Latest / Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast / The DiCecco Daily: Finishing Early Look At Birds Free Agents

Transcript

The DiCecco Daily: Finishing Early Look At Birds Free Agents · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

0:10
Speaker 1: Hey, what's going on? Everybody? Welcome into another edition of
0:12
Speaker 1: to Czech o'delli. It's Andrew de Checho, Eagles beat reporter
0:15
Speaker 1: for insidethebirds dot Com. And we're gonna keep running through
0:18
Speaker 1: those free agents. The first podcast that I did came
0:21
Speaker 1: out on Sunday. I did half the names. There's a
0:23
Speaker 1: lot of names, so we're gonna keep that going, and
0:25
Speaker 1: we're gonna start with Brandon Graham. So Brandon Graham, he's
0:29
Speaker 1: thirty seven years old, He's played now sixteen seasons. He
0:33
Speaker 1: looks like he could still play. I believe that he
0:36
Speaker 1: wants to still play. He never lost that love for
0:40
Speaker 1: the game. But I just don't know if that's gonna
0:43
Speaker 1: be in the Eagles long term plans, and then it's
0:46
Speaker 1: or even short term plans. But then it's also fair
0:48
Speaker 1: to wonder that if it weren't in Philadelphia, would Brandon
0:50
Speaker 1: Graham want to play elsewhere?
0:53
Speaker 2: So it's it's interesting.
0:54
Speaker 1: I mean, I don't I think the Eagles want to
0:56
Speaker 1: continue to get younger there, and it was a good story.
0:59
Speaker 1: Brandon came back to try and help the Eagles win
1:02
Speaker 1: another Super Bowl, or at least get there, and I
1:04
Speaker 1: thought he played well especially having to kick inside. But
1:08
Speaker 1: if it were me, I probably wouldn't bring him back,
1:11
Speaker 1: even if it's going to be a you know, a
1:12
Speaker 1: cost effective deal, and for everything he's done for the franchise,
1:16
Speaker 1: I just think it's best to try and build it
1:20
Speaker 1: with the younger players and move forward that way. Josh
1:25
Speaker 1: Usha edge rusher. Josh had one sack this season. He
1:29
Speaker 1: had a sack. It looked like it was going to
1:31
Speaker 1: be a fumble against the Giants that got overturned. I
1:34
Speaker 1: talked a lot to Josh with Josh last season about
1:38
Speaker 1: his power rush and just a consummate professional wants to
1:42
Speaker 1: be out there on the field. But and he was
1:44
Speaker 1: earlier in the season, but then when he wasn't he
1:46
Speaker 1: didn't sulk, He didn't you know, make it known that
1:50
Speaker 1: he wasn't happy or anything like that. He was a
1:52
Speaker 1: consummate professional. And that's something that I will always remember,
1:56
Speaker 1: whether he was here just this year or if he
1:59
Speaker 1: comes back, just a consummant pro that he deserves the
2:03
Speaker 1: opportunity to get on the field and rush the quarterback
2:05
Speaker 1: because I thought he did some good things. Obviously, he
2:08
Speaker 1: took a back seat when Brandon Graham came on the
2:10
Speaker 1: Eagles don't dress that many edge rushers under Vic Vangio,
2:13
Speaker 1: so he was sort of the odd man out. They
2:15
Speaker 1: took him off a kickoff. I think that he could
2:18
Speaker 1: serve a role elsewhere. I have a hard time seeing
2:20
Speaker 1: him come back, although I would love it for the conversations.
2:23
Speaker 1: One of my most fond memories of last season Josh Usa,
2:29
Speaker 1: I'm asking him about his pass rush arsenal and he's
2:32
Speaker 1: sort of he's like, here, let me show you, and
2:35
Speaker 1: he's like kind of demonstrating it on air and then
2:37
Speaker 1: like on my shoulder, and it was so cool to
2:40
Speaker 1: get a glimpse into a pass rusher's tool bag as
2:45
Speaker 1: far as the pass rush and all the different variations
2:49
Speaker 1: of moves that they have and what they're working on.
2:52
Speaker 1: And I think that he can play. I don't know
2:56
Speaker 1: if it'll be here in Philadelphia. He was inactive for
2:59
Speaker 1: a stretch down late in the season, so it's hard
3:03
Speaker 1: for me to see him coming back. Then you have
3:05
Speaker 1: I think we talked about Kylon grantson Last Time Matt.
3:08
Speaker 2: Pryor Guard Listen.
3:12
Speaker 1: The Eagles signed him to be someone who is going
3:14
Speaker 1: to provide a veteran depth. He played over a thousand
3:17
Speaker 1: snaps the previous year with the Bears, it didn't work out.
3:20
Speaker 1: He struggled in training camp, mostly working on the right side.
3:23
Speaker 1: When he had to come in against the Rams in
3:25
Speaker 1: absence of Lane Johnson, he struggled there as well, and
3:29
Speaker 1: he sort of fell behind in the pecking order and
3:32
Speaker 1: the first guys off the bench were Fred Johnson and
3:35
Speaker 1: Brett Toth And so I think this will be a
3:37
Speaker 1: parting of the ways. With Matt Pryor, it was worth
3:40
Speaker 1: a shot the Eagles drafted him. He played a ton
3:43
Speaker 1: of snaps with the Colts and then with the Bears,
3:46
Speaker 1: so it made some sense there, but it just it
3:49
Speaker 1: just one of those signings that low risk I mean,
3:54
Speaker 1: minimal reward, I guess, but it just didn't pan out.
3:57
Speaker 2: Aj diwon j Dillon's a.
4:01
Speaker 1: Player that I know a lot of folks were really
4:03
Speaker 1: excited about when the Eagles signed him. Remember I was
4:06
Speaker 1: leaving Rutgers Pro Day at the time when that came in,
4:09
Speaker 1: and I said, right away, that's not going to change
4:11
Speaker 1: will Shipley's standing. He's still going to be the two
4:14
Speaker 1: in less the Eagles draft are running back like higher
4:18
Speaker 1: than the fourth round. But I knew that Will coming
4:22
Speaker 1: back from me. You know, after his rookie season, they
4:24
Speaker 1: may put little bit a little bit more of a
4:26
Speaker 1: focus on the passing element that obviously didn't happen.
4:29
Speaker 2: But AJ Dillon, the big question there was his health.
4:32
Speaker 1: Was how was he going to return from the neck
4:35
Speaker 1: injury that he missed all twenty twenty four with. Clearly
4:38
Speaker 1: he was fine, he was able to with stand contact
4:41
Speaker 1: in camp, had some nice moments in camp, actually caught
4:44
Speaker 1: the ball more than I expected. And then in the
4:47
Speaker 1: regular season he got some opportunity to think twelve carries
4:49
Speaker 1: for sixty yards, had a three yard reception I think
4:53
Speaker 1: in the season finale, but he was inactive for most
4:56
Speaker 1: of the season.
4:57
Speaker 2: Great guy.
4:58
Speaker 1: Another one who I really enjoyed talking Chilli locker next
5:01
Speaker 1: to Will. Will and him were really closed. AJ Dillon
5:04
Speaker 1: and Ben van Sumer were really close. Aj just is
5:07
Speaker 1: always smiling, brings a lot of positivity, no pun intendings.
5:11
Speaker 1: I know you're thinking positivity, bunny, but he calls himself,
5:16
Speaker 1: you know, a vibes guy. And I wrote a story.
5:19
Speaker 1: You'll have to go back and read it. I'm not
5:21
Speaker 1: going to get into it, but about all of the
5:24
Speaker 1: the like how that necessarily that wasn't necessarily something that
5:29
Speaker 1: he was that that was ingrained in him. He had
5:32
Speaker 1: to adopt that mentality throughout his career and that came
5:36
Speaker 1: with not playing as much when you have Aaron Jones
5:38
Speaker 1: there and you have to find other ways to impact
5:41
Speaker 1: the team without being ball centric. And so loved my
5:44
Speaker 1: conversation with aj Dillon. Great guy, as I mentioned, and
5:49
Speaker 1: all that being said, I just don't see him coming back.
5:51
Speaker 1: He was inactive for most of the season, and the
5:54
Speaker 1: Eagles will probably want to either draft a running back
5:57
Speaker 1: or signed probably drafted running back to compete maybe with Shipley,
6:02
Speaker 1: add maybe a fourth piece who can return kicks if
6:05
Speaker 1: you want to carry forward because I also have Tank Bigsby.
6:08
Speaker 1: He's going to be the two, and then you have
6:10
Speaker 1: will as the three. Maybe you add another running back
6:13
Speaker 1: in the draft to be that fourth kick return guy
6:16
Speaker 1: or something like that.
6:17
Speaker 2: But that's kind of where I'm at with that.
6:19
Speaker 3: Hey, it's that time of the year that everyone's trying
6:21
Speaker 3: to clean up their habits and that includes me, honestly,
6:24
Speaker 3: having one less drinks never felt easier. Instead of pouring
6:28
Speaker 3: a cocktail, I just reach for souls out of office drinks.
6:32
Speaker 3: It's the same relaxing vibe, but zero alcohol, zero hangover.
6:36
Speaker 3: I still wake up feeling like a functional adult. I
6:39
Speaker 3: can get to the gym, I can do whatever I
6:41
Speaker 3: have to do throughout the day without feeling worn down
6:44
Speaker 3: or dragged down. That alcohol can make you feel Soul.
6:47
Speaker 3: What I appreciate about them is it makes feeling good
6:49
Speaker 3: simple with their delicious HEMP drived, CBD, and THC products
6:54
Speaker 3: with precise dosing, clean ingredients and formulations designed for predictable
6:59
Speaker 3: feel good effects. Soul is the alcohol alternative that puts
7:03
Speaker 3: you in control of your mood. You gotta try their
7:06
Speaker 3: best selling out of office gummies that deliver a customizable
7:10
Speaker 3: calming buzz. All right, so give yourself the gift of
7:13
Speaker 3: a healthier unwind. Right now, Soul is offering our audience
7:17
Speaker 3: thirty percent off their entire order. Go to getsoul dot
7:21
Speaker 3: com and use the code birds brds that's Getsold dot
7:25
Speaker 3: Com promo code birds for thirty percent off.
7:29
Speaker 4: If you're looking for a home alarm system that's easy
7:31
Speaker 4: to understand, reliable, and actually tells you when there's an
7:34
Speaker 4: intruder who's not already in your home, I got just
7:37
Speaker 4: the system for you. Let me introduce you to simply
7:40
Speaker 4: Safe Home Security. It's simply the most technologically advanced home
7:43
Speaker 4: alarm system available, and it actually keeps the trouble away
7:46
Speaker 4: instead of telling you when something bad has already happened.
7:50
Speaker 4: Simply Safe stops crimes before they start, using AI powered
7:54
Speaker 4: cameras outside your home. Simply Safe sets itself apart from
7:57
Speaker 4: the other alarm systems because agents are taking action while
8:01
Speaker 4: the intruder is outside. These agents can let those intruders
8:04
Speaker 4: know they're being watched and police are on the way.
8:07
Speaker 4: Nobody else offers that level of security. For someone like
8:10
Speaker 4: me who has a family but often travels, that peace
8:13
Speaker 4: of mind is of the utmost importance. I have simply
8:15
Speaker 4: Safe in my home, and I encourage you to do
8:17
Speaker 4: the same. Simply Safe has been named best home security
8:20
Speaker 4: Systems by US News and World Report five.
8:23
Speaker 1: Years in a row.
8:23
Speaker 4: Right now, you can get fifty percent off any new
8:26
Speaker 4: system this month only. It's a great time to upgrade
8:29
Speaker 4: to security that actually helps stop crime before it starts.
8:32
Speaker 4: Go to Simplysafe dot com slash birds. That's simplysafe dot
8:36
Speaker 4: Com slash birds. There's no safe like simply Safe. Hey,
8:39
Speaker 4: Philly fans, game day is stressful enough parking, traffic, long lines,
8:44
Speaker 4: We've all been there, But when it comes to your cannabis,
8:47
Speaker 4: Camden Apothecary makes it easy. This is the dispensary for
8:52
Speaker 4: sports fans, just minutes outside of Philly, with plenty of
8:56
Speaker 4: free parking.
8:56
Speaker 1: You'll be in and out.
8:57
Speaker 4: Fast, no hassle, no waiting, and they don't just care
9:01
Speaker 4: about convenience. Cam din Apothecary is all about the guest experience.
9:06
Speaker 4: Their staff makes sure you feel taken care of every
9:09
Speaker 4: time you walk in. Plus, they carry only the best
9:12
Speaker 4: quality cannabis at the fairest prices, so whether you're stocking
9:16
Speaker 4: up for the tailgate, the watch party, or celebrating a
9:19
Speaker 4: big win, you know you're getting the good stuff without overpaying.
9:24
Speaker 4: They even show love to the community with specials for fans, students,
9:29
Speaker 4: service members, and healthcare pros. Cam din Apothecary top quality cannabis,
9:34
Speaker 4: great prices, and an experience made for Philly fans. Twenty
9:37
Speaker 4: one and up.
9:40
Speaker 2: Fred Johnson.
9:42
Speaker 1: Fred Johnson did a very He did a solid job
9:46
Speaker 1: stepping in for Lane Johnson at right Tackle. Big shoes
9:50
Speaker 1: to fill. Needless to say, I thought one of the
9:51
Speaker 1: bigger moves that Hollie Roseman did was right before the season,
9:56
Speaker 1: acquiring Fred Johnson when it was evident that Matt Pryor
9:59
Speaker 1: wasn't getting it done and so adding Fred Johnson in
10:02
Speaker 1: the mix. It didn't look like much maybe on the surface,
10:06
Speaker 1: but it proved instrumental because he had to step in
10:09
Speaker 1: and play what was it, eight games, and I mean
10:13
Speaker 1: he held his own. He deserves a lot of credit
10:15
Speaker 1: for that. He put a lot of good things on tape.
10:17
Speaker 1: Maybe there's a team out there that offers Fred Johnson
10:19
Speaker 1: this time around the opportunity to start, not compete for
10:22
Speaker 1: a starting job, but the opportunity to come in there
10:25
Speaker 1: and be a starting tackle. Because I believe he is
10:27
Speaker 1: a starting tackle. So if the money's right for that,
10:30
Speaker 1: I could see him going in that direction. But if
10:32
Speaker 1: I'm the Eagles, I'm doing whatever it takes to keep
10:35
Speaker 1: him in house, knowing how valuable he is and knowing
10:37
Speaker 1: there's some uncertainties there along with the offensive line. Big
10:40
Speaker 1: personality as well. I always enjoy being around him. He's loud,
10:46
Speaker 1: he has an energy about him, and he's just a
10:49
Speaker 1: good guy to be around. To Kobe Dean, that's going
10:54
Speaker 1: to be really tough. The Eagles draft of Jahad Campbell
10:56
Speaker 1: in the first round. It's a luxury to have three
10:59
Speaker 1: stars in caliber off ball. Linebackers not a necessity. And
11:03
Speaker 1: when you have a lot of money that you have
11:04
Speaker 1: to start paying investing in the defensive side of the ball,
11:08
Speaker 1: it's hard to look at the linebacker position with the
11:11
Speaker 1: Kobe Dean and do that.
11:13
Speaker 2: That being said, he's the heartbeat of the defense.
11:15
Speaker 1: He's a tremendous leader, a natural born leader, and I
11:18
Speaker 1: think that he is a tone setter that sort of
11:20
Speaker 1: when he was inserted, you saw the defense sort of
11:23
Speaker 1: take on a life of its own. So if it
11:25
Speaker 1: were me, I would say no, as hard as that
11:27
Speaker 1: is to do. Knowing that I've always been at big
11:30
Speaker 1: Nakobe guy. I've gotten to talk to know him throughout
11:33
Speaker 1: the years and it's been a pleasure to.
11:36
Speaker 2: Get to talk to and know him.
11:37
Speaker 1: But I think he's going to get paid and be
11:41
Speaker 1: an asset somewhere else, and I don't know that that
11:44
Speaker 1: will be in Philadelphia. Oba Ocaronquell. He was signed in
11:49
Speaker 1: training camp. He tours triceps against the Buccaneers. That was
11:52
Speaker 1: his first game that he was active and he played
11:55
Speaker 1: four snaps. Tours triceps saw him in the locker room
11:58
Speaker 1: during clean out day, didn't see him for most of
11:59
Speaker 1: the year, said that he's pretty well recovered from the
12:03
Speaker 1: injury and good news there.
12:05
Speaker 2: I don't know if he'll come back.
12:07
Speaker 1: He's another player thirty gonna be thirty one, and maybe
12:12
Speaker 1: if you want to add some veteran depth for training camp,
12:14
Speaker 1: that might make some sense, but I don't see the
12:16
Speaker 1: Eagles bringing him back. Brett Toath is another one. I
12:20
Speaker 1: would absolutely bring him back. There's something to be said
12:23
Speaker 1: for a player who is battle tested, who has overcome
12:28
Speaker 1: and persevered through a lot. He became the Eagles top
12:31
Speaker 1: backup at center and guard. I just I can't say
12:34
Speaker 1: enough of seeing Brett to from year one to where
12:39
Speaker 1: he is right now. I mean just invaluable and Brett
12:44
Speaker 1: just Outlin obviously is very fond of him, and I
12:47
Speaker 1: think he quieted the noise because I know there are
12:50
Speaker 1: a lot of folks who were skeptical of him, and
12:53
Speaker 1: I think that he went out there and proved that
12:55
Speaker 1: he not only belongs, but should be counted on to
12:59
Speaker 1: be a key back up on game day. And if
13:02
Speaker 1: you if he is pressed into service, I think you
13:04
Speaker 1: feel a lot better about him going in there I
13:06
Speaker 1: would absolutely sign Brett Toath. I would absolutely sign Fred Johnson.
13:12
Speaker 1: Sam Howe is an interesting one here because he you know,
13:16
Speaker 1: he's twenty five years old. It depends a lot of
13:19
Speaker 1: It may depend on what happens with Tanner McKee. If
13:22
Speaker 1: you're a team that is intrigued enough with Tanner m key,
13:25
Speaker 1: maybe to offer a trade in the off season, maybe
13:29
Speaker 1: one to have some insurance there and signed Sam Howe
13:31
Speaker 1: and then draft the quarterback. Because Kyle McCord, their rookie
13:34
Speaker 1: where they drafted out of Syracuse, signed with the Green
13:36
Speaker 1: Bay Packers to reserve future deal on Tuesday, so he's
13:42
Speaker 1: not going to be in the fold. So I would
13:44
Speaker 1: sign Sam Howe if the money is appropriate, because I
13:47
Speaker 1: think that he could be a long term two if
13:49
Speaker 1: a team becomes an emired with Tanner McKee. Grant kal Katara.
13:55
Speaker 1: Grant cal Katara is a player that's gotten a lot
13:58
Speaker 1: of heat in Philadelphia because of his blocking.
14:03
Speaker 2: That's not his forte.
14:04
Speaker 1: He was put in a position to do something that
14:06
Speaker 1: he's not exceptional at, and that falls on coaching. Grant
14:12
Speaker 1: has arguably some of the best hands on the team,
14:14
Speaker 1: I would say, and he's someone that catches a Floria
14:18
Speaker 1: passes from Jay when hurts in training camp. Hasn't manifested
14:22
Speaker 1: in regular season success, but he's a reliable player, and
14:25
Speaker 1: I don't know that you want him to be your two,
14:26
Speaker 1: but he can certainly be year three. And as you
14:29
Speaker 1: can see here, I just rattled off between today and Sunday,
14:33
Speaker 1: all the Eagles tight ends except for EJ. Jenkins, who
14:35
Speaker 1: signed a reserve futures deal, all the tight ends are
14:37
Speaker 1: going to be free agents, so they're gonna have to
14:39
Speaker 1: do something there. And I don't think it's going to
14:41
Speaker 1: break the bank to keep Grant Calcaterra there. You just
14:44
Speaker 1: have to make sure that next season his role doesn't
14:47
Speaker 1: require a lot of blocking, and maybe you have another
14:50
Speaker 1: player who's more adept at doing that, but I would
14:52
Speaker 1: bring back Grant Calcutra. Then you have Ben van Sumern,
14:56
Speaker 1: who's a restricted free agent. They're not going to tender them,
14:59
Speaker 1: but but we'll see what happens with Ben. Ben loves Philadelphia,
15:03
Speaker 1: he loves being in the area, he loves being a
15:05
Speaker 1: part of this team. He's worked really hard to come
15:08
Speaker 1: back from different injuries. And I know they signed Carson
15:11
Speaker 1: Steel to a reserve futures deal, but they have to
15:13
Speaker 1: find a way to keep Ben in there. As long
15:16
Speaker 1: as he's healthy. You can get into OTA's and training
15:18
Speaker 1: camp and compete for a job. I mean, you'd be
15:21
Speaker 1: hard pressed to find a more athletic player who's more
15:24
Speaker 1: dedicated and committed to doing whatever it takes to make
15:28
Speaker 1: an impact for the team.
15:29
Speaker 2: So there you have it.
15:30
Speaker 1: That's my free agent recap between Sunday and today. I
15:33
Speaker 1: had to split it up, but those are my thoughts
15:36
Speaker 1: and a lot can change obviously between now and then,
15:38
Speaker 1: but that's kind of where I land on that Right now,
15:40
Speaker 1: that's going to do it for this edition of a
15:42
Speaker 1: Czech Odily. I'm Andrew Decheco and I'll catch you all
15:45
Speaker 1: on the next one.