Eagles mailbag: Will Nakobe Dean get Wally Pipp'd, potential veteran additions and more

New York Times

18 hours ago

The summer has arrived. It's time to hit the shore, kick back and turn on The Beach Boys for old times. I will be taking extended time myself in the weeks leading up to the Philadelphia Eagles opening training camp in late July. There will be plenty of time in the days ahead to mull over the uncertainties that complicate the Eagles' quest to repeat as Super Bowl champions for the first time in team history. It's a fine time to establish a baseline for those discussions.
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First, a moment of gratitude. Your committed readership keeps this thing going. Mailbags like these are among the ways we can cross this third wall between each other, and I do enjoy the opportunity to engage with you directly. So, without further delay, let's get to some of your most pressing questions about the Eagles.
Note: Submitted questions have been edited for clarity and length.
With Jihaad Campbell potentially becoming a starting LB, how do the Birds get Nakobe Dean on the field when healthy or is his nickname Wally Pipp this year? — Fletch F.
'Potentially' is the key word there. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said last week that Campbell 'won't hit the practice field' until 'sometime in August.' Still, I outlined in my last story why Campbell's focus at inside linebacker might make him a quicker insert into the lineup than Cooper DeJean's Week 6 debut as a starter last year. We should also remember Jeremiah Trotter Jr. ran with the first-team defense in OTAs and Philly's one-day minicamp. Trotter will have a full summer to keep Campbell at bay. If neither Trotter or Campbell show they're better than Dean by the time he returns, this answer is simple: Dean resumes his role as a starter. If either Trotter or Campbell play in such a way that Fangio can't take them off the field… you've likely created Wally Dean. The Eagles will never be as glib, if this takes place. They'll project respect for their 2022 third-round pick, embrace him as a backup for the remainder of his final contract year and enter offseason negotiations in which a healthy Dean would likely have little interest in returning as the defense's third linebacker, rarely fielded in base packages. To follow your Wally Pipp comparison, Pipp finished 14th in MVP voting in his first year with the Cincinnati Reds. In this way-too-early thought experiment, perhaps the 2026 Bengals will need a linebacker.
What does the Jordan Davis snap count look like going into this year? What's best case, worst case with this DL/DE? — Blake K.
I can get pretty hyperbolic when doing best-case/worst-case scenarios. So, I'll avoid those. As for Jordan Davis, he remains the Eagles' starting nose tackle. He started in all 17 regular-season games last season, plus all four postseason games. But as you're referencing, it's quite a statistic given his status as a full-time starter that he played on 37 percent of the defense's snaps during the regular season, 21 percent during the playoffs. Fangio has no problem keeping players on the field. Jalen Carter's snap count percentage jumped from 51 percent in 2023 to 84 percent in 2024. Fangio will similarly keep Davis on the field as long as his endurance and efficiency allow. Davis openly discussed his conditioning for the third straight offseason during OTAs. He's once again saying all the right things. But this time, he's backed by Fangio's confirmation. Fangio said he thinks Davis is 'in the best shape that he's ever been in.' How much more would that mean Fangio uses Davis in 2025? While DC for the Miami Dolphins in 2023, Fangio fielded Raekwon Davis on 45.1 percent of their snaps. For the Bears in 2018, Fangio deployed Eddie Goldman on 52.57 percent of their snaps. Both marks would be significant upticks for Davis. He's a 6-6, 336-pound former first-round pick entering a contract year. Perhaps that added motivation will help him reach that bar.
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Given that Eagles have $32 million of cap space, I'm interested in your thoughts on their best way to spend it. Extend younger guys? A big-name acquisition (or a few more affordable ones)? Or just roll the savings over to 2026? — Nick D.
I'm assuming the $32 million you're stating is referenced from Over the Cap. They are an excellent resource. But like anyone who's not in-house with an NFL organization, they don't yet have a full view of the books. The cap hits for recently signed draft picks Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba will bring that estimate down. As a general rule, an NFL executive once told me teams set aside $10-12 million for an allotment of eight to 10 draft picks, plus an extra $6-8 million for practice squad, injured reserve and other roster needs.
So, the Eagles don't have as much flexibility as that $32 million suggests. And, as you know, general manager Howie Roseman spent the last five months cost cutting within a maintenance-oriented offseason. He'd have to justify undoing a large portion of those savings by making any big-name acquisition over the summer. That's why it'd be somewhat surprising to see the Eagles spend lavishly to sign someone like two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, whom the Green Bay Packers willingly released despite absorbing a $17 million dead money hit.
If the Eagles can sign Alexander at a discount, such spending becomes more realistic. Alexander may be 28, but injuries have prevented him from starting in more than seven games in each of the last two seasons. And (as another reader pointed out in a separate question) the Eagles haven't yet identified a competent CB2. If affordable, Alexander is worth the gamble. But I'd be surprised to see the Eagles take on another long-term contract that'd add more guaranteed money to future years. That'd detract from the cash they're earmarking for long-term extensions with members of their young core.
Which brings us to Jalen Carter and an important rule to note from the league's collective bargaining agreement. Teams can't enter negotiations with someone they drafted until after the final regular season game of their third contract year. So, no need for you to keep checking this summer for news on any extension for Carter, who, entering his third season, could prove he's worthy of being one of the highest-paid interior defensive linemen. Fourth-year safety Reed Blankenship, who's entering the final year of his contract, is a candidate for a summer extension.
How different do you think the offense is likely to look under Patullo? I'm not looking for Patullo to reinvent the wheel, but hopefully he will add some new wrinkles given how the offense got stale after Super Bowl LVII. — Ben B.
Nor do I think Patullo will reinvent the wheel. He said himself that he's 'building on what our players do best.' I'm not a big believer in projecting how many rush attempts Saquon Barkley will have in 2025, or if the Eagles will pass more this season than they did a year ago. Those are products of the weekly decisions Patullo will make about how they intend to move the ball. That being said, there's no reason for the Eagles to abandon successful concepts if opponents can't stop them. But that doesn't mean Patullo and Co. shouldn't proactively prepare wrinkles to keep opponents on their toes. Such wrinkles can range from completely new offensive packages to the atomic minutiae of one player's blocking scheme. That's why Nick Sirianni's hiring of Parks Frazier and Scot Loeffler offers promise. They're each drawing from years of experience and referencing years of film from their myriad stops across their careers. I spoke with Chan Gailey about the idea-generating routines Patullo experienced while working under him. That story might interest you.
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Of the offensive linemen drafted this offseason, which one do you think is most likely to be a starter in three years? — Jim J.
I understand your suggested timeline. The Eagles reached long-term extensions with their starters for every position but right guard: Cam Jurgens (through 2029), Landon Dickerson (2028), Jordan Mailata (2028), Lane Johnson (2027). And the front-runner for right guard, Tyler Steen, has a rookie contract that expires after the 2026 season. So, this exercise becomes a matter of health, age and development.
Let's say it's 2028. What starting spots are available? Given Johnson's seniority, one could argue that he would be right tackle. But Johnson, 35, has often said this offseason that he's not retiring anytime soon. Of course, one could argue that 2028 isn't anytime soon. But Johnson said Tuesday that he feels 'like I'm getting close to my peak, as weird as it is to say.' He also spent eight seasons playing with Jason Peters, an ageless wonder who played until he was 41 — albeit his final three seasons with the Bears, Cowboys and Seahawks.
It's also worth noting that the Eagles have three more draft cycles before the 2028 season. If they sense that Johnson's stellar career is at all nearing its end, it's possible they'd move to acquire a successor at a higher investment than the three Day 3 linemen they drafted this year.
But let's stick to your premise. Let's say Johnson fends off Father Time for at least a one-year extension. Right guard has been a recent training ground and outpost for career recovery. If Steen doesn't change that, I could see Myles Hinton getting a shot. To be clear, none of the players the Eagles drafted played guard in college. (Fine, Hinton had one snap at right guard for Michigan in 2022.) But Hinton has the build (6-6, 323 pounds) that offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland prefers at guard. Hinton, Drew Kendall and Cameron Williams will all be cross-trained in some fashion. Hinton, the son of former All-Pro lineman Chris Hinton, has favorable genes.
Who's your running training camp darling? — Brock S.
If I'm a producer for Hard Knocks, I'm probably making Ty Robinson my lesser-known recurring character. First off, the dude's just interesting. He was pre-med at Nebraska, has a pet camel and has already demonstrated comedic chemistry with former Cornhuskers teammate Cam Jurgens. He also has a prime opportunity to play. The Eagles need to replace Milton Williams, who logged 501 snaps last season. And viewers love an underdog. Robinson fits that role as a fourth-round rookie.
Related to the Eagles' playoff run last year, has there ever been another NFL team that has won three HOME playoff games, then went on to win the Super Bowl? — Scott S.
Hey, Scott. Fun trivia. Answer: the 1982 Washington Redskins. Although their 8-1 record in a strike-reduced regular season was the NFC's best, they didn't get a first-round bye because the NFL expanded the playoffs from 10 to 16 teams as a solution to the loss of regular-season games. The league returned to 10 playoff teams in 1983, expanded to 12 in 1990, and, most recently, to 14 in 2020.
It's more common to see wild-card teams win three away games en route to a Super Bowl title. (The 2020 Buccaneers, 2010 Packers and 2005 Steelers all did so.) That it took 42 years for the Eagles to become the second-ever Super Bowl champion to win three home playoff games justifies the NFL's wild-card expansion. On six occasions (the 1980 Ravens, 1997 Broncos and 2000 Ravens, 1997 Broncos and 1980 Raiders hosted wild-card games before hitting the road), the second-best team in one division proved to be the best team in the league (and therefore better than each division champion).
To add some analysis to this trivia, if more three-home game playoff teams like the Eagles start winning Super Bowls, it'll be a sign that perhaps the league's playoff expansion has gone too far.