Biggest Eagles questions by position in 2026: Defense

Biggest Eagles questions by position in 2026: Defense originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

We’re still over a month away from the start of Eagles training camp, which gives us plenty of time to ponder the biggest questions about the 2026 team.

The Eagles are hoping to be a Super Bowl contender this season after a disappointing wild-card round exit in 2025.

With that in mind, we answered the biggest questions by position on offense yesterday. Today we’re flipping over to the defense:

Defensive tackle: Will Jalen Carter return to dominance?

We have seen glimpses from Jalen Carter that make you think he can be one of the most dominant defensive players in the NFL. Heck, he has already been named a Pro Bowler in two of his first three seasons. He’s really good either way. But it’s time to see if Carter can go from really good to the type of Defensive Player of the Year candidate many think he’s capable of becoming.

Last season, Carter dealt with shoulder injuries that required injections during the season. Those injuries clearly sapped his strength and rendered him much less effective. But Carter still had a good season. In 11 games, he had 3 sacks, 7 batted passes, 5 TFLs and 12 QB hits.

Carter is eligible for an extension this offseason and it isn’t going to be cheap. The highest paid defensive tackle in the NFL was Chris Jones, who is making around $31 million per season. But then Jeffrey Simmons just got paid on a new deal that’s worth over $35 million per season. Carter’s next contract is going to be huge, which is tricky considering he hasn’t put together a full and truly dominant season just yet.

Edge rusher: Can Jonathan Greenard produce at a high level?

It’s true that Jonathan Greenard was not the Eagles’ top choice this offseason at edge rusher, but it doesn’t mean he won’t end up being the best option. They first tried to keep Jaelan Phillips in free agency until the Panthers went over their walk-away number. Then they looked into other free agents. It wasn’t until Day 2 of the draft, when the Eagles pulled off a trade with the Vikings to acquire Greenard. They then gave him a four-year, $98 million contract. Greenard immediately becomes the Eagles’ top-of-the-rotation edge rusher ahead of Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt.

Greenard is 29 now and is coming off a down season in 2025. He had just 3 sacks in 12 games before his season ended with a shoulder injury that needed surgery in December. But Greenard is a proven player who had 12 sacks with the Vikings in 2024 and 12 1/2 sacks with the Texans in 2023. And his pressure numbers were still good last season. In fact, his pressure rate of 15.4% in 2025 was actually higher than his pressure rate of 13.4% in 2024. So there are reasons to think Greenard will have a productive season for the Eagles, and they’re counting on it.

Linebacker: Is Jihaad Campbell ready to take a big step?

The Eagles drafted Jihaad Campbell in the first round last year for a reason. And now he’ll get a chance to be a full-time starter in 2026 after Nakobe Dean left in free agency. The Eagles loved Dean but they know their future is Campbell. Dean this offseason agreed to a three-year, $36 million deal with the Raiders.

Campbell actually began last season as a full-time starter next to Zack Baun but eventually lost that spot when Dean came back and played at a high level. Dean was better than Campbell last year but it doesn’t mean that Campbell played poorly. In fact, Campbell showed a lot of promise. He played in all 17 games (starting 10) and had 80 tackles, an interception, 3 pass breakups, a forced fumble and 2 TFLs. He also has a ton of upside in coverage.

Campbell missed all spring with a shoulder injury but is expected to be ready for training camp next month. Hopefully, that will be the case.

Cornerback: Will this be the best trio in the NFL?

Most of last year, the Eagles tried to find an upgrade over Adoree’ Jackson. They never did. Eventually, Jackson settled in and Vic Fangio did things with his coverages to help Jackson. But the Eagles clearly didn’t want CB2 to be a weak spot in 2026. Because in March, they signed Riq Woolen to a one-year, $12 million deal. That gives the Eagles a starting trio of Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean and Woolen. That might be the very best in the NFL.

There are reasons Woolen was available on a one-year deal. But Vic Fangio seemed surprised Woolen didn’t get a long-term contract elsewhere. Not only did Fangio like what he saw on tape, but Woolen was the star of the show during spring practices. You should always take spring performances with a grain of salt but Woolen seemed to wow everyone in OTAs and mandatory minicamp.

Safety: Is Marcus Epps going to be the other starter?

If there’s one weakness among the 22 starting players on the Eagles’ roster, it’s probably at safety. Drew Mukuba returns for his second NFL season and will take back his starting job but Reed Blankenship left in free agency in March to join the Texans. That means one of the starting jobs is open. When the Eagles are in their base package, Cooper DeJean is going to slid back and play next to Mukuba but that still leaves about 75-80% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps at safety left over. Marcus Epps is the frontrunner to take them.

The Eagles are going to have some sort of competition for that job in training camp but Epps is very clearly going to get the first crack. He filled in admirably last season after Mukuba’s injury and offers some stability at the position as a veteran. Epps was a full-time starter in 2022 on that Super Bowl team before leaving in free agency the following offseason. The biggest competition for Epps is Michael Carter II, who is making the transition from nickel corner to safety as he tries to win this job. If the Eagles get to training camp and think Epps nor Carter are the answer, there’s a chance they would add another player.

Special teams: Can Jake Elliott get things back on track?

Based on his contract situation, it was unlikely the Eagles were ever going to move on from Jake Elliott this season and then they reworked his deal to pretty much signal he’s going to be the kicker in 2026. The Eagles have to hope the 31-year-old improves this season. Because while Elliott is probably already the greatest kicker in Eagles history and has been a huge clutch kicker for them, the last two years just haven’t been great. Over the last two seasons, Elliott has made just 48 of 58 kicks (76.2%) and is just 5 for 15 (33.3%) from 50+ yards. Elliott did have a bad year before in 2020 (when he was 73.7%) but he followed it up with three strong seasons in a row. He did not bounce back from his struggles in 2024 the way you’d like to see.

Of course, Elliott has always been a big-time performer in the playoffs. He missed one kick in the 2024 playoffs but overall is 28 for 29 (96.6%) in the playoffs. There have been 36 kickers in NFL history to attempt at least 20 field goals in the playoffs and Elliott’s FG percentage ranks second behind just Robbie Gould, who was perfect on 29 career attempts in the postseason.

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Broncos sign third-round pick Tyler Onyedim as logjam of unsigned third-round picks breaks

The logjam of unsigned picks at the top of the third round of the 2026 NFL draft is starting to break.

The Broncos signed defensive tackle Tyler Onyedim, the second player drafted in the third round, to his rookie contract on Sunday night. That signing came just hours after the Raiders signed Keyron Crawford, the third player drafted in the third round.

Onyedim gets a four-year, $7.38 million contract with a $1.8 million signing bonus. According to Luca Evans of the Denver Post, Onyedim got no guaranteed base salary on the deal. The delay in signing high third-round picks was caused in part by agents trying to get guaranteed base salary for them, but teams have been holding firm that the only money they would guarantee for third-round picks was the signing bonus.

The top third-round pick, Cardinals quarterback Carson Beck, remains unsigned. Also unsigned are the fourth, fifth and sixth picks of the third round: Eagles offensive tackle Markel Bell, Bears tight end Sam Roush and 49ers edge rusher Romello Height.

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Roob's Observations: Will Jeffrey Simmons' deal help Eagles sign Jalen Carter?

Roob's Observations: Will Jeffrey Simmons' deal help Eagles sign Jalen Carter? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

How does the Jeffrey Simmons contract affect Jalen Carter? What Eagle played the most games in franchise history without reaching the postseason? And what’s the most important day of the Eagles’ 2026 season?

We continue plowing through the NFL dead period with another fun batch of Roob’s 10 Random Eagles Offseason Observations.

And I promise: No soccer content.

HOW JEFFREY SIMMONS IMPACTS JALEN CARTER: It will be interesting to see whether the Jeffrey Simmons contract kick starts negotiations between the Eagles and Jalen Carter. Simmons re-set the interior lineman market with his three-year, $105.8 million contract, which includes $100 million in guaranteed money. Simmons is a five-time Pro Bowler and was a 1^st-team all-pro last year, and his average annual salary – $35.27 million per year – is the most ever for a defensive tackle, supplanting Chris Jones of the Chiefs, who is averaging $31.75 million per year. Carter’s 2024 season was as good as any of Simmons’ seasons, but Simmons has done it year after year on a consistent basis and Carter hasn’t. But Simmons is also 3 ½ years older than Carter, who just turned 25. Carter shouldn’t get as much as Simmons, but he should be fairly close, so maybe the Simmons deal helps define Carter’s value in the $32 to $33 million per year range. Just above Jones but just below Simmons. It’s a little scary putting that kind of money in Carter’s pocket because of questions about his maturity (Dak on opening day), questions about his fitness (which Vic Fangio questioned early last year) and questions about his health (procedures last year on both shoulders). But his talent is insane. When he’s right, he’s an unstoppable force. If the Eagles don’t get a Carter deal done before the season starts, negotiations will stop until after next season. So the two sides have about 2 ½ months to get this figured out. The Eagles would love to get Carter locked up, and Carter would love to put close to $100 million in his pocket. You’d think that along with the Simmons deal would be enough to get this thing done.

MOST GAMES WITHOUT A PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: If you’re like me, you just randomly wonder stuff. And the other day I just randomly started wondering what player played the most games in Eagles history without ever playing in the postseason. The answer is Nate Ramsey, who was with the Eagles during a really lean stretch – the early 1960s through the early 1970s. Ramsey played 134 games as an Eagle from 1963 through 1973, the 28^th-most games in franchise history. The Eagles were 50-96-8 during that span with just one winning season – 9-5 in 1966. They actually didn’t reach the postseason for 17 consecutive years, from 1961 through 1977 with just the one winning season. Next on the list of most games in Eagles history without a playoff appearance: Linebacker Don Hultz (119 games from 1964 through 1973), Tom Woodeshick (111 games from 1963 through 1971), Bill Bradley (110 from 1969 through 1976), Gary Pettigrew (106 from 1966 through 1974), Dave Lloyd (105 from 1963 through 1970), Al Nelson (105 from 1965 through 1973), Ben Hawkins (104 from 1966 through 1973) and Jim Skaggs (100 from 1963 through 1972). Every one of those players was on the 1970 and 1971 teams.

IS HE A TACKLE OR A GUARD? I like seeing the Eagles work Myles Hinton into the mix at guard. Hinton, the Eagles’ 6^th-round pick last year, stands 6-foot-6, 325 pounds, and he played tackle in college at Stanford and Michigan. But the Eagles have veteran Fred Johnson and rookie 3^rd-round pick Markel Bell as backup tackles, and they need guard depth more than tackle depth right now. They have Drew Kendall, last year’s 5^th-round pick, but he’s really a center, and there’s this year’s rookie 6^th-round pick, Micah Morris, who was a solid college player. But especially with Landon Dickerson’s injury concerns, upgrading guard depth makes a lot of sense, and although it was surprising at first seeing Hinton at guard, the more you think about it, the more it makes sense. He’s a huge dude, and the Eagles certainly aren’t averse to moving massive tackles with no guard experience inside. We saw it with Mekhi Becton two years ago. So another guy to keep an eye on in training camp. Hinton doesn’t have a roster spot secured, but the more you can do the better your chances, and Hinton has a chance.

YEAR AFTER YEAR: The Eagles, Bills and Steelers are the only teams that have had a winning record in each of the last five years. The Eagles are the only one of those teams that won’t have a new head coach in 2026. 

A STEAL IN THE SECOND ROUND: It’s easy to forget what a tremendous draft pick DeSean Jackson was in the middle of the second round in 2008. Jackson’s 11,263 career receiving yards are 7^th-most in NFL history by a 2^nd-round pick and only two of the six ahead of him were drafted as late as 49^th overall (Anquan Boldin and Davante Adams). Jackson’s 66 career touchdowns are 11^th-most by a 2^nd-round pick, and his 17.6 career yards per catch is 2^nd-highest by a 2^nd-round pick (minimum 500 catches) behind only Hall of Famer Lance Alworth. Jackson and Hall of Famer and former Eagle James Lofton are the only players in NFL history with at least 11,000 receiving yards and a 17.0 average. And get this: Jackson was the seventh WR taken in the 2008 draft, but he made more Pro Bowls in his career (three) than the six ahead of him combined (one). 

STREAKING INTO 2026: DeVonta Smith has caught at least one pass in 62 straight games, the 8^th-longest current streak in the NFL and 9^th-longest in Eagles history. Smith can move up pretty far on the Eagles streak list this year if he continues catching passes. Within reach this year are Brian Westbrook (64 straight over 2003 through 2008), Mike Quick (65 from 1984 through 1990), Fred Barnett (71 from 1990 through 1995) and DeSean Jackson (75 from 2008 through 2019). The longest streaks in Eagles history belong to Harold Carmichael (127 from 1972 through 1980), Zach Ertz (95 straight from 2014 through 2021), Keith Byars (87 from 1987 through 1992) and Tommy McDonald (80 from 1957 through 1963). The last time Smith played and didn’t catch a pass was opening day 2022, when he was held without a reception in the 38-35 win over the Lions at Ford Field.

HOW DID THEY LOSE THAT GAME? What were the Eagles’ odds of losing to the 49ers when they took a six-point lead into the fourth quarter of their wild-card game at the Linc as six-point favorites? Going into that game, teams that were favored by at least six points and led by at least six points going into the fourth quarter were 139-1 in the postseason in NFL history, with the only loss coming in 2018, when the Chiefs – as 8 ½-point favorites – led the Titans 21-10 through three quarters in their wild-card game at Arrowhead Stadium before losing to 22-21, Marcus Mariota over Alex Smith. You have to like those odds. Especially considering how banged-up the 49ers were. So 99.3 percent of the time the team with the touchdown lead wins that game. That was such a terrible loss, one of the Eagles’ worst playoff losses ever. Because that game was so right there for them to win. 

JALEN HURTS STAT OF THE WEEK: Jalen Hurts is one of only 11 quarterbacks to reach two Super Bowls in his 20s. The others are Hall of Famers John Elway, Troy Aikman, Bob Griese, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Montana and Brett Favre, future Hall of Famers Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady and possible Hall of Famers Ben Roethlisberger and Russell Wilson. 

TYLER STEEN IS ACTUALLY GOOD: I think it’s natural for people to think of Tyler Steen as the weak link on the Eagles’ offensive line because he’s the only starter who hasn’t been a Pro Bowler or all-pro. But Steen was very good last year, and his Pro Football Focus overall grade of 73.4 was 14^th-highest of 67 guards who played at least 500 snaps last year. His 73.4 run blocking grade was 11^th-highest, and his 75.4 pass blocking grade was 10^th-highest. He was one of only four guards who graded out at 73 or higher both run and pass blocking, along with eight-time Pro Bowler Quenton Nelson of the Colts, Damien Lewis of the Panthers and the Titans’ Peter Skoronski. Steen is solid.

KEEP AN EYE ON NOV. 26: You can make a case that the Eagles’ most important game every year is the Cowboys on the road. They don’t win very often in North Texas, but when they do their odds of winning the NFC East are pretty good. In fact the last two times the Eagles won at AT&T Stadium were 2017 and 2024, and they went on to win the Super Bowl both years. Eight of the last 12 times they won in Dallas they won the NFC East. But Nick Sirianni is 1-4 in Dallas, the same record Doug Pederson had. This year’s Eagles road game in Dallas is Nov. 26, a Thursday night in Week 12. 

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Sunday Patriots Notes: Defensive ‘showstoppers’ ready to build off late-season success

Foxborough, MA - June 9: New England Patriots cornerbacks Marcus Jones and Carlton Davis III walk onto the field for practice on June 9, 2026. (Photo by Danielle Parhizkaran/The Boston Globe via Getty Images) | Boston Globe via Getty Images

While Gillette Stadium has remained busy the past few weeks, the New England Patriots are officially off on their summer break.

Before we do the same — there are only so many Patriots talking points available between now and training camp — let’s clean out the notebook from the last weeks of the spring. Welcome to the latest edition of our Sunday Patriots Notes.

Showstoppers

The Patriots defense played its best football of the season down the stretch last year.

For cornerback Carlton Davis, that group of “showstoppers” now has a chance to build on that momentum entering 2026.

“I feel like we’re coming right in where we left off, playing at a high level [with] good chemistry,” he said. “It’s just so good to have all the guys back. When you have everybody here, you just can feel the momentum that we had for last year. And even the new additions are coming in with the same mentality. So yeah, it’s been fun.”

That late-season success was especially evident in the secondary. New England leaned into the unit during the playoffs, increasing its man-coverage rate, and the group rewarded that trust.

On the way to the Super Bowl, the Patriots defense allowed just 2.7 yards per play while in man coverage — more than a full yard better than the league-leading Chargers defense during the regular season (4.0). Davis, Christian Gonzalez, and Marcus Jones led that charge, as the trio allowed a passer rating of just 48.2 and a 39.3 percent completion rate in man coverage.

An increase in ball production followed as well, leaving Davis confident the Patriots can field one of the NFL’s premier secondaries this season.

“Coach always says stay away from predictions and stuff,” Davis said. “But I just want to say our confidence is high. It’s really high. I want us to be the strength of the defense.”

While New England will again rely heavily on its top cornerback trio, the team added veteran safety Kevin Byard behind them in free agency.

Byard joins second-year pro Craig Woodson on the backend, giving the Patriots a safety tandem that has only increased the confidence level throughout the secondary.

“He brings what every great safety would bring to a defense: communication, knowledge, experience, ball skills. You can name it, he’s done it,” Davis said. “He’s just given us all a little more confidence, knowing he’s back there, and he’s orchestrating the show.”

Rookie work

While the veterans are off on break, the Patriots rookie class stayed behind in Foxboro this past week. As usual, work continued in meetings while the group got a chance to continue to connect off the field as they took a trip to Fenway Park on Thursday before taking part in the Juneteenth Community Football Clinic at Newton North on Friday.

“This rookie class is awesome. All the people are super close,” first round pick Caleb Lomu said. “This week of just rookies, all the vets are already out and all that. It’s been awesome being able to work out, do what we need to do, and then be able to do things like this.”

Caleb Lomu, at Newton North for the Juneteenth Community Football Clinic, speaks about spending the last week with the awesome rookie class … including taking a trip to Fenway on Thursday. pic.twitter.com/nnb2tDsT9k

— Brian Hines (@iambrianhines) June 19, 2026

During the event on Friday, second-round pick Gabe Jacas was the lone rookie not in attendance.

Will and Jared

The Patriots coaching staff has seen growth in their second-year wide receivers this offseason. That also rings true for their second-year offensive lineman, Will Campbell and Jared Wilson.

“I think just maturity. I think he’s studying the game. He’s trying different things. Spring is the time to try things,” Mike Vrabel said of Campbell. “He’s working on different sets, working on different techniques. I think at the line of scrimmage, it’s so much not the first technique, but it’s the secondary response. Both guys aren’t going to have their hands inside. The D-lineman isn’t going to have their hands inside and the offensive lineman. So, somebody’s going to have to do something to change that, to get back in the correct position. 

“I think he’s worked hard, conditioning, pushing himself and pushing that group. I think it’s been really good to see him and Jared [Wilson] push that group. So, I’m excited about that.”

TE interest

Julian Hill’s season-ending injury appears to have put the Patriots back in the tight end market, as Mike Vrabel acknowledged the position is “probably somewhere where we would have to address.”

Among the free-agent options is former Patriot Pharaoh Brown, whose skill set makes sense as an in-line tight end with blocking ability. Brown appears to be on board with the idea as well, responding this past week to a comment about the Patriots potentially signing the 32-year-old.

“I’d prefer that signing as well,” Brown replied with the eyeballs emoji. “I didn’t know I was that young. I’m still a spring chicken lol.”

Potential X-factor

With plenty of question marks along the edge this offseason, the Patriots signed Xavier Holmes after he participated in rookie minicamp as a tryout player. Positional coach Mike Smith was originally surprised by the rookie.

“He’s one that shocked me,” Smith said. “You know, those guys that just get that tryout, it’s not a priority free agent. I mean, that’s a tough deal to do and to make it. But what I saw from him, a bigger guy that can move. He’s got some athletic ability, more than people think. Running his tail off to the ball. He’s in there asking questions, asking good questions.

“I get a feeling in my stomach sometimes. Not always right. Nobody’s [always] right. But there’s something about him that I like, and there’s something about him that he seems tough.”

Holmes, who Smith acknowledged has plenty of work to do when the pads come on, began his collegiate career in Maine where he earned Second Team All-CAA honors. He eventually transferred to James Madison and posted six sacks.

“X was a productive college player,” Vrabel said. “There’s a lot of reasons guys fall through the draft or maybe don’t sign as a free agent. He came here. You’re just looking for little things. Are they coachable? They make a mistake, and can they correct it? You look at effort, you look at skill set. Sometimes when they’re doing the drills, X was able to do that. Most of the guys, you have to do something to kind of stand out, and he did that.”

Setting up the week ahead

The Patriots’ offseason workout program was originally scheduled to end this week, but Mike Vrabel decided to cut it short by scrapping three OTA practices and moving mandatory minicamp up a week. That means summer break has already begun.

At Pats Pulpit, meanwhile, we will tone things down a bit, too. That said, we will still provide you with daily coverage, including additional offseason wrap-up coverage, training camp previews, and our roster scouting report series. So, make sure to stay tuned.

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Patriots WR DeMario Douglas: Josh McDaniels wants me adding my swagger to his playbook

Patriots wide receiver DeMario "Pop" Douglas says offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has big plans for him in New England's offense in 2026.

Douglas said at the Patriots' mandatory minicamp that McDaniels has told him what kind of receiver he wants to be this season, and Douglas is ready for it.

“More savvy. Don’t do what I see on the piece on the paper. Go add my swagger to it . . . add some juice to it. He believes in me and I appreciate him for that," Douglas said of McDaniels, via Mike Reiss of ESPN.

Douglas saw his overall production decline last season, with a career-low 31 catches, and the arrival of AJ Brown and Romeo Doubs means Douglas is going to have to prove himself to get passes thrown his way this season. He sounds eager to show he has something to contribute to the Patriots' offense.

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What would a successful Malik Willis season look like – The Splash Zone 6/19/26

The Miami Dolphins will be entering the 2026 with a revamped roster and with a new quarterback at the helm in Malik Willis. The oddsmakers do not think highly of the Dolphins this season and if they end with a top pick in the first round, they are probably looking to draft a new quarterback for the future. However, if Willis can win a few extra games and look competent, he may have proven he can be the Dolphins starter heading forward.

You can check out that story here, and the rest of the day’s round-up below.

Miami Dolphins Q&A: 10 Questions That Will Define 2026, Part 2 of 10
What does a ‘successful’ 2026 season look like for Malik Willis?

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Dolphins Running Backs

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The ex-Tennessee star is thankful for his Miami teammate’s recent big news.

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Dolphins Tight Ends

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There are a number of things going for Miami Dolphins tight end Greg Dulcich heading into the 2026 season.

The team leading the charge with the NFL’s hottest trend may hold the ticket to roster upgrade for the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins could use some extra help at plenty of positions — and one team elsewhere has a surplus worth watching.

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Dolphins Offensive Line

Dolphins sign new tackle prospect after parting ways with two linemen
After parting ways with two offensive tackles earlier in the week, the Miami Dolphins found a replacement Wednesday.

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Phinsider News You May Have Missed

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Welcome to the Splash Zone, the quickest way to get your day started off right. We bring you a rundown of Miami Dolphins news from the last 24 hours.

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We ask Miami Dolphins fans which new players on the defense they are most excited to see play.

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Rumors are circling that the Dolphins may get a uniform redesign in 2027.

Miami Dolphins Discussion: 2026 Season Hopes Vs Expectations Edition
We ask Miami Dolphins fans what their hopes vs their expectations are for the upcoming NFL season.

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49ers News: A bit over a month until we see Jordan James practice with pads on

Which 49ers rookies impressed in OTAs, and which UDFA might make the team? Mailbag
“So I don’t feel nearly as insightful about the spring season as I have in previous years.

Having said that, it was interesting to see Jaden Dugger line up as the strongside linebacker. He got that opportunity because the regular strongside ‘backer, Luke Gifford, got a concussion when he collided with Mike Evans (yikes!) early in OTAs…..Receiver De’Zhaun Stribling and running back Kaelon Black flashed in at least one of the practices I watched, and I’ve heard coaches liked what they saw from cornerback Ephesians Prysock. The linemen? As always, we have to wait until the pads come on in training camp to assess that group.”

Who is the 49ers’ most important role player?
“Mykel Williams, Ricky Pearsall, Alfred Collins, and Renardo Green don’t count as role players in my book. You used first and second-rounders on those players. Those four should be among the core players that are the reason you will be among the best teams in the league. 

I’m thinking more along the lines of an Upton Stout, a Romello Height, a Jacob Cowing, or a Jordan James.

Stout, playing in a Raheem Morris scheme, should be utilized heavily as a blitzer. Height is walking into a dream scenario as the fourth pass rusher. Cowing, along with Jordan Watkins, can be the “splash” play wideouts who can also flip the field as returners. 

But I’m going with Jordan James, for obvious reasons. There’s the injury concern with Christian McCaffrey after his workload last season. James didn’t get much run last year as a rookie, but he seems like the more natural runner than rookie Kaelon Black — who is likely the third-down back if McCaffrey does indeed go down. 

The Niners aren’t going to overload a rookie, unless Black gives them no choice but to put him on the field. While James doesn’t have the top-end speed, pass-game impact, or playmaking of Black, his vision, contact balance, and overall feel as a running back will keep the 49ers’ offense ahead of the chains. That was an issue last season. The ground game struggled mightily for multiple reasons, but one of those was due to their backup lacking what it took to succeed as a runner.”

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