The Eagles are picked to win 11 games and capture the NFL East championship on thedailyblitz.blog. Does that mean… Eagles NFC East winners?
Sounds about right, 11-6. Maybe 10-7. Let’s see how they get through training camp.
More and more, published predictions have the Eagles either winning the East or coming real close. There is no great disparity among the predictors. You don’t see the Eagles picked for even third place, much less fourth place. It’s all gas, no brake for those picking the Eagles.
Thedailyblitz.blog predicts the Cowboys to finish second at 10-7, the Commanders third at 7-10, and the Giants fourth at 6-11. The Eagles schedule does look easy, as well.
My other picks for the NFC East:
- 10 wins for Dallas is about right
- 9 wins for Washington
- 5 wins for the Giants
With the caveat that the season is still two months away.
Here is the blog’s explanation for picking the Eagles. The blog is published by Christian Simpson:
“I’m picking the Philadelphia Eagles to win the NFC East in 2022. A.J. Brown will help elevate this offense. He’s a playmaker and along with DeVonta Smith, they could form a nice duo for Jalen Hurts in the passing game.
“I’m excited to watch this Eagles defense. They signed James Bradberry to help bolster up the secondary and they drafted Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean, both out of Georgia. On paper, this is the best roster in the division. Can they put it all together live? That’s the question we need the answer to.”
LANE STANDS UP FOR HURTS
Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson was on the GoJo podcast this week with Mike Golic Jr., praising and defending his quarterback, Jalen Hurts.
“A lot of it goes down to what you do every day,” Johnson said to Golic and co-host Brandon Newman, a Notre Dame teammate of Golic. “He works his [butt] off. He always has a calm demeanor about him, keeps the team calm in the huddle … I’m excited about this year.”
Johnson is well aware of the preseason buzz surrounding the Eagles.
“On paper, we’re looking really good right now,” Johnson said on the podcast. He also said it’s up to the team to perform to their potential and to “take it day-by-day.”
The Eagles open training camp July 26.
EAGLES ON ’40 UNDER 40’ RISING STARS LIST
Two current members of the Eagles organization and three past Eagles have made The Athletic’s third annual NFL “40 under 40” list of top young coaches, execs, agents and other rising stars.
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and assistant general manager Alex Halaby are on the list.
Others on the list with Eagles connections are 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans; Browns assistant general manager and vice president of football operations Catherine Raiche; and Browns general manager Andrew Berry.
- Ryans played linebacker for the Eagles from 2012-15.
- In 2019-20, Raiche was the Eagles’ football operations/player personnel coordinator before being promoted in 2021 to vice president of football operations.
- Berry spent 2019 as the Eagles vice president of football operations before moving to the Browns.
COMMANDERS BLOG PICKS ALL-NFC EAST TEAM
Hogs Haven, a blog that covers the Washington Commanders, has picked an All-NFC East preseason team.
The Eagles had 10 selections, more than any other NFC East team. The blog also picked eight Cowboys, eight Commanders and only two Giants.
The picks were fairly standard for the preseason but there were several surprises. Eagles free-agent linebacker Kyzir White was one. The biggest surprise was the selection of punt returner Jalen Reagor.
Not sure of the criteria used for the Reagor selection. Last year, Reagor had 31 returns averaging 7.3 yards. Solid, I suppose, but best in the division?
The blog only picked one running back — the Giants’ Saquon Barkley. That means no Zeke Elliott, no Miles Sanders.
At safety, the Eagles’ Anthony Harris was selected. You can take this as a good sign, as the Eagles need an improved secondary.
HERE IS THE HOGS HAVEN TEAM:
Offense
- QB – Dak Prescott (Cowboys)
- RB – Saquon Barkley (Giants)
- 3rd Down RB – J.D. McKissic (Commanders)
- WR – Terry McLaurin (Commanders)
- WR – A.J. Brown (Eagles)
- WR – CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)
- TE – Dallas Goedert (Eagles)
- LT – Tyron Smith (Cowboys)
- LG – Andrew Norwell (Commanders)
- C – Jason Kelce (Eagles)
- RG – Zack Martin (Cowboys)
- RT – Lane Johnson (Eagles)
Defense
- EDGE – Haason Reddick (Eagles)
- DT – Jonathan Allen (Commanders)
- DT – Leonard Williams (Giants)
- EDGE – Chase Young (Commanders)
- LB – Micah Parsons (Cowboys)
- LB – Kyzir White (Eagles)
- LB – Leighton Vander Esch (Cowboys)
- CB – Trevon Diggs (Cowboys)
- CB – Darius Slay (Eagles)
- CB – Kendall Fuller (Commanders)
- S – Anthony Harris (Eagles)
- S – Kam Curl (Commanders)
Special Teams
- K – Jake Elliott (Eagles)
- P – Tress Way (Commanders)
- KR – Tony Pollard (Cowboys)
- PR – Jalen Reagor (Eagles)
NO EAGLES JERSEYS AMONG TOP 10 IN SALES
According to NFL Shop, no Eagles jerseys are among the top 10 in sales so far in 2022.
Surprisingly, no Cowboys jerseys are in top 10, either.
So far, the jersey power is in the AFC. Eight of the top 10 sellers are AFC players.
The list:
- Russell Wilson, Broncos
- Josh Allen, Bills
- Davante Adams, Raiders
- Kenny Pickett, Steelers
- Tom Brady, Buccaneers
- Mac Jones, Patriots
- Cooper Kupp, Rams
- Justin Herbert, Chargers
- Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs
- Joe Burrow, Bengals
Eight of the top 10 are quarterbacks. The only non-quarterbacks are wide receivers Adams and Kupp.
There is only one rookie — Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett, and there is no guarantee he will be the starter. But Pickett played his college ball at Pitt, so that might explain his popularity in the Pittsburgh market.
