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The DiCecco Daily: Which Player At Each Position Is Most On The Fringe For Eagles On Defense? · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on? Everyone?
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Welcome into another episode of d check o'daly. It's Andrew
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: de Checko, Eagles beat reporter for Inside the Birds dot Com,
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: with you, and we're gonna continue on with the players
• 0:20
  Speaker 2: at each position whom I deem to be most.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: On the bubble.
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: But we're gonna look at the defensive side this time
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: because on Friday we took a closer look at the
• 0:30
  Speaker 2: offense in which players fit that criteria. So let's get
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: right to it. On defense, We'll start at defensive tackle.
• 0:37
  Speaker 2: Ty Robinson is my pick, and I go through the
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: players at that position. You have Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Moro, Jomo.
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: Byron Young's a player whom the Eagles really seemed to like.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Vic Fangio calls him by when they needed someone to
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: step up in the absence of Jayalen Carter late last season.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: For those three games it was Byron Young played seventy
• 1:02
  Speaker 2: four snaps, had two and a half sacks.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: He just seems to.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: Be a player that the Eagles like, and I think
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: he brings something to that group and there's a confidence there.
• 1:12
  Speaker 2: I think that he can give you some quality snaps
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: and he's a proven commodity. Now, while I think that
• 1:18
  Speaker 2: ty Robinson has a good shot at sticking, let's not
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: forget that the Eagles also have U. R. Bernard, who
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: they drafted in the seventh round, and he's not someone
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: that I expect them wanting to expose to waivers.
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: Just given the interest that he was sort of building
• 1:35
  Speaker 1: league wide going into the draft.
• 1:37
  Speaker 2: They understood that it was going to be a process
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: to get him up to speed and they are committed
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: to seeing that through. So that's kind of baked into
• 1:46
  Speaker 2: the selection knowing that it's going to take some time.
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: And the Eagles did roster.
• 1:50
  Speaker 2: Jordan Milatta in twenty eighteen on the fifty three, So
• 1:54
  Speaker 2: I would imagine that or Bernard is going to be
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: pretty safe unless there's just something on for scene. But
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: that's five right there, and so that brings us to
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: ty Robinson. And while we all know that the Eagles
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: aren't always a team that wants to bail on draft
• 2:12
  Speaker 2: picks too quickly, Ty Robinson last season played in eleven games,
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: one hundred and four snaps. As a fourth round pick.
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: He had five tackles and a quarterback hit. But I
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: think to a larger point here, it never looked like
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: he was comfortable or fully adjusted to the NFL. I
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: go back to training camp, there were signs there that
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: he was going to be a little bit of a
• 2:36
  Speaker 2: work in progress. He was a little bit, you know,
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: his pad level, He wasn't necessarily generating a lot of
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: push at the line of scrimmage. And I got a
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: lot of questions last summer, what about ty Robinson? Why
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: isn't he listed in your observations? Well, to be honest
• 2:50
  Speaker 2: with you, it wasn't because I just you know, omitted
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: him from those observations. It was because he really hadn't
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: made a play. And then in the regular season he
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: didn't really become a factor all that much either. But
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: he does have the benefit of coming in now with
• 3:06
  Speaker 2: the year of being in the building, a year of
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: learning the defense. Sometimes that added knowledge it builds or
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: it yields to maturity and you're able to play a
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: little bit faster, you have a better understanding of what
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: your role is in the defense, another season.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: Of working with Clint Hurt.
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: All of those factors are going to be incredibly important
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: within the context of ty Robinson entering year two, But
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: it all depends on the roster structure, ken the Eagles
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: afford to carry six defensive tackles, and moreover, will Ty
• 3:39
  Speaker 2: Robinson be able to emerge in his second season as
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: someone who does make plays, who isn't showing signs of
• 3:47
  Speaker 2: a player that still needs more time, because frankly, I'm
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: not sure that the Eagles are in a position where
• 3:53
  Speaker 2: they can have another season where they're waiting for the
• 3:57
  Speaker 2: light to come on for Ty Robinson, and perhaps that.
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: Light may never come on.
• 4:01
  Speaker 2: And I've been on this podcast and I picked ty
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: Robinson as someone who it wouldn't surprise me if he
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: were an emerging star in training camp. Maybe that might
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: be a little strong, someone who makes a lot of
• 4:12
  Speaker 2: plays and you're hearing his name quite a bit, But
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: it also wouldn't surprise me at all if he's a.
• 4:17
  Speaker 1: Player that you don't hear about all that much.
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: I'm not writing about, I'm not talking about because the
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: production isn't there, the praise isn't warranted. So being that
• 4:30
  Speaker 2: far down on the depth chart and knowing that he
• 4:34
  Speaker 2: didn't accomplish a whole lot last season as a fourth
• 4:37
  Speaker 2: round pick, and the players that you can feel pretty
• 4:40
  Speaker 2: confidently they're already going to.
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: Be on the roster at that position.
• 4:44
  Speaker 2: That's why Ty Robinson for me, is the player that
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: I pick at the defensive tackle position most.
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: On the roster bubble.
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: Moving on to outside linebacker aka edge rusher, and there
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: are four players who are already etched in Stone. You
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: have Jonathan Grenard, Jay Looks Hunt, Nolan Smith, and Arnold Ebacadie.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: That's a pretty strong four now operating under the assumption
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: that the Eagles keep five. Maybe this player, aj At
• 5:13
  Speaker 2: Panessa would be someone that you feel pretty confident in
• 5:17
  Speaker 2: as that fifth edge rusher. There's also Keyshawn James Nuby,
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: whom the Eagles drafted in the seventh round, though he
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: is a long shot to make the team to be clear,
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: at least going into training camp. That can change if
• 5:29
  Speaker 2: he's doing some different things, especially on special teams. But
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: as we stand right now, depending on how the Eagles
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: decide to allocate their roster spots, maybe they go heavier
• 5:40
  Speaker 2: at quarterback, maybe they go heavier elsewhere like in the secondary,
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: and perhaps they end up going with four edge rushers
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: on the roster and putting one on the practice squad.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: That's a scenario, though not one that I particularly subscribe to.
• 5:55
  Speaker 2: I think the Eagles have been a team that likes
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: to keep five, with that fifth one one, however, being
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: someone who can help on special teams. Normally that's a
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: Patrick Johnson. They don't have that player right now. So
• 6:09
  Speaker 2: all that being said, if I have to pick a
• 6:11
  Speaker 2: player at this position, I'm picking aj at Panessa. Now,
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: this is someone who at six foot six, two hundred
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: and sixty pounds twenty seven years old. You like the
• 6:20
  Speaker 2: background that he's coming in here with second round pick
• 6:23
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty of the Buffalo Bills. He's played ninety
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: one games started, nineteen twenty four sacks, twenty nine tackles.
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: For lost, fifty three quarterback hits.
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: There's a lot to like, especially if you're looking at
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: it in the terms of a fifth edge rusher. And
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: he's kind of different from the other players in that
• 6:41
  Speaker 2: he's more of a run defender. He's pretty stout at
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: the point of attack, and he gives you something and
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: that aspect of the game, which is hugely important. But
• 6:50
  Speaker 2: he's also someone who has battled injuries in his career
• 6:53
  Speaker 2: and well, I should say of late, and so much
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: so that when he initially agreed to deal with the
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: Cleveland Browns in late March.
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: It was a one year deal worth five million.
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: The Browns backed out of that deal because they didn't
• 7:07
  Speaker 2: feel comfortable finalizing after that physical. So perhaps a couple
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: months was all that was needed for aj Panesse to
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: check off the boxes necessary to sign with the team,
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: because he did sign with the Eagles, you know, in
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: the office late and.
• 7:24
  Speaker 1: Later in the spring.
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: But it's something worth monitoring because while he does have
• 7:30
  Speaker 2: a resume that should suggest that there should be some
• 7:35
  Speaker 2: optimism there, there are also questions how is he going
• 7:38
  Speaker 2: to hold up?
• 7:38
  Speaker 1: Is he the same player?
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: Is he going to go out there and make enough
• 7:44
  Speaker 2: plays to force the Eagles hand to go a little
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: heavier at the edge rusher spot. But when you already
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: have four players that are pretty cemented in their respective roles,
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: it's that fifth player, despite his resume, that he's coming
• 7:59
  Speaker 2: in with that I'm a little murky on I'm a
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: little apprehensive in writing his name in Penn when I'm
• 8:07
  Speaker 2: putting together my.
• 8:07
  Speaker 1: Fifty three man roster. I have him on there right now,
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: but a lot.
• 8:12
  Speaker 2: Can change based off of what we see from him
• 8:14
  Speaker 2: in training camp, and maybe players emerge at other positions
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: that maybe if you're if they're younger, you don't want
• 8:21
  Speaker 2: to expose them to waivers. Ajpinessa wouldn't be exposed to waivers.
• 8:24
  Speaker 2: Maybe you can get him on your practice squad, and
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: that would take an agreement from both the organization and
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: Ajpiness's camp.
• 8:31
  Speaker 1: And I know we're getting a little bit of ahead of.
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: Ourselves here, but those are all the scenarios that factored
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: into my decision here, and that's why Epinessa is my
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: pick at outside linebacker off ball linebacker. The Eagles went
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: lighter there last year. They kept four, and that was
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: something that I didn't think plague them in any way.
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: I never felt like they were light on on off
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: ball linebackers. And this year I feel pretty comfortable saying
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: that you have locks in Bond Jehad Campbell, Jeremiah Trotter Junior,
• 9:13
  Speaker 2: and Smile Mondon, the twenty twenty five fifth round pick
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: of last season who has become a critical piece on
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: special teams.
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Do the Eagles keep five?
• 9:24
  Speaker 2: And if they do, who would that fifth linebacker be?
• 9:27
  Speaker 2: Could be Deontay Lawson, the rookie free agent out of
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: Alabama who has already seemed to generate some buzz from
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: the outside knowing that he's coming in with that pedigree
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: and started a number of games for Alabama. But I'm
• 9:40
  Speaker 2: not picking Deontay Lawson. Instead, the player I'm picking for
• 9:46
  Speaker 2: being on the bubble would be Chance Campbell. So Chance
• 9:50
  Speaker 2: Campbell to you know, kind of reiterate the points that
• 9:54
  Speaker 2: I've made whenever I've discussed Chance during the offseason. He's
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: someone that the Eagle signed prior to the season finale
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: last year, and.
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: He played in the finale.
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: I don't really recall him standing out in any meaningful way,
• 10:08
  Speaker 2: but it's all fuzzy because a lot's happened since then.
• 10:11
  Speaker 2: But I think the most important note here is that
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: the Eagles signed them to the practice squad, so they
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: already had enough information on the player to give them
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: enough confidence that he would be a good addition for
• 10:24
  Speaker 2: the practice squad. He was a good practice player on
• 10:27
  Speaker 2: the scout team, and he knows the system. He's familiar
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: with linebackers coach Bobby King, and I believe that he
• 10:33
  Speaker 2: could be a standout contributor on special teams if he
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: is on the roster, and naturally that would be his role.
• 10:39
  Speaker 2: You don't keep five linebackers unless that final player or
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: players are high.
• 10:45
  Speaker 1: End special teams contributors.
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: But Chance Campbell played in four games in twenty twenty
• 10:49
  Speaker 2: three with the Titans. Sixty two of those snaps that
• 10:53
  Speaker 2: he had were on special teams, five on defense. He
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: was a six round pick in twenty twenty two out
• 10:59
  Speaker 2: of all men. Began his career at Maryland and spent
• 11:03
  Speaker 2: the entire twenty twenty five season on the Eagles practice squad.
• 11:07
  Speaker 2: He flashed a little bit to me in the spring.
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: I saw a player that was moving around like someone
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: who had a firm grasp on that defense, a high
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: level understanding of what his responsibilities are. And it's just
• 11:21
  Speaker 2: spring practice, but I thought he broke on passes, he
• 11:24
  Speaker 2: never looked out of place, He did a nice job
• 11:27
  Speaker 2: anticipating certain plays.
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: And we didn't.
• 11:30
  Speaker 2: Get a chance to see him really in training camp
• 11:32
  Speaker 2: last year, so this gives us an opportunity to see
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: him sort of fly around. And he does strike me
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: as someone who's going to be fun to watch because
• 11:40
  Speaker 2: he does seem to have a propensity to fly around.
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: And I go back to the background that he has
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: with linebackers coach Bobby King from their time in Tennessee.
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: I also look.
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: At the value of being in meetings and being in
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: the building for a year where in practice on the
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: scout team, going through everything else just like every other day,
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: like every other player on the roster, active roster, or
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: practice squad. So that's hugely important, and I would think
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: that it would lend itself to him getting off to
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: a relatively quicker start than most in practice and would
• 12:17
  Speaker 2: give him that proverbial leg up over someone like a
• 12:19
  Speaker 2: Deontay Lawson. And so this all comes down to how
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: many linebackers do the Eagles carry. Ken the roster are
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: four to carry five, and if they did, I think
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: that fifth player would be Chance Campbell. But a lot
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: of things would have to break his way. So, as
• 12:34
  Speaker 2: I've outlined, that's why he is my pick at off
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: ball linebacker. At corner, I could have won a number
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: of different ways, and I am grouping all of the
• 12:45
  Speaker 2: corners together, including you know, I didn't. I don't have
• 12:48
  Speaker 2: a separate, you know, a separate section in this podcast
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: where I break it down into nickel corners or anything,
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: but purely from a cornerback perspective, I was really torn
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: between Mac McWilliams and Jacorey and Bennett.
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: But to outline the.
• 13:06
  Speaker 2: Cornerback situation, you have Quinnon Mitchell, you have Cooper Dejen
• 13:10
  Speaker 2: Riek Woll, and Jonathan Jones. Jonathan Jones I feel pretty
• 13:14
  Speaker 2: comfortable with. He would have to really fall flat in
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: training camp to not make the roster. I think he
• 13:21
  Speaker 2: has a lot of value, at least on the surface.
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: And then you have Keeley Ringo, who is a very
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: important cog on special teams, one of the better special
• 13:32
  Speaker 2: teams cover players in the NFL, so that I would
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: imagine would carry some weight. I don't view him as
• 13:38
  Speaker 2: a cornerback per se. I feel more as a specialist now.
• 13:42
  Speaker 2: But I think all that being said, you would want
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: someone like that on the roster, especially when you lose
• 13:49
  Speaker 2: key parts like Kylon Grantson in free agency Sidney Brown
• 13:54
  Speaker 2: via trade. You need to have those core members on
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: the roster and give Michael Clay some of those center
• 14:01
  Speaker 2: pieces that he can really work with.
• 14:02
  Speaker 1: So I like Keey Ringo's chances this year at sticking.
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: I do, though, think the Eagles will carry six cornerbacks
• 14:10
  Speaker 2: because of those five that I mentioned, only.
• 14:13
  Speaker 1: Four are presumably playable. In the eyes of Vic Vangio.
• 14:17
  Speaker 1: So the player that I have on the.
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: Bubble is Mac McWilliams, and mac McWilliams played in five
• 14:24
  Speaker 2: games last season as a fifth round pick out of
• 14:27
  Speaker 2: UCF twenty eight defensive snaps, twenty one on special teams.
• 14:32
  Speaker 2: For those wondering, he's five ten, one hundred and ninety
• 14:35
  Speaker 2: one pounds and twenty four years old. So Mac McWilliams,
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: to me, is someone that early in training camp you
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: heard a lot about him. Fic Fangio offered some lukewarm praise.
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: He wasn't overly bullish, but there was enough there to
• 14:51
  Speaker 2: suggest that they were intrigued with what they saw from him.
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: He was picking up things quickly, and I personally, going
• 14:57
  Speaker 2: into the draft process, I was really enamored with mac
• 15:01
  Speaker 2: McWilliams's short area of quickness, his ability to match receivers,
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: ball skills.
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: I just thought he was a really fluid player.
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: But last season he didn't play all that much, and
• 15:12
  Speaker 2: there's reasons for that. They had a logjam of players there.
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: But he also couldn't get on the field despite the
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: Eagles having a glaring weakness at one outside cornerback spot.
• 15:22
  Speaker 2: And you would think that as a draft pick he
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: could certainly carve out a role on special teams.
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: That also didn't happen.
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: So that sort of peaked my curiosity a little bit
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: and has made him a player that I will have
• 15:37
  Speaker 2: an eye on and this summer to see how his
• 15:40
  Speaker 2: development is going. Those of you who have followed along
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: with my Rookie Diary series, you're well aware that I
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: chronicled Max season all year.
• 15:49
  Speaker 1: Great guy, and in theory.
• 15:52
  Speaker 2: You like the positional versatility that he can give you
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: because he plays nickelback and they cross train him at
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: outside corner in training camp.
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: That would tend to be appealing.
• 16:03
  Speaker 2: But you have other players who can maybe give you
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: a little bit more, certainly in the special teams aspect.
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: I just don't view him kind of like Eli Rix,
• 16:12
  Speaker 2: as someone who can help you on special teams. I
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: don't know that that is in his makeup. Maybe he
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: really takes to it this summer, Maybe he really embraces it,
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: and Michael Clay and the Eagles special teams coaches see
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: something in him and he gives you added value there
• 16:28
  Speaker 2: and then of course that position of versatility. But I
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: think when you're looking at this cornerback position, it's tough
• 16:35
  Speaker 2: to find a spot again. Kind of like with Ty Robinson.
• 16:39
  Speaker 2: The Eagles don't simply want to part with draft picks,
• 16:42
  Speaker 2: certainly a year after drafting them. They want to give
• 16:45
  Speaker 2: them the benefit of the doubt, and they want to
• 16:46
  Speaker 2: allow them the ample time to grow. But this could
• 16:49
  Speaker 2: come down to just fit. And if you're carrying a
• 16:53
  Speaker 2: in this case it would be a sixth corner, what's
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: the what's the value there? Can and he helped you
• 17:01
  Speaker 2: on special teams if he were active on game day
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: and things like that, So Jacorey and Bennett for example,
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: can he can in theory start outside in a pinch.
• 17:14
  Speaker 2: I don't know that he gives you a ton on
• 17:16
  Speaker 2: special teams. That's not really an area that he's had
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: a lot of experience in his career.
• 17:21
  Speaker 1: But you can make a case for it.
• 17:23
  Speaker 2: You can make a case for the Eagles going maybe
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: heavier at safety and always carrying five corners, the fifth
• 17:29
  Speaker 2: being Keeley Ringo, and maybe one or two on the
• 17:32
  Speaker 2: practice squad. But as things stand right now going into
• 17:35
  Speaker 2: training camp, Mac McWilliams is the player that I deem
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: most on the bubble at the cornerback position. Moving on
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: to safety, there are names I could have went with
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: I could have went with an out of left field selection,
• 17:49
  Speaker 2: like a Maximus Pulley, but that would be mostly a projection.
• 17:52
  Speaker 2: I could have went with Andre sam whom you guys
• 17:55
  Speaker 2: know that I think highly of, and I think under
• 17:59
  Speaker 2: different circumstances he would have a better shot.
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: Maybe he'll have a better opportunity elsewhere.
• 18:04
  Speaker 2: It's hard for me to see him having a roster
• 18:07
  Speaker 2: path despite even if he does have a good summer.
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: But the player that I'm going with, and again I'm
• 18:14
  Speaker 2: operating under the assumption that the Eagles are looking at Macouba,
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: of course, but Marcus EPs and Michael Carter the second
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: as locks Cole was an Nesky, the draft pick in
• 18:26
  Speaker 2: the seventh round.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: I like what he brings.
• 18:29
  Speaker 2: He didn't do a ton, He wasn't able to do
• 18:32
  Speaker 2: a ton in the spring, not much at all. So
• 18:36
  Speaker 2: I like his size, and you know, it's not hard
• 18:39
  Speaker 2: to envision him making some noise on special teams this summer.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: That being said, that's for there, and then you get
• 18:47
  Speaker 2: a little bit further down, and then where does that
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: leave someone like a JT. Gray, a veteran safety by title,
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: he's not really a safety, but that's his position and
• 18:59
  Speaker 2: he's more of a specialists, but the Eagles did sign
• 19:01
  Speaker 2: him on the same day that they traded away Sidney Brown.
• 19:06
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• 19:10
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  Speaker 3: time you walk in. Plus, they carry only the best
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• 20:01
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• 20:04
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• 20:05
  Speaker 1: And I look at JT.
• 20:07
  Speaker 2: Gray, who was a twenty eighteen undrafted free agent out
• 20:09
  Speaker 2: of Mississippi State, signed with the Saints.
• 20:12
  Speaker 1: His resume is quite decorated.
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: A three time All Pro, first time first team in
• 20:18
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty one, second team in twenty nineteen and twenty
• 20:21
  Speaker 2: twenty four, and he was a Pro Bowler in twenty
• 20:24
  Speaker 2: twenty one. It was all under the umbrella of special teams.
• 20:28
  Speaker 2: He has established himself as one of the best special
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: teams players in the league for a number of years now,
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: which peaks my curiosity. But from a defensive perspective, just
• 20:42
  Speaker 2: listen to these numbers. In twenty eighteen he played zero
• 20:45
  Speaker 2: defensive snaps, twenty nineteen just twenty snaps, twenty twenty twenty snaps,
• 20:52
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty one, forty one, twenty twenty two, twenty eight,
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: twenty three he played five defense, and in twenty twenty
• 21:01
  Speaker 2: four he played thirty nine. Last season, he appeared in
• 21:06
  Speaker 2: five regular season games between two different teams.
• 21:10
  Speaker 1: And had zero defensive snaps.
• 21:12
  Speaker 2: But there were also five seasons where he's lobbed well
• 21:16
  Speaker 2: over three hundred special team snaps. If he's not going
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: to help you as a safety, can he be impactful
• 21:25
  Speaker 2: enough as a special teamer to sort of force the
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: Eagles to carry five safeties him, much like Keeley Ringo
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: being a specialist, because he's as numbers would tell you,
• 21:37
  Speaker 2: he's not going to factor in as a safety on defense.
• 21:42
  Speaker 2: But I you look at the loss of Sydney Brown,
• 21:45
  Speaker 2: who was a very effective gunner opposite Ringo. Maybe was
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: Nesky can do it, maybe Darius Cooper can do it.
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: But you have someone here who is a premier player
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: on special teams in JT. Gray.
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: I would imagine that if you're Michael Clay, you're going
• 22:04
  Speaker 2: to do everything that you can to keep him on
• 22:06
  Speaker 2: the roster. And maybe, and that kind of speaks to
• 22:09
  Speaker 2: some of my earlier points that maybe the Eagles go
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: heavier elsewhere. And when you have such a dynamic player
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: who can help you and really change the game in
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: the third phase, like JT.
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: Gray, I would imagine you have.
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: To think long and hard about how he fits or
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: why you're making those roster decisions. And I'll say this
• 22:29
  Speaker 2: selfishly as someone who covers the team, I would like
• 22:34
  Speaker 2: it if JT made the roster because I would love
• 22:37
  Speaker 2: to have conversations with him about how he got to
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: where he got in the NFL what makes a good gunner,
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: And I've talked to Keighley about that at different points
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: because it is such a challenging position that doesn't get
• 22:49
  Speaker 2: a lot of recognition on the outside. But there are
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: a lot of things I'd love to pick JT's brain
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: on if he's around this year, So we'll see what
• 22:59
  Speaker 2: they do. I went with a different name of the
• 23:01
  Speaker 2: safety spot, but there are other players that I could
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: have made a case for, but as you can see,
• 23:07
  Speaker 2: there are going to be some obstacles for him to
• 23:10
  Speaker 2: be able to stick on the fifty three and so
• 23:14
  Speaker 2: that's why he's my top safety who's on the roster
• 23:19
  Speaker 2: bubble going into training camp.
• 23:22
  Speaker 1: So there you have it.
• 23:23
  Speaker 2: There are my players on both offense and defense. If
• 23:25
  Speaker 2: you miss the offensive episode, you can go back and
• 23:27
  Speaker 2: grab that on pretty much anywhere wherever you get your podcast.
• 23:33
  Speaker 2: And with that, that's going to do it for this
• 23:35
  Speaker 2: episode of The Checko Daily, I'm Andrew Decheco and I'll
• 23:38
  Speaker 2: catch you all on the next one.