, 2 ½ once, 2.0 sacks four times, 1 ½ once, 1.0 sack twice and no sacks just once – in a win over Washington at the Vet. 

    5A. First six weeks of the season, the Eagles ranked 28th in the NFL with 4.68 yards per play. The last two weeks, they rank second with 7.43 yards per play. 

    5B. That 4.68 figure was the Eagles’ worst through Week 6 since 2003. The 7.43 figure is their best in any two-game span since Week 15 and 16 in 2013.

    6. The win over the Giants last weekend was the Eagles’ 11th consecutive home win against NFC East opponents, the longest streak in franchise history. The Eagles’ last loss at the Linc within the division was 32-21 to Washington in November of 2022. Their previous longest home winning streak within the division was 10 in a row over the 2001 through 2004 seasons, a streak that ended with a 21-20 loss to the Cowboys in November 2005. The Eagles led by two touchdowns in both the Dallas loss in 2005 and the Washington loss in 2022.

    7. Jalen Hurts Stat of the Week: Hurts’ 155.2 passer rating in his last two games is 5th-highest in NFL history by a player in any two-game span (minimum 40 pass attempts). In wins over the Vikings and Giants, Hurts was 34-for-43 for 505 yards with seven touchdowns and no interceptions. That’s nine incomplete passes, seven touchdowns. The only players with a higher passer rating in a two-game span: Jared Goff (157.5 in 2024), Brock Purdy (157.3 in 2023), Nick Foles (155.3 in 2013) and Kurt Warner (155.3 in 1999). 

    8. This is the first year since sacks became an official stat in 1982 – that’s 44 seasons ago – that the Eagles haven’t had an edge rusher / defensive end with at least two sacks through eight games. Their leading edge rusher remains the retired Za’Darius Smith with 1 ½ sacks. Jalyx Hunt and Patrick Johnson have one each. There have been four seasons where their leading edge through eight games had 2.0 sacks – Clyde Simmons in 1993, Hall of Famer Richard Dent in 1997, Ndukwe Kalu in 2003 and Vinny Curry in 2013. 

    9A. I think it’s pretty cool that Mack Hollins, the Eagles’ 4th-round pick back in 2017, is still playing. Hollins is in his first year with the Patriots, his sixth team, and playing with Drake Maye he’s got 18 catches for 208 yards and two touchdowns. What’s impressive is that Hollins has only been targetted 21 times, and his 85.7 catch percentage is tied for best in the NFL among receivers with at least 20 targets. Stefon Diggs is also at 85.7. 

    9B. Hollins has played in 120 games, 6th-most ever by a wide receiver drafted by the Eagles. He trails DeSean Jackson (183), Harold Carmichael (173), Nelson Agholor (149), Jason Avant (148) and Tommy McDonald (140). 

    9C. Hollins was a 4th-round pick in 2017, No. 118 overall. There were 32 wide receivers drafted in 2017 and Hollins was 17th. But he’s one of only 10 who’s still active. Only five of the 16 taken ahead of him are still playing. Hollins has outlasted all three top-10 WRs taken in 2017 – No. 5 pick Corey Davis, No. 7 pick Mike Williams and No. 9 John Ross, the former (briefly) Eagle. His 2,277 career yards are 10th-most out of those 32 receivers taken in 2017 and his 17 touchdowns are 9th-most. The only other WR the Eagles have drafted in the fourth round with 17 TD catches? That would be good ol’ Billy Dewell, the Eagles’ 4th-round pick (but 29th overall) out of SMU in 1939. Billy also had 17 TD catches but they were all for the Chicago Cardinals. 

    9D. Where else are you getting freaking Mack Hollins stats? 

    10. It’s crazy what kind of impact one big game can have on a player’s or team’s stats. Going into the second Giants game, Saquon Barkley ranked 23rd in the NFL with 369 rushing yards, and his 3.3 average was 37th of 38 backs with at least 50 carries. One 150-yard game against the Giants moved him up to 10th in the league in rushing with 519 yards and tied for 25th with a 4.1 average. As a team, the Eagles ranked 29th in rushing yards and 31st in yards per carry before Sunday. Now they’re all the way up to 14th in yards and 20th in yards per carry at 4.1.

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  • Live updates: Eagles break out the kelly greens for rematch vs. Giants

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    What to Know

    Follow along for live updates as the Eagles host the Giants at the Linc for the second NFC East battle

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    Brooke Destra

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  • Live updates: Time for a big Barkley moment? Eagles host Rams for Week 3 matchup

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    What to Know

    • The Eagles (2-0) host the Rams (2-0) for a Week 3 matchup at Lincoln Financial Field.
    • Saquon Barkley has been grinding out the first two games of the season but is this the week he breaks off a huge run?
    • On Saturday, the Eagles elevated S Marcus Epps and TE Cameron Latu.
    • Here are NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Week 3 predictions and matchups to watch.
    • Today’s lineup: Birds Huddle Game Day (11:30 a.m., NBCSP), Eagles Pregame Live (12 p.m., NBCSP) and Postgame Live (Once game goes final, NBCSP+)

    Follow along for live updates as the Eagles host the Rams at Lincoln Financial Field for the Week 3 matchup:

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    Brooke Destra

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  • How Darius Cooper impressed Eagles enough to make the roster

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    There’s a lot of bad news to deliver on roster cut-down day, but sometimes there’s good news too.

    Darius Cooper was the recipient of some on Tuesday.

    After an impressive training camp and preseason, the undrafted rookie receiver from Tarleton State officially defied the odds and made the Eagles’ initial 53-man roster.

    “Obviously, it starts now,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “We tell all these guys, there’s no scholarships in the NFL, they got to keep earning it. But he’s done everything up to this point to earn the opportunity.”

    There’s no doubt that Cooper (5-11, 210) did enough to earn a roster spot this summer. Not only did he make splash plays, but he was consistent, he got better, he showed commitment and plenty of promise. But you’re never really sure how these things are going to turn out.

    In this case, not only did Cooper earn a roster spot, but he beat out 2024 fifth-round pick Ainias Smith to stick.

    That’s a pretty incredible story for any undrafted rookie, but especially for one from an FCS school, a guy who wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine.

    So how did the Eagles identify Cooper while he was playing for Tarleton State in Stephenville, Texas?

    “We give our area scouts a chance to put their names on free agents and go get those guys and our area guys did a great job,” Roseman explained. “(Southwest Area Scout) Cam (Bradfield) did an unbelievable job. I think (Director of Player Personnel) Phil (Bhaya) was a big part of that too. 

    “You just watch him, and you see obviously he’s not playing in the SEC, but you see that he’s got talent. When he came in here just seeing how big and strong he is, I mean, we sat with him today and he’s sitting there in shorts and a t-shirt and you’re looking at him and you’re going, ‘this guy has so much developmental qualities for us,’ and what a great kid.”

    Cooper’s stats at Tarleton State were pretty incredible. In 2024, he played in 14 games and had 76 catches for 1,450 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also had another 1,000-yard season in 2022.

    While some might question the level of competition in the United Athletic Conference — others will question if they have ever heard of the United Athletic Conference — Cooper showed he belonged in the NFL pretty early on. In the spring, Cooper made some splash plays and he kept it going in training camp.

    And he never had a doubt that he was an NFL player.

    “I always knew I belonged,” Cooper said after an impressive preseason debut against the Bengals, when he had 6 catches for 82 yards and a touchdown.

    With the Eagles, Cooper is obviously behind some really good players and will have to fight for any role he gets on offense. But he’s a 23-year-old rookie with plenty of potential.

    It’s clear the Eagles are excited about the chance to develop him.

    “As far as his potential, one thing I think about him is he has this ability,” head coach Nick Sirianni said. “Not everybody has an ability to win 1-on-1, and I think he’s shown that through camp that he has tools in his body to be able to win. He’s big, he’s strong, he’s quick. My take on receivers always is the best guys have good body quickness and good play strength, and he has those things. 

    “The other thing I think is he’s tough, right? Because we know we’re going to try to get the ball to A.J. (Brown), we’re going to try to get the ball to DeVonta (Smith), we’re going to try to get the ball to Dallas (Goedert), we’re going to try to get the ball to Saquon (Barkley) in the passing game. And so, some guys have to come up a different way. They have to come up with doing some of the dirty work.”

    Cooper was already well on his way to winning a roster spot before Johnny Wilson went down with season-ending knee and ankle injuries. But without Wilson in 2025, Cooper should carve out a role as a blocker and a special teamer as a rookie.

    And he has the potential to be even more.

    “I’m looking forward to watching him continue to develop,” Sirianni said. “(receivers coach) Aaron (Moorehead) has done a really good job with him. Kevin (Patullo)’s done a really good job with him of helping him develop. I think he’s got some tools in his body to continue to develop. So, really excited.”

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    Dave Zangaro

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