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The DiCecco Daily: Looking At Cowboys Post-Free Agency; Making Sense Of Eagles Moves At Safety · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's happened?
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: Everyone? Welcome into another episode of to Checho Daily. Andrew
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: decheco here Eagles beat reporter for insidethebirds dot Com, and
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: today we're going to embark on the first of a
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: three episode podcast series where I preview the free agent
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: moves and where the rosters stand for the Eagles three
• 0:29
  Speaker 2: NFCS opponents. And today we're going to start with the
• 0:32
  Speaker 2: Dallas Cowboys. Not much needs to be said about their offense.
• 0:36
  Speaker 2: I believe that they have one of the best offenses
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: in the NFL. That certainly hasn't been what's held them back.
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: The one question that they have on that side of
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: the ball would be the status of wide receiver George Pickens.
• 0:48
  Speaker 2: And George Pickens was not given a long term contract
• 0:51
  Speaker 2: from the team. He was issued the franchise tag, which
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: is a one year deal worth twenty seven point two million.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: I'm fascinated to see what Pickens did sides to play here.
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: Will he skip OTA's in mini camp or will he
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: show up and be a good soldier and hopes that
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: that parlays into a more fruitful situation down the road.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: Pickens was a.
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Dynamic presence for the Dallas Cowboys last season, he had
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: fifteen hundred yards, and I mean well it was actually
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: four and twenty nine yards and nine touchdowns. Ceedee Lamb,
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: his counterpart, had seventy five grabs for one thousand, seventy
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: seven yards and three touchdowns. Tight End Jake Ferguson is
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: someone who's overlooked in the grand scheme when you look
• 1:38
  Speaker 2: at tight ends around the league, but I think he's
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: very much underrated. Eighty two catches last season, six hundred yards,
• 1:44
  Speaker 2: eight touchdowns. Ryan Flornoy, who fills the shoes of Jalen
• 1:49
  Speaker 2: Tobert who left in free agency, He himself had forty
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: catches for four hundred and seventy five yards and four touchdowns.
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: Their rushing attack is efficient. They got a really good
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: performance out of Javonte Williams last season, who rushed for
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: twelve hundred yards and eleven touchdowns after coming over from
• 2:08
  Speaker 2: the Denver Broncos. I think that change of scenery has
• 2:11
  Speaker 2: really served him well. And of course, it all starts
• 2:15
  Speaker 2: with quarterback Dak Prescott, who last season threw for four
• 2:18
  Speaker 2: five and fifty two yards thirty touchdowns against ten interceptions.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: I viewed Dak Prescott, and rightfully so among the best
• 2:26
  Speaker 2: quarterbacks in the NFL. So the Dallas Cowboys offense is
• 2:29
  Speaker 2: already well at hand. I love their offensive line when
• 2:32
  Speaker 2: you look at what they have in center, Cooper Bebee,
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: left guard, Tyler Smith, left tackle, Tyler Geiton, who had
• 2:41
  Speaker 2: a really strong second season, Tyler Booker the right guard.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: I thought he was very impressive in his rookie season,
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: and then you have Terrence Steele, who's an underrated right tackle.
• 2:52
  Speaker 2: Their offensive line is solid. They have some backups that
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: you'll remember in former Eagle Trevor Keegan who backs up
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: Tyler Smith at left guard, and Matt Hennessy, who had
• 3:03
  Speaker 2: a couple of coffee with the Eagles. He didn't stay
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: there long, but he backs up Cooper bb at center.
• 3:09
  Speaker 2: So their offense right now is pretty well set. And
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: I haven't even mentioned Cavante Turpin, who's more of a
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: gadget player, game changing speed. Paris Campbell, another former Egal,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: he's there as well, so they have some depth. I
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: do believe that in the draft, while we're on the offense,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: they could stand to add a better complimentary piece to
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: Javonte Williams. And they have a lot of running backs
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: in this class that I think would suit him, would
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: suit them well, maybe a K Tron Allen from Penn State.
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: I think would really be a good one to two
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: punch with Javonte Williams because right now they just have
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: Malik Davis Jaden Blue, who's a speedster undersized Phil Maffa.
• 3:48
  Speaker 2: If you have watched Clemson football over the years, you
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: probably remember that name. But I think that and I'm
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: splitting hairs here, they could stand.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: To add another running back to that group. But I
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: want to.
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: Spend today really delving into the offense or the defense rather,
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: because that's where they've had their breakdowns. That's what's kept
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: them from reaching their fullest potential and not being able to,
• 4:15
  Speaker 2: I guess, play compimentary football and help an offense that's
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: among the league's best.
• 4:19
  Speaker 1: So with that, let's.
• 4:21
  Speaker 2: Look at some of the Dallas Cowboys' free agent moves,
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: because I think their best one, in my estimation, was
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: acquiring edge rusher Rashaun Gary for a twenty twenty seven
• 4:32
  Speaker 2: to fourth round pick from the Green Bay Packers. They
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: dealt Osa Odighizuwa, a defensive tackle who was very effective
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: for them. I think he's underrated when you look around
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: the NFL. He is a disruptive interior presence. They gave
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: him up for a twenty twenty six third round pick.
• 4:49
  Speaker 2: Their departures, I mentioned wide receiver Jaalen Tolbert. He goes
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: to the Miami Dolphins, and safety jan Ye Thomas goes
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: to the Indianapolis Colts. Some of their move extended running
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: back Javonte Williams. I think that was well deserved.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: They used a.
• 5:05
  Speaker 2: Franchise tag on George Pickens, as I mentioned. They use
• 5:07
  Speaker 2: a second round tender on kicker Brandon Aubrey and offensive
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: guard TJ.
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Bass.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: They used an exclusive rights free agent tender on cornerbacks
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: cornerback Josh Butler and cornerback Reddy Stewart. And they cut
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: linebacker Logan Wilson, who the Cowboys acquired at the trade
• 5:23
  Speaker 2: deadline last year. He's since retired, and I think that's
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: even more of a head scratching move.
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Let's get to some.
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: Of their signings, because this player I really liked. With
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: the Arizona Cardinals. They signed safety Jalen Thompson to a
• 5:36
  Speaker 2: three year deal worth thirty six million. They re signed
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: defensive end Sam Williams to a one year deal worth
• 5:42
  Speaker 2: three million. They signed safety PJ. Locke to a one
• 5:46
  Speaker 2: year deal worth five million. They signed nose tackle Otito
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: Ogbania to a one year deal worth three million. They
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: signed quarterback Sam Howell to a one year deal, defensive
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: end Tyres Whet to a one year deal, offensive lineman
• 5:59
  Speaker 2: Matt Hennessy to a one year deal, and cornerback Kobe
• 6:02
  Speaker 2: Durant to a one year deal. But the Dallas Cowboys
• 6:06
  Speaker 2: defense has been sort of their achilles heel. They don't
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: play with great fundamentals, they haven't played as a united front.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: They seem to have they have talented players, but they
• 6:18
  Speaker 2: all seem to be operating in different directions. And adding
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: someone like Christian Parker to head that defensive side of
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: the ball, who, of course was the Eagles defensive backs coach.
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: I believe that you're going to see a lot more communication.
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: You're going to see the team play with better fundamentals.
• 6:34
  Speaker 2: They're going to be assignment sound, they're going to be
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: all on the same page. You're going to see a
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: more cohesive unit. Their defensive line. They have Kenny Clark
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: and Quinnin Williams. That's certainly going to to give them
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: a really good foundation there. Rashawn Gary providing pressure off
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: the edge. I like what they've done in that with
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: their defensive front. They're pass rushers to Marvin Overshown is
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: one of my favorite players to watch when he's healthy.
• 7:02
  Speaker 2: But the problem is is he's been often injured throughout
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: his career. It's been really unfortunate because just when you
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: feel like he's primed for a breakthrough, that's where another
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: injury seems to arise. And Donovan Azaraku is another ascending
• 7:16
  Speaker 2: pass rusher. You may remember him last draft cycle. Went
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: to Boston College. He's a Williamstown, New Jersey native. He
• 7:23
  Speaker 2: started to come on later in the season. And Shamar
• 7:26
  Speaker 2: James is a very fast, flowing linebacker. A little undersized
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: he is. He was a fifth round pick last season
• 7:33
  Speaker 2: out of Florida. I like him, and he started to
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: gain some valuable playing time last season. I don't know
• 7:40
  Speaker 2: that he's someone that you would optimally like starting, but
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: that's the situation that they're in. If I'm the Cowboys,
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: I'm looking to draft a linebacker. And if you're Dallas,
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: I think you're hoping to get the returns that you
• 7:56
  Speaker 2: thought you were going to get when you traded for
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: Logan Wilson, but I do believe that they need a
• 8:00
  Speaker 2: little bit more from that second level. The secondary is
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: an area that I think you're going to see the
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: most notable change because Christian Parker has a PhD when
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: it comes to teaching and molding defensive backs and getting
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: them to play as a collective. So I see that
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: the Jaywen Thompson signing as one that I think will
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: give them a much greater upgrade over what they had
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: in Donovan Wilson, who may still be available on the
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: free agent market. Thompson's a player who I liked when
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: he was with the Arizona Cardinals. He's a well rounded guy.
• 8:36
  Speaker 2: He can come up and thump you in the running game,
• 8:38
  Speaker 2: but he also has some range to cover on the
• 8:40
  Speaker 2: back end, and that's really what you need to be
• 8:42
  Speaker 2: able to do in the modern era. He will team
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: with Malik Hooker to be the two safeties there. The
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: cornerback situation, I'm a little curious to see how this
• 8:52
  Speaker 2: group manifest because you have Doron Bland, who's been a
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: mainstay on the Dallas Cowboys secondary. He's their nickel corner.
• 9:00
  Speaker 2: They have Savone Revel who they drafted in the third
• 9:02
  Speaker 2: round last year out of East Carolina. He was one
• 9:05
  Speaker 2: of my favorite cornerback prospects coming out last season. He
• 9:08
  Speaker 2: started the year with an injury, but he started to
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: get some valuable reps late in the year. I like
• 9:15
  Speaker 2: his length, I like his ability to play the football.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: Sometimes he gets a little too handsy and that could
• 9:20
  Speaker 2: be to his detriment, but playing under Christian Parker should
• 9:25
  Speaker 2: refine some of those tendencies, and I think you're going
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: to see a player who makes a big jump here
• 9:31
  Speaker 2: in year two.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: When I look at the young defensive.
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: Backs around the league, one of the ones I'm most
• 9:37
  Speaker 2: fascinated to watch in twenty twenty six is Savone revel
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: so that gives them a building block there. I'm not
• 9:43
  Speaker 2: so sure that Kobe Durant, who you would assume would
• 9:47
  Speaker 2: be plugged in to be a starter based off of
• 9:49
  Speaker 2: free agency. I still think that the Cowboys.
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: Can upgrade there.
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: Maybe they look to the draft and try to get
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: someone like an Avian Terrell if they're able to get
• 9:59
  Speaker 2: him where where they're slotted. But that's been where they've
• 10:02
  Speaker 2: had their biggest breakdowns. You see in the secondary where
• 10:06
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of lapses in coverage I've noticed a
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: lot of busted coverages, a lot of communication breakdowns. That's
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: all going to go away with Christian Parker, and they
• 10:15
  Speaker 2: have enough AMMO in the draft and right now it's
• 10:20
  Speaker 2: sort of lukewarm and free agency you're not going to
• 10:22
  Speaker 2: find a lot of great options. But I think that
• 10:26
  Speaker 2: you can still stand that this is a good draft
• 10:28
  Speaker 2: for safeties. By the way, if you want to get
• 10:30
  Speaker 2: a Dylan Theeneman out of Oregon or an Emmanuel McNeil
• 10:34
  Speaker 2: Warren at a Toledo, maybe a Bud Clark, you can
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: get some rangy back end players that can make plays
• 10:40
  Speaker 2: on the football to.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: Complement what you already have.
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: Because I'm not wholly sold on Malie Cooker, I still
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: think that they could stand the upgrade there.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: I think PJ.
• 10:50
  Speaker 2: Locke, who they signed to the one year deal, as
• 10:52
  Speaker 2: I mentioned, is going to prove to be a really
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: underrated signing when you look at free agency. When you
• 10:57
  Speaker 2: look back on free agency, he has familiarity in the
• 11:00
  Speaker 2: ad with Christian Parker. He's a hard hitter, he's versatile,
• 11:04
  Speaker 2: he didn't break the bank to.
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: Bring him in there.
• 11:06
  Speaker 2: He's a little bit of an older player, but I
• 11:09
  Speaker 2: kind of think that that's going to prove to be
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: a good fit for the Dallas Cowboys.
• 11:14
  Speaker 3: Hey, if you're like me, you're desensitized to the dozens
• 11:17
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• 13:53
  Speaker 2: I mentioned adding another running back in the draft. You
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: can stand to bolster that secondary even further. Pass drush
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: is something that I'm not expecting them to shy away from.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: Christian Parker, if you remember, and his introductory press conference,
• 14:06
  Speaker 2: talked about when asked about his foundation when it comes
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: to defense, he said, affecting the quarterback and stopping the run.
• 14:15
  Speaker 2: They can certainly stop the room with Kenny Clark and
• 14:17
  Speaker 2: Quinn Williams, but I would like to see them bolster
• 14:20
  Speaker 2: that second level to be able to arm Christian Parker
• 14:25
  Speaker 2: with more optionality and more of a run defending presence
• 14:30
  Speaker 2: there because I still think that they lack something there
• 14:33
  Speaker 2: and over shown as I mentioned first, talented as he is,
• 14:37
  Speaker 2: you don't necessarily want to go into it banking on
• 14:39
  Speaker 2: him staying available for the.
• 14:41
  Speaker 1: Full compliment of games.
• 14:43
  Speaker 2: I believe that you know you have Forshaan Gary, you
• 14:45
  Speaker 2: have Donovan as a roku. You could stand to add
• 14:48
  Speaker 2: a third edge rusher to that group to give them
• 14:50
  Speaker 2: a more well rounded presence. I look at someone like
• 14:53
  Speaker 2: Joshua Josephs from Tennessee that to me would be a
• 14:58
  Speaker 2: fascinating fit in that defen But make no mistake about it,
• 15:03
  Speaker 2: They've got the right coach in place to helm that
• 15:06
  Speaker 2: defensive side of the ball, and I think it's only
• 15:09
  Speaker 2: a matter of time before Christian Parker gets that unit
• 15:11
  Speaker 2: playing at a fairly high level, bringing it maybe not
• 15:15
  Speaker 2: up to the level of the offense, but they certainly
• 15:18
  Speaker 2: will be able to play more of a complimentary style
• 15:21
  Speaker 2: of football than they have in recent years. That's the
• 15:24
  Speaker 2: way that I'm kind of viewing it. Two weeks in
• 15:26
  Speaker 2: a free agency and just over thirty, just over thirty
• 15:31
  Speaker 2: days until the NFL Draft. But that's episode one. We'll
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: talk about the Washington Commanders tomorrow. In Eagles related news,
• 15:39
  Speaker 2: as an aside, the Eagles traded safety Sydney Brown to
• 15:43
  Speaker 2: the Atlanta Falcons. The Eagles acquire picks one, fourteen and
• 15:46
  Speaker 2: one to ninety seven in exchange for picks one, twenty two,
• 15:50
  Speaker 2: two fifteen and Brown. So Sidney Brown gets a fresh
• 15:54
  Speaker 2: start with the Atlanta Falcons. But it was never more apparent,
• 15:57
  Speaker 2: having watched the first season under Vic Fangio, that it
• 16:02
  Speaker 2: wasn't a schematic fit for what Vic likes to do.
• 16:05
  Speaker 2: What he demands of his safeties, and you have to
• 16:08
  Speaker 2: be able to play with restraint. You have to be
• 16:11
  Speaker 2: fundamentally sound. You can't be a high variance type of
• 16:14
  Speaker 2: player and expect to be a starting caliber safety in
• 16:18
  Speaker 2: a Vic Fangio defense when so much is required of
• 16:21
  Speaker 2: that position.
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: You have to be structurally sound.
• 16:25
  Speaker 2: There can't be the heat seeking, missile tendencies, the whiffing
• 16:30
  Speaker 2: of tackles. You have to be someone that he has
• 16:32
  Speaker 2: a lot of confidence in to.
• 16:34
  Speaker 1: Deploy back there. And there's been a lot.
• 16:36
  Speaker 2: Of instances over Sidney Brown's career where he's had opportunities,
• 16:41
  Speaker 2: but he clearly wasn't a fit for what the Eagles
• 16:44
  Speaker 2: were looking to do defensively. So let's back up a
• 16:48
  Speaker 2: little bit. Sidney Brown was a third round pick drafted
• 16:50
  Speaker 2: sixty six overall in the twenty twenty three NFL Draft.
• 16:54
  Speaker 2: He appeared in forty two games for the Eagles, starting nine.
• 16:57
  Speaker 2: He had two interceptions, who could forget the one that
• 17:02
  Speaker 2: he had against the Arizona Cardinals where he returned at
• 17:04
  Speaker 2: ninety nine yards for a touchdown, but five passes defended,
• 17:08
  Speaker 2: two forced fumbles, eighty six tackles, and a tackle for loss.
• 17:13
  Speaker 2: Most of his playing time came on special teams. He
• 17:17
  Speaker 2: logged three hundred and thirty two special team snaps last
• 17:19
  Speaker 2: season that accounted for seventy six of the.
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: Eagles total there. The year prior, he played two tozh five.
• 17:25
  Speaker 2: The year prior his rookie season, he played two hundred
• 17:28
  Speaker 2: and twenty The most defensive snaps in his career he
• 17:31
  Speaker 2: played in twenty twenty three as a rookie that was
• 17:33
  Speaker 2: three thirty five. He appeared in fourteen games that season,
• 17:37
  Speaker 2: started six, and let's not forget at the end of
• 17:40
  Speaker 2: that season where it looked like he was starting to
• 17:42
  Speaker 2: make some strides. Remember he played safety, he played nickel
• 17:45
  Speaker 2: that season. I think he was a little out of
• 17:47
  Speaker 2: place there. But he suffered a knee injury in the
• 17:50
  Speaker 2: season finale against the Giants that damn MetLife Stadium turf,
• 17:54
  Speaker 2: and it really short changed him of an offseason. It
• 17:58
  Speaker 2: took him a while to get back in the mix
• 18:00
  Speaker 2: last season. I believe he returned in October of twenty
• 18:03
  Speaker 2: twenty four, and he never really cemented his status as
• 18:08
  Speaker 2: a defensive player in that system, and he was relegated
• 18:11
  Speaker 2: largely to special teams and then of course almost exclusively
• 18:15
  Speaker 2: last season he was on special teams. But when you
• 18:19
  Speaker 2: have that kind of a skill set and you're a
• 18:20
  Speaker 2: box safety, it's hard to find your fit. It never
• 18:23
  Speaker 2: seemed like there was a fit there, and it was
• 18:25
  Speaker 2: really tough to look at that safety room and wonder
• 18:31
  Speaker 2: where Sidney Brown fit because he still was on his
• 18:35
  Speaker 2: rookie contract. He's an outstanding special teamer. But if you
• 18:38
  Speaker 2: can't count on someone to help you defensively in a pinch,
• 18:42
  Speaker 2: well that really hamstrings what you're looking to do as
• 18:46
  Speaker 2: you rebuild this room. And it felt like it was
• 18:50
  Speaker 2: inevitable that there would be a parting of the ways,
• 18:52
  Speaker 2: and so Sidney Brown gets to start there with the
• 18:55
  Speaker 2: Atlanta Falcons. We'll see if he's able to climb the
• 18:58
  Speaker 2: depth chart and become a starter. But he gets a
• 19:00
  Speaker 2: clean slate, a fresh start there. Maybe the Falcons have
• 19:04
  Speaker 2: a system that better accentuates what he does well. But
• 19:08
  Speaker 2: it was very clear early that it wasn't going to
• 19:10
  Speaker 2: be a fit here in Philadelphia, and the Eagles were
• 19:13
  Speaker 2: able to find a suitor. The Falcons get a player,
• 19:17
  Speaker 2: a young player that doesn't have a ton of tread
• 19:20
  Speaker 2: on the tires. He has had some injuries, but at
• 19:23
  Speaker 2: twenty five years old, he's soon to be twenty six,
• 19:25
  Speaker 2: he'll be twenty six by training camp. They're getting a
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: player that they can sort of mold and they might
• 19:32
  Speaker 2: be able to get the most out of them. And
• 19:35
  Speaker 2: all the best to Sydney Brown. I really enjoyed my
• 19:37
  Speaker 2: conversations with him.
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: He was always.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: Accountable, always available, and very thoughtful in his responses, and
• 19:45
  Speaker 2: so I always appreciated the time that I was able
• 19:48
  Speaker 2: to spend talking to him, and I'll certainly be keeping
• 19:52
  Speaker 2: an eye on what the future holds for him in
• 19:55
  Speaker 2: Atlanta as he looks to rebound and carve out a
• 19:59
  Speaker 2: much more prominent now looking at the safety room that
• 20:06
  Speaker 2: on the heels of that trade that left the Eagles
• 20:08
  Speaker 2: with OWI Drew mccouba, who is coming off a fractured
• 20:11
  Speaker 2: ankle that he suffered late in the Cowboys game in
• 20:15
  Speaker 2: late November, and they have Michael Carter the second. And
• 20:20
  Speaker 2: this is important to note because the Eagles do value
• 20:23
  Speaker 2: his versatility. He's a nickel corner by trade, but he
• 20:27
  Speaker 2: did moonlight at safety a little bit. He crossed trained there.
• 20:30
  Speaker 2: He logged a ton of reps in the season finale
• 20:32
  Speaker 2: in place of Brandon Johnson, who actually started that game.
• 20:36
  Speaker 2: But I believe after fifteen or eighteen snaps he suffered
• 20:39
  Speaker 2: an ankle injury. Looked like he was going for an
• 20:41
  Speaker 2: interception there, landed awkwardly, and Michael Carter came in, and
• 20:46
  Speaker 2: I remember talking to him after the game about how
• 20:49
  Speaker 2: he thought he fared at safety, and he said, that's
• 20:51
  Speaker 2: the most snaps at safety I've played since high school.
• 20:54
  Speaker 2: But the Eagles do value that versatility that he brings
• 20:57
  Speaker 2: as evidence by renegotiating his deal keeping him in the fold.
• 21:02
  Speaker 2: They traded for him at the trade deadline, and I
• 21:04
  Speaker 2: think that that is something to file away when you're
• 21:07
  Speaker 2: looking at this safety room, and really, someone like a
• 21:11
  Speaker 2: Michael Carter profiles more as a Vic Vangio style of safety.
• 21:15
  Speaker 2: While he isn't the biggest player at that position or
• 21:18
  Speaker 2: as a defensive back in general, what he does provide
• 21:21
  Speaker 2: is instincts, veteran savvy, He's fundamentally sound, he's a solid tackler,
• 21:27
  Speaker 2: he's willing to mix it up a little bit, and
• 21:29
  Speaker 2: he's played.
• 21:30
  Speaker 1: A lot of football.
• 21:32
  Speaker 2: And I'm not just saying that based off of the
• 21:33
  Speaker 2: eight games that I saw him play with the Eagles.
• 21:35
  Speaker 2: Really going back to his time with the Jets, I
• 21:38
  Speaker 2: liked him quite a bit, especially earlier in his career
• 21:41
  Speaker 2: where he was just.
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: Sticky in coverage.
• 21:43
  Speaker 2: But he has now added safety to his background, and
• 21:48
  Speaker 2: I think the Eagles are going to give him a
• 21:50
  Speaker 2: look there. So keep an eye on Michael Carter. They
• 21:53
  Speaker 2: also have Andre sam who is a holdover. He signed
• 21:56
  Speaker 2: a reserve futures deal spent the past two seasons on
• 21:59
  Speaker 2: the Eagles practice squad. Though I know they like him,
• 22:02
  Speaker 2: but I don't I'm not sure it's to the extent
• 22:05
  Speaker 2: of someone who they believe can be more than a
• 22:08
  Speaker 2: practice squad player or you know, you get a few
• 22:11
  Speaker 2: elevations a season. I think Andre sam deserved to be
• 22:14
  Speaker 2: on the fifty three man roster last summer. I thought
• 22:16
  Speaker 2: he did enough. But we'll see what happens there as
• 22:19
  Speaker 2: the Eagles look to rebuild this room, and they added
• 22:22
  Speaker 2: two players shortly after trading Sydney Brown, re signing safety
• 22:26
  Speaker 2: Marcus Apps to a one year deal and then signing JT.
• 22:30
  Speaker 1: Gray to a one year deal.
• 22:32
  Speaker 2: Marcus Apps, of course, filled in admirably for Drew mccoba
• 22:38
  Speaker 2: when he was injured. He paired with red blanket ship.
• 22:40
  Speaker 2: He does have limitations. He doesn't give you that dynamic
• 22:44
  Speaker 2: quality that you tend to look for, the twitchiness, the
• 22:47
  Speaker 2: range that you ideally would look for. But I think
• 22:50
  Speaker 2: as a third safety you could do a lot worse
• 22:52
  Speaker 2: than Marcus Epps. He knows the defense, he can compete
• 22:55
  Speaker 2: in training camp, and I think that he's.
• 22:58
  Speaker 1: Just an all round solid football player.
• 23:00
  Speaker 2: I don't want to oversell it, of course, but he's
• 23:03
  Speaker 2: a solid player who is best suited to be a backup.
• 23:05
  Speaker 2: But the familiarity there makes a lot of sense.
• 23:08
  Speaker 1: It that the.
• 23:09
  Speaker 2: Pairing, the reunion there just made too much sense, especially
• 23:13
  Speaker 2: as they just ran through the room before the immediately
• 23:16
  Speaker 2: after the Cydney Brown trade, it was really light there.
• 23:20
  Speaker 1: And then J. T.
• 23:20
  Speaker 2: Gray is a outstanding He's an outstanding special teams player
• 23:26
  Speaker 2: over his career, especially with the Saints. He was with
• 23:29
  Speaker 2: the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last season. I think he was
• 23:31
  Speaker 2: on their practice squad, But he's logged just one hundred
• 23:34
  Speaker 2: and fifty three defensive snaps over the course of his
• 23:36
  Speaker 2: career and two two and thirty one special team snaps.
• 23:43
  Speaker 2: So I was looking at the regular season, but there's
• 23:45
  Speaker 2: obviously a stark contrast there. This is a dominant special
• 23:49
  Speaker 2: teams player that the Eagles are getting, and one would
• 23:51
  Speaker 2: presume as long as JT. Gray is able to do
• 23:53
  Speaker 2: enough to make the Eagles at a training camp, he
• 23:57
  Speaker 2: would be the logical Sydney Brown replacement on special teams.
• 24:01
  Speaker 2: One of the best gunners in the NFL, one of
• 24:03
  Speaker 2: the best gunners that I've seen, a three time All Pro,
• 24:06
  Speaker 2: a longtime captain for the Saints, and I kind of
• 24:09
  Speaker 2: equate that move to swapping out JT. Gray for Sidney Brown,
• 24:17
  Speaker 2: or Sidney Brown for JT.
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: Gray. However you want to slice it.
• 24:20
  Speaker 2: But that's kind of that maneuver, and then Marcus EPs,
• 24:24
  Speaker 2: of course, being someone who is very familiar with the
• 24:27
  Speaker 2: defense and that veteran that that room sorely needed. The
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: Eagles are not done at that position. I wouldn't have
• 24:35
  Speaker 2: a lot. I wouldn't be overly concerned. They need to
• 24:38
  Speaker 2: add some bodies there, and I think the two additions
• 24:41
  Speaker 2: that they made are really smart for different reasons. And
• 24:44
  Speaker 2: we'll see what's next as the Eagles look to remake
• 24:46
  Speaker 2: that room. But the room revolves around second year safety
• 24:50
  Speaker 2: Drew mccouba, and rightfully so, I thought he was coming
• 24:53
  Speaker 2: on a little bit late in his rookie season. Suffered
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: that unfortunate injury. I don't believe it that stunted his grow.
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: We'll see if he's able to bounce back or how
• 25:02
  Speaker 2: he bounces back, because I thought he got a lot
• 25:04
  Speaker 2: more comfortable within the defense. He was playing faster, he
• 25:08
  Speaker 2: was not necessarily second guessing or playing timid. I thought
• 25:11
  Speaker 2: he was really starting to turn it loose. And I
• 25:14
  Speaker 2: think he's going to be a really interesting player to
• 25:16
  Speaker 2: watch this season and a really fun player because he
• 25:18
  Speaker 2: knows how to find the football that's going to do it.
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: For this episode of the Czecho Deli.
• 25:23
  Speaker 2: I'm Andrew Decheco and I'll catch you all on the
• 25:25
  Speaker 2: next one.