Eagles trending toward their 1st Pro Bowl appearances

Though they're all beautiful games, football, basketball, and baseball are all very different. We all know that. Most of us figured that out very young while watching the Philadelphia Eagles and our beloved Phillies share a stadium for each team's home games.

Don't get us wrong. We'll always hold a special place in our hearts for Veterans Stadium, but come on. It had to end. We all knew that. We all knew each team needed its specific venue.

Fast forward to the present. Most of us have discovered football is our favorite game, but globally, it takes a back seat to other sports. One of which is basketball.

The NFL rules the roost domestically, but it trails the NBA's 47.1 million followers on X with 36.4 million of its own. Part of the reason for that is the NBA has a larger global presence.

So, trust us. Even though we complain, we understand why league offices would send the Eagles to Brazil for a 'home game'. The NBA's global brand might be the only thing that pro football envies...

That and the NBA honestly has a better All-Star Game.

Several Eagles might be trending toward their first Pro Bowl nod, and that's a good thing (sort of).

Time flies friends. We're already on the other side of the NFL's first three weeks of action. Before you know it, the trade deadline will have come and gone, and we'll be talking about Pro Bowl voting.

Now, after watching the NBA's All-Star Weekend these past few years, some may disagree, but that's typically been the one thing pro basketball has done better than the NFL's league offices.

Sure, the Slam Dunk Contest isn't what it used to be, but the Pro Bowl is worse, right? The NFL has tried everything. They've gotten so desperate to make their All-Star gathering more interesting that they've spruced up the skills competitions and changed the game to an on-field flag football competition.

But, while the Pro Bowl remains a joke, it's still cool to see which players from your favorite team made the roster. Here are four Birds who might be trending towards their first designation.

DeVonta Smith, wide receiver

Call us salty. We don't care. We've grown weary of the DeVonta Smith snubs. There's no reason why he shouldn't have at least one Pro Bowl nod on his resume.

It's almost as if there's this unspoken rule. 'We can't send two Eagles wide receivers to the Pro Bowl'. So, as brilliant as he is, in some ways, the reaper has been smothered by A.J. Brown's shadow.

Pro Bowl voters have gotten it wrong. No Eagles fan needs convincing of Smith's star potential. He has shined in three games this season, two while A.J. recovers from injury.

Hopefully, the voters will get it right this time around. We understand the concept of 'spreading the love', but DeVonta shouldn't be penalized for playing on a roster with great teammates.

Jalen Carter, defensive tackle

Jalen Carter started hot and cooled down the stretch last season. Had he not, he may have already been named a Pro Bowler (and last season's Defensive Rookie of the Year).

This year, he disappeared during the first two games and was a man child during Philly's third. If we see consistency and what we witnessed versus the Saints week in and week out, a Pro Bowl nod will be the least of his worries.

Jordan Mailata, offensive tackle

Like Smith, Mailata has been penalized because there were so many great players and Pro Bowlers on the Eagles' O-line. Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Landon Dickerson are respected league-wide, and they all made the all-star team these past two seasons.

Mailata is one of the top young players at his position. He has also been victimized by the numbers game. Perhaps there was fear of giving four Eagles O-linemen the nod, but now that Jason has retired, maybe a few more votes will be tossed in Jordan's direction.

Pro Football Focus gives him run-blocking, pass-blocking, and overall grades of 78.1, 89.8, and 85.0 respectively. Stoutland University's valedictorian continues to grow and mature.

Dallas Goedert, tight end

See? We told you! All that's needed for some phenomenal showings by Dallas Goedert is a concerted effort to get the football in his hands.

If A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Saquon Barkley are all healthy, he'll probably be treated as the fourth option in the offensive attack. Still, this is an elite-level player. Our fingers are crossed that he's healthy all season because, after setting new franchise benchmarks in Week 3, he's on his way. This might finally be the breakout season that we were hoping for.

The Wild Card: Zack Baun, linebacker

It's always nice to pick wild cards, and we're placing a vote for Zack Baun. He was quiet in Week 2, but sandwiched that between phenomenal performances versus the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.

Let's talk numbers: 37 tackles, 27 solo stops, two sacks, two additional QB hits. Philly may have missed the mark wby adding Devin White, but they hit the bulls eye with the Baun acquisition. He's been fun to watch all season.

27 solo tackles leads the league heading into Week 4 by the way.