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The DiCecco Daily: Are Eagles Better Or Worse At Off-Ball LB? · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's happened? Everyone?
• 0:11
  Speaker 2: Welcome into another episode of the Checko Dei Andrew Dichecko
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: e goes big reporter Friendsidethebirds dot Com and are Better.
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: The Same or Worse?
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: Series continues on with the linebacker group, and it's really
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: an interesting group this year because a lot of this
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: is going to be based on projection. So let's go
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: to the twenty twenty five group. Because Zach Vaughnd, needless
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: to say, speaks for itself. He's in a class of
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: his own, one of the best offball linebackers in the NFL.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: Then you had Nakobe Dean who returned from injury about October.
• 0:45
  Speaker 2: He played in the Giants game on special teams and
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: then he made his first start of the year against
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: the Minnesota Vikings and he started to play very well.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: It didn't take long for him the round back into form.
• 0:57
  Speaker 2: But it was his emergence that relegated rookie Jehid Campbell
• 1:03
  Speaker 2: to the back burner. And that was to no fault
• 1:06
  Speaker 2: of Jehidd Campbell. I thought the rookie linebacker did a
• 1:09
  Speaker 2: nice job early on in the season. He's athletic, he's lengthy,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: he could make plays sideline, the sideline.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: Yeah, sure, there were.
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: Some blips on the radar and he wasn't perfect, but
• 1:23
  Speaker 2: he was in the running for defensive Rookie of the Year,
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: and I think his game against the Buccaneers indicates the
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: kind of player that he is. He got beat on
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: a play I think it was a wheel route, and
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: then he makes a big time interception Bob Baker Mayfield
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: in the end zone. I believe if I'm remembering this,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: this is back in September. But there are other instances
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: that to.
• 1:44
  Speaker 1: Me indicated that he's a.
• 1:45
  Speaker 2: Big time player and he's ready to make an impact
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: on the defense as.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: As a starter.
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: Then you had smile minded Smile Monden was a rookie
• 1:55
  Speaker 2: out of Georgia and he really played on special teams,
• 1:58
  Speaker 2: but he had a really.
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: Strong training camp.
• 2:00
  Speaker 2: I think that based off of what I saw in
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: training camp, it looked at the time that he had
• 2:07
  Speaker 2: enough ability to contribute defensively. Now, the Eagles don't typically
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: rotate linebackers and he was buried on the depth chart,
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: so it wasn't likely, but I think that it underscored
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: the eagles embarrassment or riches at the position.
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: He's athletic, he moves well.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: He's played college football at the highest level, so the
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: standards high and he has a high level football IQ,
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: and I think a lot of things that are appealing
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: and project well for his future.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: Jeremiah Triter Junior is another player who's still in.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: The room, but in twenty twenty five, he had a
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: really strong training camp, just like Smilemunt and all the
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: Eagles linebackers really impressed in the summer months. And I
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: think with Jeremiah Trotter Junior, it just comes down to opportunity.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: It wasn't as if he played himself out of a role,
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: but he logged a lot of a lot of practices
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: with the first team alongside Zach Vaughn, and I thought
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: that he did a really nice job reading and diagnosing,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: leaning into his football acumen that he has, and I
• 3:10
  Speaker 2: think that's really his calling card. But it was never
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: realistic for him to play over John Campbell, who the
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: Eagles drafted in the first round, or even na Kobe
• 3:20
  Speaker 2: Dean when he returned back into the fold.
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: But that is a very valuable depth piece for the.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: Eagles to have, and frankly, they should be fortunate that
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: a team hasn't blown them away with the trade for
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: Trotter Junior, because if you look at what he's able
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: to do, I think that he offers starting caliber upside.
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: But the Eagles have him as their third linebacker, and
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: last season he was their fourth linebacker effectively after Nakobe
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: Dean returned. But I think that everything that I've just
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: said really encapsulates how impressive that position was last season.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: And it's not often that we can sit here and
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: say the Eagles have and Harrismon or riches at linebacker.
• 4:01
  Speaker 1: That just isn't something that has been.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: A phrase that's been uttered, or maybe you look in
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: the past history, whether it was Miles Jack, Zach Cunningham,
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: Nick Morrow, even years back under Andy Reid, Mark Simono,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Nate Wayne, Keith Adams to Hannie Jones, and that's.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Not shaye at of any to any of those players.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: But the Eagles haven't traditionally prioritized that position and it's
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: been sort of a makeshift group for much of the
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: past twenty five years. Give or takes a player to
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah Trotter Senior, can't forget him. Carlos s Emmons was
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: a big time player for the Eagles. Sean Barber in
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: two thousand and two had a really nice season. So
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: there's been players, But right now the Eagles have equipped
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: themselves with bona fide stars at the starting position and
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: intriguing depth pieces that I think if they were somewhere else,
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: they might be able to factor in defensively. But twenty
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: twenty six, let's look at this group. Because the Kobe
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: dam moves on to the Las Vegas Raiders, that's going
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: to be a big loss, not only from an on
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: field perspective, but also off the field leadership.
• 5:06
  Speaker 1: I thought he was a spokesperson for the defense.
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: Whenever the Eagles played on Sundays, whatever day they played,
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: he would stand in front of his locker for at
• 5:16
  Speaker 2: least a half an hour and entertain the wave of
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: reporters that would come to him. And he was sort
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: of the authority, the spokesperson of that defense. And he
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: was always candid, always thoughtful in his answers. But I'm
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: going on a little bit of a tangent here, I understand,
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: but I'm just trying to really illustrate how important to
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: Kobe Dean was from a leadership role off the field
• 5:37
  Speaker 2: and on the field as well.
• 5:39
  Speaker 1: But he goes to the Raiders.
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: So that means that Jehi Campbell, the second year linebacker,
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: now is in line to inherit the starting role. And
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: I think, and I go back to what I said earlier,
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: he did nothing to lose his starting job. It's just
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: that Vick Fangio prioritizes experience, football savvy and all those things,
• 6:00
  Speaker 2: and na Kobe Dean is as sharp minded of linebackers
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: you're going to find around the NFL.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Then the level of play.
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: That he was showcasing out there was just too great
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: for the Eagles to entertain a time share or anything
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: like that. That just wasn't going to happen. But Johot Campbell,
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: I think projects to have a really good season. And
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: here too I talked about his length and athleticism. He
• 6:24
  Speaker 2: really is the new age linebacker in that he can cover,
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: He has the ability to narrow throwing windows with his length,
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: he can get out there in space, and I think
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: he's the ideal compliment to Zach Bond. Now we'll see
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: how he returns from what was a I believe it
• 6:42
  Speaker 2: was reported to be a shoulder issue that he.
• 6:45
  Speaker 1: Was dealing with.
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: But last summer, let's not forget that he'd beat whatever
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: expected timeline that he had. He was on the field
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: at the start of training camp, so I wouldn't put anything.
• 6:57
  Speaker 1: Past Johot Campbell.
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: He prioritizes the recovery process and really attacks it. And
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: that's going to be a really good linebacker pairing because
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: Zach Pahon is just a force of nature and just
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: an all encompassing linebacker and that he can cover, he
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: can play the run, and he keeps getting better. He
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: hasn't played the position very long, and he gives you
• 7:19
  Speaker 2: a steady force there, athletic player.
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: He can rush the passer.
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: And I think that he keeps developing in coverage as well.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: He's just a big time player for the Eagles and
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: he finds a way to make plays on the football,
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: whether that's intercepting the pass or whether that's forcing a fumble.
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: Just a really fun player to watch and I think
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: he's kind of going to be a really good mentor
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: continue to be a good mentor for Johad Campbell, Jeremiah
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: Troter Junior returns and whatever he's gotten, his opportunities he's flashed.
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: It's just he doesn't have a define role on game day.
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: As I mentioned, it would take you know, injuries or
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: something unforeseen for him to factor in all likelihood, And
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: that's not that's not a slight of Jeremiah. Is just
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: a matter of opportunity here and always so many snaps
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: to go around at how vic Vancho views the linebacker position.
• 8:12
  Speaker 1: So he provide quality depth and I think the Eagles
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: would feel comfortable turning to him if.
• 8:17
  Speaker 2: They had to smile mind the same thing, although I
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: don't know that. We have to see how he looks
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: in training camp to put him on that Drougher level.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: But if he's able to replicate a summer like the
• 8:29
  Speaker 2: one that he had and then correlate that into preseason success,
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: because I thought last summer when he flashed the camp,
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: you didn't necessarily see the same carryover in the preseason,
• 8:39
  Speaker 2: then that's to be expected. He's a young player. You're
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: trying to go out there and make play. Sometimes you're
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: over running things and you kind of have to get
• 8:46
  Speaker 2: your feet wet in order to get that experience. But
• 8:49
  Speaker 2: I think he profiles as a big time special teams player,
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: can get down the field. He made some plays later
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: in the year. He was kind of quiet earlier in
• 8:56
  Speaker 2: the year on kicking punk coverage. But he's somebody that
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: I really like coming out of the draft, and I
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: think that he's going to be a long time player
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: in Philadelphia.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, it's just a matter of what his role is
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: going to be, but he'll likely be the he'll be
• 11:29
  Speaker 2: the fourth. Then you have an interesting battle, at least
• 11:33
  Speaker 2: the way it stands right now. There's also the potential
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: of a draft selection that could alter this, but right
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: now it looks to be Chance Campbell versus Chandler Martin
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: for the.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: Final linebacker spot.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: And Chandler Martin, as I mentioned on this podcast, was
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: signed a couple of days ago and he's a second
• 11:53
  Speaker 2: year player twenty three years old, once at the University
• 11:56
  Speaker 2: of Memphis.
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: Suffered an ACL tear in Week.
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: Thirteen with the Ravens and in his third game he
• 12:02
  Speaker 2: was elevated from the practice squad.
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: But I liked him coming out of Memphis. I like
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: his athleticism.
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: He's a little bit on the undersize side, but he
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: like Smile Mondon, he has athleticism, he moves really well.
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: I told you he ran a four or five four
• 12:17
  Speaker 1: that Memphis pro Da.
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: He wasn't invited to the Scouting Combine, But I think
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: that's gonna be an interesting battle because Chance Campbell is
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: another player that drew a lot of praise. If you've
• 12:28
  Speaker 2: got a chance to read Zach Berman's story last season
• 12:31
  Speaker 2: that I really enjoyed and I enjoy every year where
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: he talks to starters about the scout team players and
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: who impressed them and why, and a lot of players
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: mentioned Chance Campbell. It's an uphill battle for him, knowing
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: that he's a little bit on the older side compared
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: to a twenty three year old. And the Eagles did
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: sign Chandler Mark to a two year deal, but don't.
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: Roll out Chance Campbell in that battle.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: I think he can also really thrive on special teams,
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: and that's been his calling card when he has played
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: back when he's with the Tennessee Titans. But that's kind
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: of the way that I'm doing that right now, and
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: so it's so hard for me to say whether the
• 13:07
  Speaker 2: group is better or worse than last season. So I
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: don't want to do a cop out because losing the
• 13:15
  Speaker 2: Kobe Dean is not something that you kind of just
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: cast aside.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: That's gonna be a noticeable loss.
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: But I am so bullish on Jahad Campbell and his
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: prospects of really emerging in here two and being a
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: different anchor.
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: At the second level and compliment exact bond that for me,
• 13:35
  Speaker 1: I think it's kind of a push.
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: I really do, because I am doing a little bit
• 13:39
  Speaker 2: of projecting here. I understand that, but the athleticism there
• 13:43
  Speaker 2: is too enticing for me to overlook here, and so
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: I think it's going to be the same because I
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: think Jahid Campbell, while he is still developing in terms
• 13:52
  Speaker 2: of run defense, he gives you a lot of athleticism
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: and a lot of ranginess in coverage that I think
• 13:59
  Speaker 2: will prove to be in especially in the modern era.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: So that's the way that I'm seeing it right now.
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: Obviously things are subject to change, but I think that
• 14:07
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of reason for optimism looking at this group,
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: even without the Kobe Deane. That's gonna do it for
• 14:13
  Speaker 2: this episode of The Checko Daily, Andrew de Checo, We'll
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: catch you on the next one.