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The DiCecco Daily: Bounce-Back Candidates For Eagles On Defense in 2026 · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome into another episode of De Checho Daily.
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: It's Andrew de Checko, Eagles beat reporter for insidethebirds dot Com,
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: here with you. And I talked about offensive bounce back candidates,
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: and it's a little more challenging to try to identify
• 0:26
  Speaker 1: players on the defensive side. But I put some thought
• 0:30
  Speaker 1: into this and some logic, and I've landed on three players,
• 0:34
  Speaker 1: the first being ty Robinson. And it's not simply because
• 0:38
  Speaker 1: he's one of the few players who qualify for a
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: bounce back candidate given how his rookie season went. I
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: went with Ty Robinson because I actually do believe that
• 0:49
  Speaker 1: he stands a chance to take his game a little
• 0:52
  Speaker 1: bit further in year two. And aside from what I
• 0:56
  Speaker 1: mentioned about noticing that he looks like he's bulked up
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: a little bit this offseason and it's spring practices, but
• 1:03
  Speaker 1: he seems to be moving around just fine. He's still quick,
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: and I have to think that being in the building,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: being in that room, sitting in meetings, not every player
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: is ready to go immediately. And I understand that he
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: was in college for a while, played in a number
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: of games, logged a ton of snaps. One would expect
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: someone like ty Robinson to come in and make an
• 1:25
  Speaker 1: early impact, but that didn't happen. But sometimes it takes
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: a little time to marinate.
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: And what I mean by that.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: Is sometimes you have to go through a full season,
• 1:38
  Speaker 1: you have to sit in meetings, you have to be
• 1:40
  Speaker 1: around your coach and heed to their directives. And with
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: ty Robinson, I think that that could be the case.
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: And the Eagles, let's not.
• 1:50
  Speaker 1: Lose sight of the fact that they would love nothing
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: more than for ty Robinson to make that second year leap.
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: They invested a fourth round pick into him, and as
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: I've previously mentioned, Moro Jomo and Byron Young are entering
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: the the final year of their rookie deals. So ty
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: Robinson all of a sudden could become a piece, a
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: critical piece for this defense as a potential third defensive tackle,
• 2:18
  Speaker 1: presuming he does trend in the right direction in his development.
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: But the Eagles are going to also give him every
• 2:26
  Speaker 1: opportunity to make some headway and catch their eye, and
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: they're going to give them snaps.
• 2:35
  Speaker 2: They're not going to write him off after one season.
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: But I like, I've liked his skill set coming out
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: of college. I liked well I have to say that
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: he did not have a very strong training camp, and
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: there's a reason why he didn't play. But I know
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: the player that I saw in college, and he was dominant.
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: I think his skill set will translate.
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: And with Clint Hurt, who I regard as the best,
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: if not well maybe one of at least the best
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: defensive line coaches in the NFL. You look at his
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: long standing track record of player development, He's not going
• 3:16
  Speaker 1: to let someone like ty Robinson fall by the wayside.
• 3:20
  Speaker 1: If Clint Hurt isn't able to get the most out
• 3:22
  Speaker 1: of Ty Robinson this year, then I think any of
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: those questions will be more than fair. But I take
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: all that into consideration. The Eagles knack for maximizing their
• 3:38
  Speaker 1: players and their talent. They have a strong collection of
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: assistant coaches that really abide by the teaching aspect of
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: their jobs. They are so dedicated to that aspect, and
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: I don't think that that gets enough credit. They consider
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: themselves teachers first, and they're going to explain the why
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: they're going to tailor their approach to each player. And
• 4:03
  Speaker 1: Clint Hurt is obviously familiar with ty Robinson, having been
• 4:06
  Speaker 1: in the building with him for a year. So there's
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: a lot of reasons that suggest that ty Robinson will
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: be able to take his skill set and the coaching
• 4:15
  Speaker 1: and the experience gained to fuel him to a more
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: fruitful second season.
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: Okay, at the next level.
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: We'll look at Nolan Smith, who I've talked a lot
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: about as a run defender, extremely violent player. I love
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: the way he plays, one of my favorite players to
• 4:36
  Speaker 1: watch on that defense because of his throwback style. But
• 4:42
  Speaker 1: he was a first round pick and injuries, granted have
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: hindered him a little bit. But No One hasn't really
• 4:50
  Speaker 1: factored all that much as a pass rusher, at least consistently.
• 4:54
  Speaker 1: He's shown flashes, but he hasn't necessarily put his stamp
• 4:58
  Speaker 1: on a starting spot. Now, I do you believe that
• 5:00
  Speaker 1: he'll have an opportunity to vie for that spot opposite
• 5:05
  Speaker 1: Jonathan Grenard. But I would imagine, and this is my perspective.
• 5:10
  Speaker 1: I think Jay looks Hunt is further ahead in his
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: development and gives them a little bit more juice as
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: a pure pass rusher. But no One has a ton
• 5:20
  Speaker 1: of ability. It's just about putting things together consistently and
• 5:24
  Speaker 1: staying available. Now, knowing well, taking in the consideration that
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: he could be the third as rusher that should preserve him,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: and the way that he plays at the weight that
• 5:35
  Speaker 1: he plays would tend to lead itself to getting some
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: bumps and bruises and not always being available. Yeah, well,
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: you know, one of the the hallmarks of his game
• 5:49
  Speaker 1: can sometimes work as a detriment.
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: But everybody needs a player like that.
• 5:53
  Speaker 1: Where I would like to see and where I believe
• 5:56
  Speaker 1: no one will have an opportunity to bounce back is
• 5:59
  Speaker 1: because I do envision a scenario where he's more effective
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: brushing the quarterback. Talk about someone who looks like they
• 6:08
  Speaker 1: bulked up in the offseason. Nolan Smith is another player
• 6:10
  Speaker 1: that I've mentioned on this podcast and I've written about
• 6:13
  Speaker 1: because he definitely spent some time in the gym this offseason.
• 6:17
  Speaker 2: All of those things to.
• 6:19
  Speaker 1: Me, and you couple that with, you know, the Eagles
• 6:23
  Speaker 1: picked up his fitier option, of course, but the Eagles
• 6:28
  Speaker 1: are going to in all likelihood have to make a
• 6:30
  Speaker 1: decision on Nolan Smith or jaloks Hunt. So knowing you
• 6:34
  Speaker 1: factor that into the equation and no one's healthy. He's
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: further removed from the triceps tear that he had in
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: the Super Bowl Yeah, it's easy to foresee a motivated
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: Nolan Smith entering training camp and looking to parlay that
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: into regular season success. Sustains success because he does certainly
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: have the talent. It's just about put it together for
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: the full complement of games. Then on the back end,
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: it'll be a newcomer to the Eagles, but someone who
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: does in fact qualify as a bounce back candidate, and
• 7:14
  Speaker 1: that's Rake Wohen, who, let's not forget.
• 7:17
  Speaker 2: In Seattle, he was caught in a.
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: Time share with Josh Job, former Eagles cornerback and Josh Job.
• 7:26
  Speaker 1: While their snap shares weren't drastically different, Joe played a
• 7:31
  Speaker 1: tick more Raeke Wohen was a player that was a
• 7:34
  Speaker 1: pro bowler in twenty twenty two, and he offers rare
• 7:39
  Speaker 1: size and athleticism for the position, and it seemed not
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: long ago that he was primed for breakthrough and a
• 7:47
  Speaker 1: long tenure as a starting cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: and a mainstay on their defense. But inconsistencies and lack
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: of judgment or discipline on the field, letting your emotions
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: get the best of you, those are things that Plaguereek
• 8:04
  Speaker 1: Woman and really hampered his chances at solidifying a consistent
• 8:10
  Speaker 1: role in that defense, and I believe that that really
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: shortchanged the Seahawks of what he could provide when fully
• 8:18
  Speaker 1: dialed in in terms of the technical aspects and being
• 8:21
  Speaker 1: detailed and not letting, not letting circumstances or situations or
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: the moment become too big, larger than what you're on
• 8:30
  Speaker 1: the field looking to accomplish. And I think sometimes he
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: lost focus in that regard. But in Philadelphia it's a
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: different situation. He signed a one year deal for worth
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: up to twelve million, and while Woman is likely to
• 8:44
  Speaker 1: be refreshed joining another team, one that is certainly among
• 8:48
  Speaker 1: the NFL's best, at least on paper, he also has
• 8:51
  Speaker 1: motivation to perform well so that when he goes back
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: to the negotiating table next offseason, he stands to benefit
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: even more from a financial perspective. And he's going to
• 9:03
  Speaker 1: be playing in a secondary with Cooper, dejen and Quinnon Mitchell.
• 9:08
  Speaker 1: Teams aren't necessarily going to pick on those two all
• 9:12
  Speaker 1: that much, it would appear, and it seems logical that
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: rak Wollen is going to see an influx of targets.
• 9:20
  Speaker 1: So you already have proven evidence that Riek Wollen can
• 9:25
  Speaker 1: make plays in the football. In terms of his passes defended,
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: he had six interceptions as a rookie. He can take
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: the football away and he's going to have an opportunity
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: to do so. Now, what can't be overstated is the
• 9:39
  Speaker 1: importance of detail and fundamentals and discipline in a Vic
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: Fangio defense.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: And that.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Sort of resonates beyond or it sort of holds a
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: higher importance than athleticism or anything like that. If Vic
• 10:00
  Speaker 1: Fangio views you as a high variance type of player,
• 10:04
  Speaker 1: i e. Sidney Brown or Keeley Ringo, you're not going
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: to be part of the defense for long and at
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: least in a meaningful capacity. So Women has to make
• 10:16
  Speaker 1: sure that he is diligent in his preparation and consistent
• 10:21
  Speaker 1: steady throughout the summer in order to really be able
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: to see this through. Because if what we saw in
• 10:27
  Speaker 1: the spring was any indication, the Eagles may well have
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: landed a steel and free agency on a big swing
• 10:34
  Speaker 1: for upside, because I think Woman is going to pair
• 10:37
  Speaker 1: very nicely opposite quinnyon Mitchell and for at least one season,
• 10:42
  Speaker 1: put his stamp and stabilize that often turbulent second outside spot,
• 10:48
  Speaker 1: and this obviously is a bounce back season for him
• 10:53
  Speaker 1: because when you look at how even though they won
• 10:55
  Speaker 1: a Super Bowl, even though Woman was on the field
• 10:58
  Speaker 1: and factoring pretty prominently in their defense to not be
• 11:02
  Speaker 1: able to.
• 11:05
  Speaker 2: Pry away or fend off Josh Job.
• 11:08
  Speaker 1: And Josh Job deserves a lot of credit for battling
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: through leaving Philadelphia. He was on the Seattle practice squad
• 11:16
  Speaker 1: and he worked his way up the rotation and delivered when.
• 11:19
  Speaker 2: His number was called.
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: But Rieke Wollan, if you're comparing athletic traits and skill
• 11:25
  Speaker 1: set and how that would translate, Raek Women has an
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: immensely higher upside than Josh Job. But you have to
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: make sure that you're doing everything else on the field
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: so that your coaches can rely on you in critical
• 11:40
  Speaker 1: moments and not have to account for any occasional lapses
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: or have to sort of worry or fear.
• 11:50
  Speaker 2: That you know, if a player, you know, if.
• 11:53
  Speaker 1: You get caught up in the moment, that could take
• 11:55
  Speaker 1: over your emotions and you can't have that.
• 11:59
  Speaker 2: You got to be stick.
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• 13:00
  Speaker 1: Riek Wohan is someone who's gonna play with the motion,
• 13:02
  Speaker 1: but he spoke plenty of this offseason about learning from
• 13:04
  Speaker 1: that and while still being able to be himself, just
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: always tempering things and not letting it sort of take over.
• 13:14
  Speaker 1: But it was very difficult for me to identify three
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: players on defense. But I think I did a pretty
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: good job of identifying the three and explaining the why
• 13:24
  Speaker 1: behind my decisions, and that will round out this series.
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: Will have more for you on.
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: Thursday on the Inside The Inside the Birds platform, but
• 13:34
  Speaker 1: for now, that's gonna do it for this episode of
• 13:36
  Speaker 1: The check Odaily. I'm Andrew de Checko, and I'll catch
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: you all on the next one.