Eagles news: Jeff Lurie praises new kickoff rule; Birds' Brazil opponent down to two teams; best remaining free agents

We're in the third week of free agency, and while the well has significantly dried up, there are still a number of top NFL players available.

Former Broncos safety Justin Simmons, who has experiencing playing in new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's system, has yet to sign with another team.

The Eagles season opener in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 6 will stream exclusively on Peacock, NBC's subscription streaming service.

Fortunately, Birds fans in Philadelphia will be able to watch the game locally on NBC10.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Eagles have a long history of building their offensive line through the draft. All five starters from last season – tackles Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata, guards Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens, and center Jason Kelce all arrived in Philly that way.

And with many draft analysts projecting as many as ten offensive linemen to be selected in the first round it’s possible the Eagles take one of them. They have the No. 22 pick, but also two second rounders that could be used to address the position.

The NFL is planning to play two Christmas games this season, despite the holiday falling on a Wednesday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced Tuesday.

Last year, the Eagles defeated the New York Giants on Christmas day, their only win in a December collapse that ended with the Birds in second place in the NFC East. There were two other Christmas games – the Raiders defeated in Kansas City, and the Ravens topped the 49ers.

The NFL announced the newest set of bylaw changes – including a few major changes to the NFL calendar.

The biggest change is the trade deadline, which is being pushed back to the Tuesday following Week 9 games, one week later than the previous deadline, which came after Week 8. In 2024, that day will be Nov. 5, instead of Oct. 29.

ORLANDO, Fla. — The real question is who replaces Cam Jurgens at right guard after he moves over to fill Jason Kelce's old spot at center?

“As we sit right now, I like our guys,” Nick Sirianni said Tuesday at the league meetings. “We got guys back with major experience … and then a couple guys there that have played a lot of plays, too, one coming off an injury, and some other depth pieces.”

ORLANDO, Fla. — When the Eagles start offseason workouts this spring, they’ll have a new starting center for the first time in 14 years.

Jason Kelce’s retirement has left a void in the middle of the offensive line that will likely require Cam Jurgens sliding over from right guard. The Eagles also lost a couple of depth pieces to free agency this offseason – Jack Driscoll and Sua Opeta – that has the unit looking thinner than it has in years.

ORLANDO, Fla. — With the start of the season still months away, head coach Nick Sirianni wasn’t too keen on divulging some of the details about how the Eagles’ revamped offense will look with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore at the helm.

At the NFL annual league meeting on Tuesday morning, Sirianni said that Moore has done “an unbelievable job so far” of “directing the ship” and reiterated that they will mesh elements of their past offenses together. However, Sirianni wouldn’t quantify how much of the playbook will consist of plays from Moore’s offenses compared to his own from the past.

NFL owners voted to approve a major change to kickoffs Tuesday morning they hope will increase the number of returns, according to multiple reports.

The change, inspired by the XFL, would shift everyone but the kicker to the receiving team's territory. Owners say the move would encourage more kickoff returns while allowing players to avoid the type of high-speed collisions that led to injuries. Last year was the lowest rate of kickoff returns in NFL history, with just 22% returned.

Owners will vote Tuesday on a plan to increase the number of teams eligible to be chosen for Hard Knocks on HBO, according to Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer. 

If approved, the new rules would make it harder for teams like the Eagles to avoid being forced to participate in the documentary series. Under the new rules, only the following teams would be exempt:

After two weeks of NFL free agency, 11 former Eagles players have yet to be signed by other teams.

Among those yet to sign are Julio Jones, the seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro the Eagles added to the team in October. Jones, 35, had just 11 catches in 10 games last season, but did manage to haul in three touchdowns.

The Eagles were busy at the start of free agency, signing 11 players who spent 2023 elsewhere and re-signing or extending six of their own, including left guard Landon Dickerson and kicker Jake Elliott. But there are still talented players left on the market, and general manager Howie Roseman is continuing to evaluate the Eagles’ options.

When Roseman was asked Monday specifically about his interest in free agent safety Justin Simmons, who played for new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio when he was the head coach of the Denver Broncos, the Eagles general manager spoke generally about his desire to improve the roster.