{"id":170455,"date":"2025-06-30T13:53:10","date_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:53:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/170455\/"},"modified":"2025-06-30T13:53:10","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T13:53:10","slug":"eagles-news-the-biggest-surprise-player-on-philadelphias-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/170455\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagles News: The biggest surprise player on Philadelphia\u2019s roster"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"ezLPnF\">Let\u2019s get to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleedinggreennation.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> links &#8230; <\/p>\n<p id=\"AXl76R\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/45583046\/nfl-2025-biggest-surprise-players-every-team-offseason#PHI\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">2025 NFL offseason: Biggest surprise players on each team &#8211; ESPN<\/a><br \/>PHILADELPHIA EAGLES: WR Danny Gray. The 26-year-old wideout made an impression during the OTA and minicamp practices open to reporters, using his 4.33 speed to stretch the field and accelerate past defenders on catches over the middle. Gray was a third-round pick of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ninersnation.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">San Francisco 49ers<\/a> in 2022. He dealt with some injuries and tallied just one reception during his time in San Francisco. He was waived by the Niners in August and signed with the Eagles\u2019 practice squad days later. Philadelphia has one of the top receiving duos in the league in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but there are some roster spots up for grabs lower on the depth chart. Gray will be competing with players like Ainias Smith, Avery Williams and Terrace Marshall during training camp.<\/p>\n<p id=\"E6pczn\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleedinggreennation.com\/2025\/6\/30\/24457090\/jalen-carter-contract-projection-philadelphia-eagles-dt-could-be-highest-paid-ever-tackle\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Jalen Carter contract projection: Eagles DT could be highest-paid ever &#8211; BGN<\/a><br \/>This contract would immediately place Jalen Carter in second among interior defensive linemen in all major categories, vaulting him ahead of Christian Wilkins ($27.5 million APY, $57.5 million guaranteed) and former teammate Milton Williams ($26 million APY, $51 million guaranteed). While it wouldn\u2019t match Chris Jones APY, it would give Carter a significantly higher amount of guaranteed money ($72 million vs $60 million) and a much higher percentage of guarantees (60% vs 37.8%). Given Howie Roseman\u2019s tendencies, I\u2019d expect this contract to mirror other recent Eagles extensions. The base salary will be placed at the lowest amount possible, with the vast majority of the contract paid out through signing and option bonuses. I won\u2019t even attempt to predict exactly how Roseman will shape the deal in terms of actual dollar amounts of the individual bonuses or the number of void years. I do think it\u2019s safe to predict that Carter\u2019s deal is likely to be heavily backloaded and contain at least a couple void years to continue spreading out the cap hit from the signing and option bonuses.<\/p>\n<p id=\"rUhdSa\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.phillyvoice.com\/10-reasons-eagles-can-repeat-super-bowl-champs-2025-jalen-hurts-saquon-barkley\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">10 reasons the Eagles can repeat as Super Bowl champs &#8211; PhillyVoice<\/a><br \/>1) Jalen Hurts is a big game player: There\u2019s a belief among some in the NFL community that the Eagles\u2019 roster was so loaded last season that all Jalen Hurts needed to do was not mess it all up, and go along for the ride. There is certainly some truth to the notion that Hurts had as ideal a situation as any quarterback could ever ask for. 1) He played behind the best offensive line in the NFL. 2) He had the best player in the NFL last season (Saquon Barkley) standing next to him in the backfield. 3) He was throwing to one of the best wide receiver duos in the NFL in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, plus a very good tight end in Dallas Goedert. 4) On the other side of the ball, the Eagles had the No. 1 defense in the NFL, and consistently produced takeaways. But what is also undeniable is that in the Eagles\u2019 two <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/super-bowl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Super Bowl<\/a> runs in 2022 and 2024, Hurts was a star. He was the best player on the field in Eagles-Chiefs I, and he was the game MVP of Eagles-Chiefs II. In his 8 playoff games since 2022, Hurts has completed 69.5% of his passes, he has thrown 9 TDs vs. 1 INT, he ran for 10 TDs, and he has a 6-2 record. Did the Eagles win some regular season games in which Hurts didn\u2019t play particularly well? Sure. But the idea that he was \u201calong for the ride\u201d in the playoffs is nonsense. He was a big reason why the Eagles now have two Lombardi trophies. The Eagles merely need to get into the tourney, and anything can happen.<\/p>\n<p id=\"PQRPrG\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com\/nfl\/philadelphia-eagles\/roobs-observations-andy-reid-training-camp-nolan-smith\/673053\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">In Roob\u2019s Eagles Observations: Remembering Andy Reid\u2019s Three Days of Hell at Lehigh &#8211; NBCSP<\/a><br \/>2. We\u2019ve been talking all offseason about how Nolan Smith really found himself as a pass rusher last year with 10 \u00bd sacks from Week 6 on, including 4.0 in the postseason, and I\u2019m on the record as saying he\u2019s going to have 12 to 14 sacks this season. But let\u2019s not forget that Smith is one hell of a run defender as well. Just like his mentor, Brandon Graham, he may be under-sized, but his effort against the run is exceptional. Out of 72 edge rushers who played at least 500 snaps last year, Smith\u2019s 74.0 Pro Football Focus run defense grade ranked 13th, which is outstanding. A lot of edge rushers aren\u2019t interested in playing the run because stopping the run doesn\u2019t get you paid, sacks do. But Smith is committed to being an all-around player. You worry about a guy 245 or 250 selling out against the run, especially as aggressive as Smith is. But you also don\u2019t want to see a guy like Smith change the way he plays. How do you not love the constant intense effort both rushing the passer and playing the run? <\/p>\n<p id=\"QFLSCT\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.philadelphiaeagles.com\/news\/eagles-2025-training-camp-position-preview-quarterback-jalen-hurts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Eagles 2025 Training Camp Position Preview: Quarterback &#8211; PE.com<\/a><br \/>After the 2024 bye week, Jalen Hurts was 14-0 in games that he started and finished, including playoffs. He amassed 36 total touchdowns against just four giveaways in that span.<\/p>\n<p id=\"JpxzLg\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.heraldmailmedia.com\/story\/sports\/2025\/06\/30\/super-bowl-champ-jalyx-hunt-philadelphia-eagles-returns-to-hagerstown-youth-football-camp-super-bowl\/84269793007\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 Jalyx Hunt returns to Hagerstown for youth football camp &#8211; The Herald-Mail<\/a><br \/>The final day of the Washington County Football Combine Camp featured a special guest June 27 at North Hagerstown High School. Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Jalyx Hunt, who grew up in Hagerstown, made an appearance to help coach the young campers. \u201cI\u2019ve been wanting to get back out here,\u201d Hunt said of returning to Hagerstown. \u201cIt\u2019s such an integral part of who I am as a person, not only in my sports career, but just who I am. When I was invited to come out here, I had to make it happen. I couldn\u2019t miss this opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p id=\"qlM4u7\"><a href=\"https:\/\/go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641758&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fdraft-2014-nfl-redraft-pff-grades-data&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.bleedinggreennation.com%2F2025%2F6%2F30%2F24458778%2Feagles-news-biggest-surprise-player-philadelphia-roster-danny-gray-nfl-training-camp-49ers-espn\" rel=\"sponsored nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" has-subtag=\"true\" data-cdata=\"{\" rewritten_url=\"\">2014 NFL Redraft: Rebuilding the first round based on PFF grades and data &#8211; PFF<\/a><br \/>22. Philadelphia Eagles: WR Sammy Watkins, Clemson (Round 1, Pick 4). Watkins didn\u2019t become the superstar that most expected him to be as the fourth-overall pick, but he did have a productive career that included major contributions to Patrick Mahomes\u2019 first Super Bowl run in Kansas City. From 2014 to 2019, Watkins earned a solid 79.9 PFF receiving grade. He looked like a rising superstar in 2015, when his 89.6 PFF receiving grade ranked eighth in the NFL. Unfortunately, injuries plagued the rest of his career as he played 600 or more snaps just twice in the following seven seasons.<\/p>\n<p id=\"wLT19V\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloggingtheboys.com\/2025\/6\/29\/24457484\/dallas-cowboys-5-random-training-camp-thoughts-miles-sanders-jaydon-blue-kavontae-turpin-joe-milton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">5 random training camp thoughts for the Dallas Cowboys &#8211; Blogging The Boys<\/a><br \/>Two: The Cowboys current stable running backs leaves much to be desired, with no one really standing out as the clear-cut starter right now. Miles Sanders is most accomplished RB on the roster, but he\u2019s far removed from that 1200+ yard season he had with the Eagles in the 2022. In two years with the Panthers he barely rushed for over 600 yards. I\u2019m wondering if he\u2019s washed or if he still has something left in the tank. He turned some heads in unpadded practices, but what we look like once the hitting starts in padded ones?<\/p>\n<p id=\"xjAiHI\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigblueview.com\/2025\/6\/29\/24458329\/pff-ranks-the-giants-defensive-line-third-best-in-the-nfl\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">PFF ranks the Giants\u2019 defensive line third-best in the NFL &#8211; Big Blue View<\/a><br \/>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigblueview.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">New York Giants<\/a> will have to deal with an unfamiliar foe in 2025: Raising expectations. The Giants have only been saddled with expectations a couple times in recent memory, most notably following their upset playoff victory over the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailynorseman.com\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a> in the 2022-2023 playoffs. Prior to that, it was following their playoff appearance in 2016-2017. As we head into 2025, expectations are reaching a fever pitch, at least on the defensive side of the ball. Just how high are those expectations rising? Pro Football Focus has the Giants\u2019 defensive front third in their pre-season rankings. No, that wasn\u2019t a typo. Third in the whole National Football League. <\/p>\n<p id=\"txuWHD\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sbnation.com\/2025\/6\/30\/24457103\/the-best-nfl-qbs-of-the-super-bowl-era-ranked-by-our-experts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">The best NFL QBs of the Super Bowl era, ranked by our experts &#8211; SB Nation<\/a><br \/>Quarterbacks are the lifeblood of modern NFL offenses and they have taken on a huge role in the Super Bowl era. Some were flashy, other methodical. Some earned nicknames, while others earned titles while some earned both. There is no shortage of great quarterbacks to discuss over the last 60 years, and we wanted to distill that list. This brings us to the assembly of a 13-person panel to decide the 30 greatest quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era. 48 quarterbacks received votes for respective placements on the list. Those votes have been tallied, and the list has officially been put together. So, with that said, let\u2019s meet the panel and the 30 greatest quarterbacks of the Super Bowl era.<\/p>\n<p id=\"40e8av\">&#8230;<\/p>\n<p id=\"1ct0dY\">Social Media Information:<\/p>\n<p id=\"SUm9fC\">BGN Facebook Page: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/pages\/Bleeding-Green-Nation\/57835308051\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to like our page<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"eOrQ2B\">BGN Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BleedingGreen\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Follow @BleedingGreen<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"Zn8wbe\">BGN Bluesky: <a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/bleedgreennation.bsky.social\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Follow @bleedgreennation.bsky.social<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"mJ3fW9\">BGN Instagram: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/bleedinggreeninsta\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Follow @BleedingGreenInsta<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"W7V3qs\">BGN Manager: Brandon Lee Gowton: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BrandonGowton\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Follow @BrandonGowton<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"lC0Iyt\">BGN Radio Twitter: <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BGN_Radio\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Follow @BGN_Radio<\/a><\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links &#8230; 2025 NFL offseason: Biggest surprise players on each team &#8211;&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":170456,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[1646,26,3663,25,7,29,27,28,88,6,144,242,188,1647,396,1542,24],"class_list":{"0":"post-170455","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-biggest","9":"tag-bleeding","10":"tag-category-daily-links","11":"tag-eagles","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-front-page","14":"tag-green","15":"tag-nation","16":"tag-news","17":"tag-nfl","18":"tag-on","19":"tag-philadelphia","20":"tag-player","21":"tag-roster","22":"tag-s","23":"tag-surprise","24":"tag-the"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/170456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}