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ITB: Is Safety A "Mess" For The Eagles Compared To Other Positions? · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:09
  Speaker 1: Inside the Birds is back.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: What's going on, everybody?
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: It's Jeff Mosher and Adam Kaplan, and we've reached the
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: end of our depth Chart Intel series. We have previewed
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: the Eagles at every single position that they have on
• 0:27
  Speaker 1: the depth chart, and we finished it off with this
• 0:29
  Speaker 1: last position of safety. And the tone of this podcast,
• 0:33
  Speaker 1: Adam is we were joking a little bit before we
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: started recording. It's gonna be a lot different than we
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: were talking about corner and DT and off ball linebacker
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: and all the talent and obvious starters at each position.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: The depth chart is wide open as we're sitting here
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: recording the show, because they still have to get themselves
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: more bodies at that position, and they have no real, definable,
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: exact starter next to Micuba Andrew mccouba, who, by the way,
• 0:58
  Speaker 1: only played ten games last year, so it's not like
• 1:01
  Speaker 1: he's a great experienced Uh, he's just getting the start
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: because he's the future of that position.
• 1:07
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's kind of a mess.
• 1:08
  Speaker 4: I mean they have enough, like they have players, but
• 1:10
  Speaker 4: the quality of the death is very poor.
• 1:13
  Speaker 3: Right.
• 1:14
  Speaker 4: Uh, It's to the point where like if Macoba gets
• 1:17
  Speaker 4: hurt again, Wow, they got problems like they got problems.
• 1:22
  Speaker 4: So right now it's either going to be depending on
• 1:26
  Speaker 4: what they do, whether they sign a veteran which makes
• 1:28
  Speaker 4: the most sense, or trade for somebody you'd rather not
• 1:30
  Speaker 4: trade for anyone to give him a draft pick for
• 1:32
  Speaker 4: a guy who are going to be their year. You know,
• 1:34
  Speaker 4: there's a Gardner Johnson type of player who could be
• 1:36
  Speaker 4: around a couple of years potentially. You know. Obviously he
• 1:41
  Speaker 4: came back and they try to try to resign him
• 1:44
  Speaker 4: the first time. It just didn't work out. But if
• 1:47
  Speaker 4: they could find someone, a younger guy they could trade for,
• 1:51
  Speaker 4: like jakorin Bennett they liked it just had.
• 1:54
  Speaker 3: Did not work out last season. He's still on the rostery.
• 1:56
  Speaker 3: So it's time left.
• 1:58
  Speaker 4: That's a corner, but it's safety right now, opposite Macuba.
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: Actually, can we just address Macuba for a second, because
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: we know he's a starter, but some of the concerns
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: that we had going into the year was, you know,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: the ability to be durable and hold off because he
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: was a.
• 2:14
  Speaker 2: Thin framed guy's one hundred and sixty nine pounds.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Now, the one thing about his tape was that he
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: played tough, and you even saw that not just college,
• 2:23
  Speaker 1: but you saw that in the preseason he was a
• 2:25
  Speaker 1: playmaker and even during the regular season. He doesn't play
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: like he's one hundred and sixty some odd pounds, But
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: he got hurt like someone who is doesn't have a
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: lot of body frame to him, and that's got to
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: be a concern in the year two.
• 2:39
  Speaker 4: Yeah, he broke his ankle, so he's expected to be
• 2:42
  Speaker 4: ready to participate in the offseason program. How much is
• 2:46
  Speaker 4: up to interpretation, we'll know them next week.
• 2:48
  Speaker 1: But he did get hurt before that though. Remember he
• 2:51
  Speaker 1: got hurt in training camp and missed a couple of weeks.
• 2:54
  Speaker 1: I think he missed about a week or two in
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: a hamstring gray. Yeah, it was something soft tissue, okay. Yeah,
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: and then even during the season he got banged up
• 3:03
  Speaker 1: with something as well before the ankle fracture. So if
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: it was just the ankle fracture, I would say, I
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: could that could happen to anybody. Sure it does, but
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: it was sort of the fact that that was one
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: of a couple of things in his rookie year that
• 3:15
  Speaker 1: ailed him.
• 3:15
  Speaker 2: And right from the start.
• 3:18
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so with Macouba, as someone from another team told
• 3:22
  Speaker 4: us that scouted him, he turned in a scouting grade.
• 3:25
  Speaker 4: He said, he's a he's got a Nichol's body playing
• 3:30
  Speaker 4: safety position. He and that was the worry at this
• 3:32
  Speaker 4: at this level, what kind of mass could he put
• 3:36
  Speaker 4: on his body that you We've talked about this. I
• 3:39
  Speaker 4: know people did. Weren't happy with us. They said, we're
• 3:41
  Speaker 4: trying to be overly critical.
• 3:42
  Speaker 3: We weren't.
• 3:43
  Speaker 4: We're trying to explain you how NFL people think. That's
• 3:45
  Speaker 4: why we're doing the show. There was a belief in
• 3:49
  Speaker 4: scouting circles that a because he was a nickel just
• 3:53
  Speaker 4: at Clemson in first few years before we went to Texas.
• 3:57
  Speaker 4: What is he at this level? Is he nickel or
• 3:59
  Speaker 4: is he a safety? The Eagles clearly think he's a safety.
• 4:01
  Speaker 4: You can play with nickel if you need him to,
• 4:03
  Speaker 4: could certainly do it. But safety other than mcuba is
• 4:09
  Speaker 4: in question. And on your point with Macuba, Kenny stay healthy.
• 4:12
  Speaker 4: That's a that's a that's concern. How good could he be?
• 4:16
  Speaker 3: We don't know a lot about him because he missed time.
• 4:18
  Speaker 2: Yeah, so he's offered his shoulder injury.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: By the way, early in camp it was very still July,
• 4:25
  Speaker 1: he had a collision.
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: I remember I was there.
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: He had a collision with a teammate and he came
• 4:29
  Speaker 1: off the field and it wound up being a shoulder deal.
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: Came back after a little bit, but then he had
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: a hamstring injury after that.
• 4:36
  Speaker 2: That wasn't law, and that wasn't very law.
• 4:39
  Speaker 1: But when you put the shoulder the hamstring in the
• 4:41
  Speaker 1: ankle together and you know just what we were talking
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: about there, that he's really got a nickelback build in
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: a safety playing safety, then you got to worry about that.
• 4:50
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's look, this is how NFL people think. This
• 4:53
  Speaker 3: is what you just mentioned is exactly what they were
• 4:55
  Speaker 3: concerned about with him. So we'll say, but.
• 4:57
  Speaker 4: He's talented, he's got versatility. We'll see what the off
• 5:01
  Speaker 4: season looks like for him now. So it's absent Carter
• 5:04
  Speaker 4: opposite Macouba for now. Michael Carter's a really good safety
• 5:09
  Speaker 4: at duke. The Jets says, we were told as soon
• 5:13
  Speaker 4: as they got him they thought he'd be better as
• 5:16
  Speaker 4: a nickel at this level, and he did so well.
• 5:19
  Speaker 3: What happen is he got an extension.
• 5:20
  Speaker 4: Unfortunately, over time he started losing his role with the
• 5:25
  Speaker 4: Jets and he got benched after the extension, Like within
• 5:28
  Speaker 4: a year, he started seeing less playing time and eventually
• 5:31
  Speaker 4: got BNCH so he goes got him. He took a
• 5:33
  Speaker 4: massive pay cut, which we told you at the time
• 5:35
  Speaker 4: he would have to do if you want to come back.
• 5:38
  Speaker 4: He's he's got talent, a pretty good leader from what
• 5:42
  Speaker 4: I understand talking to someone with the Jets about him before.
• 5:46
  Speaker 3: Other than that, you got cold Wood was Newski.
• 5:50
  Speaker 4: Who it's the seventh round with normous size length, but
• 5:56
  Speaker 4: there's a reason why I dropped the seventh round.
• 6:00
  Speaker 3: J T.
• 6:00
  Speaker 4: Gray who only play on special teams, so he doesn't
• 6:03
  Speaker 4: really count.
• 6:03
  Speaker 3: He's a special teamer.
• 6:05
  Speaker 4: Andre sam who's been there now this is year three
• 6:07
  Speaker 4: for him on and off the Eagles roster. Brandon Johnson
• 6:11
  Speaker 4: who could play Nickel, could play safety, and Maximus Pulley
• 6:14
  Speaker 4: who had very good testing numbers from from Wafford.
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: Yeah, playmaker had a lot of interceptions.
• 6:21
  Speaker 3: Yeah, Yeah, there's a lot to like about him.
• 6:23
  Speaker 4: So this is a position where someone could come out
• 6:28
  Speaker 4: of nowhere and if they light it up, they could
• 6:32
  Speaker 4: have it.
• 6:32
  Speaker 3: Hey look read blanket ship. Hello. You never know, well,
• 6:36
  Speaker 3: I mean you just never know.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: You just don't want to have to go into the
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: year with or the even camp or come out of
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: camp with I hope somebody rises here from the ashes
• 6:47
  Speaker 1: and really surprises us. You'd rather have a sure thing,
• 6:50
  Speaker 1: and then well, when I say sure that, you'd rather
• 6:52
  Speaker 1: have a veteran with experience. And if that guy doesn't
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: work out for whatever reason, then you put your re
• 6:58
  Speaker 1: because even read blanket Ship really get his opportunity until
• 7:02
  Speaker 1: was a buyer got hurt, and then he got in
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: for a game he geinst the Packers, right, he played
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: pretty well, and then by the next year he was
• 7:08
  Speaker 1: earning himself a starting role because some other guys that
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: they brought in didn't work out. And so that's the
• 7:15
  Speaker 1: question is who who is how he looking at because
• 7:17
  Speaker 1: you know he's got his eyes around the league. Is
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: he going to be someone who comes in and definitively
• 7:21
  Speaker 1: grabs his starting role or is it someone who will
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: compete like a Jackryan Bennett like you mentioned, who competes.
• 7:28
  Speaker 2: You would like to see them sign a.
• 7:30
  Speaker 3: Guy who compete.
• 7:31
  Speaker 4: The term state he can hold it down though, right,
• 7:34
  Speaker 4: So the term you're talking about is called a compete player.
• 7:36
  Speaker 4: It comes in for a role it's undetermined, it's up
• 7:39
  Speaker 4: to that player to earn that role. Then there's the
• 7:42
  Speaker 4: starting role where it's ready to decide it, Like if
• 7:44
  Speaker 4: you're trading for someone like Garter Eagles front training for
• 7:47
  Speaker 4: Garter Johnson, but someone who's young, who they like, they
• 7:51
  Speaker 4: probably will want to hand him the starting job, but.
• 7:55
  Speaker 3: Understand something he's got to learn the defense. You would hope.
• 7:59
  Speaker 4: If that whoever they get will know the Fangio system
• 8:04
  Speaker 4: to make the acclamation period shorter, because you really don't
• 8:08
  Speaker 4: like it didn't work for Bennett screen Bennett unfortunately, he
• 8:11
  Speaker 4: was up against it getting a quiet as late as
• 8:14
  Speaker 4: he was. But when you look at the safeties that
• 8:17
  Speaker 4: are out there, I'm looking to see if any well
• 8:21
  Speaker 4: Ashton Davis played in it, but man, he is.
• 8:23
  Speaker 3: A third safety. He was overdrafted by the Jets many
• 8:27
  Speaker 3: years ago. Unfortunately.
• 8:28
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I guess Donovan Wilson would still be the most.
• 8:31
  Speaker 5: Accomplished he well, he certainly dropped off and the fact
• 8:37
  Speaker 5: that he hasn't signed anywhere tells you that teams think
• 8:38
  Speaker 5: he's near the end of his career, right, But you're right,
• 8:41
  Speaker 5: that's the best name.
• 8:42
  Speaker 4: Jordan Poyer, Wow, he's still there. Jabrill Peppers and the
• 8:50
  Speaker 4: ageless Jalen Mills making the conversion from corner to safety,
• 8:54
  Speaker 4: which was not surprising. It's again, it's not a very
• 8:56
  Speaker 4: good list, right so to me, now we could see
• 9:02
  Speaker 4: after June first, post June one, June second, see what
• 9:05
  Speaker 4: safeties get released m and then there's the trade market.
• 9:10
  Speaker 4: If you're gonna do it and give up something for
• 9:12
  Speaker 4: the future, you'd like to get a young safety who
• 9:14
  Speaker 4: you believe could come and play right away.
• 9:16
  Speaker 1: Sure, I would have my eye on a team that
• 9:19
  Speaker 1: maybe drafted a safety and had some and like you said,
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: that guy becomes expendable.
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: For example, the Browns drafted em Manual. Won't make me
• 9:29
  Speaker 2: a Warren in the second round, okay, so they're gonna
• 9:30
  Speaker 2: want him to start.
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: They've got Delpit and they've got Hickman. Two guys who
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: are They're decent now, they're not like A plus safeties,
• 9:37
  Speaker 1: but they've been starters. They're pretty good. So do they
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: the Browns keep all three and play more big Nickel
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: that's very possible, or do they feel like one of
• 9:45
  Speaker 1: them is expendable and if you're willing to get you know,
• 9:49
  Speaker 1: they're rebuilding like they are every year. So if they're
• 9:51
  Speaker 1: willing to take a mid round, you know, a Day
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: three type pick for one of them, then maybe there's
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: there's a deal to be made.
• 9:59
  Speaker 4: The issue with Grand del Pit is his contract. The
• 10:05
  Speaker 4: total cash is twelve million. That's not happened. He goes,
• 10:08
  Speaker 4: he goes. Aren't taken on that kind of cash.
• 10:09
  Speaker 2: No, that's too much.
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: So yeah, they always were restruct you know, they can
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: figure out something, right, I mean, right, but straight cash.
• 10:17
  Speaker 3: I mean, it's just it's not guaranteed.
• 10:19
  Speaker 4: By the way, he's an option bonus of about ten
• 10:21
  Speaker 4: million due plus the base ally, which is not guaranteed. Oh,
• 10:26
  Speaker 4: he's in the final year of his three year extension.
• 10:29
  Speaker 4: He's signed a three year, thirty six million dollar extension
• 10:33
  Speaker 4: twenty three point five million guaranteed. Yeah, the guarantees ran
• 10:38
  Speaker 4: out after last season. So yeah, I mean it would
• 10:42
  Speaker 4: make sense that they would want to move him, and
• 10:45
  Speaker 4: imagine they want to bring him back past the season.
• 10:47
  Speaker 4: And that's a lot of money for a guy. You
• 10:51
  Speaker 4: I mean, when you look at it, McNeil Warren, he's
• 10:53
  Speaker 4: the second rounder that you expect that guy to start.
• 10:55
  Speaker 3: He should once he knows what he's doing. Then you know.
• 10:58
  Speaker 4: Ronnie Hickman a really good story of development as an
• 11:01
  Speaker 4: undrafted free agent coming out of the twenty three draft.
• 11:05
  Speaker 4: But that's that's yeah to me. You gotta find someone again.
• 11:11
  Speaker 4: If you're gonna give up something you like, the gotta
• 11:14
  Speaker 4: be around for a while. And what we'll look well,
• 11:15
  Speaker 4: as we get closer to training camp, we'll look into
• 11:17
  Speaker 4: if they haven't signing one, we'll look.
• 11:18
  Speaker 3: Into more into that list.
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm curious.
• 11:21
  Speaker 4: You know.
• 11:22
  Speaker 1: OTAs will start next week and I'll be interested to see,
• 11:27
  Speaker 1: just to see because we always say you can't make
• 11:29
  Speaker 1: anything out of personnel groupings in OTAs, but we did
• 11:32
  Speaker 1: learn last year we did see Cooper de Gene working
• 11:35
  Speaker 1: at outside corner and base and that held true. I'll
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: be interested to see first team safety mccoop's. If mcoop's
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: there and healthy and ready to go, who lines up
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: next to him? Because I think right now people would
• 11:48
  Speaker 1: assume that maybe it would be Marcus Epps. But if
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: you're really trying to get reps to guys to see
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: who they are and what they can be. You know
• 11:56
  Speaker 1: what Marcus Epps can do from that position. But a
• 11:59
  Speaker 1: guy like Michael Harder the second you're trying to find
• 12:01
  Speaker 1: out can he play that position? Could he be next
• 12:04
  Speaker 1: to mcclub, But can you have two guys who are
• 12:06
  Speaker 1: essentially Nichols playing as your safety.
• 12:09
  Speaker 2: It wouldn't shock me if Carter.
• 12:11
  Speaker 1: Was the first team safety and just just to get
• 12:13
  Speaker 1: the reps and as Vicka is trying to go through
• 12:15
  Speaker 1: an evaluation process here.
• 12:19
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I would say that.
• 12:22
  Speaker 4: With the situation with Cooper, I go back to what
• 12:25
  Speaker 4: we said after the draft there were there were a
• 12:27
  Speaker 4: lot of teams that did not see him as a corner,
• 12:29
  Speaker 4: that they saw him as a safety m h. And
• 12:31
  Speaker 4: it would not surprise me at off he went up
• 12:33
  Speaker 4: taking reps.
• 12:33
  Speaker 3: There, we'll see. I mean, this is what I didn't
• 12:36
  Speaker 3: even mentioned that.
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: That's a good point.
• 12:37
  Speaker 4: Yeah, this is the time to experiment is in OTAs
• 12:40
  Speaker 4: and see what you got right? All right?
• 12:43
  Speaker 1: A couple of other intriguing guys. First owner to remind
• 12:45
  Speaker 1: everybody that this episode is brought to you by Eagles
• 12:48
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• 13:00
  Speaker 1: com slash Travel. The one interesting guy that sticks out
• 13:05
  Speaker 1: to me because he made he last year he was
• 13:08
  Speaker 1: a rookie free agent. He didn't make the fifty three,
• 13:10
  Speaker 1: but he was on the practice squad. Then he got elevated,
• 13:13
  Speaker 1: and then I believe he got either elevated or signed
• 13:15
  Speaker 1: later in the year.
• 13:16
  Speaker 2: And that was Brandon Johnson.
• 13:18
  Speaker 1: And when they played him in that season finale, they
• 13:20
  Speaker 1: played him at safety despite the fact that they were
• 13:23
  Speaker 1: really looking at him at nickel throughout training camp, and
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: I think that's where he played for Oregon the last year.
• 13:29
  Speaker 1: He was mostly a nickel, but they liked what they
• 13:31
  Speaker 1: saw out of him enough to give him the first
• 13:32
  Speaker 1: shot to start safety in that resting starters game.
• 13:36
  Speaker 4: Yeah, And that's the thing again, it depends. It depends
• 13:39
  Speaker 4: on who what type of player they ad mm hmm.
• 13:43
  Speaker 4: They're going to add a safety, it's at whether it's
• 13:45
  Speaker 4: in the next couple of weeks, the start a trending
• 13:49
  Speaker 4: camp before the season, they're going to do that. It
• 13:51
  Speaker 4: just what kind of players are they going to get
• 13:54
  Speaker 4: and that that's what it comes down to. But Brandon
• 13:57
  Speaker 4: Johnson's got position versatility. My money would be if they
• 14:03
  Speaker 4: don't get a guy who would start when it'll be
• 14:05
  Speaker 4: obvious we'll know right away by the type of player
• 14:08
  Speaker 4: they get whether that guy's a starter or ape.
• 14:09
  Speaker 3: Player, but it's a cope player. My money would be
• 14:13
  Speaker 3: a Michael Carter. Yeah, you know they really.
• 14:16
  Speaker 4: In fact, I think they guaranteed his cash though it's low,
• 14:19
  Speaker 4: I think.
• 14:19
  Speaker 5: I have it.
• 14:20
  Speaker 1: He's still young Adham, right, I mean that's the big
• 14:22
  Speaker 1: thing about Michael Carter is that he's had success in
• 14:25
  Speaker 1: this league and he's still a young player.
• 14:28
  Speaker 3: Yeah, they guaranteed about one point five million.
• 14:31
  Speaker 4: That there was he was going to make ten point
• 14:32
  Speaker 4: two million, so hey, he took a massive shave. But
• 14:35
  Speaker 4: the total cash is I see, the total cash is
• 14:40
  Speaker 4: two point seven to sixty five. They guaranteed about one
• 14:42
  Speaker 4: five right, it's he's got to he's he's got to
• 14:46
  Speaker 4: go out and win it. I mean, he's not guaranteed
• 14:48
  Speaker 4: a role. That's not all lucky. If you didn't play,
• 14:50
  Speaker 4: I mean, you don't perform a country can walk away from.
• 14:53
  Speaker 4: But my money would be on him. This this guy's
• 14:57
  Speaker 4: This guy's a safety and college are a pretty good one.
• 14:58
  Speaker 3: He got drafted. Joe Douglas is with the Eagles who
• 15:01
  Speaker 3: got promoted. Yeah or whatever his title is.
• 15:04
  Speaker 1: I don't know what his title is, but as senior
• 15:07
  Speaker 1: or vice president of player Personnel.
• 15:09
  Speaker 4: Okay, yeah, see there it is. Yeah, he's got more responsibility. Yeah,
• 15:12
  Speaker 4: things have gone on, but yeah that's the guy. Michael
• 15:15
  Speaker 4: Carter's got a chance here to have a significant role.
• 15:17
  Speaker 3: But time and he played.
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: Remember he played for Joe Casper, who is the safety's
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: coach or the d Backs coach.
• 15:23
  Speaker 3: Now, yeah, I don't think.
• 15:24
  Speaker 4: Well he was with him, but Joe was not coaching
• 15:26
  Speaker 4: the position. I think Casper was just like an assistant.
• 15:30
  Speaker 2: Correct, correct, But I guess my point is that familiarity
• 15:34
  Speaker 2: we would know.
• 15:34
  Speaker 3: I'm sure.
• 15:35
  Speaker 4: Yeah, you got two guys, Casper and Joe Douglas. Yeah,
• 15:39
  Speaker 4: there may be others.
• 15:40
  Speaker 3: On the staff. I don't know, but there's at least
• 15:41
  Speaker 3: two guys, correct.
• 15:42
  Speaker 2: Yeah, And keep in mind Marcus EPs, he's thirty years old.
• 15:44
  Speaker 4: J T.
• 15:45
  Speaker 1: Gray, their free agent signing, is a special teamer who's
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: also thirty years old. And I couldn't help but feel
• 15:51
  Speaker 1: like after that forty nine Ers loss, and I don't
• 15:54
  Speaker 1: want to put everything on one game, but they just
• 15:57
  Speaker 1: needed another athlete on the back end, and I think
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: Epps had a few plays where his lack of athleticism
• 16:03
  Speaker 1: in that game was exposed, especially when you're matched up
• 16:07
  Speaker 1: against these tight ends and these this full back close
• 16:09
  Speaker 1: and all causes havoc. That the way the forty nine
• 16:12
  Speaker 1: ers use. So mccooper is a good athlete. Clearly if
• 16:15
  Speaker 1: you compare him with another good athlete, be gives you're
• 16:17
  Speaker 1: a little bit more range in the back end. Even
• 16:19
  Speaker 1: Read I think had a couple of negative plays against
• 16:22
  Speaker 1: the forty the game of like two hundred and eighty
• 16:23
  Speaker 1: seven passing yards.
• 16:24
  Speaker 3: I think the foot speed was the foot speed showed up.
• 16:27
  Speaker 4: That's why he did not get the big free agent
• 16:29
  Speaker 4: deal that maybe some people thought he would get.
• 16:32
  Speaker 3: Guys has been a good.
• 16:33
  Speaker 4: Football player, he just does He's not the athlete that
• 16:35
  Speaker 4: he won back there, right, Carter, My money would be
• 16:38
  Speaker 4: on Carter depending what else they do.
• 16:40
  Speaker 3: And that's it now. But the big one is Degene.
• 16:42
  Speaker 3: Do they do they?
• 16:44
  Speaker 4: The takeaway here is if they're gonna leave it as is,
• 16:48
  Speaker 4: or does Joe Casper and the other coaches think, you
• 16:51
  Speaker 4: know what, this guy is so dynamic and so special
• 16:55
  Speaker 4: and athletic, There isn't any He's a dynamic nickel anyway,
• 16:59
  Speaker 4: there's nothing he can do.
• 17:00
  Speaker 3: Why don't you try it?
• 17:01
  Speaker 1: You know you're right and look at it this way.
• 17:05
  Speaker 1: We talked about this in the Cornerback podcast.
• 17:09
  Speaker 2: Right, if the.
• 17:10
  Speaker 1: Money that they're paying Riek Wollen means that they plan
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: to use him as a full time outside corner in
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: both base and nickel, then that does open the door
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: for Degene to basically do what he did last year,
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: but just start safety in base, move to nickel, and
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: then if they wanted to bring in Michael Carter the
• 17:30
  Speaker 1: second for example, as their third or you know, their
• 17:33
  Speaker 1: second safety while Degene plays Nickel in nickel situations because
• 17:37
  Speaker 1: you're you know, those are passing downs and that's when
• 17:40
  Speaker 1: you want to use a guy like Michael Carter the
• 17:42
  Speaker 1: second the most, then that would make sense. You're basically
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: just do taking the same job the Gene had last year,
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: but just moving it in base from outside corner to safety.
• 17:50
  Speaker 4: He could and again Carter could play nickel. So yeah,
• 17:53
  Speaker 4: it's he's a valuable guy to have it. Sometimes guys
• 17:57
  Speaker 4: could revive their career. You know, he woud up getting
• 17:59
  Speaker 4: better more or less with the Jets, and he you know,
• 18:04
  Speaker 4: he he came to the Eagles and he just did Unfortunately,
• 18:08
  Speaker 4: just didn't have enough time to get to win a
• 18:11
  Speaker 4: to get a big time role.
• 18:13
  Speaker 3: But here we are he's got. This is the beauty
• 18:15
  Speaker 3: of the off season.
• 18:15
  Speaker 4: They get to know the coaches, they get to spend
• 18:17
  Speaker 4: time with them, and you get to go through drills
• 18:20
  Speaker 4: and that that's pretty big here for development.
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: Do you think it's going to be difficult for Epps
• 18:24
  Speaker 1: to make the fifty three when they know they can
• 18:26
  Speaker 1: probably get him on the practice squad and they know
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: they're gonna need spots.
• 18:29
  Speaker 3: Yes for everyone else?
• 18:30
  Speaker 4: A yeah, what if if the guy that they sign
• 18:34
  Speaker 4: or trade for is clearly a starter.
• 18:37
  Speaker 3: I don't see.
• 18:37
  Speaker 4: I don't see any way he's making it because Carter's
• 18:40
  Speaker 4: on this team m HM was new Ski.
• 18:45
  Speaker 2: Special teams good shot.
• 18:47
  Speaker 3: Yeah, I I do.
• 18:49
  Speaker 4: I just feel like he's He's a guy that you
• 18:52
  Speaker 4: would like to look at it special team. It's not
• 18:53
  Speaker 4: like they're paying Epps anything really, they're paying him one
• 18:57
  Speaker 4: point five to five million. They guaranteed one hundred and
• 18:59
  Speaker 4: twenty five thousand. That will not be enough to keep
• 19:01
  Speaker 4: him on the roster. But also, here's a nugget for you,
• 19:05
  Speaker 4: he's got a roster bonus for being active the first game.
• 19:09
  Speaker 4: There you go and practice squad one hundred and twenty
• 19:11
  Speaker 4: five thousand, there's a reason for him not to be
• 19:12
  Speaker 4: on the roster.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: Right right now, I'm saying, there's all signs point to
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: if you want to keep some guys for special teams,
• 19:18
  Speaker 1: whether it's Gray.
• 19:19
  Speaker 2: Or was new Ski, and you want to have you're
• 19:21
  Speaker 2: gonna have Carter.
• 19:22
  Speaker 1: If you like what you see from Brandon Johnson, which
• 19:24
  Speaker 1: you already did last year, you know you can bring
• 19:27
  Speaker 1: onto your practice.
• 19:28
  Speaker 2: Squad and yet keep some of your young developmental guys.
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: A couple of years ago, maybe this time last year,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: we were sort of talking about Andre sam in that regard,
• 19:36
  Speaker 1: but he was an older prospect when they got him,
• 19:38
  Speaker 1: and I feel like.
• 19:38
  Speaker 2: He's just moved down the totem pole here.
• 19:41
  Speaker 1: So his lack of versatility he doesn't play nicol, probably
• 19:45
  Speaker 1: makes him a guy who's gonna be also on the
• 19:47
  Speaker 1: outside looking in.
• 19:48
  Speaker 4: Oh yeah, he would have to just ball out just
• 19:51
  Speaker 4: being credible. Yeah, he is twenty seven.
• 19:54
  Speaker 3: Yeah, this is this is.
• 19:56
  Speaker 4: Actually technically his third season on Feagles roster. Like he's
• 20:01
  Speaker 4: been on the fifty three cut, he's been on the
• 20:06
  Speaker 4: ninety then practice squad a lot, and they brought him back.
• 20:10
  Speaker 3: For another time.
• 20:11
  Speaker 4: Look, they they like them enough to try to see
• 20:14
  Speaker 4: if he could at least win a backup role.
• 20:15
  Speaker 3: It's kind of where they're at them.
• 20:17
  Speaker 1: But when he when he signed, he was so he's
• 20:19
  Speaker 1: already twenty seven. When you signed, he was twenty five,
• 20:21
  Speaker 1: was a little bit older.
• 20:22
  Speaker 3: Yeah.
• 20:22
  Speaker 4: Yeah, Oh one more thing. They haven't done it yet,
• 20:26
  Speaker 4: but I know some other teams told us mac mcwyiams.
• 20:29
  Speaker 4: Some team saw him as potentially his safety if he
• 20:30
  Speaker 4: puts some.
• 20:31
  Speaker 3: Some good weight on.
• 20:33
  Speaker 4: Just throwing it out there. I'm not we'll see this.
• 20:38
  Speaker 4: This is the time to experiment. And when when didn't
• 20:41
  Speaker 4: fans you put Quinja in dime with dime linebackers first year.
• 20:44
  Speaker 2: Both, Yeah, yep, always put it on.
• 20:49
  Speaker 3: I don't know what did Did he ever explain why
• 20:51
  Speaker 3: he did that?
• 20:53
  Speaker 1: Yes, So twenty twenty four they had remember they had
• 21:00
  Speaker 1: James Bradbury. He wasn't injured yet, so they had Sleigh
• 21:04
  Speaker 1: and Bradbury. And even though they in their minds had
• 21:07
  Speaker 1: no intention of playing brad Berry, you had at least
• 21:09
  Speaker 1: see the process through a You know, Vick was just
• 21:12
  Speaker 1: starting out. He wanted to take full inventory of what
• 21:16
  Speaker 1: he had and that was at that time the most
• 21:19
  Speaker 1: logical place to get him on the field without causing
• 21:23
  Speaker 1: a commotion there because Brady. It was weird because he
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: was to a very big, big contract extension.
• 21:29
  Speaker 4: So you know how, you know how the fans Eagles
• 21:31
  Speaker 4: Twitter runs with stuff they see the reporters put out. Sure,
• 21:35
  Speaker 4: so I remember being in an interview and I I
• 21:37
  Speaker 4: I didn't see it until I went to practice or whever,
• 21:40
  Speaker 4: OTAs or training camp.
• 21:42
  Speaker 3: I said, folks, he's starting week won a corner. Relax. Yeah,
• 21:47
  Speaker 3: they're they're just getting him on the field. They're starting.
• 21:49
  Speaker 3: Remember he started as like fourth string, right, I said,
• 21:52
  Speaker 3: just just let the process play out. Don't panic. He's the.
• 21:57
  Speaker 4: Rookies' first round picks. Start unless they're not read if
• 22:00
  Speaker 4: he's ready, he's starting, they don't. They're not talking about
• 22:02
  Speaker 4: this with the coaching sts, not talking about him not starting. Yeah,
• 22:05
  Speaker 4: they're just they're just getting him ready. They're getting him
• 22:08
  Speaker 4: on the field. Let him get comfortable. And he worked
• 22:10
  Speaker 4: his way up and he's elite. I mean it's people
• 22:12
  Speaker 4: run with stuff like it's they're like panicking, Like, just
• 22:15
  Speaker 4: just chill out.
• 22:15
  Speaker 2: A little bit, Hey, Philly fans. Game day is stressful enough.
• 22:19
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• 22:23
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• 22:27
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• 22:31
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• 23:35
  Speaker 1: but that's why we always say, I think the date
• 23:37
  Speaker 1: that our podcast right before OTA, we say listen everything
• 23:41
  Speaker 1: we're about to say, take a great with us.
• 23:43
  Speaker 3: All here we go. Yeah, it's coming. You're gonna you're
• 23:45
  Speaker 3: gonna see it.
• 23:46
  Speaker 4: You're gonna see it, and people are gonna question, I
• 23:48
  Speaker 4: don't believe it's what are they doing?
• 23:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, it's coming.
• 23:51
  Speaker 1: Yeah, and then it happens in training camp too, so
• 23:53
  Speaker 1: you see stuff really you never see it again.
• 23:55
  Speaker 4: And then right and then it disappears. Well, then you know,
• 23:58
  Speaker 4: the guys catch passes a training kip, then they don't again.
• 24:00
  Speaker 3: No, but that's I remember Chip.
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: Kelly one year came out with like a four tight
• 24:05
  Speaker 1: end formation and then he played it in a preseason game.
• 24:09
  Speaker 1: I wish I could name all four tight ends, but
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: it was like Earth's Uh it might have been Selic,
• 24:15
  Speaker 1: might have been like uh, Trey what was his name,
• 24:18
  Speaker 1: Trey Burton, And I'm gonna say the fourth was like
• 24:22
  Speaker 1: Emile Iguinagu. Okay, wow, Yeah, he came out with four
• 24:26
  Speaker 1: and then the past went to Iguanagu and Chip made
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: a big deal in the oh, I might play four
• 24:31
  Speaker 1: times I'm.
• 24:31
  Speaker 2: Like, there's no no one in the even Sean McVay
• 24:34
  Speaker 2: is not playing four.
• 24:35
  Speaker 4: I remember that question because people are like, we were
• 24:38
  Speaker 4: like kind of dumbfel we went to practice, what are
• 24:40
  Speaker 4: they doing like this?
• 24:41
  Speaker 3: Yeah, only Gago didn't. He was something you mask guy.
• 24:45
  Speaker 2: Uh he was either u mass in New Hampshire. Yeah,
• 24:47
  Speaker 2: great kid, awesome kid. I love that guy.
• 24:49
  Speaker 4: Yeah, yeah, I remember I remember him. Uh Jack like
• 24:54
  Speaker 4: a Iguano yep.
• 24:56
  Speaker 2: Uh, well he was a corner yeah from Wisconsin, legal
• 25:00
  Speaker 2: trouble leader.
• 25:01
  Speaker 3: We don't need to talk about him, but anyway.
• 25:03
  Speaker 4: Yeah, so it's fascinating that that's the I would say
• 25:07
  Speaker 4: right now as we get on out of here. That
• 25:09
  Speaker 4: is right now for my questions on the team, on
• 25:13
  Speaker 4: my chart, Yeah, if I had to rank them.
• 25:19
  Speaker 3: It is the biggest.
• 25:20
  Speaker 4: I'm talking positional on offensive defense, it's my number one question.
• 25:26
  Speaker 3: My number one problem is is safety overall?
• 25:29
  Speaker 1: Okay, I mean it's not it's it's a pretty distant Yeah.
• 25:32
  Speaker 2: Whatever you say is number two.
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: Whether it's the lack of like a complete tight end
• 25:36
  Speaker 1: other than Dallas Goddard who may not be complete anymore.
• 25:39
  Speaker 2: That yeah, yeah, like that's it. Yeah, I'm trying trying
• 25:43
  Speaker 2: to think what else you know? Where else you like?
• 25:47
  Speaker 4: Well, okay, I mean I have some ancillary issues like
• 25:55
  Speaker 4: ol health, regret regression now right, uh uh reek wall
• 26:01
  Speaker 4: and obviously is a question mark.
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: Sure could the quarterback run this off? I mean all
• 26:04
  Speaker 1: those things are peripheral, right.
• 26:08
  Speaker 3: I stand corrected. I think Jake Elliot might be a
• 26:11
  Speaker 3: bigger issue than the safety.
• 26:13
  Speaker 2: That's a good point. Now.
• 26:14
  Speaker 1: The one thing we're not doing in this podcast series
• 26:16
  Speaker 1: is is kicker long snapper? And to be honest, if
• 26:21
  Speaker 1: you're really going to say, the biggest question on team
• 26:23
  Speaker 1: right now is that the only long snapper is a
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: rookie free agent from college. We even had a few
• 26:27
  Speaker 1: wacky snaps in college, so I don't I don't see
• 26:30
  Speaker 1: that being the case when they start the season. But
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: if we were to take special teams out of it,
• 26:36
  Speaker 1: safety by a mile, by a mile and he listen,
• 26:39
  Speaker 1: every team's got.
• 26:40
  Speaker 2: That Achilles heelers, there's no doubt about it.
• 26:43
  Speaker 3: Yep.
• 26:43
  Speaker 1: Ye okay, oh man, we just for fun, we should
• 26:48
  Speaker 1: do a pod just on the on the safety, like
• 26:50
  Speaker 1: the three specialist spots and how crazy it is right
• 26:52
  Speaker 1: now to have a kicker who's coming off a nightmare season,
• 26:55
  Speaker 1: a long snapper who has no NFL experience, and a
• 26:58
  Speaker 1: punter who's like the who could have been the team's
• 27:01
  Speaker 1: MVP last year.
• 27:03
  Speaker 4: I mean only because there are two or three other
• 27:04
  Speaker 4: punters who were elite in the NFL. Did he not
• 27:07
  Speaker 4: become a pro bowler? He had a great season, but
• 27:09
  Speaker 4: that's you know, it happens. But braid Man kind of
• 27:13
  Speaker 4: where they be without him? He had some games where
• 27:16
  Speaker 4: you're like this, well, you know, it's interesting. Remember when
• 27:18
  Speaker 4: Andrew de Check when I met him, we did a
• 27:20
  Speaker 4: show for WBCB with him. I said, dude, I don't
• 27:23
  Speaker 4: usually watch punters, but I was kind of like an
• 27:26
  Speaker 4: awe and I didn't know that he played another position
• 27:30
  Speaker 4: in high school originally, and then he got he changed
• 27:33
  Speaker 4: you know, was it a linebacker?
• 27:35
  Speaker 3: Did he play? I forget? He told us Andrew, No,
• 27:37
  Speaker 3: it wasn't.
• 27:37
  Speaker 2: Like your typical He used to be a soccer player
• 27:39
  Speaker 2: and then turned into.
• 27:39
  Speaker 3: A right right. No, no, no.
• 27:41
  Speaker 4: It was and he was curious because he would he
• 27:45
  Speaker 4: mess around with it. Yeah, oh my goodness, now you
• 27:48
  Speaker 4: got a nice extension.
• 27:49
  Speaker 3: Yeah, good for him.
• 27:50
  Speaker 1: Can you imagine just stumbling upon something that you wound
• 27:53
  Speaker 1: up being good at You didn't know that made you
• 27:54
  Speaker 1: a million dollars in your career.
• 27:56
  Speaker 4: Well, Aubrey, Aubrey was the kicker, was the was the
• 27:59
  Speaker 4: soccer player who thought he had such a great leg.
• 28:02
  Speaker 4: He went to the was it USFL one of the
• 28:04
  Speaker 4: satellite leagues, right and killed it. And now he's the
• 28:08
  Speaker 4: NFL's best kicker on him and he's making seven million year.
• 28:11
  Speaker 2: Yeah, unbelievable. It's funny how that stuff happens. All right,
• 28:15
  Speaker 2: good stuff.
• 28:15
  Speaker 1: That's going to conclude our entire Philadelphia Eagles team depth
• 28:20
  Speaker 1: chart preview series. We have done every single position and
• 28:24
  Speaker 1: we have even more great content coming up.
• 28:26
  Speaker 2: Leading into next week's start of the OTAs.
• 28:29
  Speaker 1: That's gonna do it for this episode of Inside the Birds,
• 28:32
  Speaker 1: the leading podcast in Eagles Intel, and as always, we
• 28:36
  Speaker 1: thank you for flying with us Inside the Birds