Getty CB Trevon Diggs and WR AJ Brown get in a heated exchange during the Eagles-Cowboys game on October 16, 2022.
Philadelphia Eagles fans have no shame in their game. They went on the attack as soon as news of the Dallas Cowboys inking star Trevon Diggs to a $97 million contract extension broke on July 25 in a report by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
One Twitter user, in particular, might have had the sharpest response to Pelissero’s post on the site, tweeting out a GIF of the Eagles’ A.J. Brown beating Diggs on a 48-yard reception in Week 16 last season and captioning it: “Many more years of this ahead of us.” The full clip of the play is one of NFL.com’s “Can’t-Miss Plays.”
Diggs, a two-time Pro Bowler, is widely considered one of the best players at the cornerback position. But Diggs’ detractors say he often gambles on deep balls and gets beat too easily on double moves like the one Brown pulled on him.
Brown and Diggs battled each other twice last season in physical matchups. Brown combined for 11 catches and 170 yards with one touchdown in those contests, although he wasn’t on an island against Diggs for all eight quarters. The first game provided its fair share of heated moments, including an instance where Diggs unnecessarily shoved Brown in the back.
“That was a time where I felt like the guy was trying to apply his dominance, you know, but I wasn’t going for it,” Brown told reporters on October 17. “I think that’s what it was. Two dogs just bumping heads.”
A.J. Brown downplayed the talk with Trevon Diggs.
“Guy was trying to apply his dominance, but I wasn’t going for it.
“Two dawgs just bumpin’ heads.”
His $19.4 million-per-year average in new money slots Diggs as the league’s fifth highest paid cornerback, according to NFL Network. He has racked up 17 interceptions and 49 pass breakups over his first 45 NFL games. He’ll be teaming up with one-time Defensive Player of the Year winner Stephon Gilmore to lock down the outside this season in Dallas. It should be one of the scariest cornerback duos in football.
Eagles Work Out S DeAndre Houston-Carson
The Eagles brought DeAndre Houston-Carson in for a workout on July 25, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The 6-foot, 200-pound safety started six games for the Chicago Bears in 2022 while making 45 tackles and one interception. Houston-Carson has primarily played on special teams over his seven-year NFL career, but injuries to Jaquan Brisker and Eddie Jackson forced him into a starting role at safety last season.
The Eagles can certainly use depth at the safety position. They enter training camp with Terrell Edmunds and Reed Blankenship looking like the favorites to win the starting jobs, with rookie Sydney Brown mixing in. Houston-Carson, a sixth-round pick of the Bears in 2016, allowed 9 completions on 20 passes, in 2022 with quarterbacks having a 51.1 rating when looking his way. Fun fact: his lone interception last year came against Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Super Bowl Loss: ‘Knot in My Stomach’
During an interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia, head coach Nick Sirianni described the Eagles’ 38-35 loss in this year’s Super Bowl as having a “knot in my stomach.” The third-year head coach shouted expletives and smacked a chair as he rewatched highlights from the game, according to Reuben Frank, and made his players watch a clip of the red-and-yellow confetti falling down.
“I’ve probably watched that game an obsessive (number) of times,” Sirianni said. “I’ve watched it a lot. But I do think there’s a healthy part of that.”