The Linc - Executives across the league expect [Zack Baun’s] production to last past this year”

Philadelphia Eagles v Washington Commanders — Photo by Timothy Nwachukwu/Getty Images

Philadelphia Eagles news and links for 12/27/24.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links …

Where did this come from? Zack Baun’s Eagles breakout has the NFL looking for the next him – Yahoo! Sports
Neither Baun nor the Eagles want to speculate publicly on what awaits a player who’s finally found his NFL stride. But everyone knows he’s earned a contract more lucrative than his current one-year, $3.5 million deal. His playmaking and consistency have earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro votes, and executives across the league expect his production to last past this year. Teams hope, too, that the latest example of an underused player finding his home will motivate teams to uncover the next Zack Baun — not just the next hybrid linebacker on the fringes, but also the next player at any position whose potential could unleash with the trust and confidence of his coaching staff and thus himself. One NFC executive said the 2025 draft class is ripe with players who “fit the Zack Baun mold.” Perhaps their teams won’t wait five years to embrace them. For now, the Eagles savor the player who has earned respect from offensive and defensive teammates alike. Tight end Grant Calcaterra says the front office “found a gem, for sure.” And quarterback Jalen Hurts thanks the Saints for letting Baun walk. “I call Zack Baun the tone setter,” Hurts said. “The No. 1 thing I was telling him was just keep it going while it’s hot.

Eagles Injury Report: Jalen Hurts on track to miss Cowboys game, Kenny Pickett says he’s ready – BGN
The Philadelphia Eagles issued their second official injury report on Thursday in advance of their Week 17 home game against the Dallas Cowboys. The Eagles actually held practice on Thursday after being off for Christmas on Wednesday. The Eagles listed two players under DID NOT PARTICIPATE: Jalen Hurts and Will Shipley. While Hurts hasn’t yet been officially ruled out, two straight DNPs points to him not clearing the concussion protocol in time to play on Sunday. Even if he is cleared to play by then, which isn’t looking likely, he will have missed a bulk of the preparation for this weekend’s game.

Merry NFC East-mas | NFC East Mixtape Vol 160 – BGN YouTube
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are set to square off on Sunday afternoon in a game that is rather unique for each team. In order to get an idea of what we might see and what the season has been like for both Dallas and Philadelphia, RJ Ochoa and Brandon Lee Gowton are live for a special Christmas edition of the NFC East Mixtape!

Can anybody other than A.J. or DeVonta catch the football? – NBCSP
Jahan Dotson, who the Eagles acquired from Washington for a 3rd-round pick, has 24 total yards the last six games and is averaging 8.1 yards per game this year. He’s on track to become the first wide receiver since Andre Patton of the Chargers in 2019 to play more than 500 snaps with fewer than 130 yards. Patton was briefly with the Eagles in training camp in 2021. Gainwell had 40 yards vs. the Steelers but only 62 yards against everybody else this year. The last Eagles wide receiver other than Brown or Smith with 40 yards in a game – just 40 yards! – is Quez Watkins, who did it the last day of last season, mainly after Sirianni inserted the backups. The Eagles are the only NFL team without a third player who has at least 125 yards. The last team to go an entire season with only two WRs with 125 or more yards was the 2013 49ers, with Anquon Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Last time the Eagles didn’t have a third wide receiver with at least 125 yards was 1992, when Fred Barnett had 1,083 and Calvin Williams 598 but veteran Roy Green was third with 105 in half a season. Defenses love when an offense only has a couple legitimate weapons. It just makes them more predictable and easier to defend. Smith and Brown are so good they’ve been able to continue making plays when they’ve been healthy. But imagine if Dotson or Barkley or Goedert could produce consistently in the passing game?

Game Review – WAS 36, PHI 33 – Iggles Blitz
This truly was a team loss, with problems on offense, defense and special teams. What makes this game so frustrating is that there were so many chances to win the game. The DeVonta drop wasn’t the only moment that the Eagles would like to have back. As frustrating as this game was, I don’t think it was a harbinger of things to come. Jayden Daniels did some special things. The Eagles will learn from this. The offense should be fine when Hurts returns. STs was greatly affected by the weather. They have a lot to learn from Sunday’s struggles. If Nick Sirianni and his coaches can do a good job of identifying the problems and finding solutions for them, the Eagles should be fine.

Eagles’ Pickett prepared to play as Hurts still in protocol – ESPN
The overall tone of Pickett’s media session after Thursday’s practice was of a quarterback expecting to play against the Cowboys. “I don’t try to get too caught up into it because there is so much that goes into playing quarterback. I just want to focus on doing my job each play and … we’ll see what happens in the fourth quarter,” Pickett said. “That’s really my focus right now, being as prepared as possible, and when it’s all said and done and the game’s over and I’m back home with my family, I think that will be the time to sit back and talk about it a little bit. But I’m just focused on being as prepared as I can be right now.”

Eric Dickerson on Saquon Barkley chasing his rushing record: ‘I don’t think he’ll break it’ – NFL.com
Eric Dickerson set the NFL’s single-season rushing record of 2,105 yards in 1984. He doesn’t see Saquon Barkley blasting past him this year. “I don’t think he’ll break it,” the former Rams running back told Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times. “But if he breaks it, he breaks it. Do I want him to break it? Absolutely not. I don’t pull no punches on that. But I’m not whining about it. He had 17 games to do it? Hey, football is football. That’s the way I look at it. If he’s fortunate to get over 2,000 yards and get the record, it’s a great record to have.” With 1,838 rushing yards, Barkley is 268 away from breaking Dickerson’s record. The Eagles back needs to average 134.0 rush yards per game over his remaining two tilts to break the record.

Eagles teammates of ‘loud’ and ‘talkative’ QB say they trust him if he is the starter Sunday – NJ.com
“I think everyone on the planet would agree that handing it to 26 is probably our best option on the ground, but you always have to keep defenses honest,” Pickett said. “If I can pull one or take off and get eight or nine yards and hurt the defense a little bit, I’ll do it.” Though Pickett is still acclimating to his new teammates, he will be joined by some familiar faces from training camp. Running back Kenneth Gainwell said he has seen promising signs from Pickett. “He’s very talkative,” Gainwell said. “He’s getting everybody lined up right. It’s all about trust. We can trust him to do the right thing, and we’ll be all right. We’re just trying to go into this game and win.”

Zach Ertz downplays postgame confrontation with Nick Sirianni: It’s been blown out of proportion – PFT
“Nick and I had a great relationship when I was there, and we still have a great relationship. It’s definitely been blown way out of proportion,” Ertz said, via John Keim of ESPN. “We spoke. We’re good. There’s no ill feelings on my part, and I don’t think there are any ill feelings on his part. It’s just something in the heat of the moment that probably got blown out of proportion and maybe a misunderstanding. But him and I are fine. Everyone knows how I feel about that place and that building, but at the same time, I love being here.” Ertz’s career contributions to the Eagles — 579 receptions, 6,267 receiving yards and the go-ahead touchdown catch in Super Bowl LII — won’t be forgotten anytime soon by Eagles fans.

Stats and Snaps: Week 16 Commanders vs Eagles – Hogs Haven
That is not to say that Daniels beat the Eagles all by himself. He had plenty of help on both sides of the ball. Philadelphia fans might like you to belief that Jalen Hurt’s exit with a concussion in the first quarter and bad calls by the refs were the decisive factors. With the Eagles recording their third highest score of the season, and Philadelphia penalized 91 yards compared to the Commanders 93, neither of those explanations holds water. The Commanders overcoming a 5-2 turnover differential to win really came down to refusing to accept defeat and having confidence in their young signal caller to pull off the win, no matter the odds. To pull off the upset, Daniels got help from the usual team leaders, as well as some unlikely players stepping up to make clutch plays. As we bask in the glory of the upset of the season and eat Christmas leftovers, let’s see who got playing time, who made plays, and who didn’t, en route to delivering Jayden Daniels’ win third FedEx Air Player of the Week award to go with his 10th NFL/Pepsi Rookie of the Week belt buckle.

The McCarthy Chronicles: Cowboys head coach likely just saved his job – Blogging The Boys
The most recent win was the best, too. Tampa Bay came in as winners of four straight and, after the Falcons won earlier in the day, they knew they needed this game to remain in the driver’s seat of the NFC South. Meanwhile, Dallas watched the Commanders beat the Eagles at the last second, thereby ending the Cowboys’ slim chances at reaching the postseason. They hadn’t even had a chance to play their game this week, and the Cowboys’ post-season chance was officially ended. Some teams would’ve let that get to them. Some teams would have come out flat and gotten crushed by the vastly superior team. Shoot, most Cowboys teams of the last two decades would’ve done that. This team is different, though. They’ve been dealt adversity from the moment last year ended. Every single day brings a new conversation about their head coach, while injuries and losses have both stacked up over and over. They’ve been through the ringer, but somehow they’ve come out on the other side stronger for it. The team took the field on Sunday night with nothing to gain, so they took their anger out on the Buccaneers instead.

8 New York Giants head-coaching candidates if they replace Brian Daboll – Big Blue View
Ben Johnson. The Detroit Lions offensive coordinator has been at the top of everyone’s wish list for the last couple of years. Until now, Johnson has chosen to stay with the Lions. At this point, though, he seems more inclined to take a head-coaching position than he has in the past. Johnson won’t have any shortage of suitors. The Bears are said to be interested. Any team with a young quarterback, or in pursuit of a young franchise quarterback, is likely to be interested. Johnson will have his pick of jobs. Does he have a burning desire to coach Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward? Does his pre-existing relationship with GM Joe Schoen from their time together with the Miami Dolphins mean anything? I think there will be situations Johnson feels better about than stepping into the mess with the Giants.

NFL playoff picture: What does Seahawks-Bears mean for NFC standings? – SB Nation
Game result: In a ludicrous display, the Seattle Seahawks squeezed out a thrilling 6-3 win on Thursday night to prolong their playoff hopes. Seattle’s playoff hopes now hinge on Saturday and Sunday’s results. The biggest game is the Rams on Saturday.