Eagles News: “darius Cooper Has Been The Third-best Receiver On The Team Throughout Camp”

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

Eagles roster 2026: Updated locks, not-quite-locks, bubble players, and long shots – PhillyVoice
WR Darius Cooper ⬆️: Cooper has been the third-best receiver on the team throughout camp, and there’s a sizeable gap between him and whoever is fourth. He is going to make the team. We’re bumping him all the way up from the bubble to lock status. He jumped two categories. […] WR Marquise Brown ⬇️: Brown got $5 million guaranteed from the Eagles, and he canceled out a comp pick. Also, he’s a legitimate, professional receiver with a track record of decent production. My opinion remains (mostly) unchanged that he’ll be on the team. However, I would have at least four receivers ahead of him on camp performance so far — DeVonta Smith, Dontayvion Wicks, Darius Cooper, and Elijah Moore. I might also add Johnny Wilson, and although Makai Lemon hasn’t done much he will obviously be on the roster. How many receivers can they keep? There should probably be some pressure for Brown to pick up his game.

Eagles training camp: Lane Johnson returns, Jalen Hurts efficient on 28th birthday – The Athletic
This was another strong practice from Darius Cooper, who is putting together a standout training camp (again). He’s not only positioning himself for a spot on the 53-man roster for the second consecutive year; he’s pushing his way into potential playing time at wide receiver. Hurts name-checked him without prompting during an NFL Network interview this week, and that should not be dismissed. Hurts is often intentional with what and who he discusses. Cooper had a strong rep against Quinyon Mitchell, an All-Pro cornerback. He makes contested catches, and he adjusts to the ball. It’s important not to overreact in either direction to a single practice, but when it happens over a series of practices, it’s hard to ignore. If I were making a 53-man roster today, I’d put Cooper over Johnny Wilson as the “dirty work” receiver. Perhaps there’s room for both. Even more, the idea of Cooper filling that role might need to shift if he keeps playing. He’s graduating from the plucky, small-school, undrafted-rookie storyline and is now in the conversation about how he can help the team. I remember when I covered the New York Giants in 2010 and 2011, Victor Cruz started to reconfigure the way he was viewed in Year 2 from that longshot who worked his way up the depth chart to a piece on offense. It might still be premature with Cooper, and Cruz is a lofty benchmark to hit, but you’re judged by the plays you make. Cooper keeps making plays.

Eagles Training Camp Practice Notes: Backup quarterback battle heating up – BGN
It was Tanner McKee’s turn to go up first with the second-team offense today. In terms of performance, McKee has been behind Andy Dalton thus far (though it’s been close) but today was the former’s best practice of the summer.

Can Elijah Moore keep his career going with the Eagles? He’s trying to make the most of his extra reps. – Inquirer
Asked Friday after the seventh practice of camp about his NFL journey, Moore was a little philosophical. “Life is not a linear path, I think, for any person,” Moore said. “There’s rarely — even some of the top players that get picked — that it goes exactly the way that they wanted. I think that’s there to teach you lessons. I’ve got kids. I got things I got to teach them outside of just having everything go my way. What example would I set if everything went my way? I wouldn’t have nothing to tell. I think it’s just brushing myself off, always having high hopes.” Right now, his hopes may be high for a reason. With DeVonta Smith and rookie Makai Lemon missing multiple practices with hamstring injuries, Moore has taken plenty of first-team reps and has flashed his abilities. It would be too strong to call him a camp standout, but his stock certainly is up from where it was before these seven camp practices. “I’m super critical of myself so I always think there is so much improvement that I could do with my alignment, my assignment, my execution,” said Moore, who has 209 catches, 2,274 yards, and nine touchdowns through five NFL seasons. “Am I making the most of my opportunities? Yeah. Is there still opportunities I’m leaving out there? Yeah. I always want to be perfect, as perfect as I can.”

He may not be a starter, but Jeremiah Trotter sure looks like one – NBCSP
The depth chart says he’s a backup. Practice reps say he’s a backup. Jeremiah Trotter sure isn’t playing like a backup. On an absolutely loaded defense, Trotter is enjoying a fantastic training camp as the top backup linebacker. In Year 3, Trott has a mastery of Vic Fangio’s scheme, and it’s showing up every day. He’s got these next-level football instincts that help him make up for late-round size and speed. He just always seems to know where the play is going both against the run and in coverage, and he’s never out of position. As good as he looked at training camp last summer, Trotter has taken a big leap this summer. “I think from last year, I definitely continue to improve myself physically,” he said after a recent practice. “I always try to make sure I’m in the best shape of my life because I want to make sure my teammates know that I’m grinding and working for them.

Ranking 10 most interesting recent NFL contract extensions – ESPN
8) Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles. Here are players with the five most expensive contracts for a defensive tackle since 2015 in terms of APY adjusted for salary cap inflation: 1. Aaron Donald, 2022 ($45.8 million), 2. Ndamukong Suh, 2015 ($40.1 million), 3. Donald, 2018 ($38.2 million), 4. Carter, 2026 ($38 million), 5. Chris Jones, 2024 ($37.4 million). Are we sure Carter belongs on this list? On one hand, he has stretches where he takes over games and delivers impact plays. And he ranked third among defensive tackles in Fowler’s survey of coaches and executives. But Fowler also called him “one of the toughest evaluations among the top 10” and reiterated that with criticism from an NFL coordinator. The numbers don’t back Carter up as elite … yet. After registering a 90th percentile pass rush win rate along with six sacks as a rookie in 2023, his down-to-down metrics have fallen off. He dropped to the 52nd percentile (with 4.5 sacks) in 2024 and rebounded a bit to the 66th percentile (and three sacks) last season, though six pass breakups in each of those campaigns help his cause. Similarly, his run stop win rate was elite as a rookie and then just above average in each of the following two seasons. Carter has reached the Pro Bowl in each of the past two years and was a second-team All-Pro in 2024. He’s a very good player, especially if we’re looking forward (which we should be). But is he worthy of inclusion in the list above? It makes sense for the Eagles to want Carter on their roster for a long time. But the price feels steep.

Nick Sirianni: ‘Looking to perfect the detail’ – PhiladelphiaEagles.com
It was over 90° Fahrenheit for most of Friday’s practice, causing the Eagles’ coaching staff to implement water breaks between team periods. Despite the heat, the offense and defense managed to make some highlight reel-worthy plays in front of fans and reporters. Tanner McKee threw a deep post to the corner of the endzone to wide receiver Johnny Wilson who climbed the ladder for a receiving touchdown, Jordan Davis got a sack on one of the first plays in team drills, and Darius Cooper made multiple contested catches from Jalen Hurts. While highlights and general observations from these 1.5-hour practices are broadcasted through media channels for fans to consume, most of the progression and work during Training Camp is done behind closed doors. “You get to see a little portion of each day out at practice, but there’s 12 more hours of the day where they’re in walkthroughs, they’re in meetings,” Nick Sirianni told reporters ahead of practice.

Cowboys former 2nd-round pick getting pushed off roster by UDFAs – Blogging The Boys
Luke Schoonmaker’s time may finally be running out for the Dallas Cowboys. The second-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft never really challenged Jake Ferguson for the starting tight end job as was hoped, nor has he shown much improvement thus far in his career. As a result, his time in Dallas may expire before his rookie contract does. Schoonmaker is entering a contract year this season and currently finds himself on the roster bubble nearly two weeks into training camp. No. 86 has enjoyed the relative safety a player of his draft status generally gets throughout his first three seasons with the Cowboys, but that security seems to be running out. He may have to fight tooth and nail to even make the roster.

Washington Commanders Free Agency: Veteran offensive lineman reportedly signed – Hogs Haven
Max Scharping was a second-round pick by the Houston Texans in 2019. He started 33 regular season and two playoff games in Houston before getting released during the final roster cutdowns in his fourth season. Scharping was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals, but only played 43 snaps on offense for them over two seasons. He did start three games in the playoffs in his first year with the Bengals. Scharping then took a mini-tour of the NFC East with brief stints in Philadelphia and Washington in 2024. He ended up going back to the AFC North, signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he only appeared in two games over two seasons. Scharping tore his ACL in September last year.

Stefon Diggs thrilled to return home with Commanders: ‘I want to put on for my city’ – NFL.com
After 11 years away, Stefon Diggs is finally back home. It’s not quite the tale of the prodigal son, but it is an opportunity for the Gaithersburg, Maryland native to play hero in a land in which he’s occasionally been a visiting villain. In his time with the Vikings and Bills, Diggs made three trips home and tortured Washington’s defense, catching 25 passes for 353 yards and a touchdown, totals that included his 13-catch, 164-yard explosion in a 26-20 loss to the home team in 2016 while with Minnesota. He’s been productive because he’s long felt disrespected by the two clubs in the DMV. “That’s my hometown team, them and the Baltimore Ravens,” Diggs said Friday, via the Associated Press. “I always played with a chip on my shoulder, but the chip got really big when I’d go home because I felt like they passed up on me, didn’t give me a chance, and I was right in their backyard.”

NY Giants injuries: Malik Nabers progressing; Brian Burns limited; JMS leaves practice – Big Blue View
Wide receiver Malik Nabers, slowly working back from his torn ACL, did his usual workload on Friday at New York Giants training camp, doing individual drills and routes on air. He simply looked the best he has this summer doing it. Nabers moved fluidly and was willing to plant and cut hard off his surgically repaired leg. “I’ve noticed that, too,” said head coach John Harbaugh. “I feel like Allie (Allison Boudreau, coordinator of rehabilitation and return to play) she’s worked with him. She’s been working on situations where you’re off-balance, landing off-balance, in unpredictable type situations that you’re going to get rather than just doing normal rehab and then going out there and all of a sudden being surprised by the awkwardness of football. Try to create those as much as you can.” Harbaugh said Nabers will be “working his way back into practice more and more as we go here.”

4 overreactions from the Panthers-Cardinals Hall of Fame banger – SB Nation
No. 1: Haynes King is coming for Bryce Youngs job. There is no question Haynes King was a standout performer on Thursday night at QB, with the rookie showing poise in the pocket, an ability to move the chains, and scoring three touchdowns for the Panthers, including the game-winner. King is third on the QB depth chart in Carolina behind Bryce Young and Kenny Pickett — and he could very well push Pickett for the backup job, but the idea he’ll supplant the starter is ridiculous. No matter how great that performance was, the rookie had been struggling in training camp up to this point, particularly with his decision making. So while it’s tempting to glean too much info from preseaon, we also need to pump the brakes on getting too hyped over watching King succeed against the Cardinals depth defenders. If Carolina is able to land a long-term backup in King it will still be a massive win for them.

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