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Football at Four: Taking a Deeper Look at Eagles Offensive Roster For the Future · Inside the Birds: A Philadelphia Eagles Podcast

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: Football at Four is powered by the Inside the Birds podcast.
• 0:02
  Speaker 1: It is brought to you by our friends right here
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: today at the Golden Nugget in Atlantic City. That's where
• 0:08
  Speaker 1: we're hanging out every Thursday. Check out the sportsbook. Check
• 0:11
  Speaker 1: out the Rush Lounge. And check out Vic and Anthony's
• 0:14
  Speaker 1: for meatballs and martinis. We just had a guy walk
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: up the escalator. He said, where are the meatballs and martinis?
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: Vic and Anthony's $ 10 Kettle One Martini from Vic and Anthony's.
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Get a free meatball with that. The big game, sweepstakes.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: It's the ultimate VIP experience. One lucky winner receives an
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: experience of a lifetime for themselves and up to seven
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: guests creating a premium big game getaway experience. Every Thursday
• 0:40
  Speaker 1: right here at the Golden Nugget, you get five times entries.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: Every Thursday, stop out here to Golden Nugget on Thursdays
• 0:47
  Speaker 1: and get your entries in for the big game. Sweepstakes,
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: Adam Kaplan. We usually see him out at the big game.
• 0:54
  Speaker 1: I don't think it's going to be including the Eagles
• 0:57
  Speaker 1: this year, Adam. How are you, my friend?
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: Well, you're right, Mike. You know, it's funny that you
• 1:01
  Speaker 2: bring up the Super Bowl. I've got a couple weeks
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: to make my decision if I'm going to go to L.A.
• 1:07
  Speaker 2: You know, it's an expensive trip. It's good for networking
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: and so forth and doing interviews on media, whether it's
• 1:15
  Speaker 2: radio or television. But Yeah, it's legal, certainly, and there's
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  Speaker 2: no chance they make the Super Bowl. I hate to
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  Speaker 2: break the news to people like anyone did know that,
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  Speaker 2: but part of today's segment, Mike, and in fact a
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  Speaker 2: big chunk of it is what we're doing, in fact
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  Speaker 2: what we did on Inside the Bird today. Because we
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  Speaker 2: keep getting these questions on social media, whether it's X
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  Speaker 2: on our YouTube channel, people want to know what's going
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  Speaker 2: on with this player, that player, for now, how they look,
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  Speaker 2: and what's the future like. So I said, Jeff, why
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  Speaker 2: don't we just do... start looking at the Eagles' future.
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  Speaker 2: We're not going to talk draft right now, but we're
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  Speaker 2: going to talk roster. I mean, that's what people want
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  Speaker 2: to know. Where does this roster stand, and is this
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  Speaker 2: part of why they're struggling so badly?
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  Speaker 1: No doubt, and people are in that mode already. You're right, Adam.
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  Speaker 1: By the way, if it will help your decision at all,
• 2:01
  Speaker 1: the Sports Bash will be live at Radio Row, and
• 2:03
  Speaker 1: you're always welcome to hang out with us that week.
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  Speaker 1: So if that helps your decision at all, I don't know,
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  Speaker 1: maybe it will. Hang on, let.
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  Speaker 2: Me take a look at it. Hang on now, I'm
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  Speaker 2: just kidding.
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  Speaker 1: Well, we had a great time last year with you
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  Speaker 1: and Greg Cussell. I think Brian Hoyer came and sat
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  Speaker 1: with us for a football at the 4th segment.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, Hoyer is so good. I told him when he retired.
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  Speaker 2: you've got to go to radio or television uh... he's
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  Speaker 2: going to put it on the dot off you know
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  Speaker 2: this might mikey actually was within minutes of being legal
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  Speaker 2: and just keep side not to come here with one
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  Speaker 2: point uh... some years ago just because it was between
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  Speaker 2: the raiders and eagles uh... because the judgment you know
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  Speaker 2: that's why he at the last minute to to go
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  Speaker 2: there and it didn't work out obviously for the raiders
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  Speaker 2: but it didn't fire but yeah uh... so yeah i
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  Speaker 2: think the eagles now are in a in a in
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  Speaker 2: a not situation after when the first two And we've
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  Speaker 2: seen a bunch of players develop. You know, he was
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  Speaker 2: playing well. And we've not really talked about it because
• 3:00
  Speaker 2: he got off to a bad start. As Markel Bell
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  Speaker 2: is a player, we're going to talk more offensive line
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  Speaker 2: last week. But he's getting better and better. I'm a
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  Speaker 2: little surprised at how well he's playing.
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  Speaker 1: We were talking about it. We had a text earlier
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  Speaker 1: talking about the offensive line. But let's take a look
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  Speaker 1: at the skill guys right now. And the precarious situation
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  Speaker 1: they are in at quarterback here with what they have
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  Speaker 1: moving forward.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so once Jalen Hurts gets healthy– today you have
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  Speaker 2: to decide what the future looks like her to fight
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  Speaker 2: for twenty twenty eight so we've got two years left
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  Speaker 2: at the season is he's out fifty one and a
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  Speaker 2: half million in cash next year just twenty two million
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  Speaker 2: fully guaranteed so if they want to move on from
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  Speaker 2: the title jeff on a show that we you can
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  Speaker 2: hear it we we dropped this morning there's no question
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  Speaker 2: they get a first-round pick for for and one thing
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  Speaker 2: for the first the tractors like you know what the
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  Speaker 2: guy on the roster next season or in the future
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  Speaker 2: who's your going to be a quarterback like it for
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  Speaker 2: you to quality for the quarterbacks to do not become
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  Speaker 2: available that that's the way it works at all the
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  Speaker 2: draft people are saying a great the draft is or
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  Speaker 2: was for quarterback in twenty seven my talk to them
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  Speaker 2: about people like boy that these these guys who people
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  Speaker 2: like are not doing so well so be careful what
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  Speaker 2: you wish for now so hurt to try to twenty
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  Speaker 2: eight call payton who i was the number three quarterback
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  Speaker 2: for this pesky joe milton But the team one week
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  Speaker 2: is a move ahead of Colt Payne. Payne signed through 2029.
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  Speaker 2: Payne's a total project. My sense is, Mike, it may
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  Speaker 2: not happen this season. But you'll see him cross-train at
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  Speaker 2: running back or kind of with the Taysom Hill role.
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  Speaker 2: That is going to happen. It didn't happen this year,
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  Speaker 2: but that will happen. He's going to keep on the
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  Speaker 2: rock with the football team. And then Tanner McKee's contract expires, Mike.
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  Speaker 2: The rest of the way is very important to him
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  Speaker 2: for his free agent status about He's not going to
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  Speaker 2: be a starter anywhere, but to be a quality backup,
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  Speaker 2: he's got to play better. And Joe Milton, who I mentioned,
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  Speaker 2: who's got a great arm, Mike, but awful accuracy.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, Milton, obviously, they brought up here. He was the
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  Speaker 1: backup last week, and we'll see if the Eagles want
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  Speaker 1: to take a look at him at any point this season.
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  Speaker 2: You know, real quick, I haven't thought about that until
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  Speaker 2: you just said it. I'll tell you what, if McKee's
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  Speaker 2: not playing great, like he just didn't play well in
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  Speaker 2: the Dallas game. He had some isolated throws. Once they're eliminated,
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  Speaker 2: you know, it could come in, let's say, week 15
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  Speaker 2: or 16. We're assuming the Giants don't suffer any more
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  Speaker 2: catastrophic injuries. And, you know, J.J. McCarthy plays even average.
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  Speaker 2: They should win the division in a landslide. But, you know,
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  Speaker 2: it's a good point you make. I would not rule
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  Speaker 2: out Joe Milton playing late in the season. That's something
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  Speaker 2: to look at.
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  Speaker 1: You know what?
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  Speaker 2: You might be on to something.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, well, listen. I mean, it's like 10 more weeks
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  Speaker 1: of this. How many more games do you want to
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  Speaker 1: see Tanner McKee just be average before you say, hey,
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  Speaker 1: you know what? We brought this guy in. Let's see
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  Speaker 1: what he brings to the table. He can at least
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  Speaker 1: move a little bit.
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  Speaker 2: Right, yes. But he doesn't have Wicks. He doesn't have
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  Speaker 2: Devontae Smith. That matters, Mike. They only drive four receivers
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  Speaker 2: next week. But, yeah. I saw Joe Milton. I've seen
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  Speaker 2: him up close. It's a shame. The arm, Mike, he
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  Speaker 2: looks like a baseball pitcher. It's so strong, but his
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  Speaker 2: accuracy is so horrendous, and that's why Dallas moves off
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  Speaker 2: him very quickly.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know if you heard yesterday when I was
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  Speaker 1: talking to Jeff, when I Googled Joe Milton, it comes
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  Speaker 1: up as internet personality. So he must be a good.
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  Speaker 2: Really?
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  Speaker 1: Yes.
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  Speaker 2: I don't know. Yeah, well, here's the thing. Did someone
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  Speaker 2: change his Wikipedia page? I don't know.
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  Speaker 1: I don't know, but... That's your quarterback situation, very murky
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  Speaker 1: with Jalen Hurts' health obviously up in the air. Let's
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  Speaker 1: go to running back because they signed Barkley to that extension,
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  Speaker 1: and everybody else is hurt. So what is that looking like?
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  Speaker 2: So Barkley signed for 28, and that's when the extension ends.
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  Speaker 2: Next year, the total cash is $ 16 million, very little guaranteed,
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  Speaker 2: under $ 3 million. That won't keep him in the roster now.
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  Speaker 2: It's highly unlikely, even if Barkley just, you know, he's
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  Speaker 2: got this new injury now because it's an adjunct of
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  Speaker 2: the hamstring. The back now is strained because of overcompensation.
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  Speaker 2: Let's just say he doesn't play well, right? I don't
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  Speaker 2: see any way he'll be back next year. I just
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  Speaker 2: don't see it. You're not going to pay this guy
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  Speaker 2: $ 16 million. The question is, can they find a team
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  Speaker 2: to take his contract? And maybe the Eagles would have
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  Speaker 2: to eat a little bit. Or, by the way, maybe
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  Speaker 2: they trade him within 10 days. uh... now that it
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  Speaker 2: that the sixty million uh... this season or actually the
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  Speaker 2: money that's remaining this season will be prorated you have
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  Speaker 2: to understand that and then a team could say listen
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  Speaker 2: we're not i think it's like eight or nine million
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  Speaker 2: they may they may own for the rest of the
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  Speaker 2: season another team might say listen if we if you
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  Speaker 2: want a third round pick for this guy you're gonna
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  Speaker 2: have to eat some of this cash so we'll see
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  Speaker 2: what happens so other than that only will shipley sign
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  Speaker 2: and he signed through next season and then if His
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  Speaker 2: contract expires. Bigsby's up. Damian Pierce is now on IR.
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  Speaker 2: He's up. Carson Steele, who's also on IR, his contract
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  Speaker 2: is up.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, we saw Elijah Mitchell catch a pass last week
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  Speaker 1: in a game. Who had that on your bingo car? Yes, three.
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  Speaker 1: And we've talked so much about it, about dumping the
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  Speaker 1: ball off to the running back. And here's Elijah Mitchell
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  Speaker 1: with two catches in a game. Crazy. All right. Wide receiver.
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  Speaker 1: Very interesting group here, you know, because Smith is hurt.
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  Speaker 1: Wicks is hurt.
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  Speaker 2: Uh.
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  Speaker 1: but you're you're getting to see cooper and lemons start
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  Speaker 1: to role you brought in hollywood also what does this
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  Speaker 1: position look like long-term here.
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  Speaker 2: All right about this with the time through twenty twenty
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  Speaker 2: eight all the cash excuse me careful guaranteed i believe
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  Speaker 2: in early march you know what's called an advance guarantee
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  Speaker 2: on contract now the thing is though he so underpaid
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  Speaker 2: twenty five million a year that this is this is
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  Speaker 2: this is just not right what they've dealt about the
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  Speaker 2: smith in the texans a lot of people don't know
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  Speaker 2: that they they did a They did Nico Collins a
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  Speaker 2: big deal. He was making $ 25 million, too. Before the
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  Speaker 2: season started, they increased his pay to $ 30 million. He
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  Speaker 2: also guaranteed a lot of money next year. The Eagles
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  Speaker 2: should have taken care of him. At least adjusted his
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  Speaker 2: contract just to show him respect. This guy, Mike, is
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  Speaker 2: on a Hall of Fame track. Not only Eagles Hall
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  Speaker 2: of Fame, but he's a phenomenal football player. And then
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  Speaker 2: Don Taven works his side through next season. Going to
• 9:17
  Speaker 2: make a little bit over $ 9 million next season, $ 2
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  Speaker 2: million is fully guaranteed. He looked really good before he
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  Speaker 2: got hurt. So he'll be here. And then Darius Cooper
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  Speaker 2: signed through 27. He only got $ 90, 000 guaranteed at signing
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  Speaker 2: because no one really knew about him. He's been good.
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  Speaker 2: But you saw last week, Mike, he's asked to play
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  Speaker 2: more and be a bigger factor. He just didn't do it.
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  Speaker 2: He had a terrible drop. And then McKee missed him
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  Speaker 2: big time, terrible throw. And then Makai Lemon is signed
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  Speaker 2: for his rookie contract four years after 29. He's getting back.
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  Speaker 2: I like the way they're using him. And Johnny Wilson,
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  Speaker 2: the forgotten man, he's signed for 2027. He's on IR
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  Speaker 2: this season.
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  Speaker 1: Right. Lemon, yeah, you're right. I think, you know, when
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  Speaker 1: they drafted Lemon, you know, my thought process is, hey,
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  Speaker 1: here's the guy that could do the dirty work between
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: the hashes, beat the guy. You know, you need that
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  Speaker 1: third down and seven, and he catches the ball for nine.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe he's starting to get his footing here at the
• 10:10
  Speaker 1: speed of the game a little bit. So, yeah, Lemon
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  Speaker 1: had his best game. of the season. Let's go to
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: tight end. For years, Dallas Goddard seemingly, I don't know
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  Speaker 1: if they bring him back this time around.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, so the only player under contract after the season,
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  Speaker 2: and he's under contract through 2029, is Eli Stowers. He
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  Speaker 2: played last week. He got some time. He had one
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  Speaker 2: pass target, I believe. You mentioned Goddard. He's up after
• 10:36
  Speaker 2: the season. Johnny Moncake, who certainly won't be back after
• 10:38
  Speaker 2: the season. And Grant Calcaterra, They surprised me when they
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  Speaker 2: brought him back. I know he's an athlete. He doesn't
• 10:43
  Speaker 2: block very well. I mean, this has been, like, we
• 10:47
  Speaker 2: spent probably five minutes on this one subject. They need
• 10:51
  Speaker 2: an in-line blocker, which is called a wide tight end.
• 10:54
  Speaker 2: They need one in the worst way. I mean, they've
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  Speaker 2: completely missed on this situation. I mean, the job has
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  Speaker 2: cut the guy. Okay? Doesn't that tell you something? He's
• 11:02
  Speaker 2: 31 now. He's just not good enough. Howie's got to
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  Speaker 2: do a better job. Like, Johnny Muntz, it didn't work out.
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  Speaker 2: It's not going to work out. He's near the end
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  Speaker 2: of his career, and You want to know why the
• 11:12
  Speaker 2: running game has struggled most of the season? It's not
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  Speaker 2: just because of the injuries. They're blocking tight ends. Their
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  Speaker 2: tight ends overall have not blocked very well.
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  Speaker 1: No doubt about it. And we'll see if Eli Stowers
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  Speaker 1: can be the next productive. They've had Ertz. They've had Goddard.
• 11:28
  Speaker 1: Can Eli Stowers live up to that? He's a ways
• 11:31
  Speaker 1: off right now. What did you think of the Jeffrey
• 11:34
  Speaker 1: Simmons trade today and what that kind of means today?
• 11:38
  Speaker 1: for the Bears and the trade deadline coming up. You know,
• 11:41
  Speaker 1: people are going to start saying, you get a player
• 11:43
  Speaker 1: of that impact who just signed a deal, trade it.
• 11:45
  Speaker 1: I know the domino effect is. Yep.
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  Speaker 2: So basically, Mike Breganti made it clear to the GM
• 11:51
  Speaker 2: of the Titans, not only were they not shopping him,
• 11:54
  Speaker 2: he wanted him to retire as a Titan. But yes,
• 11:57
  Speaker 2: they extended his contract earlier this season. But when the
• 12:01
  Speaker 2: GM of the Bears called, okay, Ryan Paul, last night,
• 12:07
  Speaker 2: It sounds like he came in hot, like real strong.
• 12:10
  Speaker 2: It's either he came in with two first-round picks or
• 12:13
  Speaker 2: went with a one and another pick, and either Pagani
• 12:16
  Speaker 2: said no, but the bottom line is they gave up
• 12:18
  Speaker 2: two ones. But understand this, Mike, before we get out
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  Speaker 2: of here. As far as the Bears are concerned, that
• 12:24
  Speaker 2: might be a very second pick overall in back-to-back drafts. Like,
• 12:27
  Speaker 2: they're so set up now. Their interior pass rush has
• 12:30
  Speaker 2: been awful. Their pass rush is bad. They just have
• 12:33
  Speaker 2: a great scheme by Dennis Allen. But you get Jeffrey Simmons,
• 12:36
  Speaker 2: who's a phenomenal footballer. You're talking about the best defensive
• 12:38
  Speaker 2: lineman right now in football. He's not to the Aaron
• 12:41
  Speaker 2: Donald level, no one will ever be that level, but
• 12:42
  Speaker 2: he's a step below in terms of talent. He's a
• 12:46
  Speaker 2: great player, leader. So you understand why the Bears did it.
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  Speaker 2: And the Titans, as I just said, they got two
• 12:53
  Speaker 2: ones in the draft pick. So you get it. But
• 12:57
  Speaker 2: here's what I would tell you. I remember doing reporting
• 13:02
  Speaker 2: when Khalil Mack, so funny how things work out in
• 13:04
  Speaker 2: this about Vic Fangio. In 2018, the Bears and the
• 13:08
  Speaker 2: Raiders did the Khalil Mack trade, which the Raiders got
• 13:12
  Speaker 2: a lot of competition for Khalil Mack. But I remember
• 13:17
  Speaker 2: the Raiders told me that they flat out thought the
• 13:19
  Speaker 2: Bears would be bad. Because you want to, more often
• 13:23
  Speaker 2: than not, when you're going to trade a great player,
• 13:26
  Speaker 2: you'd rather trade into a team you know is not
• 13:27
  Speaker 2: going to be great, or at least you're going to
• 13:28
  Speaker 2: get picks in the top ten. But what happened was
• 13:31
  Speaker 2: the Bears surprisingly made the playoffs. By the way, that
• 13:35
  Speaker 2: was Vic Fangio being the defense coordinator for the Bears.
• 13:39
  Speaker 1: There you go. A look at some of these skill
• 13:41
  Speaker 1: players and what their big picture outlook is here in Philadelphia,
• 13:46
  Speaker 1: who are going to have a ton of decisions to
• 13:49
  Speaker 1: make now with the way this season is going. They'll
• 13:52
  Speaker 1: play the Commanders on Sunday night football. Listen to the
• 13:55
  Speaker 1: game right here on 97.3 ESPN. Adam's back tomorrow. We'll
• 13:58
  Speaker 1: take a look at that game and more. here on
• 14:00
  Speaker 1: the Sports Pass. Thanks, Adam.
• 14:02
  Speaker 2: Sounds good.
• 14:03
  Speaker 1: Thanks.