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The DiCecco Daily: Moves You Can Expect From The Eagles Soon, And Some Free Agent Fits · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: What's going on? Everyone? Welcome in.
• 0:10
  Speaker 2: This is Andrew de Checko with another episode of De
• 0:13
  Speaker 2: Checho Daily. I can't believe we're in early March, and
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: as I think about it, March might be my favorite
• 0:19
  Speaker 2: month of the year. And I'm not just saying that
• 0:21
  Speaker 2: because my birthdays later this month. The older you get,
• 0:24
  Speaker 2: naturally you don't look forward to those as much. But
• 0:28
  Speaker 2: more along the lines of the sporting events, you have
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: March Madness, which is captivating and enthrawing in many ways,
• 0:35
  Speaker 2: and you, of course have free agency, and there's already
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: some maneuvering going on as you're seeing a lot of
• 0:42
  Speaker 2: teams release players. There is a trade Lions running back
• 0:47
  Speaker 2: David Montgomery going to the Houston Texans. So we're already
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: getting some action and things are certainly going to pick
• 0:53
  Speaker 2: up next week, and the Eagles are probably going to
• 0:56
  Speaker 2: be one of those teams that have to make some
• 0:59
  Speaker 2: of those pre free agency maneuvers. I look at Michael Carter,
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: who they acquired at the NFL trade deadline. The Eagles
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: can save about eight point seven million against the cap
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: if they release him before June first, so I would
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: have to imagine that that's going to be something on
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: the table and then maybe you'll see a reunion there
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: because he does offer versatility at Nickel at safety.
• 1:23
  Speaker 1: He didn't really get a chance to.
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: Gel with the defense, and I think when you look
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: at the lack of depth that they have there, he
• 1:31
  Speaker 2: would make some sense if they're able to come to
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: an agreement thereafter.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: But that might be something to keep an eye on.
• 1:36
  Speaker 2: A I would imagine based off of what he's owed,
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: they're going to have to do something there, So that
• 1:42
  Speaker 2: almost feels like an inevitability. But let's look at free
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: agency because there's a couple of players here that I
• 1:51
  Speaker 2: wanted to touch on that I think would be really
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: good fits for different reasons. First of which, and I
• 1:57
  Speaker 2: know when you hear tight end, you're thinking Isaiah Likely
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: when I mentioned the Baltimore Ravens, but I'm actually talking
• 2:05
  Speaker 2: about Charlie Koehler, who's twenty seven years old. He's six
• 2:09
  Speaker 2: foot six, two hundred and sixty five pounds, went to
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: Iowa State. I actually remember for his pro day. I
• 2:17
  Speaker 2: think Jason Michael, the Eagles tight ends coach, went to
• 2:20
  Speaker 2: the pro day to see him up close and in person.
• 2:24
  Speaker 2: But he's not much of a receiver. He caught just
• 2:28
  Speaker 2: thirty of forty one career targets for four hundred and
• 2:30
  Speaker 2: nine yards and four touchdowns over forty seven games he
• 2:34
  Speaker 2: started thirteen. But he's primarily a blocking tight end. And
• 2:39
  Speaker 2: when you see that kind of a frame, that's an
• 2:42
  Speaker 2: imposing physique that I think will really seal off the edges.
• 2:46
  Speaker 2: And he does play with a physicality and an edge
• 2:49
  Speaker 2: that I think you like. And when the Eagles look
• 2:53
  Speaker 2: to me to remake this tight end room, and I
• 2:55
  Speaker 2: think it's safe to say that not only should they,
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: but they have to to be able to to play
• 3:01
  Speaker 2: the style that we're all imagining the Eagles doing under
• 3:04
  Speaker 2: Sean Mannion. And I think that the tight end room
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: last season was way too receiving centric.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: There needs to be more balance.
• 3:12
  Speaker 2: Charlie Kohler has really thrived in that area. He's probably
• 3:16
  Speaker 2: not going to break the bank to bring someone like
• 3:18
  Speaker 2: that in. That would be one piece. Then, of course
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: you have the NFL Draft if you I mean, they're
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: probably gonna have to add a couple of players there.
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: And Jack Stole is a free agent. He of course
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: was with the Saints last season. But I think the
• 3:33
  Speaker 2: Eagles can do a little bit better there and trying
• 3:35
  Speaker 2: to get a player who offers a little bit more
• 3:38
  Speaker 2: receiving upside in that role than Jack Stole and Charlie
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: Kohler is a player that I remember covering leading up
• 3:45
  Speaker 2: to the NFL Draft. Liked this game more so as
• 3:49
  Speaker 2: a blocker. He's limited as a receiver, doesn't move particularly well.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Getting down the field.
• 3:54
  Speaker 2: But it's the body type and the physicality that I
• 3:58
  Speaker 2: think will be a really good comp meant to what
• 4:00
  Speaker 2: the Eagles are looking to accomplish, especially in terms of
• 4:04
  Speaker 2: the run game, where it's going to have a lot
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: more diversity than it has in the past in terms
• 4:08
  Speaker 2: of their designs and things of that nature. So he
• 4:11
  Speaker 2: might be an option there to keep an eye on,
• 4:14
  Speaker 2: and I think the fit there would be pretty seamless.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: Then I look at a wide receiver named Jaalen Naylor
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: from the Minnesota Vikings. He's somebody that I liked at
• 4:24
  Speaker 2: Michigan State coming out, and he really I mean, when
• 4:28
  Speaker 2: you're playing in a receiving corps that has Justin Jefferson,
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: I mean and Jordan Adison, of course, you're not going
• 4:35
  Speaker 2: to see a lot of volume. He played in fifty
• 4:38
  Speaker 2: five games, started sixteen caught sixty nine of one hundred
• 4:42
  Speaker 2: and fourteen targets over his four seasons for one thousand
• 4:45
  Speaker 2: and sixty six yards and eleven touchdowns. Last season, twenty
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: nine receptions for four hundred and forty four yards and
• 4:52
  Speaker 2: four touchdowns. Yeah, those are kind of the numbers that
• 4:55
  Speaker 2: you're imagining when you're envisioning the third receiver and what
• 4:59
  Speaker 2: that production can look like in this offense. There's so
• 5:02
  Speaker 2: many mouths to feed. You want a competent receiver who
• 5:06
  Speaker 2: can give you some blocking competency there, and he can
• 5:10
  Speaker 2: certainly do.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: The dirty work.
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: But he's sort of an underrated player and got overshadowed
• 5:14
  Speaker 2: there in Minnesota because of their top two receiving options there.
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: But I liked his game quite a bit. He's twenty
• 5:22
  Speaker 2: seven years old, five foot eleven, two hundred pounds. I
• 5:26
  Speaker 2: mean I mentioned that he went to Michigan State. He
• 5:28
  Speaker 2: was a six round pick. Great story of development there
• 5:31
  Speaker 2: in twenty twenty two, and I think that he's someone
• 5:34
  Speaker 2: that when you look at Johan Dotson perhaps not returning
• 5:39
  Speaker 2: and taking on a better opportunity someplace else, Jalen Naylor is.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: He fits within the budget and the production.
• 5:48
  Speaker 2: And I also believe that he can give you something
• 5:51
  Speaker 2: more in terms of the physicality, the dirty work, the
• 5:56
  Speaker 2: dirty work assignments that he will probably be asked to
• 5:58
  Speaker 2: do in Philadelphia. Look at Charlie Kohler and I look
• 6:01
  Speaker 2: at Jaalen now Or as two cost effective options that
• 6:04
  Speaker 2: would really match what I imagine the Eagles are looking
• 6:07
  Speaker 2: to do offensively. And so those are two names that
• 6:10
  Speaker 2: I really like, and I think they would be more
• 6:12
  Speaker 2: along the lines of realistic. Isaiah Likely is a tight
• 6:15
  Speaker 2: end for the Ravens, and I know that I've seen
• 6:19
  Speaker 2: a lot of folks on social media saying the Eagles
• 6:21
  Speaker 2: should go get so and so go get Isaiah Likely.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: He's twenty five years old.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: If you're not going to be able to afford Dallas Godder,
• 6:28
  Speaker 2: which me leaving the combine, I was even shakier on
• 6:32
  Speaker 2: that than I was going into it and knowing that
• 6:35
  Speaker 2: it's going to be a challenge for the Eagles to
• 6:36
  Speaker 2: be able to keep Dallas godd But if you can't
• 6:40
  Speaker 2: afford Dallas Goddter, and this is all theoretical, how would
• 6:44
  Speaker 2: you be able to afford a twenty five year old
• 6:46
  Speaker 2: tight end who is on an upward trajectory and would
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: be no longer overshadowed by the likes of a Mark Andrews,
• 6:55
  Speaker 2: and he's explosive and dynamic, and his best football's ahead
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: of him. Just doesn't make a lot of sense, So
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: you have to be realistic here. I would imagine that
• 7:03
  Speaker 2: the most sensible course of action here would be to
• 7:05
  Speaker 2: add a free agent tight end, one that's not going
• 7:08
  Speaker 2: to break the bank, one that maybe fills a certain role,
• 7:11
  Speaker 2: like a Charlie Kohler, and then you go to the
• 7:13
  Speaker 2: draft to add a younger piece to develop and can
• 7:18
  Speaker 2: give you a little bit more in terms of athleticism
• 7:21
  Speaker 2: getting down the field and open things up and really
• 7:24
  Speaker 2: work with him and have him be your tight end
• 7:27
  Speaker 2: of the future. The Eagles also added to the coaching staff,
• 7:31
  Speaker 2: per multiple reports, one from NFL Networks Mike Garriffolo, who
• 7:36
  Speaker 2: said the Eagles are bringing in Jerad Johnson in an
• 7:43
  Speaker 2: unspecified role. Gerad Johnson, for the last three seasons was
• 7:47
  Speaker 2: the quarterbacks coach for the Houston Texans. He oversaw the
• 7:51
  Speaker 2: development or I guess if you're looking at last season
• 7:54
  Speaker 2: lack thereof CJ.
• 7:55
  Speaker 1: Stroud, And before that.
• 7:57
  Speaker 2: He was assistant quarterbacks coach with the Vikings and before that,
• 8:03
  Speaker 2: he was an offensive quality control coach from twenty twenty
• 8:06
  Speaker 2: to twenty twenty one with the Indianapolis Colts. So Jarrad
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: Johnson's thirty seven years old. He had a decorated career
• 8:13
  Speaker 2: at Texas A and M, where he was a quarterback
• 8:15
  Speaker 2: through for over eight thousand yards sixty seven touchdowns against
• 8:19
  Speaker 2: twenty seven interceptions. And he was signed actually as an
• 8:23
  Speaker 2: undrafted free agent by the Eagles in twenty eleven, and
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: he was actually released before they got down to final cuts.
• 8:32
  Speaker 2: But someone who the Eagles have obviously had interest in.
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: He interviewed for the offensive courtator vacancy in the twenty
• 8:41
  Speaker 2: twenty four offseason, the job that went to Kellen Moore,
• 8:44
  Speaker 2: and he was interviewing for the job that ultimately went
• 8:47
  Speaker 2: to Sean Manny and the Eagles interviewed seventeen candidates and
• 8:51
  Speaker 2: he was among the finalists among the seven finalists. So
• 8:54
  Speaker 2: not only do they get Josh Grizzard who interviewed for
• 8:57
  Speaker 2: the OC job and didn't get it, they find a
• 8:59
  Speaker 2: way to keep him or to find a way to
• 9:01
  Speaker 2: get him on the staff. They also find a way
• 9:03
  Speaker 2: to get Garrod Johnson on the staff. Great work there
• 9:06
  Speaker 2: by the Eagles and getting as many offensive minds, young
• 9:09
  Speaker 2: offensive minds into the fold that can help reimagine this offense.
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: I think it's been a really good off season in
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: terms of just adding more diversity in terms of voices, concepts, and.
• 9:26
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• 11:33
  Speaker 2: So Mike Garrifflojerad Johnson will be joining the Eagles staff,
• 11:38
  Speaker 2: and then, per Matt Zenitz from CBS Sports, the Eagles
• 11:44
  Speaker 2: are adding Allen Smith to be the assistant linebackers coach.
• 11:47
  Speaker 2: Alan Smith had been the Army defensive line coach last
• 11:52
  Speaker 2: season and then for three years prior, he was the
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: defensive line coach at Georgia State. Spent one year in
• 11:58
  Speaker 2: twenty twenty one with the Houston Texans as their assistant
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: defensive line coach, so he's taking.
• 12:03
  Speaker 1: On a new role here.
• 12:04
  Speaker 2: He'll be taking over for Ronel Williams, who joined the
• 12:08
  Speaker 2: Raiders as their linebackers coach, so he'll be now working
• 12:12
  Speaker 2: with linebackers coach Bobby King in helping develop and shape
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: a linebacker room that already has top end talent in
• 12:22
  Speaker 2: Zach Bond and Jahad Campbell, but they also have some
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: intriguing developmental pieces in Jeremiah Trotter Junior and Smile Mandon
• 12:29
  Speaker 2: that he'll get to work with as well. It's a
• 12:32
  Speaker 2: new role for him, obviously, he's been a defensive line coach.
• 12:35
  Speaker 2: He actually played defensive line at Wofford College and look,
• 12:40
  Speaker 2: Clint Hurt is an accomplished defensive line coach. He was
• 12:43
  Speaker 2: once a defensive coordinator for the Seattle Seahawks. He got
• 12:47
  Speaker 2: to look this offseason from the Miami Dolphins. He interviewed
• 12:50
  Speaker 2: for their defensive coordinator vacancy, so he has interest around
• 12:54
  Speaker 2: the league. He's been very productive, His groups have been
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: very productive over the last two seasons he's been in Philadelphia,
• 13:01
  Speaker 2: So I would imagine that if he continues his upward
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: trajectory and the defensive line performs as expected in twenty
• 13:09
  Speaker 2: twenty six, he'll probably probably be another name that you
• 13:13
  Speaker 2: hear in those defensive coordinator candidate hiring process next offseason.
• 13:20
  Speaker 2: Because you're already seeing a team sniff around now, imagine
• 13:25
  Speaker 2: what they'll do after another season with a healthier Jalen Carter,
• 13:29
  Speaker 2: Jordan Davis turning the corner, Moro Jomo taking the next
• 13:33
  Speaker 2: step in his development, and his first expanded workloads six
• 13:37
  Speaker 2: acts last year. So I do think that Clint Hurt
• 13:41
  Speaker 2: is another coach that the Eagles, much like Christian Parker,
• 13:44
  Speaker 2: they're renting right now. Because I do believe that there
• 13:46
  Speaker 2: will be teams that are interested and who knows what
• 13:48
  Speaker 2: that could mean for Alan Smith, if he's able to
• 13:51
  Speaker 2: make an impression on the coaching staff and maybe take
• 13:56
  Speaker 2: on a different type of role. But we're getting too
• 13:58
  Speaker 2: far ahead of ourselves. I want to give you an
• 14:00
  Speaker 2: update on both of those reports, how they fit, who
• 14:04
  Speaker 2: they're replacing or in the case of Alan Smith. But
• 14:09
  Speaker 2: that's gonna do it for this edition of the Czech
• 14:11
  Speaker 2: O Daily. I am Andrew Decheco and I'll catch you
• 14:14
  Speaker 2: all on the next one.