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Eagles Announce Numerous Updates To Front Office

June 9th, 2024 at 8:17pm CST by Ely Allen

The Eagles announced a host of changes to their front office staff this week. While the litany of moves was mostly comprised of promotions and title changes, three new hires were announced, as well.

In the front office, Bryce Johnston continues to rise through the ranks as he heads into his ninth season with the team. After seeing a promotion to vice president of football transactions and strategic planning last year, Johnston now sees a promotion to senior vice president/tertiary football executive. Jeff Scott also earned a promotion with his title changing from director of football operations to vice president of football operations going into his fourth season with the team. Katie David, going on 17 seasons in the Eagles’ football operations department, has gone from football operations director to chief of staff to the general manager.

Dom DiSandro has added a new title to his position. Serving as senior advisor to the general manager/chief security officer in 2023, the Eagles will add the moniker of gameday coaching operations to his job. DiSandro was involved in a sideline incident with 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw that resulted in the ejection of both parties and the banning of DiSandro from the sidelines for the subsequent game. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer posits that the new title may be a preliminary measure to prevent similar discipline should any future sideline incidents occur.

Adam Berry, twin brother of Browns general manager Andrew Berry, is also receiving a promotion. After coming to the NFL after a career at Goldman Sachs last year, Berry goes from vice president of football operations to vice president of football operations and strategy. Former Pro Bowl linebacker Connor Barwin continues to work his way up the executive ladder, as well. Named the team’s player development director in 2022, Barwin will now serve as head of football development and strategy. Also a former player who retired after signing a reserve/futures deal with the team, Matt Leo earned a promotion from defensive/football operations assistant to player development assistant.

The football operations new hire is Isabel Pantle, who joins the team as a quantitative analyst. Pantle previously served as a player personnel analyst intern for the Ravens in 2022.

In the player personnel department, Charles Walls and Alan Wolking have both been named vice presidents of player personnel. Walls was hired as the Eagles’ director of player personnel in 2022 after two years as a national scout for the Browns. In the same year, Wolking had been promoted to director of player personnel, as well. Wolking is entering his 14th season with the team. Filling the vacated role of director of player personnel will be Phil Bhaya, who previously served as director of college scouting. Bhaya will have Jeremy Gray, as well, after Gray’s promotion from assistant director of pro scouting to assistant director of player personnel. Terrence Braxton joins the group as player personnel coordinator after a promotion from football operations coordinator.

On the scouting front, Brandon Hunt was promoted from director of scouting to senior director of scouting as he enters his 20th year of scouting experience. Ameena Soliman, who added the director of personnel operations title to her pro scouting duties in 2022, will now serve as director of football operations while continuing to work as a pro scout. Also, former mid-Atlantic area scout Cam Bradfield has been assigned a different area for this season. In 2024, Bradfield will cover the southwest area.

The other two new hires mentioned above were in the scouting department, as well. Laurel McHale has been hired on as a full-time scouting assistant after working last year as a player personnel and scouting associate intern. Lastly, Duke Tobin Jr., son of the Bengals’ director of player personnel for the last 25 years, was also hired as a scouting assistant. He first connected with the team as a training camp scouting intern before working a seasonal job as a player personnel associate.

Eagles Interested In Getting CBs James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox Reps At Safety

June 9th, 2024 at 9:19am CST by Rory Parks

Despite a down year in 2023, the Eagles plan to keep cornerback James Bradberry for the upcoming campaign. However, after adding defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds of this year’s draft, the club is seemingly interested in seeing how the soon-to-be 31-year-old veteran looks at safety.

On the first day of Philadelphia’s mandatory minicamp last week, head coach Nick Sirianni told reporters, including Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com, that Bradberry would get some reps at safety, citing the fact that a number of high-end corners have become high-end safeties in the latter stages of their careers (video link). Unfortunately, as Jeff Neiburg of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted, Bradberry sustained an injury early in the practice and did not return.

Per Neiburg’s Inquirer colleage, Jeff McLane, Bradberry suffered an abductor injury that kept him out of the remainder of the Eagles’ three-day minicamp. It is not considered a serious issue, though Sirianni obviously did not get much of a chance to see how Bradberry looked at a different position. It appears the 2020 Pro Bowler will be cleared in time for training camp, so perhaps the experiment will continue then.

Meanwhile, longtime slot man Avonte Maddox is also taking snaps at safety, as Neiburg observes. Like Bradberry, Maddox struggled in 2023, though the latter was limited to just four games due to a torn pectoral muscle. This offseason, he was released in a cost-cutting move but later re-signed to a modest one-year pact, and he acknowledged that learning the safety position could extend his career.

“I know the nickel spot really well, and I feel like something that’s going to help me in my career is to learn the safety spot,” Maddox said. “When you get older, you get a little bit slower.”

Neiburg said that Maddox did take first-team reps at his familiar nickel post during minicamp, but he also saw second-team action at safety behind presumptive starters Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson. DeJean is also capable of playing multiple positions in the defensive backfield.

New defensive coordinator Vic Fangio prizes versatility, and the esteemed DC is tasked with fixing a defense that yielded the seventh-most total yards per game and second-most passing yards per game in 2023. The offseason additions of Gardner-Johnson, Mitchell, and DeJean infused much-needed talent into the unit, and the hope is that Fangio will be able to maximize that talent.

“We’ll throw a lot at them in training camp to see what best fits for them, what they’re good at, and then try and whittle it down, but always keeping some stuff in the bank in case we need it at some point during the season,” Fangio said last month. “We have a system that is versatile, we like to think. It needs to be versatile because every week you’re facing different strengths of an offense, different schemes. So what you play in one week 10, 15 times, you may not play at all the next week. You have to have a versatile system for the offenses today in the NFL. What we’ll eventually do is learn what our guys are best at.”

Parris Campbell In Lead For Eagles’ No. 3 WR Role?

June 8th, 2024 at 12:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Parris Campbell‘s Giants tenure ended with a run of healthy scratches. Despite the struggling team not exactly sporting a deep receiving corps, Brian Daboll and Co. deemed the former second-round pick unworthy of a gameday gig in the final five games of the 2023 campaign.

That did not lead to extensive interest during Campbell’s second free agency foray. The former Colts draftee, however, has stayed healthy over the past two seasons — after a litany of injuries hounded him for most of his Indianapolis tenure — and has a history with his new coach. The Colts drafted Campbell during Nick Sirianni‘s time as OC, and the two overlapped for two years in Indy. Campbell, 26, now appears to have a real shot at going from Giants scratch to Eagles regular.

Unable to rely on their slot position for a bit now, the Eagles took a flier on Campbell (one year, $1.29MM). Philly’s offseason program has wrapped, but after this week’s minicamp, Campbell appears to be in the lead to play alongside A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. The veteran slot receiver received the bulk of the first-team reps in the WR3 role this week, per 94WIP.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks, who called this competition — ahead of training camp, at least — Campbell’s to lose.

The Eagles helped set the receiver market this offseason, authorizing extensions for Smith and Brown in April. With wideouts tied to $32MM- and $25MM-per-year deals and several big payments in place on offense, money is obviously limited elsewhere at wide receiver. The Eagles did use fifth- and sixth-round draft choices on wideouts (Johnny Wilson, Ainias Smith) this year, and they offered an offseason roster spot to former top-10 pick John Ross, who has unretired to join the team. Campbell’s profile features inconsistency, but he brings more experience as a regular than anyone else vying for the Brown-Smith sidekick role.

The former Ohio State standout flashed for the Colts during Sirianni’s time in Indianapolis, but he also missed 25 games due to various injuries from 2019-21. During a chaotic 2022 Colts season, Campbell quietly stayed healthy and totaled 63 receptions for 623 yards and three touchdowns. This came for a 4-13 team that started three quarterbacks and used two play-callers. The Giants did not see much from Campbell, though they also slogged through a three-QB season. Campbell caught just 20 passes for 104 yards, underwhelming on a one-year, $4.7MM deal.

Before the 6-foot-1 target’s Giants season ended, he understandably expressed a desire for a fresh start. The Eagles, who bring more QB stability than Campbell has seen over the course of his career, are providing it.

Working with Andrew Luck only during the offseason before the standout passer’s abrupt retirement, Campbell has never played with the same starting QB in consecutive seasons. It will be interesting to see if the Eagles see enough from him this season to consider a longer-term role for him in their Jalen Hurts-led offense. Quez Watkins‘ production trended downward after a 647-yard 2021, and the team’s Julio Jones and Olamide Zaccheaus contracts last year did not lead to much of consequence from the WR3 spot.

Ross also saw extensive time during Philly’s minicamp, per the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff Neiburg, while return man Britain Covey remains in the picture. Ross, 27, has not seen any game action since 2021. The former Combine 40-yard dash record holder (4.22 seconds) seizing a roster spot would surprise, given his NFL offerings, but his preseason work will be worth monitoring as the Eagles attempt to improve in a passing attack that will still run through Brown, Smith and Dallas Goedert.

Mekhi Becton Aiming To Remain With Eagles Long Term, Seeing Reps At Guard

June 7th, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Mekhi Becton‘s run with the Jets did not go according to plan, and to no surprise his free agent value was not high. The former first-round pick inked a one-year, $2.75MM deal with the Eagles this offseason.

Becton dealt with injuries which limited him to a single game between the 2021 and ’22 campaigns. He managed to return to the fold last year, serving primarily as the team’s blindside blocker. In spite of that, it came as no surprise that the Jets elected to move in a different direction at both tackle spots (trading for Morgan Moses and signing Tyron Smith before drafting Olu Fashanu).

As a result, Becton is set to take part in a ‘prove it’ season with Philadelphia in 2024. His future will depend in large part on his level of play when on the field, but regardless of what happens in that respect the 25-year-old is hoping to remain with the Eagles for the foreseeable future. When speaking about his situation, Becton made it clear he hopes to avoid another free agent move next offseason.

“I want it to be long term” the Louisville alum said of his Eagles tenure, via PHLY’s Zach Berman. “I love this city of Philly. I love the people here, I love the fans. I hope it’s long term.” 

Becton’s NFL career has not yet consisted of work at guard, but that could change with his new team. The Eagles (set at both tackle spots with Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson) have been using him at guard in addition to taking tackle reps, Johnson recently noted (via NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Dave Zangaro). Becton has even seen some first-team reps along the interior, as detailed by The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

The Eagles have Landon Dickerson attached to the league’s most lucrative guard deal (four years, $84MM) after he signed an extension this offseason. The right guard spot is currently open with Cam Jurgens sliding over to center, but Tyler Steen is currently the favorite to win that position. Philadelphia added experienced guard depth recently with the signing of Max Scharping.

Becton will be a member of that group as the RG competition continues through the summer. Especially if he were to carve out a notable role, he could see significant playing time in Philadelphia. That would increase the chances of the team being willing to meet his desire for a long-term relationship.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/24

June 7th, 2024 at 6:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s minor moves as we head into the weekend:

Cleveland Browns

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

After getting drafted in the third round out of Ohio State, Davis has yet to make a start in his first three seasons. Despite competing for a starting job in the offseason before his sophomore campaign in Minnesota, Davis was waived as part of the team’s final roster cuts. Since then, he’s bounced around from the Giants to the Saints, Cardinals, and back to New York. He’ll now add some depth in Cleveland.

Anderson finds his away to Jacksonville shortly after getting waived by the division-rival Colts yesterday. The Texas Tech-product saw his biggest contribution in 12 games with two starts in 2022 for the Giants.

Like Davis and Anderson, Nickerson has bounced between several teams since entering the NFL. After being drafted by the Jets in the sixth round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Nickerson has spent a year apiece with New York, the Jaguars, the Packers, the Vikings, and most recently, the Dolphins, also spending part of 2019 with the Seahawks. He joins his seventh team in six years with Philadelphia.

Eagles Sign First-Round CB Quinyon Mitchell, Complete Draft Class

June 6th, 2024 at 3:30pm CST by Adam La Rose

Quinyon Mitchell signed his Eagles rookie pact on Thursday, per a team announcement. With the first-round corner now on the books, each member of the team’s 2024 class is under contract.

Mitchell enjoyed one of the best pre-draft processes of any prospect this year. As a result, the Toledo product climbed up draft boards to the point where he was considered one of the candidates to be the first cornerback to hear his name called. It thus came as little surprise when Mitchell was selected at No. 22.

Likewise, it was far from a shock that the Eagles were the first team to add at the position. Following an historic run on offensive players to begin Day 1, Mitchell was one of several top defensive prospects left on the board. Given his status as a high-end CB prospect, he was firmly on Philadelphia’s radar. The Eagles double-dipped in the secondary by adding Cooper DeJean in the second round, and both player will provide an infusion of youth on the backend.

The Eagles have Darius Slay and James Bradberry in place as projected cornerback starters, but both players are in their 30s. Philadelphia’s defense was at the heart of the team’s late-season collapse in 2023, and improvements in the secondary were seen as a priority. The return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson should help in that regard, as will the additions of Mitchell and DeJean.

Mitchell had strong seasons in 2022 and ’23, earning first-team All-MAC and second-team All-American honors. Posting six interceptions and 37 pass deflections during that span, he solidified his reputation as a playmaker in addition to strong coverage skills. He will look to earn a defensive role right away, but failing that he should be an impactful contributor in the near future.

Here is the full breakdown of Philadelphia’s draft class:

Eagles Process Retirements For C Jason Kelce, DT Fletcher Cox

June 3rd, 2024 at 9:31pm CST by Ely Allen

The retirements of life-long Eagles Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox have been news for some time now. With Kelce exploring media opportunities and Cox seeing a decreased workload in 2023, both players confirmed that they would be hanging up their cleats after spending the entirety of their careers in Philadelphia. Despite the news being well-known, the Eagles waited until today to process the veterans’ retirement transactions.

Because of the contracts that each player was on at the time of their decisions, the Eagles would’ve been on the hook for heavy cap numbers in the next couple of years. By waiting until after June 1 to post the transactions, the team is able to spread out the cap hit of contracts over a wider period.

Kelce, for example, was still on the books for $26.62MM per his 2023 contract. If the team had processed the retirement when it occurred, they would be on the hook for that amount in 2024. Because the made in a post-June 1 transaction, Kelce will now represent cap hits of $10.18MM in 2024 and $16.44MM in 2025. Processing it before June 1 would’ve resulted in $25.12MM of dead money in 2024 and $16.44MM in 2025. Philadelphia has effectively reduced the dead money tied to Kelce’s contract to $8.68MM in 2024 and $7.28MM in 2025.

Similarly, Fletcher was on the books for a remaining $15.51MM over the next two years that Philadelphia would’ve been responsible for all in the 2024 if they processed his retirement when it was announced. With the post-June 1 designation of the transaction, Fletcher will hold cap hits of $5.41 in 2024 and $10.1MM in 2025. The team reduced the dead money on Flectcher’s contract from $14.3MM in 2024 and $10.1MM in 2025 to $4.2MM in each of the next two years.

In unrelated news, the Eagles will be filling one of the two newly vacated roster spots to sign Griffin Hebert. Originally an undrafted tight end out of Louisiana Tech, Hebert has since transitioned to wide receiver at the NFL level after joining the Eagles’ practice squad late into his rookie season last year. He signed a reserve/futures deal with the team but was waived in shortly after the draft. He participated in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis and has officially been brought back on a tryout basis for mandatory minicamp, per Andrew DiCecco of InsideTheBirds.com.

Eagles Sign G Max Scharping

June 3rd, 2024 at 2:33pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Eagles have made a depth addition along the interior offensive line. Guard Max Scharping inked a deal on Monday, per a team announcement.

The 27-year-old spent the past two seasons with the Bengals, but he was unable to secure playing time on offense during that span. Scharping logged just 43 snaps in Cincinnati, but during the Texans tenure which preceded it, he saw a much larger workload. Between 2019 and ’21, he started 33 of 48 appearances.

During his first two seasons in Houston, Scharping played at left guard and drew underwhelming PFF evaluations. That continued in 2021 when he saw most of his time at right guard. The former second-rounder’s limited 2023 Bengals snaps came at center, but in Philadelphia he will compete for a depth guard spot.

Center Jason Kelce‘s retirement has paved the way for Cam Jurgens to take over in the middle of the Eagles’ O-line. As a result, the starting right guard position is available, and 2023 third-rounder Tyler Steen is currently in pole position to win the job this offseason. Steen played just 71 snaps last season, though, and adding veteran insurance comes as little surprise on Philadelphia’s part.

Scharping’s small role over the past two seasons helped explain his stay on the free agent market deep into the offseason. It will also no doubt keep down the cost of this Eagles agreement. Philadelphia entered Monday with more than $26MM in cap space, so the team will easily be able to afford taking a flier on the Northern Illinois alum. Scharping will likely be tapped for a backup role if he survives roster cutdowns, but he could fill in as a guard starter if needed this season.

NFL Nearing Conclusion In Falcons, Eagles Tampering Investigations

June 2nd, 2024 at 1:40pm CST by Adam La Rose

NFL investigations are ongoing into potential tampering by the Falcons and Eagles this offseason related to their Kirk Cousins and Saquon Barkley additions. A final outcome could be coming shortly.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports a conclusion in both cases is “likely to come this week.” A similar report emerged close to the start of this year’s draft, but that was quickly met by a formal league announcement stating the investigations would continue. Any draft penalties levied against Atlanta or Philadelphia will therefore affect the 2025 draft.

Schefter’s latest update confirms that of the two teams, the Falcons are believed to have committed a “more significant” tampering violation. As a result, they are positioned to receive a harsher penalty than the Eagles if any league discipline is deemed necessary. The NFL has docked teams draft capital in the past following investigations into inappropriate free agent communications.

The Falcons worked out an agreement with Cousins (four years, $180MM) on March 12, and he has said publicly he spoke with the team’s trainer during the legal tampering period which immediately precedes free agency. Cousins also admitted to offering his recruiting services for Atlanta to sign wideout Darnell Mooney. He did end up inking a Falcons deal, but communication originating from Cousins before his own pact was official would constitute another violation.

In the Eagles’ case, league attention stems from remarks made by Penn State coach James Franklin about direct communication between Barkley and general manager Howie Roseman. Such talks are prohibited during the legal tampering window for players (such as Barkley) who do not represent themselves. The Eagles have denied any wrongdoing, but they could be subject to fines or the loss of draft capital.

The same is true for the Falcons, although owner Arthur Blank has likewise stated he does not believe any violations occurred. Both players will still play for their respective new teams in 2024 and beyond regardless of what happens regarding potential discipline. It will nevertheless be interesting to see if a final decision is made in the coming days.

Eagles WR John Ross Addresses 2023 Retirement Decision

May 31st, 2024 at 3:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

John Ross retired less than one year ago, but his comeback attempt resulted in an Eagles deal last week. The former top-10 pick recently spoke about the regret he felt following his decision to hang up his cleats.

Ross admitted he immediately considered the retirement call a mistake when speaking to the media as Philadelphia’s newest receiver. Veteran DeVante Parker decided to end his career, a move which opened up a roster spot for Ross. The latter worked out for the Eagles before signing to their offseason roster.

“You look at it like this,” Ross said (via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia). “In my situation, I was a top-10 draft pick and we all talk about it all the time. ‘If we ever get to the point where we have to try out, then we’ll be done.’ But then you get to that point and you don’t have no other choice. When I go the opportunity, I was probably the happiest person on Earth.”

In many cases, veterans who land deals last in the offseason are unable to survive roster cutdowns at the end of the summer. Ross will face a steep challenge in Philadelphia to carve out an offense role considering the team’s wide receiver depth chart. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith (both of whom are attached to new, lucrative deals) are set to remain focal points of the Eagles’ passing game for 2024 and many years beyond that.

Ross – whose draft stock was boosted by a then-record in the 40-yard dash – struggled to establish himself as a consistent option on offense with the Bengals from 2017-20. Injuries kept him sidelined for stretches during that time, and he managed just 11 catches with the Giants in 2021. The 28-year-old did not play the following year, so his retirement decision appeared to mark an underwhelming end to his career. If he can catch on with the Eagles in 2024, though, he will have the opportunity to continue in the NFL.

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