Eagles News: Good perspective on the A.J. Brown situation

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles news and links …

More Thoughts on the AJ Brown Situation – Iggles Blitz
We know there have been active negotiations with the Rams and Patriots. That doesn’t happen unless Howie is open to trading AJ. This is a complex financial situation because of the cap ramifications so this isn’t a deal of convenience. The Eagles aren’t rebuilding. They aren’t aggressively looking for picks. So again, why is AJ available? AJ wants to be traded. When Haason Reddick wanted out, Howie traded him. When Carson Wentz wanted out, Howie traded him. If veterans let Howie know they feel strongly and want to move on, he does what he can. He’s not trying to trade Jalen Hurts or Jordan Mailata or Cooper DeJean. The Eagles spend a lot of time and money to acquire and develop good players. The last thing they want is to see them leave. But they also understand the importance of keeping players happy and having a healthy locker room. Howie saw how the TO situation divided and broke the 2005 Eagles and even had implications beyond that. If AJ is on the block it is because he wants out. […] This is a highly frustrating situation for everyone. AJ thinks a new team would make him happier. The Eagles don’t want to lose a star player. The fans think trading the star player is nuts and are absolutely against it. The media is just ready for it to be over, one way or the other. Waiting for June to find out if this will happen is draining. Some will read this and think I’m way off or just stupid. That’s fine. My goal is just to explain things as I see them based on the evidence we have. AJ Brown has been one of my favorite Eagles. I don’t want to see him leave, but I also don’t want the guy from 2025. He was great at times (MIN) and then troubling at others (the painful playoff loss). I just want to try and shed some light as to what is going on with this situation. If you disagree, that’s absolutely fine. We’re all reading a complex situation from the outside.

Albert Breer’s Mailbag: What Trade Compensation for A.J. Brown Would Look Like – SI

From Ben (@samuelslim2): It’s clear the A.J. Brown trade is happening, have an idea on compensation? […] Ben, I’d start with the baseline: the Davante Adams and Quinnen Williams trades were comps the Eagles used to base their ask for a first- and a second-round pick on. Because it just happened, Williams is an interesting one to look at. He was in the same draft class as Brown, is six months younger, is similarly under a reasonable contract, and the Jets landed a 2026 second-round pick and ’27 first-round pick for him. Conversely, the trade comp I heard other teams use was the 2023 Stefon Diggs deal, when the Bills sent Diggs, a 2024 sixth-round pick and a ’25 fifth-rounder to Houston for a ’24 second-round pick. Which, obviously, is a substantially lower price than Williams went for. My guess would be Brown lands somewhere in between if he’s sent, as a lot of people seem to be anticipating, from the Eagles to the Patriots. Maybe it would be a 2028 first-round pick (Howie Roseman has taken picks years off before, with Haason Reddick being an example), or a conditional 2027 second-rounder that could become a first-rounder if Brown hits playing time benchmarks (one of the picks in the Cason Wentz deal between the Eagles and Colts had such a condition). In the end, it’ll take some creativity. I don’t see Roseman coming out of this looking like he lost the deal, because I do believe he’d rather not do a deal than complete a bad one.

Kevin Byard has a not-so-subtle message for A.J. Brown – Pats Pulpit
Needless to say, Byard is a fan of Brown potentially getting traded from the Eagles to the Patriots.

Ranking 12 defensive tackles in the 2026 NFL Draft – BGN
This is a weak defensive tackle class overall, which suits the Eagles reasonably well as they don’t have a glaring need at the position. The recent Jordan Davis extension reduces the urgency at nose tackle, and the starting trio of Davis, Jalen Carter, and Moro Ojomo is strong. However, both Carter and Ojomo are entering contract years, so the Eagles may need to look for a future option who can step into a starting role in the coming seasons if either or both move on. The more immediate concern is the DT4 spot. Fourth-round pick Ty Robinson had a difficult rookie season, and Byron Young really struggled when asked to play, which hurt the Eagles’ run defense at times. If Robinson can’t establish himself as a reliable run defender, adding a DT4 with genuine run-stopping ability becomes a priority. The ideal target is someone who can hold up against the run on early downs and provide meaningful depth behind the starters. This is a weak enough class that there is no first-round defensive tackle worth considering for the Eagles this year. Tier 1 begins in the second round for me.

PHLY Eagles NFL Draft Party – PHLY
Join PHLY and fellow Eagles Diehards for an unforgettable NFL Draft night at Chickie’s & Pete’s, where the energy of game day meets the excitement of the Eagles future! This live draft party features a Live PHLY Eagles Draft show with coverage of every pick and a crowd full of diehard fans ready to react to every move. Enjoy iconic bites like Crabfries, grab a drink, and soak in the electric atmosphere as the next generation of Eagles players is revealed. Whether you’re there for the analysis, the vibes, or just to celebrate with the Philly faithful, this event is the ultimate draft night experience with PHLY!

Mike Band 2026 NFL mock draft 2.0: Cowboys take Rueben Bain Jr.; Steelers and Eagles select receivers – NFL.com
23) JORDAN TYSON. Philadelphia’s roster still points first to the trenches, but if the top tackle options are gone and the A.J. Brown uncertainty lingers into draft night, Tyson feels like the kind of board-value swing Howie Roseman can rationalize. The Eagles have added Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore and Dontayvion Wicks this offseason, but Tyson would give them a bigger outside option with early-starter traits and longer-term flexibility if the receiver room changes again. The Arizona State product’s medical history adds some risk, but this would be a value bet on a high-caliber talent sliding to No. 23.

2026 NFL draft: How all 32 teams can ace their picks, needs – ESPN
Of course, that isn’t the biggest need on everyone’s mind. The Eagles should take a receiver to eventually replace A.J. Brown, but not in the first round. With DeVonta Smith waiting in the wings as a budding WR1 and good depth in recent additions Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown, the Eagles need only a middle-round prospect with a high ceiling — think North Dakota State’s Bryce Lance or UConn’s Skyler Bell. They could also elect to solve the problem of Brown’s departure and the incoming void at tight end (Dallas Goedert is a free agent in 2027) by drafting Oregon’s Kenyon Sadiq at No. 23. Defensively, the Eagles need a starting edge and starting safety, as both Jaelan Phillips’ and Reed Blankenship’s departures were met with meager depth additions. If this feels like too many needs for one draft to solve … it is. Whether the Eagles go O-line heavy or need-heavy will tell us if they’re vying for a Super Bowl in 2026 or setting up for a stronger push in 2027.

Ranking recent Howie Roseman Eagles draft picks by round – NBCSP
There’s a good chance that the rankings at the top of this list will change in the coming years. But, for now, we’re putting Smith at the top of this list. He was a culture-changing pick at No. 10 back in 2021 and it meant a ton for the Eagles to draft the Heisman Trophy winner. While Smith hasn’t yet collected the accolades, it’s obvious how good he is. I thought about putting Mitchell in the top spot because that pick was a master class in patience and he might end up being a perennial All-Pro. We could also say the same about Carter, who is off to a tremendous start in his NFL career and has Defensive Player of the Year ceiling. Obviously, the Wentz pick didn’t work out long-term but you can’t forget that his play in 2017 was the springboard to the first Super Bowl victory in franchise history and he had good moments outside of that year too. At the bottom of the list, just two players I would consider busts. Dillard was drafted to be the left tackle of the future and that never worked out. Dillard was overmatched and lost his position battle to Jordan Mailata. Meanwhile, Reagor was just simply a mistake in 2020, when the Eagles passed up their chance to draft Justin Jefferson. Oops.

Spadaro: Inside Howie Roseman’s day during draft season – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
This is Howie Roseman Season, and he is cooking. The phone lines are lit. The meeting rooms are full and the conversations are flowing – with the Eagles’ coaching staff, with the scouts who are in town for these two weeks buttoning up final prep for the 2026 NFL Draft, with college football contacts and, we know, with the rest of the league. What is Howie Roseman going to do? It is far greater than an Eagles question, as the two-time NFL Executive of the Year is known throughout league circles as a master wheeler and dealer and roster maker. “I try to talk to as many people as possible in the college world to continue to gather information, and I try to talk to as many people as possible in the league, with teams, to talk about possible scenarios,” Roseman said. “Moreso than anything, going over our Day 3 guys (possible draft picks in Rounds 4-7) and our free agent list to make sure those guys are in the right spot waiting to be picked or to be signed when appropriate.”

Jaire Alexander opens up about his mental health struggles – PFT
The Ravens traded cornerback Jaire Alexander to the Eagles on Nov. 1, and he stepped away from football on Nov. 12 without playing a game for his new team. The Eagles retain his rights, so if he ever decides to return, it will be with Philadelphia unless the team releases him or trades him. Alexander, 29, posted about his mental health struggles on social media on Wednesday and made it sound as if his football career is over.

3 NFL draft insiders project Cowboys to make same massive trade – Blogging The Boys
Of the three offerings, both Kiper and Brugler have the Cowboys including their other first-round pick in the deal. McShay does not, but he has Dallas having to pony up a bit from next year by way of a second-rounder. It is certainly curious, to say the least, that such top insiders all have the Cowboys making the exact same trade. Obviously the details are slightly different, but they all have Dallas moving up to the same spot and to select Styles. Perhaps this is too much smoke? Maybe it is so obviously impossible in that sense? This is a bit of a rare happening as far as NFL draft rumors are concerned.

Is Kayden McDonald the Key to Unlocking the Commanders’ Defense? – Hogs Haven
How He Fits on the Commanders. With Daron Payne, Javon Kinlaw, Johnny Newton, and Tim Settle on the roster, there doesn’t appear to be much need at defensive tackle for the Commanders. However, if the team decides to run more odd fronts on defense, there are questions about how these players would fit into that system. Couple that with the fact that Payne will be a free agent after this season – or traded before then – and Kinlaw and Newton will be free agents in 2028, and the position could quickly become a significant need.

Dexter Lawrence trade rumors: ‘Very little interest’ from other teams – Big Blue View
Dexter Lawrence and his representatives were obviously hoping a long line of suitors would start blowing up New York Giants GM Joe Schoen’s phone after the report that contract talks between the two sides were at “an impasse.” That does not appear to be happening. ”There’s been very little interest in Dexter Lawrence as far as I’ve been told,” Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reported on Wednesday. The Giants, per both Schoen’s words on Tuesday that Lawrence is “under contract for two more years” and much of the reporting that has surfaced in the past couple of days, clearly want Lawrence to honor the final two years of the four-year, $90 million extension he signed in 2024.

NFC East notes: Giants trading their best player? Cowboys trading way up in the draft? – PhillyVoice
Dexter Lawrence is one of the best defensive linemen in the NFL — and probably the Giants’ best player — but is currently the 11th highest-paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL. He is underpaid, even after a down year statistically in 2025. Leonard’s sources say that trading Lawrence might not even land the Giants a first-round pick.

Which NFL Draft position has the highest hit rate? – SB Nation
There’s one large inference we can make from this data, and it seems to bear out when we look at NFL teams anecdotally: If you are trying to build a team from the ground up its best to invest picks in the trenches first. These have higher relative hit rates to build the foundation of a team. Meanwhile it’s incredibly risky for a bad team in need of a lot of help to roll the dice on a receiver or quarterback without the other pieces in place, because that does open the organization up to more busts — thereby setting them back further. When the dust settles, the NFL Draft remains an imprecise science. This data shows what has happened across the league over the years, but ultimately a talented front office and scouting department can buck league-wide trends to consistently find the effective players and build winning organizations.

The Approval Matrix Revolutions – Puck
In the coming weeks, I’m told, Vox Media C.E.O. Jim Bankoff is likely to agree to multiple deals to sell various assets of his company, including the Vox Media Podcast Network, New York magazine, and the portfolio of digital brands that includes The Verge, Eater, and SB Nation—a tidy but somewhat anticlimactic end to one of the great media roll-ups of the 2010s. “There’s not onedeal, there are deals,” a source familiar with said deals told me. Another source close to the matter suggested that negotiations on all fronts were “positive,” but cautioned that they were still “far from conclusion.”

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