10 Eagles Thoughts During Slow Period: The Two Jalens, Nick Sirianni, And Makai Lemon
10 Eagles Thoughts During Slow Period: The Two Jalens, Nick Sirianni, And Makai Lemon
Jalen Hurts, Jalen Carter, the head coach, and rookie receiver are among the 10, but there's much.Ed Kracz|
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Philadelphia EaglesSome June thoughts on the Eagles as we continue the slow crawl to the end of July, when training camp opens.
Jalen 1. That would be quarterback Jalen Hurts. The criticisms and anonymously-sourced stories aimed at the franchise player, both locally and across the nation, aren’t fair. He would be at the top of my list when it comes to ranking the best QBs in Eagles history, with Randall Cunningham at the top of my list for most entertaining QB in team history. You can feel differently, and that’s OK.
Numbers are one thing, but anybody who thinks Hurts won’t be able to adopt to whatever offense Sean Mannion is planning on running, you haven’t paid close enough attention to Hurts’ work ethic.
As he famously said at Super Bowl 57 in Arizona: “I had a purpose before anyone had an opinion.” It is still one my all-time favorite quotes from anyone and having been in the media hotel’s conference room to hear him say it made it even sweeter.
Jalen 2. That would be defensive tackle Jalen Carter. My expectation is a contract extension will happen before training camp opens on July 28. Already, the Eagles picked up the team option for his fifth season that will pay him $27 million in 2027, so he’s locked down for at least two more seasons.
Jeffrey Simmons monster contract extension, which will pay him $35.3 million per year, changes the equation somewhat, but didn’t we all feel like Carter was getting $30 million-plus before the deal?
If it was up to me, I’d let Carter walk and put my money in Moro Ojomo, Jalyx Hunt, Cooper DeJean, and Quinyon Mitchell. Even that won’t be enough to sign those four, so some hard decisions will have to be made.
Tough Choice Looming?
What to do. If the Eagles need to decide between keeping DeJean or Mitchell, I’ll take DeJean, simply for his versatility playing more positions.
Head coach. Nick Sirianni is about to break free from a pack of coaches who guided the Eagles for five seasons, a list that includes Doug Pederson, Buddy Ryan, and Joe Kuharich. This will be Sirianni’s sixth season in charge, one behind the seven seasons that Dick Vermeil led the franchise.
Sirianni is 59-26 in his first five years, with three NFC East title and two runners-up, along with a 1-1 record in the Super Bowl and a 6-4 playoff mark.
Vermeil inherited a total reclamation project in 1976 and an organization that hadn’t had a winning season since 1966. He went 54-47 with one Super Bowl trip, and a 3-4 playoff record. He would have had a longer run but resigned citing burnout.
Andy Reid is the Eagles’ all-time leader in seasons coaching the Eagles with 14 followed by Greasy Neal’s 10 years at the helm from 1941-50.
Rookie receiver. Given the talent and depth behind DeVonta Smith, separation in the receiver room will be a must-watch at training camp. My guess is Lemon will be used mostly in the slot with Dontayvion Wicks and Hollywood Brown splitting time on the outside.
Top rookie. For that reason, Lemon will be the top rookie from this class to make an impact, though don’t rule out offensive tackle and third-round pick Markel Bell. Tight end Eli Stowers has some veterans in front of him, and it may take him time to contribute.
Can This Rookie Contribute?
One to watch. It’s obvious. When camp opens, many eyes will be on ultra-raw defensive tackle Uar Bernard. Can he help this year? We’ll see.
Drama-free. Remember 10 years ago when Nelson Agholor, Fletcher Cox, and Connor Barwin went to a gentleman’s club in South Philly after minicamp ended and Agholor was accused of sexual assault (an accusation later found to be without sufficient evidence to lead to any charges)? Those were the days.
These Eagles have for the last decade or so been on their best behavior during this dead period between minicamp and the start of training camp. Under Sirianni, the Eagles have stayed focused on what they are supposed to be doing during this “dead” period.
Instead, we get wedding video from Smith’s nuptials, with him and Hurts doing the line dance at the reception. Wholesome stuff.
Upshot. The Eagles’ ability to stay focused during this long stretch of summer has led to some fast starts to seasons. Their records in the first five games the last four years:
2025: 4-1
2024: 3-2
2023: 5-0
2022: 5-0 (a record that grew to 8-0)
Their first five games this year: Home vs. Commanders, at Titans, at Bears, home vs. Rams, vs. Jaguars in London. That’s three playoff teams from last year; a tough stretch.
Sidelined QB. The NFL may have saved the Eagles from making a big mistake and trying to land Brendan Sorsby in the supplemental draft. The league canceled the supplemental draft, saying that teams couldn’t get organized in time to make it happen even though Sorsby submitted his paperwork before the supplemental draft deadline, the only player to do so.
Sorsby had a gambling addiction that led to a stint in a residential treatment center and was banned by the NCAA after wagering thousands of dollars, including some on one of his former teams, Indiana University.
His talent might be – might be – good enough to eventually play in the NFL, but he could also be the next coming of Art Schlichter. Google him if you don’t remember.
Published 10 seconds ago
ED KRACZEd Kracz has been covering the Eagles full-time for over a decade and has written about Philadelphia sports since 1996. He wrote about the Phillies in the 2008 and 2009 World Series, the Flyers in their 2010 Stanely Cup playoff run to the finals, and was in Minnesota when the Eagles secured their first-ever Super Bowl win in 2017. Ed has received multiple writing awards as a sports journalist, including several top-five finishes in the Associated Press Sports Editors awards.
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Badenoch blasts 'moaning' female Labour MPs over Burnham jobs 'quota'
Kemi Badenoch has told Labour women to earn a job in Andy Burnham's Cabinet instead of demanding they are handed jobs because of their gender.
The Tory leader lashed out today amid reports that female MPs are demanding the de-facto new prime minister introduce a 50:50 gender split 'quota' in his government.
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister also complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts.
But in a scathing article in the Times today Mrs Badenoch told them to 'stop moaning' and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'.
'There are many, many reasons why you shouldn't have any Milibands in the cabinet,' she said.
'But complaining that the boys haven't given them the right jobs or that the boys are taking all the jobs, just shows that Labour's women still don't get it.'
The idea of quotas was also attacked by Baroness Jacqui Smith, Labour's Skills Minister.
Asked by Times Radio if Mr Burnham should reserve jobs for women, she said: 'No, I think what Andy Burnham should be doing is building the very best team around him to change this country.'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs
Amid reports that former foreign secretary David Miliband (above, right, in 2010) is being lined up to return to the role, possibly with his brother Ed as Chancellor, one female minister complained that Burnham could not have 'more Milibands than women' in the top posts
But Mrs Badenoch told them to pipe down and get chosen on merit instead of retreating into 'more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country'
A letter written by the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party and seen by the BBC has called on Mr Burnham to ensure a 50:50 split between men and women in government jobs after he succeeds Sir Keir Starmer.
'We are asking you to demonstrate this change from day one and address the toxicity and misogyny within our own party and government,' it said.
Labour has never had a female leader, while the Conservatives have had three, and Mrs Badenoch urged the government to follow its meritocratic example.
'If you run a meritocracy, then you do not have to worry about jobs for the boys,' she wrote.
'Every woman who is a Conservative MP, every woman who has ever won the leadership, has had to fight to get where she is.
'By contrast, Labour women are demanding guarantees from Burnham. But the truth is he doesn't have to give any guarantees.
'If none of Labour's women are prepared to get their hands dirty and challenge him for the leadership, their demands are toothless.'
'In fact, it's quite revealing that the women's parliamentary Labour Party has written to Burnham asking him to commit himself to at least 50 per cent female ministers.
'This has nothing to do with meritocracy. It is yet more of the failed identity politics that is holding back our country.'
