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The DiCecco Daily: 'Embarrassment Of Riches' For Eagles At LB · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: Hey, what's happened? Everybody?
• 0:09
  Speaker 2: Welcome into another episode of The check O Daily. Andrew
• 0:12
  Speaker 2: de Checko, Eagles beat reporter for insidethbirds dot Com. We're
• 0:15
  Speaker 2: gonna keep on going with the positional preview series and
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: today we're gonna take a closer look at the off
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: ball linebackers. And the Eagles have an embarrassment of riches.
• 0:25
  Speaker 2: I'm saying that for the second consecutive year, and it's
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: such a stark contrast to what we've grown accustomed to
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: seeing with the late round picks and sort of value
• 0:38
  Speaker 2: free agent signings and things of that nature. But right
• 0:41
  Speaker 2: now they have an abundance of talent and it all
• 0:44
  Speaker 2: starts with linebacker Zach Bond, who proved last season that
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: the twenty twenty four campaign wasn't a flash in the pan.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: He earns his second consecutive Pro Bowl, racks up one
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: hundred and twenty three tackles, three and a half sacks,
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: two interceptions, and was a team captain for.
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: The Eagles last season.
• 1:05
  Speaker 2: This is someone that I talk about Jayalen Carter being
• 1:08
  Speaker 2: a centerpiece for the Eagles defense. Zach Bond is that
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: steadying presence at that second level.
• 1:14
  Speaker 1: He can do it all.
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: He can rush the quarterback, and Vic Vangio has a
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: big time player in Zach Bond, who has responded very
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: well transitioning from edge rusher and special teams maven for
• 1:26
  Speaker 2: much of his career to off ball linebacker thriving in
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: vic Fangio's defense. You have to give credit to the
• 1:33
  Speaker 2: Eagles for developing Zach Bond into the player that he
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: is and also seeing the talent in him. And I
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: don't know that anyone could have foreseen this type of
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: emergence happening, but the Eagles have a absolute headliner at
• 1:48
  Speaker 2: linebacker in the twenty nine year old Zach Bond. I'm
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: expecting another season of high end production. There's not a
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: lot of wear and tear on Zach Bond. He hasn't
• 1:59
  Speaker 2: played that position or played many snaps on defense throughout
• 2:03
  Speaker 2: his career, and I just believe that the arrow is
• 2:06
  Speaker 2: going to continue to trend up as far as he's concerned.
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: And then you're pairing him now with Jahid Campbell, the
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: second year linebacker who the Eagles drafted in the first
• 2:16
  Speaker 2: round last year. Appeared in all seventeen games, started ten,
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: and he gives you length, athleticism, range, gives up a
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: little bit maybe in terms of run defense when you're
• 2:27
  Speaker 2: comparing him to Nakobe Dean, who he's replacing. Nikobe, of course,
• 2:31
  Speaker 2: went to the Raiders and free agency, so that's a
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: big loss for the Eagles, but they are prepared to
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: move forward and position to not have as much of
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: a drop off as one would expect when you loseing
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: to Kobe Dean. When you have someone like Jahid Campbell,
• 2:45
  Speaker 2: who is immensely athletic, gives you a different style of
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: linebacker that I think will ideally compliment Zach Bond.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: You worry about the injuries.
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: Because the way that he plays, and you worry about
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: the shoulder and.
• 2:57
  Speaker 1: Things like that.
• 2:59
  Speaker 2: But what we saw last season were signs that the
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: Eagles have a big time player there waiting in the wings,
• 3:07
  Speaker 2: and he saw a regression in playing time. The Eagles
• 3:11
  Speaker 2: don't rotate linebackers, but that shouldn't be viewed as an
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: indictment on the way that Campbell played last season. It
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: was just that Nakobe Dean's the experienced player. There's a
• 3:22
  Speaker 2: trust and an expectation that he's sort of established during
• 3:26
  Speaker 2: his time in Philadelphia, and Johan Campbell took a little
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: bit of a back seat, but this is his time
• 3:32
  Speaker 2: and I think he will really thrive in space when
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: having to defend those athletic move tight ends and running
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: backs out of the backfield. Physical player, he plays a
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: little bit bigger than his size, which you like.
• 3:45
  Speaker 1: He's fun to watch.
• 3:46
  Speaker 2: I know in training camp you could see his physicality
• 3:51
  Speaker 2: and just that overall mentality that you need to be
• 3:55
  Speaker 2: a high end linebacker in this league. You saw it
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: many times in training camp. Wasn't afraid to lower the
• 4:02
  Speaker 2: boom or get downhill, and so I believe that he's
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: going to have a breakthrough season as long as he
• 4:07
  Speaker 2: can stay healthy. I like that tandem quite a bit
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: with Zach Bond and Jahid Campbell.
• 4:13
  Speaker 1: Jeremiah Trotter Junior is a.
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: Player that, had it not been for the logjam with
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: that he's currently facing with the Eagles, I think that
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: there's a lot of teams that he could start for,
• 4:23
  Speaker 2: but there's not going to be that opportunity in Philadelphia
• 4:25
  Speaker 2: barring injury. But he is a talented player. He's another
• 4:29
  Speaker 2: good story development. A fifth round pick out of Clemson
• 4:31
  Speaker 2: last season, really starred on special teams. Had eighteen tackles
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: led the Eagles. There was their best special teams producer
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: and I imagine you're going to see a lot of
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: the same this year. But in training camp last summer,
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: he had a lot of first team reps. He made
• 4:47
  Speaker 2: the most of it. It wasn't anything that he didn't do.
• 4:51
  Speaker 2: But you have a first round pick in Jahide Campbell,
• 4:53
  Speaker 2: so naturally you're going to pivot to that first round
• 4:56
  Speaker 2: pick as long as they're picking things up and you
• 4:58
  Speaker 2: trust that they're going to be able to carry out
• 5:00
  Speaker 2: their assignments. And then Nikobe Dean returned, so that clouded
• 5:03
  Speaker 2: the picture a little bit, But make no mistake about it,
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: Jeremiah Trotter Junior had one of the better training camps
• 5:11
  Speaker 2: of all the Eagles last year. He commonly was found
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: in my notebook for making plays instinctual player doesn't necessarily
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: have the alluring athletic qualities, but he makes up for
• 5:24
  Speaker 2: that with the football IQ and the instincts, which are
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: something that Vic Vangio really holds place as of high
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: value on. But in Philadelphia, he's going to be the
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: third linebacker. Then you move on to Smile Mandan, who
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: the Eagles drafted in the fifth round last spring out
• 5:41
  Speaker 2: of Georgia. He had finished with the fifth most special
• 5:44
  Speaker 2: team snaps on the team. Last year started out a
• 5:47
  Speaker 2: little quietly. You didn't hear his name called that much.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: He wasn't racking up tackles. But later in the year
• 5:52
  Speaker 2: was where I saw him really round in the form
• 5:54
  Speaker 2: and become a force on special teams. I thought he
• 5:57
  Speaker 2: had a really good training camp last year, showed signs
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: of opportunity in the preseason, which you would expect. But
• 6:05
  Speaker 2: you're not really gonna find a better fourth linebacker than
• 6:08
  Speaker 2: Smile Mandan Who's young, he's athletic, he played at Georgia,
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: so you like the pedigree there, and he offered glimpses
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: of a player that he could become. And again, in
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: other teams, Smile Manden might see the field in sub
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: packages sporadically as a defender, but the Eagles just don't
• 6:26
  Speaker 2: have the snaps to give. But I'm really fascinated to
• 6:29
  Speaker 2: see what he's able to do in year two because
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: there were a lot of bright moments in training camp
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: last year, and I'm I'm gonna be keeping an eye
• 6:38
  Speaker 2: on whether or not he's able to kind of build
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: on that. But I have him sticking as the Eagles
• 6:43
  Speaker 2: fourth linebacker. There's other players as well. Of course, you
• 6:47
  Speaker 2: have Chandler Martin, who signed a two year doing free agency.
• 6:52
  Speaker 2: He was with the Ravens for a little bit, had
• 6:54
  Speaker 2: an injury. More of an undersized type of player. Special
• 6:57
  Speaker 2: teams guy reminds me a little bit of Keith Adams,
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: remember back to the Andy Reid Eagles were number fifty seven.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: Was a special team's maniac. And I mean that in
• 7:07
  Speaker 1: the best way possible.
• 7:09
  Speaker 2: But yeah, Chandler Martin is a player that I think
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: has sort of an uphill climb to make it.
• 7:13
  Speaker 1: He liked the athleticism you do.
• 7:15
  Speaker 2: Worry about the injury, and you're gonna watch and see
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: how he responds from that. But he's a young player
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: and he does have a little bit of NFL experience,
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: so he's gonna have an opportunity to make his mark here.
• 7:29
  Speaker 2: And Chance Campbell, I've talked a lot about Chance Campbell.
• 7:32
  Speaker 2: He was on the Eagles practice squad all last season,
• 7:34
  Speaker 2: didn't have any elevations.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: Twenty six years old.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: Was a six round pick of the Tennessee Titans in
• 7:39
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty two, where he overlapped with Eagles linebackers coach
• 7:42
  Speaker 2: Bobby King when he signed to the Eagles a couple
• 7:45
  Speaker 2: of days before the preseason finale, I think it was
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: fair to expect that he was sort of a warm
• 7:50
  Speaker 2: body that could occupy snaps.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: You want to get through those games without having to.
• 7:53
  Speaker 2: Put players that you're gonna expect to contribute in needless
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: situations for ten injury. But as it turned out, the
• 8:01
  Speaker 2: Eagles had plenty of intel and they liked the player
• 8:05
  Speaker 2: Chance Campbell. That's why he stopped on the practice squad
• 8:08
  Speaker 2: with such a minimal amount of time to make an impression. Now,
• 8:11
  Speaker 2: he did have an ACL injury August of twenty twenty four,
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: signed with Eagles very late, So if you're connecting the dots,
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: maybe it was that he was finally healthy and he
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: was a player that maybe they had on their radar.
• 8:27
  Speaker 1: But he's a player that.
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: Was a critical piece on scout team and familiar with
• 8:34
  Speaker 2: Bobby King. Now has a year in the building, a
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: year in the meetings, can really be a special teams contributor,
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: I believe. So he's a guy that you're going to
• 8:43
  Speaker 2: want to keep an eye on. I think he's a
• 8:45
  Speaker 2: dark horse to potentially snag a potential fifth spot. And
• 8:50
  Speaker 2: you have Deontay Lawson, who was an undrafted for agent
• 8:53
  Speaker 2: Ale of Alabama. Started a number of games at that program,
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: did battle some injuries, including an a injury that he had.
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: I was a little surprised frankly that he wasn't drafted.
• 9:04
  Speaker 2: But I don't know if right now I can put
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: him above a Chance Campbell or Chandler Martin because they've
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: played in the NFL. Chance Campbell, by the way, played
• 9:12
  Speaker 2: in four games with the Titans, I believe it was
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty three.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: So they have a lot of optionality there.
• 9:19
  Speaker 2: I think ultimately they're going to carry four linebackers, but
• 9:22
  Speaker 2: you can quickly see that there's talent and then where
• 9:26
  Speaker 2: you have your questions, there's players that are going to
• 9:28
  Speaker 2: have opportunities to establish themselves and make the decisions difficult
• 9:34
  Speaker 2: for the evaluators.
• 9:36
  Speaker 1: And it's ultimately going to come down to special teams.
• 9:38
  Speaker 2: If you are asking the Eagles to go heavier at
• 9:41
  Speaker 2: that position, well you have to prove that you're going
• 9:44
  Speaker 2: to be a steady special teams contributor to really warrant
• 9:48
  Speaker 2: sticking around, because otherwise, I mean, if you're looking at
• 9:53
  Speaker 2: it through the lens of game day. You can only
• 9:55
  Speaker 2: dress so many players, and if you're on the fifty
• 9:58
  Speaker 2: three and you can't play special teams, there's really not
• 10:01
  Speaker 2: much of a purpose if you're not a starter. So
• 10:05
  Speaker 2: I think this is going to be a big summer
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: for a lot of these players.
• 10:09
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• 10:13
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• 11:08
  Speaker 2: And then rounding out this group is Isaiah King, who
• 11:14
  Speaker 2: joined the Eagles after a successful tryout at rookie mini
• 11:17
  Speaker 2: camp six foot three, two hundred and fifteen pounds undersized,
• 11:20
  Speaker 2: went to the University of Idaho, racked up a ton
• 11:22
  Speaker 2: of tackles there, and look, he's not going to get
• 11:26
  Speaker 2: a lot of reps in training camp when you are
• 11:28
  Speaker 2: a tryout player and you're further down to the pecking order.
• 11:31
  Speaker 2: That's the way it works. But players shouldn't be counted out.
• 11:35
  Speaker 2: I mean, Darius Cooper went to Charloton State and was
• 11:37
  Speaker 2: at the bottom of the of the depth chart last
• 11:41
  Speaker 2: summer and made a play a day and caught the
• 11:43
  Speaker 2: eyes of the coaching staff and ended up making the roster.
• 11:46
  Speaker 2: I'm not sort of depicting that as King's story. I
• 11:49
  Speaker 2: haven't seen him take a practice yet. But you can
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: never just discount players just because maybe they aren't household names,
• 11:55
  Speaker 2: or they don't have maybe the pedigree or the path
• 12:00
  Speaker 2: to the roster. That's traditional. But I can't wait to
• 12:03
  Speaker 2: see how this group shakes out. That competition is something
• 12:06
  Speaker 2: I'll be definitely keeping an eye on, and there's a
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: lot of reason for optimism once again, as the linebacker
• 12:11
  Speaker 2: play has been a strength of that defense under Vic
• 12:14
  Speaker 2: Vangiol and linebackers coach Bobby King, who I can't speak
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: highly enough because I don't.
• 12:19
  Speaker 1: Believe he gets the proper credit.
• 12:21
  Speaker 2: I think there's a world in which he would be
• 12:23
  Speaker 2: a successful defensive coordinator in the NFL. The block destruction,
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: the physicality, the physical mindset that he has I think
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: really resonates with players. And I had a chance to
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: sit down with him at the Super Bowl, so picking
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: his brain a little bit, understanding the way that he
• 12:37
  Speaker 2: sees the game. And I just can't speak highly enough
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: about Bobby King. So they are certain the room is
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: helmed by someone who I have a great deal of
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: respect for, and I think around the league there's a
• 12:49
  Speaker 2: lot of.
• 12:49
  Speaker 1: Respect for Bobby King and the imprint that he has
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: on that room.
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: That's going to do it. For this episode of the
• 12:56
  Speaker 2: check O DELI I'm Andrew Decheco. We'll catch you all
• 12:59
  Speaker 2: on the next one.
• 13:02
  Speaker 3: DA