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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Three under-the-radar candidates who could be the stars of the Eagles' 2025 training camp
Which Eagle will become this year's Paul Turner? It's been one year since Paul Turner captivated our will be this preseason's Paul Turner? #Eagles When it comes to training camp standouts, Eagles fans have fond memories of wide receiver Paul Turner. During a time when the Eagles desperately needed receiver talent, Turner did everything in his power to secure a roster spot in 2016, finishing the preseason with an NFL-best 17 receptions for 165 yards. Turner ultimately didn't make the final 53-man roster, but he joined the Eagles' practice squad and was called up later in the season. Who will be the Eagles' training camp darling of 2025? Here are three early candidates who could create their own success stories. Reigning Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley will lead the backfield next season, but who will step up behind him? Kenneth Gainwell signed with the Steelers in free agency, leaving RB2 snaps up for grabs. The Eagles signed former Packers RB A.J. Dillon this offseason, but he's been out of the league for a year and reportedly on the roster bubble. Second-year tailback Will Shipley offers pass-catching ability and is expected to see an increased role. If Dillon and Shipley don't impress in camp, UDFA Montrell Johnson Jr. could make things interesting. Johnson, 5-11, 216 pounds, rushed for over 3,000 yards and 33 touchdowns during his college career, including 2,251 yards and 21 touchdowns at Florida while averaging 5.5 yards per carry. Johnson is a natural power runner and a known home-run hitter, as evidenced by his 4.41 40-yard dash time, which ranked fifth-best at his position. He certainly has the traits of an NFL running back. Montrell Johnson Scouting Report via Lance Zierlein Johnson's running style is marked by violence on contact and all-fight-no-flight instincts. He's a rugged interior runner who creates yards with good power and balance on contact but lacks a feel for lane development and creativity when he's cornered. He's a more tempo-driven runner towards the B- and C-gaps and possesses the agility to sink and cut while keeping the run downhill. He's not very elusive but bullies open-field defenders with force to break tackles. Johnson is going to get what is there and run with consistent effort and toughness. He could compete for a role as a two-down backup. MONTRELL JOHNSON JR. 71 YARDS TO THE HOUSE 🏠🐊 Danny Gray is the popular pick among reporters for training camp MVP this year. He turned heads in OTAs, using his 4.3 speed to beat defenders and create separation. Gray, 26, was a 2022 third-round selection by the San Francisco 49ers, but injuries have been a hindrance throughout his career thus far. The Eagles lack significant depth at receiver beyond A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Jahan Dotson — Gray can become a legitimate deep-threat if he carries his spring momentum into camp. Fifth-round pick Smael Mondon Jr. may find himself getting meaningful snaps relatively early in his career. He was a multi-year starter at Georgia, totaling 212 tackles (18 for loss) and eight sacks while helping the Bulldogs win two national championships. Mondon got some first-team reps alongside Zack Baun during minicamp while Nakobe Dean and Jihaad Campbell recover from injuries. A rare combination of speed and athleticism allows Mondon to blitz, spy, and drop into coverage if necessary. At minimum, he'll be a core special-teams player with the potential to develop into an all-around linebacker. Smael Mondon Scouting Report via Lance Zierlein Mondon is physical and can run. He's quick to flow downhill and challenge blocks with good pop. He's inconsistent to diagnose and flow accurately to his fits, but he has good pursuit speed to range and tackle to the sidelines. He pursues the action with focus and leverage. Mondon becomes tackle-ready quickly in space. He's effective on passing downs with good coverage and blitz talent. The run game instincts could slow him early in his career, but he's a battle-tested, three-down option with special teams value and starting potential. Eagles rookie LB Smael Mondon Jr. says he enjoys playing special teams. It was a way for him to get on the field early at Georgia. His favorite unit is kickoff.
USA Today
13-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
56 days until Saints season opener: Every player to wear No. 56
A 'Dome Patrol' legend and current Saints great top our look back at the history of No. 56 We are down to a 56-day wait before the New Orleans Saints kick off their 2025 regular season by hosting the Arizona Cardinals. Wearing No. 56 for the Saints is one of the best players in franchise history, linebacker Demario Davis. One of 19 players to wear 56 for New Orleans, Davis has worn it longer and arguably better than all others. Here's a look at all that wore the number in New Orleans history. Saints' History of No. 56 James Ferguson was the first to put on 56 for the Saints, doing so for four games in 1968. A 17th round pick, Ferguson was also the first player drafted by New Orleans to wear 56 and along with center Lee Gross (32 games), one of only two offensive players to wear the number. Willie Hall, Gross, and Reggie Mathis were all Round 2 draft picks by New Orleans, but played a combined 96 games and seven seasons with the team. At 31st overall in 1972, Hall is the highest drafted player by New Orleans to wear No. 56. Dennis "Dirt" Winston came to the Saints in 1981 as a two-time Super Bowl champion with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Winston played four seasons with New Orleans before ending his career back in Pittsburgh. With New Orleans, Winston had 2 sacks and 7 interceptions, returning two of those for touchdowns in 1984. Of the 19 players to wear No. 56 for the Saints, 16 were linebackers. That includes two who are among the best players in the history of the franchise. The Saints used a third-round choice in the 1986 NFL draft on Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets linebacker Pat Swilling. He'd have 4 sacks as a rookie reserve in 1986, but would be entrenched as a starter by 1987 and become the final piece in the iconic Dome Patrol foursome of linebackers. Swilling played in 107 regular season games for the Saints over seven years, second only to Demario Davis as the longest to wear No. 56. He had 76.5 sacks as a Saint, still fourth on the franchise's all-time career list. Swilling had 16.5 sacks in 1989 and an NFL-best 17 sacks in 1991, still a single-season franchise record as he won the 1991 Defensive Player of the Year award. Additionally, Swilling had 3 interceptions, returning one for a touchdown, along with 24 forced fumbles with New Orleans. He earned four Pro Bowls and 1st Team All-Pro honors twice with two 2nd Team All-Pro accolades. Pat Swilling has been criminally overlooked for what is a rightful a spot in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame in 2000, joining Dome Patrol teammates Rickey Jackson, Sam Mills, and Vaughan Johnson. Ernest Dixon and Charlie Clemons had some success at linebacker wearing No. 56 for the Saints through the late 1990s and early 2000s. They combined to play 94 games in six seasons, recording 18.5 sacks and 3 interceptions. Clemons led the Saints in 2001 with 13.5 sacks. Orlando Ruff followed Clemons in No. 56 in 2003. Ruff played two years with the team, managing 2 interceptions and was among the team leaders in tackles both seasons. Jo-Lonn Dunbar also flashed great potential when arriving to New Orleans as an undrafted rookie in 2008. Dunbar was a special teams star that also started 28 of his 56 games in New Orleans. A knee injury sidelined him for the team's Super Bowl XLIV championship run in 2009, but Dunbar was otherwise a solid all-around defender. He'd return to the Saints in 2015 to finish out his career, but wore No. 54 that year. Ronald Powell showed that same kind of potential, but a knee injury ended his career early. Michael Mauti played three seasons in New Orleans, suiting up in 35 games for mostly standout special teams duty. Mauti also followed in the footsteps of his father, wide receiver Rich Mauti, in a career as a Saint. It would take tremendous fears to surpass the accomplishments of Pat Swilling in No. 56 with the Saints, but Demario Davis did just that. Once arriving as a free agent in 2018, Davis helped transform the New Orleans defense into an elite unit. He's also been an iron man, starting 114 regular season contests while missing just two outings over seven years with the team. Davis has often been overlooked in Pro Bowl and All-Pro voting, but has still managed to go to two Pro Bowls and earned first-team All-Pro recognition during the 2019 campaign and 2nd Team honors four Davis has averaged over 115 total tackles per year with the Saints. He has 72 stops for loss, 31 sacks, 3 interceptions, and 45 passes broken up. More than just filling up the stat sheet, Davis' elite instincts, athleticism, versatility, and leadership has made him one of the best all-around defenders in the NFL. Once he concludes his career, Davis will certainly be alongside Pat Swilling in the Saints Hall of Fame and should have enough of a resume' for a spot in Canton as a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
USA Today
09-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
One Rams squad named among 25 greatest teams since 2000
The Los Angeles Rams have enjoyed an up-and-down 21st century over the past 25 years. They opened the millennium with a Super Bowl appearance but didn't return until 2018 and didn't win until 2021. Along the way, the team endured playoff droughts and disappointing seasons before Sean McVay turned the franchise into a perennial contender. And yet, one Rams team made Yahoo Sports' Quarter Century Team. NFL writer Frank Schwab went through the 25 best teams of the past 25 years and ranked the 2021 Rams squad No. 15 on the list. This is the team that entered the playoffs with the No. 1 seed at 14-2 but was shockingly upset in the Super Bowl by Tom Brady the year he took over the Drew Bledsoe. The 2001 Rams were an offensive machine that had a top-10 defense and lost three games all season by a combined 13 points. Unfortunately for their legacy, one of those losses was an upset to the Patriots in the Super Bowl. Still, an offense that had four Hall of Famers (it'll be five if Torry Holt gets in) still gets remembered fondly, as it should. This was the last true season of "The Greatest Show on Turf," which led the NFL in scoring from 1999 to 2001. Quarterback Kurt Warner led won MVP that season when he led the NFL with a 68.7% completion rate, 4,830 passing yards and 36 passing touchdowns. Running back Marshall Faulk rushed for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns, while catching 83 receptions for 765 yards and nine touchdowns for an NFL-best 21 scores. Receivers Torry Holt and Isaac Bruce finished with 1,363 and 1,106, respectively, for 13 combined touchdowns. No other Rams teams made the list, which couldn't come as a surprise considering the only one ones to make the Super Bowl were the 2018 team that got crushed by the Patriots and the 2021 team that won but didn't have the best statistical season. The hope for McVay, though, is that he and general manager Les Snead and build an even better franchise in the second half of the century.
Yahoo
30-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Ex-Dolphin Raheem Mostert rips team following trade of Jalen Ramsey, Jonnu Smith: 'Be a Pro-Bowler, get treated like s***'
Raheem Mostert has candid thoughts on Monday's NFL trade that sent cornerback Jalen Ramsey and tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins to the Pittsburgh Steelers. He's happy for his former Dolphins teammates. But he's clearly not happy with his former team. The ex-Dolphins running back who signed with the Las Vegas Raiders in the offseason had this to say on social media: Hot take: Be a Pro-bowler on the Dolphins, get treated like sh*t. Happy for my guys though! GO BALL OUT!! The Pro Bowlers in this instance are Ramsey and Smith. The Dolphins traded both to the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday morning in exchange for All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick in a deal that also included pick swaps. Advertisement Mostert didn't expound on his displeasure with the Dolphins. But he appears to be unhappy with his own exit this offseason after three seasons in Miami that included a Pro Bowl selection in 2023. Raheem Mostert appears to be displeased with how his own Dolphins tenure concluded. (Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images) (Diamond Images via Getty Images) Why so mad? Mostert joined the Dolphins from the 49ers as a free agent in 2022 on a one-year, $2.1 million contract. After starting 14 games in 2022, Mostert re-signed with the Dolphins on a two-year, $5.6 million deal. He followed up with the best season of his career in 2023 that featured 1,187 yards from scrimmage, an NFL-best 21 touchdowns and his first career Pro Bowl selection at 31 years old. That effort earned him an extension through the 2025 season worth up to $9.1 million over two years that included $3.71 million in newly guaranteed money. Advertisement The following season, Mostert took a secondary role in the backfield to second-year standout De'Von Achane. Mostert finished 2024 with 439 yards from scrimmage after making just one start. He didn't see the second, non-guaranteed year of his contract extension. The Dolphins released Mostert in February as part of a series of veteran cuts in an effort to get under the salary cap. The move saved Miami $3.065 million in cap space. Mostert later signed with the Raiders on a one-year, $1.6 million deal, a pay cut over the non-guaranteed money he would have made had he remained in Miami. And he's clearly not pleased with how the end of his Dolphins tenure transpired.
USA Today
21-06-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa among CBS' 'volatile' NFL quarterbacking tier
Like many Miami fans, CBS needs to see it to believe it. In CBS' NFL quarterbacking tiers heading into the 2025 season, Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa finds himself ranked among the bottom half of the league's signal-callers. CBS placed Tagovailoa in Tier 4, which it referred to as "Volatile Veterans." The medical conversation can't be oversold here; Tagovailoa has played one full season in five years with the Miami Dolphins. Aside from that, he's been polarizing, offering top-shelf accuracy (68.1% career completion rate) but struggling mightily when pressed to create plays out of script when it counts. - Cody Benjamin, CBS. Tagovailoa played in and started just 11 games for Miami last season after suffering a nasty concussion in Week 2 versus the Buffalo Bills that sidelined him for four games. Then, a hip injury late in the season cost Tagovailoa two more contests. Tagovailoa completed 72.9% of his passes for 2,867 yards and 19 touchdowns against seven picks in 2024. Tagovailoa finds himself among fellow veteran quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers, Geno Smith, Trevor Lawrence, Kyler Murray and Sam Darnold in Tier 4. Tier 1 featured CBS' "Transcendent Talents." That group included Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow, Jalen Hurts and Jayden Daniels. Tier 2—CBS' "Borderline Stars"—featured Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Brock Purdy, Jordan Love, Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott, Baker Mayfield and C.J. Stroud. Tier 3 welcomed "Promising Prospects" Bo Nix, Caleb Williams, J.J. McCarthy and Drake Maye. Though it's just been the lone season where Tagovailoa has played in and started all 17 games for the Dolphins thus far, the 27-year-old led the league in passing during that 2023 campaign. Tagovailoa racked up an NFL-best 4,624 passing yards and had 29 touchdowns against 14 interceptions in 2023.
