Random Eagles notes: Micah Parsons poison pill, Jaire Alexander scratched, Willie Lampkin’s role
There are some Philadelphia Eagles tidbits that probably aren’t worthy of their own articles, but we’ll round them up here.
The Cowboys put a “poison pill” in the Micah Parsons trade that will keep him out of Philly, for now
Before the start of the 2025 season, the Dallas Cowboys put Micah Parsons on the “trade block,” and the Eagles reportedly offered a couple of first-round picks, a third-round pick, a fifth-round pick, “and more.” I assume the “and more” was an interior defensive lineman, which is what the Cowboys were asking for in any trade. The Cowboys more or less confirmed that the Eagles made the offer, but also added that under no circumstances would they have traded Parsons to their divisional rival. Instead, they traded Parsons to the Green Bay Packers for, in my opinion, a worse offer.
The Eagles must’ve spooked Jerry Jones with their strong desire to acquire Parsons, because Jones put a “poison pill” in the trade to the Packers that will keep Parsons away from the Eagles for at least the next two seasons. Via ESPN:
The previously unreported condition states that if the Packers decide to trade Parsons to a team in the NFC East — the Eagles tried to trade for him in the summer before being rebuffed — then Green Bay would owe Dallas its 2028 first-round draft pick, sources involved in the trade told ESPN.League sources said these “poison pill” conditions clearly were put into place to block Parsons from winding up in Philadelphia, not far from where he grew up and one day wanted to play. The “poison pill” conditions apply to this season and 2026, according to sources, meaning the Packers don’t have a clear path to trade Parsons to another NFC East team until 2027 at the earliest.
The Packers trading Parsons to the Eagles either this year or next year — or ever, really — is entirely unrealistic in the first place, so the poison pill probably isn’t even necessary.
But, just file away Parsons’ aspirations to play for the Eagles, I guess.
Newly acquired CB Jaire Alexander will be a scratch for his first game with the Eagles
Alexander is not making the trip to Green Bay to face his old team. The Eagles’ position is that Alexander’s best path forward is to focus on getting acclimated to Vic Fangio’s defense, and allowing his body some recovery time.
Newly acquired CB Michael Carter and EDGE Jaelan Phillips are both making the trip.
About a week ago we cut up video of Alexander’s targets this season, and, well, it’s not pretty.
My guess on what the Eagles’ secondary will look like on Monday night against the Packers? Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean will start, with DeJean outside in the base defense. DeJean will move inside to the slot in nickel, with either Kelee Ringo or Adoree’ Jackson coming in and playing outside. So, you know, same as always. And I’ll also guess that Carter may get some playing time in the slot in dime looks.
What will Willie Lampkin’s role be?
First of all, who is Willie Lampkin?
Lampkin is an undrafted rookie who signed with the Rams. He went undrafted because he is an extreme oddity, in that he is a 5’11 offensive lineman who only weighs 290 pounds. He looks like a player you’d create in Madden just for fun. However, coming out of North Carolina he received glowing reviews for his play on the field. For example, from Lance Zierlein of NFL.com:
When it comes to the three phases of a run block (positioning/sustain/finish), Lampkin has the best tape I’ve studied of any prospect in the 2025 draft. He’s tremendously quick and athletic to beat defenders to the spot laterally or to climb and connect in space. He plays with excellent hand placement, leverage and footwork to sustain blocks. He uses that stickiness to finish blocks, too. He’s sound in pass protection but will give way to size and length from time to time. Unfortunately, he falls far below NFL size standards, but he’s too good a football player to ignore. Smart teams should consider using Lampkin as a fullback who can get into space and stick to his block while offering position flexibility as an emergency backup at center. Whether he’s drafted or not, Lampkin has NFL-caliber talent.
Lampkin mostly played RG in college, but the Rams worked him out at center, and he was a beast in L.A.’s preseason games. Video via Brandon Thorn:
And here’s a college highlight reel:
Lampkin was waived with an injury designation by the Rams at 53-man cutdowns, and the Eagles claimed him. It is a rarity in the NFL for a player to be claimed when he has an injury designation, but the Eagles snapped him right up and placed him on injured reserve a couple days later.
Per a source, the Rams were privately annoyed that the Eagles claimed him, citing an “unwritten rule” that teams don’t normally claim players who are waived with injury designations. Of course, if the Rams liked Lampkin that much they could have used one of their injured reserve designations on him, and they would have been able to keep him. They didn’t, and the Eagles capitalized. 🤷♂️
Anyway, the Eagles opened Lampkin’s 21-day practice window to return from IR, so it appears that he may be on their 53-man roster this season. It will be fun to see if and how the Eagles get creative in their use of Lampkin in real games, whether that’s on the line or at fullback or something.
The Commanders lost
Remember when the Commanders were supposed to be a threat to the Eagles in the NFC East this season? Well, after getting smoked by the Lions on Sunday, they’re now 3-7. The NFC East standings look like this
NFC East Record Eagles 6-2 Cowboys 3-5-1 Commanders 3-7 Giants 2-8
Oh, and the Giants lost too, if anyone cares.
Follow Jimmy & PhillyVoice on Twitter: @JimmyKempski | thePhillyVoice
Like us on Facebook: PhillyVoice Sports
Add Jimmy’s RSS feed to your feed reader
