Author: Olivia Reiner

The Eagles are being awarded a $4 million grant from the state of Pennsylvania to help fund renovations to their training facility, the Jefferson Health Training Complex, according to documents published by the Office of the Budget.

The Philadelphia Business Journal was first to report on the grant award.

The Eagles had submitted an application for the grant through the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program, which supports regional economic, recreational, cultural, civic, and historical improvement projects, during the 2025 funding round.

The team had applied for a $7.725 million RACP grant. The program requires at least 50% of the total project costs to be paid by at least one non-state funding source. The Eagles listed their total private match at roughly $7.753 million, bringing their budget total for the project to approximately $15.478 million.

The Eagles declined to comment on the awarding of the grant.

The Eagles listed their planned renovations in the application, which included the expansion of the locker room and the training room, the construction of a cafeteria addition to include a rooftop area, the expansion and renovation of the seating area in the existing cafeteria, the renovation of the kitchen, the expansion and renovation of the staff locker rooms and coaches locker rooms, and the expansion and development of the main lobby and coaches’ entrance.

The grant, the Eagles wrote, would be used to “offset hard construction costs associated with the renovations to the amenities” they listed in the application, resulting in a “more efficient workplace and training facility.”

The Eagles also were required to explain how the project to upgrade the Jefferson Health Training Complex, which was called the NovaCare Complex until mid-February when the team announced new sponsorship agreements, will provide a benefit or improvement to the community in the application.

“NovaCare has served as the Eagles’ training facility and corporate headquarters since 2001,” the team wrote. “The Eagles have made 3 Super Bowl appearances and earned 2 Super Bowl victories in the past 8 years. This would not be possible without its commitment to investing in its facilities to attract top talent. This success has fueled civic pride and provided increased visibility to the city. As the nature of professional sports has changed, so have teams’ needs relating to physical space.

“When NovaCare opened, we had 138 full-time employees. Today we have 276. In 2017, the Eagles Autism Foundation was created, and has grown from a staff of 1 to 10 and raised $40MM+. From 2003-12, total PA State Income Tax withheld was $29.5MM (average of $2.9MM/year). From 2013-22, total withheld was $61.7MM (average of $6.17MM/year). We project that for 2023-32, total withheld would be $113.9MM (average $11.39MM/year). This project will ensure the facility can meet the needs of our team as it continues to grow.”

The Eagles also explained the factors that they relied on to arrive at their requested grant amount.

“The construction of the NovaCare Complex included public financing, and the Complex sits on public land,” the Eagles wrote. “It is an excellent example of a successful public/private partnership that has generated an economic return for the Commonwealth and the City. Financial assistance from the Commonwealth will enable the Eagles to maximize the scope of the project, minimize the construction timeline, and increase the prospect of maintaining the practice facility at the site.”

As The Inquirer reported in February, the team has been upgrading its practice facility after acquiring the former Rothman Orthopaedics space. The team had a meeting last offseason with their player leadership council to address the topics raised in the 2025 NFLPA survey, which rated the locker room a D+, as a means of identifying prospective improvements.

This year, according to an ESPN report, the Eagles locker room was rated a D. Still, the team received an A- for their weight room and a B- for their training room.

The Jefferson Health Training Complex may not be the only Eagles facility subject to upgrades — or, potentially, more significant changes. At the league meeting in March, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie said the team is conducting “exploratory research” on the prospect of a new or renovated stadium ahead of the expiration of Lincoln Financial Field’s lease in 2032.

One of the variables that the Eagles must consider is the location of a potential new stadium, either in the South Philadelphia sports complex or beyond. Lurie wouldn’t rule out any potential location if the stadium was built anew, noting that he would do “whatever’s best for the fans.”

A week later, Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said on The Inquirer’s unCovering the Birds podcast, “We’re not going to lose the Birds. They’re going to stay in Philly, and we’re going to make sure of that.”

It’s fitting to see Sam Mills’ face on the cover of a book, seeing as he was the personification of the saying “don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Mills, the Pro Football Hall of Fame member and Long Branch, N.J., native who began his pro career with the USFL Philadelphia Stars, is the subject of a new biography written by former Inquirer and Daily News columnist Paul Domowitch. Just Give Me a Chance To Fail: The Life of NFL Linebacker Sam Mills chronicles the late linebacker’s improbable rise from Long Branch High School and Montclair State to the New Orleans Saints’ “Dome Patrol” defense and the expansion Carolina Panthers, despite being undersized at 5-foot-9.

Domowitch details the impact that Mills made — on and off the field — on the people around him until his death from cancer in 2005. Ahead of the book’s on-sale date on July 28, Domowitch spoke to The Inquirer for a Q&A about Mills’ legacy and the writing process.

The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.

When did you decide that you wanted to write a book about Mills?

When I still worked at The Inquirer, I kind of figured I wanted to write books after I, quote, “retired.” I was going to work till 70 initially. Ended up taking the buyout at 67 and shortly after that, I knew Sam was what I wanted to write about. I had known him since 1983 and his life was just so fascinating. Everybody roots for the underdog, and Sam’s the ultimate underdog. So he was the guy I wanted to write about first. I took the buyout October of 2021. Started on the book, and then ended up doing some freelance for The 33rd Team that took up a lot of my time. So it kind of slowed down the progress on the book. But I kind of started it in earnest again a couple of years ago, and finally finished it.

How important were those years with the Stars in setting up the rest of his pro career?

Without the Stars, I’m not sure he would have had a career because he’d been cut by the Browns. He’d been cut by the [CFL’s Toronto] Argonauts at that point. He was pretty much accepting the fact that he was going to go back to teach and coach some high school football. And … he had to kind of be talked into even going for the tryout with the Stars and then signing a contract with them, so I don’t know that he would have ever gotten another chance without the USFL. He signed with them and was probably, with the possible exception of Reggie White, the best defensive player in that league in the three years he played there. So that probably would have been the end of his career without the USFL. So it was very important to him.

The irony there, which I point out in the book, is Jim Mora, his coach with the Stars and later with the Saints, wanted to cut him the first time he saw him at training camp in Philly because he, like everybody else, refused to believe his eyes that somebody that could be 5-9 could play linebacker in professional football. He finally became convinced, and even then, when he goes to New Orleans and takes the head coaching job there and signs Sam, he’s still not sure he’s going to have an impact in the NFL like he did in the USFL. It wasn’t until he got there in that first practice in a 9-on-7 drill when he just dominated and stoned running backs and got off blocks against guys that were 60, 70 pounds bigger than him that Jim was convinced that he’d survive in the NFL. So without the USFL, I don’t think the guy ever plays pro football.

You got to see him up close in those early days. Did you ever think that he would be able to overcome his height, first at the USFL level, and then ultimately in the NFL, where he built a Hall of Fame career?

It was pretty clear early on in training camp that he was probably the best defensive player they had. The USFL that first year, it was basically a lot of rejects, guys who were on their second and third and fourth chances that had been cut by at least one or two NFL teams. So there were a lot of guys like him. You didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to his size at that point, because I didn’t even know that first year early on what the caliber of the league was going to be. And then as the season went on, you saw both that this was a pretty good league, and that he was a pretty good player. Now, to transfer that and wonder whether he could do that in the NFL, I never doubted he could, because I watched him for two years before that last year when [the Stars] played in [Maryland], and I wasn’t covering them. Size never seemed to be a problem for him. He was able to get under people’s pads. He was the best tackler I’ve ever seen. He was the smartest defensive player I’ve ever covered because he learned early on how to watch film and just knew the game so well that he anticipated what was going to happen and that gave him an advantage that maybe his height might have shortchanged him. So did I think he was going to be a Hall of Famer? I mean, no. Who knows when a guy goes to the NFL, regardless of whether he’s a first-round pick or an undrafted guy like Sam from another league?

But it was pretty quick. After he got to New Orleans, you knew he was going to be a great player in that league. He just took off. [Vic] Fangio was his position coach, and he was surrounded by some pretty good players on that defense in New Orleans the first couple years. But he became their leader, and you just watch them. The one shame there is that they weren’t better offensively in New Orleans. It’s what kind of held that team back the entire time Sam was there. You look at his numbers and the defense’s numbers in the years he played there, and they were a phenomenal defense, but they didn’t have a particularly good quarterback. They had a guy [Bobby Hebert] that was OK, but not good enough to get them over the top. Jim Mora was a very conservative coach. He felt that if you had a good defense and a good running game, that’s all you needed back then. And he found out that wasn’t quite enough and ended up losing all four times they were in the playoffs and in the wild-card round.

You mentioned Fangio, and his career very much mirrored Mills’ career early on. How impactful was Mills on Fangio, and not only his philosophy on linebacker play and what makes a good linebacker, but also as a person, too?

I think he was very impactful on Vic early on in New Orleans, because Vic, he was a year older than Sam. Sam was 27, I think, when he went to New Orleans. Vic’s 28. First time he’s coaching a position after two years as an entry-level coach with the Stars. Sam quickly became the leader of that defense, leader of those linebackers, and he basically let it be known that you need to trust this guy and believe in him. Not that Vic was struggling. Jim [Mora] believed in him, but even [former Saints general manager] Jim Finks had some reservations about whether Vic was ready for that job. Jim [Mora] said he is, and Vic never made him regret it. But Sam believing in Vic, I think, made it easier for [fellow linebackers] Rickey Jackson, Pat Swilling, Vaughan Johnson to also believe in him, and bring that whole unit together. I think after that, Vic’s knowledge of defense and linebackers and understanding of what Sam could do, and the intelligence he brought … I think there’s a quote in the book somewhere in his foreword where [Fangio] says [Mills] was the leader of that team on the field spiritually and schematically, I think is the way he put the quote. So when he understood what Sam meant to that defense, and especially when he got to Carolina, when he was teaching younger guys, Sam was so important to his career after that.

So they were really good for each other, and as you see in the book, he just loved the guy. He has a picture of Sam on his [office] wall ever since Sam died. I gave him a picture a few weeks ago. I dropped by the [Jefferson Health Training] Complex and gave him a picture of him and Sam standing on the sideline. He’s talking to Sam back when he was playing with the Panthers, and I could tell he was really touched to get it. The picture is in the book, but I gave it to him in a frame, and I think it really meant a lot to him, because that’s just how much he loved the guy. He was in Houston when Sam got cancer, and he went up to Carolina a couple times when he was getting chemo during the 20 months after he was diagnosed, and sat with him and spent time with him while he was getting his chemo and after that. He loved him.

A lot of people loved Mills, and you spoke to so many people for the book. But why Fangio? Why did you want Fangio to write the foreword for the book?

For one, he had spent 15 years with the guy. And I knew how close they were. The story, I think it’s in his foreword, about when he was the head coach in Denver. They start out 0-4 that first year, and he puts together a video for the Saturday night meeting before their fifth game about Sam. Video of Sam playing, video of … ‘Keep Pounding’ speech, not the speech itself, but the impact he had, the statue, just all that inspirational stuff that he put together on a team that none of these guys ever played against Sam. It was in 2019. Sam died in 2005. But that’s how important Sam was to him that he even thought to do that.

So the only other guy I thought about for the foreword was Jim Mora, but Jim had presented Sam at the Hall of Fame when he was inducted. I just felt Vic was probably … aside from Jim, there was nobody else I even thought about. I mean, family, guys he played with. There were so many people that he was close to, but Vic just struck a chord, I guess maybe because he also happened to be coaching in Philly, and I knew him pretty well. All the pieces kind of fell together.

You mentioned the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You’re a voter and you were there for those meetings, notably the one in 2022 where he ultimately got voted in. What were those meetings like, and what really put him over the top at the buzzer?

It was his third year as a finalist. The previous two years, I think I put this in the book, he never even made the reduction vote from 15 to 10. He was eliminated quickly both times. And you get to that last year, I didn’t have a sense for what was going to happen. I couldn’t tell you I was optimistic because it didn’t seem like the rest of the people in the room were hearing what we were saying when we would talk about him. I think the fact that it was his last year was what ultimately rang a bell with people. They realized there was myself and [reporter] Jeff Duncan from New Orleans and Darin Gantt from the Panthers website who spoke up for him. Then some other people that followed after that. It just seemed like everybody realized this was his last chance, because if he became a senior candidate, you can wait forever and never get in. And so when he made it from 15 to 10, I just had a feeling, and then when he made it from 10 to five, and went in on the yes-no vote, it was just really gratifying because there aren’t too many guys that wait that long and get in.

What lessons do you hope people take away from reading about Mills?

As much as this book is about him as a football player, him as a person, I think I mentioned in the book, no one that I interviewed had a bad word to say about this guy. The way he lived his life, when you consider what he went through, there was a lot of reasons along the way for him to be bitter, starting with the fact that nobody believed he could play football, to the fact that he’s diagnosed with this incurable cancer at an age when he’s just starting his coaching career and probably would have been a head coach very quickly.

And he was never bitter. He was just kind of like, “OK, this is just something else I have to deal with,” and he knew he wasn’t going to beat it, but he wasn’t going to surrender. He never took pity on himself the entire time, right up till the time he died. Even when it became clear to him that time was running out, he’s planning his funeral. He’s planning the menu for his funeral. He’s getting the speakers. He’s saying his goodbyes to longtime friends. That’s the kind of stuff that you just don’t see. People that read this book, I hope, look at it beyond football and see a guy that they should emulate as a person, as well as everything else that he overcame.

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Dontayvion Wicks

Position: Wide receiver

Age: 25

Previous experience: The Eagles acquired Wicks this offseason from the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the fifth round in 2023 out of Virginia. Wicks also signed a one-year, $10.5 million extension, keeping him under contract through 2027.

He overlapped for two seasons in Green Bay with Sean Mannion, the new Eagles offensive coordinator who served as a Packers offensive assistant in 2024 and the quarterbacks coach in 2025. But Wicks’ best season was his rookie year in 2023, when he racked up a career-high 581 yards and four touchdowns on 39 receptions.

Every year since has paled in comparison. He finished with 415 yards and five touchdowns on 39 receptions in 2024, and 332 yards and two touchdowns on 30 receptions in 2025. Wicks was, in part, a victim of the Packers’ deep receiving corps, as he never played more than 54% of the offensive snaps in a single season.

He also struggled with drops in 2024, registering the third-highest drop rate at 11.8% among wide receivers with at least 70 regular-season targets, according to Stathead.

Still, the 6-foot-1, 206-pound Wicks has had his standout moments, including his two-touchdown performance in the Packers’ Thanksgiving victory over the Detroit Lions last season. His drop rate improved in 2025, too, finishing with a career-low 4.3%.

Path to a roster spot: Wicks currently projects (depending on whom you ask) as the third receiver behind DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon, although Hollywood Brown could contend with him for more targets. Wicks will have an opportunity to show that he’s capable of taking on more responsibility in the offense, especially one that traded away its top playmaker in A.J. Brown this offseason.

The Eagles are high on Wicks. Nick Sirianni likened his skill set to that of Keenan Allen, especially in terms of their shared ability to get in and out of breaks and their efficiency at the line of scrimmage. Wicks also has the versatility to line up in the slot (39.3% of his career pass snaps, according to Pro Football Focus) and on the outside (58.9%).

Fun fact: Wicks was a quarterback at Plaquemine High School in Louisiana, and a left-handed one, too. His arm came in clutch during his rookie season when he completed a 14-yard pass to running back Aaron Jones on a trick play against the Denver Broncos.

Quotable: “He’s a unique player in terms of some of the things that he’s able to do from a route-running perspective. He’s headed into Year 4, you’ve seen the growth, and I think you’re excited, because you still see that there are parts of his game that he’s still refining, like every single player. I think he brings toughness. Obviously you can see from watching the tape, he’s a talented guy. One thing I think with Tay is his mindset, he thinks the game in the proper way.” — tight ends coach Ryan Mahaffey, the former Packers receivers coach, on Wicks in June

Player: Jose Ramirez

Position: Outside linebacker

Age: 27

Previous experience: Ramirez was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 2023 sixth-round pick out of Eastern Michigan. He didn’t make the initial 53-man roster out of training camp that summer and subsequently was signed to the Bucs’ practice squad.

In 2024, shortly after his three-sack performance in the second week of the preseason against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ramirez made the active roster out of camp. He appeared in four games that season (30 defensive snaps, 40 special teams snaps). The 6-2, 252-pound outside linebacker was waived at the end of training camp in 2025.

Ramirez continued his pro career in the CFL with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season. In three games, he registered one sack and four tackles. Ramirez was released in the offseason to sign a reserve/future contract with the Eagles in January.

Path to a roster spot: Ramirez has a shot at the practice squad, but it’s a long one. He will have to compete against veteran A.J. Epenesa and sixth-rounder Keyshawn James-Newby for one of the last spots on the active roster behind Jonathan Greenard, Jalyx Hunt, Nolan Smith, and Arnold Ebiketie. If the 27-year-old Epenesa is the early favorite to make the initial 53, James-Newby and Joshua Weru (International Player Pathway program; would not count toward 16-man limit) are the top candidates for the practice squad.

Fun fact: In four years at Eastern Michigan, Ramirez notched 20½ sacks, the second-greatest career total in school history. He had 12 sacks in 2022, making him the fourth player at Eastern Michigan since 1998 to notch double-digit sacks in a single season. That season, he was named the Mid-American Conference’s defensive player of the year.

Quotable: “I feel like my best attributes are my stab and my speed, just using my get-off to scare the O-lineman. But I feel like there’s a lot of things I need to work on. Even the things I’m good at, I feel like [there’s] still room to get to perfection. I feel like you can practice over and over and over, and there’s no such thing as getting to the end of it. There’s always time to get better.” — Ramirez in 2023 after the draft, via the Buccaneers

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Marquise “Hollywood” Brown

Position: Wide receiver

Age: 29

Previous experience: Brown is a seven-year NFL veteran who was the first receiver taken in the 2019 draft (No. 25 overall out of Oklahoma by the Baltimore Ravens). He spent the first three years of his career with the Ravens, including a standout 2021 season in which he racked up a career-high 1,008 yards and six touchdowns on 91 receptions.

But Brown said that he wasn’t fond of the Ravens’ offensive system, leading to his trade request following his third season in Baltimore. The Ravens shipped him to the Arizona Cardinals on the first day of the 2022 draft.

The Cardinals picked up his fifth-year option. He played the final two years of his rookie deal in Arizona, ranking second on the team in receiving yards in both seasons (709 in 2022 and 574 in 2023).

Brown signed consecutive one-year deals over the last two seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs. He missed the majority of the 2024 season with a shoulder injury. In 2025, he started six games (16 games total), finishing the year with 587 yards (second-most on the team) and five touchdowns (tied for the team high) on 49 receptions.

Early in his career, Brown established himself as a speedy deep threat. He didn’t run the 40-yard dash at the combine or Oklahoma’s pro day due to a foot injury, but he reportedly ran a 4.3 40 in 2018. While Brown may have lost a step since then, he can still stretch the field vertically.

Path to a roster spot: Brown figures to slot in as the Eagles’ third or fourth receiver behind DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon. He’ll also vie for targets against Dontayvion Wicks, the 25-year-old receiver whom the Eagles acquired from the Green Bay Packers this offseason.

But Brown could carve out a singular role for himself in the offense as a deep threat, reminiscent of the job that Quez Watkins sought to fulfill early in Nick Sirianni’s tenure. Brown has the potential to open up opportunities for players underneath, so long as defenses respect him downfield.

Fun fact: Before he went to Oklahoma, Brown started his collegiate career at College of the Canyons, a community college in Santa Clarita, Calif. He wasn’t on a scholarship, so Brown made money by working as a ride operator at a nearby Six Flags, according to Sports Illustrated.

Quotable: “I think when you talk about Hollywood, there have been times [in] our offense we’ve had, really, that vertical skill set, but also a guy who can separate at the top of his routes. We had that a little. I always look at our teams in ’17, I thought Nelson [Agholor] did a great job of that, bringing that to the team. I think you look [at] ’22 and Quez did a good job of that. I think the ’24 team was constructed a little bit differently, but I think that really fits the skill set of our quarterback.” — Howie Roseman in March

Player: Zion Wilson

Position: Defensive tackle

Age: 23

Previous experience: Wilson spent the last five years at East Carolina. He joined the team as a walk-on in 2021 as an offensive lineman. He did not see game action until 2023, when he mostly began to serve in a special-teams capacity (11 games, 51 snaps on special teams). That role continued in 2024 — he played in all 13 games (70 snaps) on special teams.

Wilson, 6-foot-3, 316 pounds, also switched to the defensive line in 2024. The following season, he had a breakout performance, finishing with 42 tackles (including 10 for a loss) and seven sacks (which ranked second in the American Conference).

He reportedly spent the spring of 2026 at Virginia, where he planned to play in the fall. But the NCAA denied his sixth-year waiver, forcing him to go pro. Wilson signed a three-year deal with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in June. His contract includes $225,000 in guaranteed money, according to Over The Cap.

Path to a roster spot: Wilson is an intriguing rookie, but he would have to beat out the likes of Byron Young, Uar Bernard, and Ty Robinson for one of the last couple of active roster spots among the defensive tackle corps. He is most likely a contender for the practice squad in 2026. His special teams experience would make him a valuable, versatile addition, too.

Fun fact: Wilson comes from a football family. His uncles, Willie Smith and C.J. Wilson, both played at East Carolina and had NFL careers. Smith, an offensive tackle, played a total of four seasons (2011-14) for Washington, the Oakland Raiders, and San Diego Chargers. The elder Wilson, a defensive end, played a total of seven years (2010-16) for the Green Bay Packers, the Raiders, the Detroit Lions, and the Chicago Bears.

Quotable: “Dude knows a lot about football. A lot. And just seeing his mind just [transfer] over [from] O-line straight to D-line. Just taking off from there. I kind of look up to him. Dude’s been wanting to do this his entire career here. Now, he’s got to finish it out here at ECU his senior year doing it. That dude is balling out. I could not be more happy and proud of him.” — East Carolina defensive lineman Preston Carr on Wilson in November, via The Holton Ahlers Show on Pirate Radio

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Cole Payton

Position: Quarterback

Age: 23

Previous experience: Before the Eagles selected him in the fifth round this year, Payton spent the last five seasons at North Dakota State. He started 13 games in 2025, his lone season as the starting quarterback, completing 161 passes for 2,719 yards and 16 touchdowns. His passer rating (193.8) and yards per pass attempt (12.1) set single-season school records.

But the 6-foot-3, 232-pound Payton wasn’t just a passer. He was also lauded for his rushing ability, racking up 1,918 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns on 287 carries over his five seasons in Fargo. Payton set single-season school records in total offensive yards per game (268.9) and yards per play (9.71) in his redshirt senior season.

Payton hails from Omaha, Neb., where he played at Westside High School. He earned 2020-21 Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year honors while throwing for 1,704 yards and 22 touchdowns on 113 passes that season. He also rushed for 1,029 yards and 17 touchdowns on 124 carries.

Path to a roster spot: Payton is a fifth-round pick at the most important position on the field, so it seems unlikely that the Eagles would try to sneak him through waivers to the practice squad at the end of training camp. Perhaps the Eagles could move Tanner McKee before the cutdown deadline, or they could keep all four quarterbacks including Andy Dalton on the roster, a departure from their trend of carrying three.

Regardless, barring a disastrous training camp and preseason, Payton is likely to make the initial 53-man roster. He won’t be the primary backup to Jalen Hurts this season, but he could contend for the role in the future. In the short term, could Payton find a role as a Taysom Hill-esque gadget player? Nick Sirianni said after the draft that “we’ll see how that goes” once he gets acclimated to the playbook.

Fun fact: Payton made his first start at North Dakota State in the home opener against Tennessee State in 2024 … as a running back. He had three carries for 6 yards and two receptions for 5 yards in that game, but he also completed three passes for 29 yards and a touchdown at quarterback.

Additionally, Payton is left-handed, which is a rarity in the NFL. He joins Atlanta’s Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. and Cleveland’s Dillon Gabriel among the handful of active left-handed quarterbacks in the league.

Quotable: “Really, really athletic. Really good with the ball in his hands in the quarterback run game. Made great decisions with the football. Accurate passer. As you know, 72% [completion] last year as a starter. And you can’t be that unless you’re making good, accurate throws and going to the right place with the ball. But there’s some wild plays on his tape that are really impressive. I think I charted four times he jumped over somebody or [I] wrote down a bunch of times that he’s the best athlete on the field.” — Sirianni on Payton after the draft

Player: Tucker Large

Position: Safety

Age: 23

Previous experience: Large, 5-11, 185 pounds, was a preferred walk-on at FCS school South Dakota State in 2021, with most of his college offers coming from Division II teams, according to the Spokesman-Review. He began playing football relatively late at Roosevelt High School in Sioux Falls, S.D., earning meaningful snaps by his junior season.

He had a breakout year at South Dakota State in 2023, his redshirt sophomore season, on defense and as a return specialist. Large led the FCS national championship team with nine pass breakups and ranked second with four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown). He also set a single-season school record with 149 punt-return yards on four attempts against Drake.

Large transferred to Washington State for his redshirt senior season in 2025 after WSU hired coach Jimmy Rogers away from SDSU. He started all 13 games at safety, registering 71 tackles (three for losses) and eight pass breakups. Large sustained an apparent right knee injury in the Idaho Potato Bowl victory over Utah State in late December.

Large signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent after his five-year college career, but he was waived with an injury designation and placed on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list in May.

Path to a roster spot: Safety depth on the practice squad. His experience as a return specialist could help him carve out a role, too. But Large faces an uphill battle to stick with the Eagles in any capacity given his injury and his lack of practice time with the team. If he is cleared to return and participate in training camp, he could have a chance to vie for a spot on the practice squad with players such as Cole Wisniewski, Andre’ Sam, and Kapena Gushiken.

Fun fact: Large was a standout basketball player in high school. He set a single-season school record at Roosevelt when he notched 61 steals in 2021.

Quotable: “I’ve always loved his confidence. ‘Coach, just give me the ball,’ or ‘Put me in a position. I’ll make a play for you. They’re not gonna throw it over my head. I hope they throw it my way.’ That kind of thing. When you have that confidence, then I think you’re not afraid to make some plays and gamble a little bit. He’s never had any fear about doing that.” — Roosevelt football coach Kim Nelson on Large, via the Spokesman-Review

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28.

Player: Jonathan Jones

Position: Cornerback

Age: 32

Previous experience: Jones is the most veteran player in the cornerbacks room, bringing 10 years of NFL experience to the Eagles. He spent nine seasons and earned two Super Bowl rings (2016, 2018) with the New England Patriots, the team that signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Auburn in 2016.

He spent most of his early Patriots career as a backup defensive back (primarily at nickel) and a special teams contributor until 2022, when he earned the starting outside cornerback job out of training camp. That year, he started 16 games, registering a career-high four interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), three forced fumbles, and 11 pass breakups.

Jones remained the starter in New England in 2023 and 2024, then signed with the Washington Commanders as a free agent in 2025. As a backup last season, he started seven games, making five pass breakups and notching one sack. He took the bulk of his snaps on the outside.

Path to a roster spot: Cornerback depth — at either spot, but most likely on the outside. The Eagles are set among their starting trio of Quinyon Mitchell and Riq Woolen on the outside and Cooper DeJean in the slot. Michael Carter II could be the primary backup in the slot if he doesn’t win the starting safety job, but Jones could earn the top backup role on the outside if he fares well in training camp against contenders that include Kelee Ringo and Mac McWilliams.

Fun fact: For his introductory news conference in March, Jones took a private plane from Charlotte to Philadelphia — that he piloted himself. Jones earned his pilot’s license in April 2023 while he was a member of the Patriots. He documented his flight to Eagles mandatory minicamp in a video shared to his Instagram page.

Quotable: “I can remember being the younger guy in the room, full of veterans, Devin McCourty and those guys, and just trying to compete with them. And so now being the older guy in the room, just still having that joy of the game, coming out, competing in practice and games, and just still having that childhood joy of playing football is definitely what keeps you going.” — Jones in March on his rare longevity as an undrafted player

Player: Samori Touré

Position: Wide receiver

Age: 28

Previous experience: Touré, who is 6-foot-1, 196 pounds, has four years of NFL experience, spending the latter half primarily on practice squads.

He began his career with the Green Bay Packers, the team that drafted him in the seventh round out of Nebraska in 2022. Touré saw limited action in Green Bay, combining for 13 receptions for 160 yards and a touchdown in 22 games (two starts) in two seasons on the active roster. He was released in August 2024 after ending the previous season on injured reserve.

Since his release from the Packers, he has been on three practice squads: the Chicago Bears (2024), the Denver Broncos (2025), and the New Orleans Saints (2025). He was only active on game day with the Saints, the team that picked him up in late November last season after the Broncos released him in late October. Touré had one reception for three yards in one game with the Saints.

Path to a roster spot: Receiving depth, both on the outside and in the slot, most likely as a member of the practice squad. The active roster seems like a stretch, given that Touré will be competing with Darius Cooper, Johnny Wilson, Elijah Moore, and Britain Covey for one of those last couple spots in training camp.

Even the practice squad will be a challenge for Touré to make, seeing as he does not have special teams experience. In addition to the aforementioned active roster contenders, Touré will have to beat out practice squad incumbents Danny Gray and Quez Watkins for a spot on that unit.

However, while Touré did not overlap with Sean Mannion in Green Bay, they are both products of Matt LaFleur’s offense to an extent. That experience could give Touré a boost while competing for a role in the revamped Eagles offense, which will likely feature similarities to the Packers’ scheme.

Fun fact: Touré is named after his great-great grandfather, Samori, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. He was the founder of the Wassoulou Empire in West Africa, which spanned modern-day Guinea, Mali, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone from 1878-1898.

Quotable: “Samori has had his moments, and we gotta continue to build upon those and become more and more consistent along the way. But he’s a guy that we definitely have high hopes for. He has the tools necessary that you look for in terms of being able to separate. He has them in his body. He possesses those. It’s just continuing to get more and more reps.” — LaFleur on Touré in July 2023, via Packers.com

With Eagles training camp drawing nearer on the horizon, The Inquirer is taking a closer look at the more than three dozen new faces who are expected to report along with the rest of the team on July 28. Whether a 2026 draft choice, a veteran addition, or a rookie free-agent hopeful, we’re telling you more about each player’s potential role this season. We’re rolling out two players per day in a mostly unscientific order that balances offense and defense, bigger names with mysteries, and locks with longer shots to be chosen for the 53-man roster.

Player: Elijah Moore

Position: Wide receiver

Age: 26

Previous experience: Moore was taken three spots ahead of Landon Dickerson in the 2021 draft. He went to the New York Jets in the second round, No. 34 overall, after three seasons at Ole Miss. His rookie year arguably was the best of his NFL career, when he posted a career-high five touchdowns and 538 yards on 43 receptions in 11 games (six starts).

During his second season with the Jets, Moore reportedly requested a trade over his lack of involvement in the offense. But he remained on the team until March 2023, when he was traded to the Cleveland Browns. He posted a career high in receiving yards that season with 640 and two touchdowns on 59 receptions through 17 games (12 starts).

Moore played for the Browns for two seasons before signing with the Buffalo Bills as a free agent last year. He played nine games (two starts) and had nine receptions for 112 yards, plus six carries for 24 yards and a touchdown, before he was released in November.

Moore finished the season on the Denver Broncos’ practice squad and was elevated to the game day roster for the AFC championship game. The 5-foot-10, 178-pound receiver signed a one-year, $1.32 million contract with the Eagles in March.

Path to a roster spot: Moore is a potential wide receiver depth option. The Eagles have a clear-cut top four receivers in DeVonta Smith, Makai Lemon, Dontayvion Wicks, and Hollywood Brown, but they could carry at least another receiver or two on the active roster. Moore will compete in training camp for one of those depth roles, along with Darius Cooper and Johnny Wilson.

Moore’s experience sets him apart, especially as he vies for a role on a team in need of playmakers in the absence of A.J. Brown, his former college teammate and roommate. He still can show up in key moments and displayed his versatility on his second career rushing touchdown last season when he motioned out of the slot and took the handoff for a 4-yard score against the Jets. Earlier in that game, he also had a 31-yard catch-and-run reception on third-and-long.

Fun fact: In just eight games in 2020, Moore broke Brown’s single-season record at Ole Miss for receptions by one catch with 86. Moore accumulated 1,193 yards that season, 127 short of Brown’s total in 12 games in 2018. In his record-setting season, Moore led the nation with 149.1 receiving yards per game and 10.8 receptions per game.

Quotable: “I think he’s so sudden in and out of cuts. I think that he can play inside and play outside and have that versatility for us. Smart guy. He knows his stuff. And he’s a fun guy to be around, too.” — Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Moore in July 2025

Player: Dameon Pierce

Position: Running back

Age: 26

Previous experience: Pierce brings four years of NFL experience to the Eagles. He was selected by the Houston Texans in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of Florida. Pierce spent more than three seasons with the Texans, highlighted by his rookie year, when he started 13 games and rushed for 939 yards and four touchdowns on 220 carries.

An ankle injury ended his rookie campaign prematurely. Pierce fell down the depth chart in subsequent seasons and served as a depth running back and kick returner. In 2023, Pierce returned a kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown against the Cleveland Browns.

Houston released Pierce in November 2025. He landed with the Kansas City Chiefs and appeared in one game. Last season, he took just 14 handoffs total and rushed for 36 yards. Pierce’s days as a full-time starter likely are behind him, but the Eagles could represent an opportunity for him to carve out a contributing role.

Path to a roster spot: Special teams and running back depth. With Saquon Barkley and Tank Bigsby locks to make the initial roster, Pierce will compete with Will Shipley and Elijah Mitchell for the third running back spot. As the incumbent, Shipley has a leg up, but training camp will provide an opportunity for the three players to compete for the role, with the consolation prize being a chance at making the practice squad.

Pierce could have an advantage over Mitchell, given his kick return experience. He has averaged 32.8 yards per return over the last three seasons. However, on four returns with Houston in 2025, Pierce averaged 23 yards per return.

Fun fact: Pierce told the Texans in 2022 that if he could go pro in another sport, he would choose pie eating. Tastykake, here’s your next spokesperson.

Quotable: “I’m still learning. Coming into this year, I just look at it as, I got four years of experience on my side. I take every up and down in my career as a collective and just look at it and try to learn how to get better from it. Coming to Philly is just another step in my journey that I’m looking forward to. At the end of the day, man, I just want to play ball, and Philly gave me a great opportunity to do so.” — Pierce in March