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The DiCecco Daily: What Eagles Carter's Extension Means and Defensive Roster Intel · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on everybody? Welcome into another episode of
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: The Checko Daily. It's Andrew de Checko, Eagles beat reporter
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: for insidethebirds dot Com, and we have news that extends
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: beyond the Eagles reporting to training camp. On Tuesday, the
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Eagles and Jalen Carter reached a contract extension that will
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: keep Jalen Carter in Philadelphia through the twenty thirty one season.
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: The numbers, according to ESPN, it's a four year, one
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: hundred and fifty two million dollar extension worth up to
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: one hundred and sixty million, and that includes one hundred
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: and six million guaranteed. So Jalen Carter now becomes the
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: NFL's highest paid defensive tackle in league history. So if
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: you remember, earlier this month, the Titans and Jeffrey Simmons,
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: their defensive tackle, agreed to a three year extension worth
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: one hundred and five point eight I believe million dollars
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: And so.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: That didn't last long.
• 1:16
  Speaker 1: At that time, Jeffrey Simmons was the highest paid defensive tackle,
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: and it is. It's one hundred and five point eight million,
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: and Jalen Carter clears that by a pretty sizable margin.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: And look this felt inevitable for the Eagles and Jalen Carter.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: It didn't happen as quickly as some may be expected.
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: There's reasons for that. We'll talk about that briefly before
• 1:39
  Speaker 1: I get into the defensive portion of my pre training
• 1:43
  Speaker 1: camp fifty three man roster.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: But it always felt inevitable.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: When you have a premier talent like Jalen Carter, that's
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: not somebody that Howie Roseman is typically going to take
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: a chance with. You want to find a way to
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: keep that player in the They have the infrastructure in
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: place to support Jalen Carter's growth, and this is someone
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: who has been a dominant force from the interior for
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: the Eagles, and he is a centerpiece for coordinator of
• 2:13
  Speaker 1: Vic Fangio. Context is important here because Jalen Carter is
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: not coming off the best season of his career. There's
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: reasons for that. He had injuries to both shoulders that
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: impacted his ability to really disengage from lineman, which I
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: think was very evident if you go back and watch
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: the Chicago Bears game where the Eagles got gouged on
• 2:34
  Speaker 1: the ground by both running backs. He just didn't look
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: like himself and after the game, he revealed that he
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: was dealing with something. He ends up missing three games,
• 2:42
  Speaker 1: and he also missed the Week six game at MetLife
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: with a heel injury. He was a late scratch if
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: you remember that. And then you had, of course, the
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: spitting incident where Jalen Carter was ejected before the first
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: play of the game and the season opener for spitting on.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: Cowboys quarter Prescott.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: That comes with maturity, and I go back to the
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: infrastructure that the Eagles have in place. They have a
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: lot of defensive leaders. They have a coaching staff that
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: prides themselves on development and continuing the progression for those
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: who they're working with, and that should give you all
• 3:18
  Speaker 1: the confidence that you need. The question that I have
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: really the only question, because Jalen Carter has been such
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: a menace, an interior disruptor, and he's impacted games. The
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: only question that I have is the overall health of
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: his shoulders and will that be something that becomes a.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: Trend.
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: Is that something that the Eagles will have to be
• 3:40
  Speaker 1: mindful of. Do they have to maybe scale it back
• 3:43
  Speaker 1: in terms of snapshare for a perspective, Jalen Carter has
• 3:47
  Speaker 1: played eighty four percent in the past two seasons. That's
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: a lot. That's a hefty workload. They've leaned on him heavily.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: I guess the counter that that would be, he's one
• 3:59
  Speaker 1: of your best player, he's certainly your best player on defense.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Why would you put him on the sideline and put
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: someone else in there in his place who's not.
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: Going to give you similar impact?
• 4:11
  Speaker 1: All those are fair, but I think moving forward, because
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: you have such an impactful twenty five year old as
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: sending player, you want to.
• 4:19
  Speaker 2: Make sure that he's available for critical moments.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: And I know that if it were up to Jay
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: when Carter, I'm sure he would never want to get
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: off the field and all those things. But I think
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: right now, getting ahead of things. Training camp begins tomorrow,
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: the first practice Wednesday. It's no longer a looming summer storyline.
• 4:38
  Speaker 1: It pours cold water on any potential, any notion of
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: potential ripple effects or things like that in terms of
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: participation in practice, and it gives the Eagles a young
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: defensive centerpiece for years to.
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: Come and remember. Back in March, the.
• 4:59
  Speaker 1: Eagles and defensive tackle Jordan Davis agreed on a three year,
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: seventy eight million dollar extension.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: So right now.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: The Eagles have invested pretty considerably at that position.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: So they have both.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: Players in the building in their plans for the foreseeable future,
• 5:17
  Speaker 1: and that is always a good thing. Now you talk
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: about ripple effects, what could that mean for down the
• 5:22
  Speaker 1: line and how they shape the roster because you also
• 5:26
  Speaker 1: have don't look now, Cooper dejen and Quinyon Mitchell, who
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: knows maybe down a little bit further down the line,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: you have j loox Hunt and you have to make
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: some decisions there. But this, in my estimation, and it
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: seemed pretty clear this was always part of the equation.
• 5:43
  Speaker 1: Jayalen Carter and the Eagles felt like they were going
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: to be tied together for years to come. It's just
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: about coming to terms. And when you're talking about a
• 5:52
  Speaker 1: contract of that magnitude, it's never something that happens instantaneously,
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: and I think you run the risk of one the
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: market being reset and all of a sudden you're talking
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: about an exorbitant an even more exorbitant amount. And I
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: think right now they've seen enough of Jalen Carter to
• 6:11
  Speaker 1: suggest that last season was sort of an anomaly and
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: he will revert back to form. Because if you're basing
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: it off of what you've seen in twenty twenty three
• 6:21
  Speaker 1: and twenty twenty four. That's one of the best defensive
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: tackles in the game, and I think his ceiling, he
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: still has another level or levels that he can reach,
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: and the Eagles are certainly banking on that. There's a
• 6:33
  Speaker 1: lot of talent that he's playing around, but he is
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: someone who I've seen be a one man wrecking crew.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: And it also tells you that the Eagles are comfortable
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: with Jalen Carter and maybe the maturity part of it,
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: right with the spitting and all that, and maybe you know,
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: there are some who maybe believed that maybe that was
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: part of the hang up, but this tells you that
• 6:59
  Speaker 1: the Eagles are pretty comfortable with that aspect as well.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: And I think Jalen Carter is going to continue to
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: trend upwards as long as the shoulders are healthy. I
• 7:10
  Speaker 1: think that he is really going to benefit being around
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: and playing beside Jordan Davis, who is just a tremendous leader.
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: He's really grown into that role. There's a lot of
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: players who fit that bill.
• 7:23
  Speaker 1: On the defense, there is sort of this camaraderie there
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: that I think at that part will take care of
• 7:30
  Speaker 1: itself and it just comes down to the health component.
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: But we'll see, and I'm really looking forward to seeing
• 7:37
  Speaker 1: what Jayalen Carter is going to be able to provide
• 7:40
  Speaker 1: this iteration of the Eagles defense, which by the way,
• 7:44
  Speaker 1: is primed to be among the NFL's best once again,
• 7:50
  Speaker 1: and he's going to be a big part of that.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: And I think you get ahead of things and all
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: of a sudden you're not. There's less uncertainty and you
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: you've addressed a pretty pretty critical storyline here, and so
• 8:05
  Speaker 1: that is sort of laid to rest and that's a
• 8:08
  Speaker 1: good thing for both the Eagles and Jalen Carter.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: So I think that's well deserved.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: And again, you're not paying the player for what they've done.
• 8:16
  Speaker 1: You're paying them for what you believe they're going to
• 8:19
  Speaker 1: do moving forward.
• 8:20
  Speaker 2: And I think there's another level that he can reach
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: if you can believe that.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, I wanted to make sure we got that out
• 8:28
  Speaker 1: of the way because it's really important. But let's get
• 8:32
  Speaker 1: to the defensive portion of my fifty three and special teams.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: On defense, I have twenty five players. We'll start at
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: defensive tackle, where I have six Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis,
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: Moro Jomo, Byron Young, Ty Robinson, and U. R.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: Bernard.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: Look, this is a big summer for ty Robinson and
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: last season, if you're wondering, he played only one hundred
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: and four defensive snaps and played in eleven games, But
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: he really wasn't a factor, and that was pretty apparent
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: last summer where he really wasn't able to make much
• 9:05
  Speaker 1: of a dent.
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: There weren't a lot of splash plays.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Even when you get to the preseason, it looked like
• 9:10
  Speaker 1: a player that needed some time to really grow and marinate.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: And I think this year is going to be a
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: pretty critical one for ty Robinson for multiple reasons. One,
• 9:24
  Speaker 1: the Eagles draft room in the fourth round, and you
• 9:27
  Speaker 1: would obviously like to see him usurp Byron Young as
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: the fourth defensive tackle because down the line all of
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: a sudden. I mentioned this a lot. Byron Young and
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: Moro Jum are in the final year of their rookie deals,
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: which means that ty Robinson could conceivably be a really
• 9:44
  Speaker 1: important depth piece moving forward. And he also has a
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: lot of ability. It's just about channeling that. And I
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: think him being in the building last season sometimes you
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: see the game from a different perspective.
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: If you're not white ready, you're in the meeting rooms, you're.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: On the practice field, you're working with one of the
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: best defensive line coaches in the NFL, in my opinion,
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: in Clint Hurt. So all those things should be viewed
• 10:09
  Speaker 1: as a benefit for Ty Robinson going into the twenty
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: twenty six season. Now he has to go out there
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: and do it, but it is a big season for him,
• 10:17
  Speaker 1: and with the or Bernard piece, I elected to keep
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: him on the fifty three. If you think back to
• 10:23
  Speaker 1: how the Eagles approach to Jordan my lot of situation
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: in twenty eighteen, it just makes a lot of sense
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: because let's say yestash him on ir what benefit does
• 10:33
  Speaker 1: that serve the player? It would help the team and
• 10:36
  Speaker 1: afford them a roster spot. But with U or Bernard,
• 10:39
  Speaker 1: what he needs now is reps to be able to
• 10:43
  Speaker 1: refine the technique and have absorb those coaching points and
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: be able to enact them on the field. And if
• 10:50
  Speaker 1: he's on the fifty three, he's going to be able
• 10:52
  Speaker 1: to practice during the season and then all of a sudden,
• 10:56
  Speaker 1: when the training camp rolls around and really spring practices
• 10:59
  Speaker 1: roll around next year, you have a player who has
• 11:03
  Speaker 1: a little bit more of a foundation from which to
• 11:06
  Speaker 1: build from, and so I think it makes a lot
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: of sense to keep him on the fifty three. And
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: that's the way that I've leaned at this point out
• 11:14
  Speaker 1: Gabe Hall, Taekwon Graham, and Zion Wilson. Let's move to
• 11:19
  Speaker 1: edge rusher, where I have the Eagles keeping five Jonathan Grenard,
• 11:23
  Speaker 1: j loox Hunt, Nolan Smith, Arnold Abakati and aj Epanessa.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: I think this is the eagle deepest position. Room starts
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: off with Gernard and Grenard. He'll say what you will
• 11:37
  Speaker 1: about his production last season. He's a little bit of.
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: An older player.
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: I think he's twenty nine, and look, those concerns are valid,
• 11:44
  Speaker 1: but I would also say that last year he had
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: the right shoulder injury and he's had three sacks in
• 11:52
  Speaker 1: twelve games. But the pressure rate was where it needed
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: to be, and it comes down to finishing plays and
• 12:00
  Speaker 1: bringing the quarterback down when you have the opportunity. Heck,
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: Jonathan Garnard said as much in his introductory press conference,
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: and to me, he is the same player. Now we
• 12:09
  Speaker 1: have to wait and see how the shoulder holds up
• 12:12
  Speaker 1: because he didn't take part in team drills during the spring,
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: and that was all part of the plan. But you're
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: getting a better pure pass rusher than what you had
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: in Jalen Phillips. And that says a lot because I
• 12:22
  Speaker 1: thought very much of Jalen Phillips as a player, and
• 12:24
  Speaker 1: I still do about what he can provide despite what
• 12:27
  Speaker 1: the sack numbers in Philadelphia would indicate. But I think
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: Gernard as your headliner there is a really strong place
• 12:36
  Speaker 1: to start. And then you have jay loox Hunt, who
• 12:38
  Speaker 1: I've talked a lot about as my breakout.
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Candidate for the defense.
• 12:42
  Speaker 1: And I know the sack numbers haven't been there, but
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: I'm looking beyond that. I see a player who has
• 12:47
  Speaker 1: grown into his body. He's become an effective two way player.
• 12:51
  Speaker 1: He has a more refined approach when it comes to
• 12:54
  Speaker 1: pass rush. He has countermoves, he has a better understanding
• 12:57
  Speaker 1: of how to defeat the off jive tackles and the
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: attention to detail, which he talked about in the spring.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: So he's becoming a much more polished product than the
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: one that arrived in Philadelphia. It's a couple of years
• 13:11
  Speaker 1: ago out of Houston Christian and that comes with reps.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: So I feel really strongly about jay loox Hunt taking
• 13:17
  Speaker 1: that next step forward in year three. Nolan Smith will
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: have to wait and see. There's been flashes there. I've
• 13:22
  Speaker 1: talked about it. Exceptional run defender. He just needs to
• 13:25
  Speaker 1: be a little bit more consistent when it comes to
• 13:27
  Speaker 1: rushing the quarterback. But as a third rusher for someone
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: who's been injured and awful lot, I think that that
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: slot could really serve him well. And I'm projecting him
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: to be the third edge rusher. It's not a you know,
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: something that has been determined already will have an opportunity,
• 13:44
  Speaker 1: But I think if you're looking to maximize his value
• 13:48
  Speaker 1: and what he can provide, it makes sense to have
• 13:51
  Speaker 1: him in that role where you're almost able to preserve
• 13:54
  Speaker 1: him a little bit. Ebicadie as the fourth edge rusher,
• 13:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, I think that that's a slam dunk.
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: You're not to find many.
• 14:01
  Speaker 1: Fourth edge rushers with his ability and upside. Now, as
• 14:06
  Speaker 1: the fourth edge rusher on this team, you're not going
• 14:08
  Speaker 1: to see the field an awful lot. Josh Usha played
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: two hundred and forty snaps the Eagles under Vic Vangil
• 14:14
  Speaker 1: don't traditionally rotate edge rushers, and really the top three,
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: barring injury, are the ones who are going to see
• 14:21
  Speaker 1: the lion's share of the snaps, but still really good
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: depth piece there in Arnold A Bakatie and then Epinessa
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: for me is someone that I like his ability to
• 14:31
  Speaker 1: defend the run. He's a bigger body edge rusher, so
• 14:34
  Speaker 1: he gives you a different dimension, a different skill set
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: than the other players that I mentioned, And it's going
• 14:40
  Speaker 1: to come down to health with him, we have to
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: see it. But I like what he's done during his
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: time with the Buffalo Bills, where they drafted him in
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: the second round in twenty twenty, and you're not going
• 14:50
  Speaker 1: to find many fifth edge rushers who can do that.
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: But I am most curious to see if how the
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: Eagles choose.
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: To use him. He offers alignment versatility. Maybe you kick
• 15:00
  Speaker 2: him inside and he can give you.
• 15:05
  Speaker 1: A different presence from the interior in certain situations. But
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: I like that ninety one Games nineteen starts strong run defender,
• 15:14
  Speaker 1: and then of course out I have rookie Keishawn, James Nuby,
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: Jose Ramirez and Joshua wairu Hey.
• 15:21
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• 16:22
  Speaker 1: Off ball linebacker, I have the Eagles keeping five Zach Bond,
• 16:26
  Speaker 1: Jehad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter, Junior, Smile Monden and Chance Campbell
• 16:32
  Speaker 1: hanging on as the fifth linebacker in this exercise. When
• 16:37
  Speaker 1: the Eagles established their initial fifty three last year, they
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: only kept four off ball linebackers, and I do think
• 16:44
  Speaker 1: that Campbell could potentially force an interesting decision here, but
• 16:49
  Speaker 1: the first four I feel pretty comfortable with it as
• 16:52
  Speaker 1: virtual locks, especially the first three. Smile Monden did some
• 16:56
  Speaker 1: good things last summer as a fifth round pick. In training,
• 16:58
  Speaker 1: camp showcased athleticism and instincts and really grew into his
• 17:03
  Speaker 1: role as a special teamer. I noticed it particularly in
• 17:06
  Speaker 1: the second half of last season, and I am really
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: interested to see where he takes his game in year
• 17:12
  Speaker 1: two this summer, because that's really where he flashed to me.
• 17:15
  Speaker 2: But I went with five here.
• 17:17
  Speaker 1: Because the Eagles did lose Sydney Brown and Kylon grantson
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: this offseason, and both players were among the top five
• 17:25
  Speaker 1: in snaps for special teams. And I look at Chance
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: Campbell and I see a player that has that ability.
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: He sort of plays with his hair on fire. He
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: moves pretty well for the position.
• 17:38
  Speaker 1: But I'm also banking on the fact that there's the
• 17:45
  Speaker 1: familiarity with linebackers coach Bobby King. He was on the
• 17:48
  Speaker 1: practice squad all last season. He projects as a high
• 17:52
  Speaker 1: end special teams player, and when you're trying to decipher
• 17:55
  Speaker 1: those final spots, more often than not it comes down.
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: To special teams.
• 17:59
  Speaker 1: And because the Eagles lost a couple key members of
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: their unit last season, I think Chance Campbell could be
• 18:05
  Speaker 1: able to latch on as the fifth linebacker here.
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: He had an active spring.
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: I think he's going to continue to approach each snap
• 18:13
  Speaker 1: as if his.
• 18:13
  Speaker 2: Hair's on fire.
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: He's been a fun player to watch in the four
• 18:16
  Speaker 1: practices that we got to see this spring, and we'll
• 18:20
  Speaker 1: see where it goes from here. But that's kind of
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: the way that I see it now. And then the
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: only player who would be on the outs in this
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: situation would be Deontay Lawson, the rookie free agent linebacker
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: out of Alabama cornerback. I have the Eagles keeping five,
• 18:36
  Speaker 1: and this was a position that I really struggled with
• 18:39
  Speaker 1: because I wanted to keep six and I'll explain, but
• 18:42
  Speaker 1: the five Quinya Mitchell Cooper, Dejan Rike Wohen, Jonathan Jones,
• 18:47
  Speaker 1: and Keeley Ringo. I really wanted to go with either
• 18:51
  Speaker 1: Jaquorian Bennett or Mac McWilliams as the sixth corner because
• 18:57
  Speaker 1: I view Keey Ringo as a spell seist. He's a
• 19:00
  Speaker 1: special team stalwart, should be recognized as one of the
• 19:04
  Speaker 1: better gunners in the NFL. Really good blend of size
• 19:07
  Speaker 1: and athleticism, and he plays with an attack mindset, and
• 19:12
  Speaker 1: you have to I've had some really good conversation with
• 19:14
  Speaker 1: Keighley about what makes a good gunner because you see
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: players who are sort of thrown into that role but
• 19:20
  Speaker 1: they don't necessarily thrive. Keighley has quickly grown into that
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: role and become regarded as one of the better gunners
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: in the NFL, and I kind of equate that to
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: the way that Josh Job really took to that role.
• 19:32
  Speaker 1: It's not easy, and there's a lot of things that
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: I don't know that they're fully appreciated that you have
• 19:39
  Speaker 1: to be able to do to be an effective one.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: But that being said, I don't necessarily view Ringo as
• 19:44
  Speaker 1: a player that the Eagles would necessarily feel comfortable with
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: putting in on defense. I think he's more of a specialist.
• 19:51
  Speaker 1: So therefore, you have four playable corners in this situation,
• 19:55
  Speaker 1: and Quinjon Cooper, Dejeni Riquollan, and Jonathan Jones and I
• 19:58
  Speaker 1: didn't break it down into nickel backs or things like that,
• 20:03
  Speaker 1: but I think because of that, you may want to
• 20:06
  Speaker 1: go a little heavier there. Someone like Jacrean Bennett, who
• 20:09
  Speaker 1: started games on the outside, or Mac McWilliams, who can
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: play nickelback or outside, might make some sense here. So
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: I don't necessarily feel quite as strong with this projection,
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: but it makes sense if you really think about it.
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: Jonathan Jones, by the way, I think he and.
• 20:26
  Speaker 1: I've said this before, could be one of the team's
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: most underrated offseason editions.
• 20:31
  Speaker 2: When you're looking at.
• 20:32
  Speaker 1: A player who's played as many games as he has.
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: He's played in eight postseason games. He can play any
• 20:37
  Speaker 1: position in the secondary. How well he can play any
• 20:40
  Speaker 1: of those positions will be determined in training camp because
• 20:43
  Speaker 1: he is an older player at thirty two years old.
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: He'll be thirty three at the start of the season.
• 20:48
  Speaker 1: He missed some time last year with the Commanders with
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: a hamstring injury. Sometimes the drop off in ability can
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: happen suddenly, and I look at James Bradberry as a
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: prime example. Or not there yet clearly with Jonathan Jones,
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: but he has the potential to be one of the
• 21:03
  Speaker 1: Eagles' best value signings in free agency because of the
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: roles that he that he can sort of handle.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: Out.
• 21:13
  Speaker 1: Jacoryan Bennett, mac McWilliams, Ambry Thomas, Taric Castro, Fields, Kapina Gushikin,
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: and Sean Wade the safety position. I went with four
• 21:24
  Speaker 1: players here, Drew mccuba, Marcus Epps, Michael Carter the second,
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: and Cole wiz Nesky the rookie. I understand if you're
• 21:34
  Speaker 1: listening to those names and you're thinking to yourself, this
• 21:37
  Speaker 1: group doesn't inspire a ton of confidence. But I would
• 21:40
  Speaker 1: also say that time will tell be patient. Sometimes you
• 21:43
  Speaker 1: kind of have to let things play out before you
• 21:46
  Speaker 1: sound any sort of an alarm.
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: I will tell you that it is.
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: A room that lacks for the star power or the upside.
• 21:55
  Speaker 1: I would say, but I am kind of bullish on
• 21:58
  Speaker 1: Drew mccouba, and I have been since he was drafted
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: during the pre draft process. The Eagles are confident in
• 22:04
  Speaker 1: his ability and they're really high on him. But there's
• 22:08
  Speaker 1: beyond Drew mccuba. I would say that there's a lot
• 22:10
  Speaker 1: of question marks, but let's unpack it.
• 22:13
  Speaker 2: Marcus Apps.
• 22:14
  Speaker 1: As things stand right now, entering training camp, will be
• 22:17
  Speaker 1: the front runner to start opposite mcuba and Marcus Apps.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: It is notable that he received a pretty strong endorsement
• 22:25
  Speaker 1: from Vic Fangio this spring, and he does have a
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: resume that includes ninety four games forty nine starts, so
• 22:35
  Speaker 1: he's sort of there's not a lot of guests work
• 22:37
  Speaker 1: with him, and he's not overly athletic. He's not twitched up.
• 22:40
  Speaker 1: He doesn't have the range, but he does have the
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: football IQ and the instincts, both qualities that Vic Fangio
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: holds in high regard. So it's something to something to
• 22:50
  Speaker 1: keep an eye on. But I think that Michael Carter
• 22:53
  Speaker 1: the second is flying under the radar a little bit.
• 22:55
  Speaker 1: I understand that he's a nickelback by trade, five ten
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: hundred and eighty five pounds, so he has the build
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: of a nickelback, and I think with that you may
• 23:05
  Speaker 1: have some concerns about how he can hold up at
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: a position that really takes a toll. You have to
• 23:11
  Speaker 1: be able to come downhill and make plays against the
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: run and things like that. But he's gonna wear another
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: hat this season for a reason. And I think his
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: combination of range, instincts and versatility that he can bring
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: with him from his previous position makes him an intriguing wildcard,
• 23:30
  Speaker 1: and that's kind of the way that the position is
• 23:32
  Speaker 1: evolving in the NFL if you really think about it.
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: I'm not saying that he's someone that is going to,
• 23:39
  Speaker 1: let you know, set the world on fire or anything
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: like that. I still have to learn more and training
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: camp will will determine all that. But I think he's
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: kind of a sleeper here because I like his skill set,
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: the twitchiness, the ability to cover ground and allow the
• 23:54
  Speaker 1: defense to be multiple. I think that Marcus EPs is
• 23:58
  Speaker 1: probably going to enter with the label of being the favorite,
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: and he probably should be, but yeah, I'm curious to
• 24:07
  Speaker 1: see what Michael Carter the second can provide and if
• 24:10
  Speaker 1: there's any carryover from his role as a nickel to
• 24:14
  Speaker 1: this position. For the final slot, I was torn between
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: Andre Sam, Maximus Pulley, and was Nesky, and I think
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: a case can be made for any of those three,
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: but I ended up going with was Neski. The Eagles
• 24:28
  Speaker 1: twenty twenty six seventh round pick. The Texas Tech product
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: profiles is a big time special teams contributor in year one.
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: Who knows maybe even he can be a gunner because
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: Sidney Brown was the Eagles other gunner and he's no
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: longer here. As I mentioned, maybe he can do it if.
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: You don't keep And these are the names who are out.
• 24:48
  Speaker 2: J T.
• 24:49
  Speaker 1: Gray, a three time All Pro Pro bowler who would
• 24:52
  Speaker 1: be pencil no, not penciled and written in with penn
• 24:56
  Speaker 1: as a gunner if he makes the team. Andre Sam
• 25:00
  Speaker 1: and Maximus Pulley. Those are the players that I have
• 25:03
  Speaker 1: on the outs. But Maximus Pulley, by the way, is
• 25:06
  Speaker 1: someone that you should be paying attention to. He kind
• 25:10
  Speaker 1: of peaked my curiosity watching him in the spring reminded
• 25:14
  Speaker 1: me a little bit of what I remember of Quinton
• 25:16
  Speaker 1: Michael in his early years as someone who's around the
• 25:19
  Speaker 1: football didn't seem like the moment was too big for him.
• 25:22
  Speaker 1: He has a steep hill to climb to reach the
• 25:24
  Speaker 1: top there. But he is someone that if I'm looking
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: for an undrafted free agent to potentially have a pathway
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: to make the roster, he would be one that would
• 25:33
  Speaker 1: be towards the top of my list. And then that
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: brings us to the specialist where I have three this
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: time kicker Jake Elliott, punter Braden Mann, and I did
• 25:44
  Speaker 1: keep in this situation, long snapper Rocco Underwood. And if
• 25:48
  Speaker 1: you remember, in my previous edition of My Way to
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: Early fifty three, I went without a long snapper because
• 25:55
  Speaker 1: I tried to buy an extra roster spot, and the
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: Eagles used that method last summer when they parted with
• 26:01
  Speaker 1: veteran Charlie Hewlett if you remember, who eventually rejoined the
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: team ahead of week one. But in this scenario, I
• 26:08
  Speaker 1: decided to alter my approach and not get too cute
• 26:10
  Speaker 1: with it. Look, Underwood's an undrafted rookie, he doesn't have
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: any competition, and he's earning.
• 26:16
  Speaker 2: This nod by default.
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: Obviously, circumstances can change. If he doesn't perform well in
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: training camp, look for the Eagles to make a change there.
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: There's also the possibility that maybe an established veteran shakes
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: loose during cutdowns that maybe the Eagles prefer. But right
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: now I'm going with the only long snapper on the roster,
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: and that is Rockau Underwood. I went chalk in this situation.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: That is my pre training camp Eagles fifty three man
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: roster projection.
• 26:48
  Speaker 2: I'm curious to see how how flawed it ends up
• 26:53
  Speaker 2: being when I look back on it. In late August,
• 26:56
  Speaker 2: But for right now, that's the group that I'm.
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: Going with, certain players on the on the you know,
• 27:03
  Speaker 1: the full training camp roster that I will be highlighting
• 27:07
  Speaker 1: and monitoring throughout the summer that I think could make
• 27:09
  Speaker 1: for uh some interesting roster decisions potentially, But for right now,
• 27:16
  Speaker 1: this is kind of where I landed on all that.
• 27:18
  Speaker 1: That's going to do it for this episode of the
• 27:19
  Speaker 1: Czecho Deaily Andrew Decheco, and I'll catch you all on
• 27:23
  Speaker 1: the next one.