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The DiCecco Daily: Detailing Eagles Seven Captains For 2026 Season · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on, everyone? Welcome into another episode of
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: DiCecco Daily. It's Andrew DiCecco, Eagles beat reporter for InsideTheBirds.com.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: The Eagles named their captains for the 2026 season. Those
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: players are running back Saquon Barkley, who is in his
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: second season. as a team captain here in Philadelphia. Linebacker
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Zach Vaughn, he's a captain for the second consecutive season.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Defensive tackle Jordan Davis, this is his first season as
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: a captain and it's well-deserved. We'll break all this down.
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: Quarterback Jalen Hurts, his sixth season. Offensive tackle Lane Johnson,
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: his fifth. Offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, his third. And wide
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: receiver Devontae Smith, this will be his second time as
• 0:53
  Speaker 1: a team captain here with the Eagles. Saquon Barkley, I've
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: talked a lot about him at different points this offseason
• 1:02
  Speaker 1: and really over his Eagles tenure. This is a consummate professional.
• 1:06
  Speaker 1: Everything he does is incredible. He makes it look seamless,
• 1:11
  Speaker 1: but he conducts himself in such a professional manner. He's
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: always looking for ways to improve. He's watching film of
• 1:18
  Speaker 1: other running backs and always striving to improve his game
• 1:22
  Speaker 1: in some form or fashion. He talked about looking into
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Todd Gurley's film because Todd Gurley is a running back
• 1:29
  Speaker 1: who years ago had a lot of success in this
• 1:32
  Speaker 1: wide zone scheme. But also, it extends beyond that. It's
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: the work ethic. It's the relationships that he builds throughout
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: the entire locker room. He's someone who is always accountable.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: You go to him after a game, he's going to
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: tell you exactly what happened. He's one of the spokespersons, spokespeople,
• 1:53
  Speaker 1: I guess you could say, for the offense. And he
• 1:56
  Speaker 1: never makes any excuses. So I really am impressed. with Saquon,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: because sometimes when you get players that are of a
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: star caliber such as Saquon, they've sort of been there,
• 2:08
  Speaker 1: they've done that. That's not the case here in Philadelphia,
• 2:11
  Speaker 1: at least in my experience, because all these players have
• 2:15
  Speaker 1: built into the culture that Nick Sirianni has established, and
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: they're for one another, they're all accountable, they sort of
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: all embody the the core values that Nick Sirianni puts
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: forth and really harps on. And with Saquon Barkley, when
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: I think of him, aside from being a dynamic talent
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: and one of the best running backs in football, I
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: think leadership. So well-deserved there. Linebacker Zach Vaughn. Now, I
• 2:47
  Speaker 1: actually asked... Eagles linebackers coach Bobby King about this and
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: he mentioned that he is taking on more of a
• 2:55
  Speaker 1: leadership role in the absence of N'Kobe Dean and being
• 2:58
  Speaker 1: more vocal in meetings and that's what you really want
• 3:00
  Speaker 1: to hear but for Zach Bond I know that he
• 3:04
  Speaker 1: doesn't get talked about a lot because he's such a
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: steady and consistent player but But, man, did he have
• 3:09
  Speaker 1: a really good summer in terms of just being able
• 3:12
  Speaker 1: to play the run and the pass. I go back
• 3:14
  Speaker 1: to the wheel route that he defended in New England
• 3:17
  Speaker 1: where they tried to get a shot on him. He
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: had the running back, I think it might have been
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Travion Henderson, had a step on Bond. But Bond was
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: able to close the gap, had a really good feel
• 3:26
  Speaker 1: for where the ball was, read it perfectly. He is
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: so quick at reading and diagnosing plays. But he's more
• 3:33
  Speaker 1: of a quiet type of leader. He leads by example.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: But he always struck me as someone that had the
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: leadership potential, whether he needs to continue to lead by
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: example or be a little bit more vocal because different
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: players respond to different forms of leadership. And I think
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: that Zach Vaughn is equipped to do all the above.
• 3:51
  Speaker 1: And he's going to have to take on a much
• 3:53
  Speaker 1: larger role in that capacity beyond just the linebacker room.
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: N'Kobe Dean was someone that I viewed as the spokesperson
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: for the defense. He's no longer here. So now you're
• 4:04
  Speaker 1: looking at other players like Jordan Davis, like Zach Bond,
• 4:09
  Speaker 1: Nolan Smith. I think Cooper DeGene and Quinion Mitchell also
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: check off those boxes. They lead in a different way,
• 4:16
  Speaker 1: and they're young players, but they are players that.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: Teammates look up to. I think Marcus Epps has leadership
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: ability just because he's been around for a while. He
• 4:27
  Speaker 1: knows the system. He is a good communicator and another
• 4:31
  Speaker 1: player that seems like he's very much respected based off
• 4:34
  Speaker 1: of his body of work and what he's expected to
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: do for the Eagles in 2026. So they're not glaring.
• 4:44
  Speaker 1: They're not absent of leaders on that side of the
• 4:46
  Speaker 1: ball just because the Kobe Dean's not here. And I
• 4:48
  Speaker 1: think Zach Vaughn, being someone who is wearing the green dot,
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: being someone who has been an all-pro, a two-time pro
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: bowler here in Philadelphia, a centerpiece on the defense. That's
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: someone that you want as a team captain. You want
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: them leading the way among the players that I just
• 5:07
  Speaker 1: named leading the way because he– we talked about Saquon Barkley.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: He sort of embodies what it means to be a
• 5:12
  Speaker 1: Philadelphia Eagle under the Nick Sirianni regime, and he's going
• 5:16
  Speaker 1: to continue to get better. I think there's even another
• 5:18
  Speaker 1: level that he can reach, and it's sort of as–
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: He's not the only player that fits this criteria, but
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: as Zach Bond goes, the defense seems to go. As
• 5:30
  Speaker 1: Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter go, the defense goes. Quinion Mitchell,
• 5:33
  Speaker 1: Cooper DeGene, same thing. So well-deserved there for Zach Bond.
• 5:38
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• 5:41
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• 5:44
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• 5:47
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• 8:52
  Speaker 1: Jordan Davis is a really interesting one because... You could
• 8:55
  Speaker 1: see it last season that he was really growing and
• 8:57
  Speaker 1: becoming more comfortable as a leader. I thought you could
• 9:00
  Speaker 1: have made a case last season that he was deserving
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: of it, but he's incredibly deserving of it this time around.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: This is a player that was heavily scrutinized early in
• 9:11
  Speaker 1: his career in terms of just the conditioning aspect. He
• 9:14
  Speaker 1: wasn't playing a lot. He was sort of a rotational
• 9:17
  Speaker 1: type of player as a first-round pick, and the past two,
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: three years, he's shown up in shape. He's talked it
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: and he's walked it and I think when you have
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: someone that doesn't that isn't just saying all the right
• 9:31
  Speaker 1: things they're doing it they're putting forth the effort they're
• 9:34
  Speaker 1: bringing everyone together they're holding press conferences at their locker
• 9:40
  Speaker 1: scrums I guess you could say leading up to big
• 9:43
  Speaker 1: moments everyone wants to hear from him he is someone
• 9:46
  Speaker 1: that sort of sets the tone is the temperature setter,
• 9:50
  Speaker 1: I would say, and he brings a lot of juice
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: and energy to the locker room, and I think he
• 9:57
  Speaker 1: is a great story of development, someone that really worked
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: hard to get to where he is right now. And
• 10:03
  Speaker 1: what you've seen is someone that is growing as a
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: pass rusher. He's a incredibly strong run defender and someone
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: that isn't afraid to vocalize things when things aren't well,
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: but also keep things together when it seems like maybe
• 10:18
  Speaker 1: on the outside, There could be some splintering or friction or,
• 10:25
  Speaker 1: you know, spawned by maybe a loss or two or
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: the defense picking up the tab for the offense last
• 10:30
  Speaker 1: season very often. Jordan Davis is someone that sort of
• 10:35
  Speaker 1: brings a lot of unity, and you need players like that.
• 10:41
  Speaker 1: And I look at what he's done recently. his body
• 10:44
  Speaker 1: of work, it speaks for itself. He's going to take
• 10:47
  Speaker 1: on a larger role again, like he did last year.
• 10:49
  Speaker 1: And I think he's sort of really scratching, even at
• 10:54
  Speaker 1: 26 years old, I think he's still scratching the surface
• 10:57
  Speaker 1: because I think there's more that he can provide as
• 11:00
  Speaker 1: a pocket collapser getting after the quarterback. The athleticism has
• 11:05
  Speaker 1: really flashed. You can see that he's leaner, he's moving better.
• 11:09
  Speaker 1: But that's just a testament to the work that he's
• 11:11
  Speaker 1: put in. And when you have someone like that, you
• 11:13
  Speaker 1: want to recognize them properly and anoint them as one
• 11:17
  Speaker 1: of your team captains. He embodies it. I mentioned last
• 11:21
  Speaker 1: year that Reed Blankenship was someone that was deserving because
• 11:24
  Speaker 1: of some of the things that I observed behind the
• 11:26
  Speaker 1: scenes and how teammates would talk about him in such
• 11:30
  Speaker 1: a positive light. And Jordan Davis is much the same.
• 11:33
  Speaker 1: So good to see him on this list. Not surprised
• 11:36
  Speaker 1: in the slightest. Jalen Hurts, not a lot needs to
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: be said here. The quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles, the
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: most important position in sports. He is a temperature setter,
• 11:46
  Speaker 1: someone that I think handles distractions really well. He's able
• 11:50
  Speaker 1: to block out noise, focus solely on the task at hand.
• 11:54
  Speaker 1: His messaging, I think, really resonates with the team. He's
• 11:58
  Speaker 1: such a stoic presence that amidst all the chaos, and
• 12:02
  Speaker 1: in Philadelphia, there's just a lot. You're under the spotlight constantly.
• 12:07
  Speaker 1: You're the top team in the city. Every move that
• 12:10
  Speaker 1: you make is going to be.
• 12:12
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  Speaker 2: and up.
• 13:12
  Speaker 1: Dissected, and he is probably the best quarterback ever. at
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: least temperament-wise, that you can imagine fitting in this city.
• 13:21
  Speaker 1: And he's someone that clearly is well-deserving of that role
• 13:26
  Speaker 1: as well. Not many are built to handle the pressure
• 13:28
  Speaker 1: in the way that he has. And this is his
• 13:30
  Speaker 1: next challenge, this new offense, and we'll see what that
• 13:33
  Speaker 1: all has in store. Lane Johnson, another one, not a
• 13:37
  Speaker 1: lot needs to be said. One of the best players
• 13:40
  Speaker 1: at his position. Someone, when he speaks, it's wise to
• 13:43
  Speaker 1: listen and listen. he's going to be a future Hall
• 13:47
  Speaker 1: of Famer. So those players are, needless to say, incredibly
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: deserving of that honor to be a team captain. Jordan Mailata,
• 13:59
  Speaker 1: another one who you go to once, twice a week,
• 14:04
  Speaker 1: he's going to shoot you straight. He's going to give
• 14:07
  Speaker 1: you the full synopsis, the full prognosis on the offense.
• 14:11
  Speaker 1: He's going to give you an introspective look at himself.
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: He's someone that is very critical of himself. What can
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: he do better? He always starts with himself. He is
• 14:24
  Speaker 1: one of the best stories in the NFL. He's put
• 14:27
  Speaker 1: the work in. much like Jordan Davis, much like all
• 14:30
  Speaker 1: the other players that I talked about. Those players should
• 14:33
  Speaker 1: be recognized, and so he is. Devontae Smith regains his
• 14:37
  Speaker 1: captaincy here. A.J. Brown was a captain last year. Devontae Smith,
• 14:42
  Speaker 1: a very quiet player. He has a certain demeanor about him, though,
• 14:48
  Speaker 1: that is intense. It's all business. He is a fiery competitor.
• 14:56
  Speaker 1: He shows up every day. He works. He's now taking
• 15:00
  Speaker 1: on a larger role in terms of leadership in the
• 15:03
  Speaker 1: wide receiver room. And when you don't have A.J. Brown
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: anymore in the pecking order or things like that, Devontae
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: Smith's going to be the one that... everyone's going to
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: look to. He now sits atop the depth chart. And
• 15:18
  Speaker 1: when you have a player like that, you naturally are
• 15:21
  Speaker 1: going to inherit a little more of a leadership role.
• 15:24
  Speaker 1: And I'm really looking forward to seeing what Devontae can
• 15:27
  Speaker 1: do this season, not just on the field, but really
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: grow and bring some of these younger players along like
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: a Makai Lemon, like a Dontavian Wicks, who's taking on
• 15:34
  Speaker 1: the largest workload of his young career, not really young
• 15:38
  Speaker 1: career right now, but of his career. And just set
• 15:42
  Speaker 1: the example, uplift guys. It's going to be There will
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: be growing pains for Mekhi Lemon, but someone like Devontae
• 15:48
  Speaker 1: Smith is equipped to handle it, keep him on the
• 15:52
  Speaker 1: right track, make sure his confidence is where it needs
• 15:55
  Speaker 1: to be, and really just set the tone in terms
• 15:58
  Speaker 1: of just the work ethic and discipline that he exhibits
• 16:00
  Speaker 1: every single day. That's going to do it for this
• 16:02
  Speaker 1: episode of DiCecco Daily. I'm Andrew DiCecco. I'll catch you
• 16:05
  Speaker 1: all on the next one.