Wednesday, December 24

5:12 PM: On Christmas Eve, it's clear that Saquon Barkley got a great gift by joining the Eagles two seasons ago.

In the locker room on Wednesday, Barkley impromptu began speaking about how he doesn't understand why Head Coach Nick Sirianni isn't shown more love. Barkley said he thinks of Sirianni as the best coach in the NFL, and his resume speaks for itself.

According to Elias Sports, Sirianni is the only head coach in the Super Bowl Era to produce five playoff appearances with at least four 10+ win seasons, three division crowns, two conference titles, and a Super Bowl Championship during their first five career seasons.

"When people compare who's the best and who's not, and for coaches, it's about winning," Barkley said. "He would say himself what makes a great coach is having great players. Obviously, the Philadelphia Eagles have been a great team since I've been in the league, going against them and now playing with them. But there's something to his standard that he sets, there's something to the way he comes to work, just how detailed and how obsessed he is with all the little things.

"There's a reason why we do a really good job of protecting the ball. There's a reason why we do a really good job of tackling. That all stems from him. It starts with him, and then he trickles it down to the offensive coordinator, defensive coordinator, and then all the assistant coaches, and the leaders on team, we gotta all take that message and make it work. But he's been doing a great job for the last five years, and it's weird that you wouldn't hear his name brought up. But I mean, he probably doesn't care about that either."

While Barkley has only played for Sirianni for two years, he's very familiar with the coach. He played him twice a year while Barkley was with the Giants, and they also squared off in the 2022 divisional round.

In that game there was a viral video of Sirianni nodding his head as he looked into the camera, and Barkley said with a laugh that he couldn't stand Sirianni after seeing that clip. He has brought that up to Sirianni since, but now that he works with him daily, he can see why he has had so much success in the NFL.

"Being here and seeing how obsessed he is, Hard Knocks and the behind scenes [stuff] that we have, that you guys are able to see with him coaching, it doesn't really do it enough justice," Barkley said. "He's so obsessed with the little things. And there's a reason why this team has been super successful.

"It's been pretty cool to be able to go from going against him and not being a fan of him, and then seeing what he's all about. I think he does a really good job. He's the perfect coach for Philadelphia, what he stands for and how he operates. I think, literally, when you think of someone in Philly and a Philly fan. If I can picture a coach, and I had to picture a coach, it would be Coach Sirianni." – Matt Ryan

5:00 AM: He was on his way to a workout because, well, Quinyon Mitchell is always working. He wants to be the greatest football player he can be, so in his mind the work is never done and stopping to talk about being selected to the Pro Bowl Games is not really his thing.

Shutting down opposing wide receivers is his thing.

And few are doing that better than Mitchell, who on Tuesday was named to his first Pro Bowl Games. The second-year cornerback, the Eagles' first-round draft pick in 2024, Mitchell leads all NFL cornerbacks with a 41.3 percent catch rate against him, according to Next Gen Stats. He also leads with eight games of allowing 10-or-fewer receiving yards while in coverage. His performance metrics are off the charts.

Anyone who has watched sees Mitchell matching up with the offense's best receiver and sticking him for 60 minutes. Hence, the Pro Bowl Games came calling.

"It's a great honor and I'm really appreciative," he said. "I'm really blessed and excited and thankful for my teammates, coaches, and all the staff."

Mitchell has been a starter since Day 1 and has continued to get better and better. In his second season, Mitchell says the game has slowed down.

"The mental aspect of the game, learning about the game and processing things, that's the biggest difference from last year," he said. "The game has slowed down. You have to have confidence and the willingness to get better each and every day and that's the approach I've taken. Yesterday's news is old news. I just want to get back to work and get better." – Dave Spadaro

Tuesday, December 23

8:00 PM: Prior to his playing days in the NFL, Cooper DeJean always watched the Pro Bowl and then, after the change, the Pro Bowl Games. He's a fan of ball, always has been. So, to be named to the Pro Bowl Games in his second season as an Eagle is a pretty darn big deal to the Eagles' defensive back.

"It's cool. It's a cool accomplishment. Obviously, it wouldn't be possible without the guys on our defense and in our facility who make my job easier," he said. "Especially the guys up front and the linebackers and our coaches in the DB room."

DeJean has played as the nickel cornerback and he has taken significant reps outside as well this season as his responsibilities have grown. A great tackler, assignment-solid, and blessed with tenacity and range, DeJean has built on the big-time success of his rookie campaign when he was an AP Rookie of the Year finalist capped off by his pick-six (on his birthday, no less) in the Super Bowl win over the Chiefs.

"My feel for the game (has improved), understanding what offenses like to do in certain situations is where I've grown a lot as well," he said. "Understanding certain situations throughout the game. I feel like I've grown a lot and grown a lot more comfortable in Year 2 with a year under my belt."

DeJean learned of the honor on Monday night via a call with his agent and then shared the news with his parents and it was a moment to remember. That said, DeJean is keeping it all in perspective.

"We have bigger goals and it's all about the team," he said. "This isn't an individual sport. It's a team game and that's the way it should be treated, in my opinion." – Dave Spadaro

5:30 PM: Jordan Davis is just being honest. Not being selected to the Pro Bowl games in the midst of his outstanding 2025 season is a bit of a bummer for the fourth-year defensive tackle.

"It was a little disheartening. I won't even sit there and lie," he said on Tuesday at his locker at the NovaCare Complex. "But at the end of the day, that's just the decision of the fans and, I guess, the people who voted. I don't have any say in that. All I can do is continue to work. That's the biggest motivation for me – continue to work. The Pro Bowl, while it's good to have, doesn't tell the story of the journey that I've been through and all this work that I've put in for myself. I don't do it for the Pro Bowl, I do it for the team."

Davis has had a tremendous season both stopping the run and rushing the quarterback and, as evidenced in some early-season games, playing on special teams. Davis has become a complete player, and while the Pro Bowl Games aren't in his immediate future, he's a key cog as the Eagles get set for Buffalo on Sunday, Washington the next week and another playoff run to follow.

The Pro Bowl Games? It's a goal, for sure.

"It is something that I would like to achieve at some point," he said. "I want to get better and I know I can get better. I feel like I am just scratching the surface of how good I can be. My biggest motivation is doing it for the team. As long as we get the win, that's the biggest achievement." – Dave Spadaro

Monday, December 22

4:51 PM: Jake Elliott missed two field goals in Saturday's game against the Commanders, dropping his field goal percentage this season to a career-low 70.8%. It has been a difficult stretch for Elliott, but the Eagles are sticking with the former Pro Bowl and All-Pro kicker.

Throughout his career, Elliott has been a clutch kicker who is 26-for-27 on field goal attempts in his postseason career. On Monday, Head Coach Nick Sirianni expressed his confidence in Elliott's ability to turn things around.

"I think Jake always has a great process going in and the week of work leading up to it," Sirianni said. "I think it's always important that everybody needs to know they're loved and appreciated. My love and appreciation for Jake isn't just when you guys ask me questions about it, but also in times like this, you want to make sure you reconfirm those things.

"He's had such a great career with so many highs, but like any player, he's had some moments of struggle as well, and all I've ever seen him do was get up out of that and rise from that. I know he went through some struggles last year and ended up having however many field goals and extra points in the Super Bowl and in the NFC championship game. So I have no doubt in my mind of the competitor he is and the way and how mentally tough he is to be able to rise from this situation as well." — Matt Ryan