- 4 weeks ago
Eagles insider Dave Zangaro joins the show to tell the guys what to expect in the divisional week one matchup.
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00:00Joining us right now is our friend, Mr. Dave Zangaro,
00:03covers the Eagles for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
00:06Davey Z, what's up, buddy? How are you?
00:08What's going on, guys? How are you?
00:09Man, we're chilling.
00:10We're going to see you soon.
00:11We're eight, nine days out, man.
00:13You ready for the regular season to start?
00:16It's amazing because it feels like it takes so long to get to this point,
00:19and now it's like you snap your fingers.
00:21We're going to be in the link for that game.
00:23It's amazing how quickly it kind of sneaks up on you sometimes.
00:27Absolutely.
00:28You should go meet David Chickie and Pete, man.
00:29Go have some fun for y'all.
00:31Maybe we should.
00:32Maybe we should.
00:32Maybe late Sunday night.
00:34All right, dude.
00:36We get through the preseason.
00:38I feel like Philly dealt with some injuries during August.
00:43Where is the Eagles roster?
00:45Any surprises?
00:46Where are your expectations?
00:48Yeah, a few injuries here and there, but nothing major.
00:52Everyone, it looks like, is going to get to the starting point.
00:55Kelsey, you're pretty close to it.
00:57Devontae Smith missed some time with a hamstring injury.
01:00Makai Lemon with a hamstring injury.
01:01Those guys are going to be good to go.
01:03I think the one question health-wise is Jonathan Bernard, who they paid all this money to,
01:07they traded for in the offseason.
01:09He was on the pup list all of training camps.
01:11They didn't start him on the season pup, so they think he's going to be back sometime relatively soon,
01:17but that's the one injury thing to watch out for.
01:19In terms of the team overall, I think this is, right now, it's a defensive team.
01:25That's the strength of this roster.
01:27It's the strength of the team.
01:29And I think on defense, they're going to be excellent.
01:31I think they have a really strong front.
01:33Jalen Carter's healthy.
01:35Again, he was not healthy last year.
01:37They have great – that's the thing about their defense.
01:39They have talent at all three levels right now.
01:42So, yeah, I think defensively, they're going to be really good.
01:46Offensively, I think it's going to be a work in progress.
01:48They have a brand-new scheme with Sean Mannion,
01:51so they're bringing in kind of the en vogue offense around the league.
01:55It comes from that Shanahan tree.
01:58So they're implementing a lot of new things.
02:00They have a lot of new pieces.
02:02So I think offensively, it's going to take a little while for them to figure it out
02:06and to get up to speed.
02:07But in the meantime, I think their defense is good enough
02:09that they should still be able to win plenty of games early in the season.
02:13Two years ago, they ran the ball very, very effective and a lot with Saquon.
02:17I don't know if they leaned on it as much as they were supposed to last year.
02:21Do you think they'd get back to that to take some pressure off of Jalen?
02:25Yeah, I mean, I think they wanted to last year.
02:27They just weren't healthy enough up front to do it.
02:29So they had Landon Dickerson and Cam Juergens,
02:32two of their best interior linemen, were really hurt all of last season.
02:36So the hope is that both of those guys are healthy.
02:39And Lane Johnson, even though he's 36 now, he comes back and plays a full season
02:43after he really only played half of the year last year.
02:47If they're healthy up front, they'll be able to run the ball.
02:50You know, Saquon had a down season in 2025,
02:52but I don't think anyone really thought it was his fault.
02:55It was really like, you know, the strength of their team two years ago
02:59was they were just beating people up up front,
03:02and they weren't able to do that last year.
03:04So if they're healthy on the offensive line,
03:06I think they have a chance to be a really good running team again.
03:09And I think they want to lean into that.
03:10I think they, you know, if you ask them what their identity is
03:13or what they want it to be, I think they want to be a running football team
03:16because they have Saquon, because they trust the offensive line.
03:19But the scheme change is also happening in the run game, too.
03:22This is kind of a wide zone concept run game right now,
03:26and this is a little new for these guys.
03:28But, you know, I keep asking about how does Saquon fit in this,
03:31and every time I ask someone, they look at me like I'm an idiot
03:34because they're like, well, he's Saquon Barkley.
03:35He's going to fit in whatever we run, which is true.
03:39But I think, you know, that is their hope,
03:42is that they're a really good running team this year.
03:46Kind of the biggest question is Jalen Hurts
03:50and everything that maybe happened up there
03:53from, like, the official Eagles account tweeting out
03:55a training camp interception, the A.J. Brown being gone.
03:59What does that mean?
04:00I mean, how is Jalen, how does he seem in this new offense,
04:05and kind of where do you think he is?
04:08Yeah, it's so funny because that training camp interception,
04:12really, it was a day off from practice.
04:14So I was, like, out doing some yard work.
04:17I wasn't really on my phone that day.
04:19And it was like that SNL skit where Donald Glover comes back
04:23and everything's, like, on fire.
04:24That's what I felt like walking back into my house
04:27after, like, missing the afternoon.
04:29It was crazy how that took off.
04:31I'd be honestly more concerned if the Eagles didn't feel like
04:34they could put out that video,
04:35if you had to treat the quarterback with kid gloves.
04:37Like, I don't know, they were highlighting an interception
04:40from their all-pro corner, and it wasn't the best throw.
04:43But, like, I don't know, Quinion Mitchell is really good
04:45and they're allowed to show his highlights, too.
04:48And if he's picking the ball off, someone had to throw the pass.
04:51So, yeah, that's the aside on that.
04:53But as far as Jalen in this offense, I think the best sign for him
04:57and for the team is that he's embraced it
04:59because this is a lot of new stuff for him.
05:02And, look, I don't know how it's going to go ultimately,
05:04but the fact that he's embraced the changes,
05:07the fact that he seems to really trust Sean Mannion,
05:10that was a big question mark.
05:11Here's another new offensive coordinator, another new play caller.
05:15And as much as they've had that before,
05:17this is clearly the biggest change that they've had in terms of scheme
05:21in the time he's been their starter.
05:23This is a big departure.
05:24This is like a completely new offense they're trying to run this year.
05:28And they're going to major in things they haven't majored in before.
05:31So, you know, whether it's a ton more under center,
05:34they're going to utilize motions more.
05:37They're going to have bootlegs and ways to get him on the move
05:40within the rhythm of a play.
05:42He's going to have to throw to the middle of the field a little bit more,
05:45which is something he hasn't really done much of in his NFL career.
05:49So, you know, I don't know how it's going to go,
05:51but I think it's been encouraging for them that he's really embraced it all.
05:55And we'll see.
05:56You know, the Eagles point at some of the things that, you know,
05:59under center usage and some of those individual things.
06:01And they say, well, he's done it at a really high level,
06:04but it's been a really small sample size too.
06:06So now we're trying to extrapolate that and say, okay,
06:09now you're going to do this more full time.
06:11What's it going to look like?
06:12I don't know yet.
06:13I don't think they do either.
06:17They, AJ's gone.
06:19Have you noticed a big difference in how they're utilizing,
06:24implementing the receiving core?
06:26Did they change up stuff or it's still the same as usual?
06:30Yeah, no, it is different,
06:31but I think that also has a lot to do with the different offense, right?
06:35Like when they've been criticized in the past,
06:38and rightfully so offensively,
06:39it was because they were very stagnant on offense.
06:42They had two elite receivers and they let those guys just win on their own.
06:47Didn't help them very much.
06:48And they were able to do that because you have two really good players.
06:51If one of them gets single coverage, he's probably going to win.
06:54They no longer have two number one receivers.
06:57So I think like in the,
06:59the scheme has to help them a little bit more than it has in the past.
07:03And yeah, I think like, look, Devante Smith is a really good player.
07:07I think he's going to be fine as wide receiver one,
07:09but there's a lot of changes after that.
07:11They bring in Don Tavian Wicks from Green Bay.
07:14I've actually been very impressed by him this summer.
07:17I think he looks ready to, yeah, yeah.
07:20I think he has like the potential to be a decent player in this offense.
07:24And then Makai Lemon just missed so much time.
07:26I don't know what he is.
07:28I think he's going to start the season as their slot receiver.
07:31And they're going to try to manufacture touches for him.
07:34But I just didn't see enough in the summer to really know how effective he's going to be.
07:39With the offense, what I go back to, we're talking with our friend Dave Zangaro,
07:44NBC Sports Philadelphia, does a tremendous job covering the Eagles.
07:47Check out the Eagle Eye podcast with Dave and Rube.
07:52What I can't get out of my head, Dave,
07:55is the hit piece that went out on Jalen Hurts at the end of last season.
08:00And there were voices inside that building that were sourced in that hit piece, right?
08:06And you and I know enough about life in the NFL that sometimes that happens, right?
08:11And the talk about Hurts' reluctance to run, Hurts' reluctance to throw the ball in the middle of the field,
08:18how much of that resonates with him and how much of that is real
08:22versus maybe some disenfranchised party that knew they were on the way out anyway?
08:28Like, when you remember that that happened only, whatever, nine months ago
08:32and now we're about to play football again, is there any carryover?
08:36Yeah, it's a good question.
08:37And, yeah, you know how this works.
08:39It's like sometimes someone has an axe to grind, right?
08:42Like you have to sort through a little bit.
08:43Coaches know they're going to get fired or whatever.
08:45Yeah, see what's what.
08:47And that's like kind of what I was talking about with his trust of Sean Mannion.
08:51And I think that's a really important relationship for this team is, you know,
08:55if Sean Mannion is going to run this new offense, he has to have a quarterback who's willing to do
08:59those things.
09:00And at times, like, I'll never forget the one quote from Jalen a couple years ago.
09:06He always said that this offense is going to look how Jalen Hurts wants it to look,
09:10which, like, isn't necessarily a bad thing.
09:12He's the quarterback.
09:13You're supposed to create an offense around your players, but, like, first and foremost, you're a quarterback.
09:20It'd be crazy if you didn't do that.
09:22That's what coaches are paid to do is, like, not to worry about the shortcomings of players
09:28but to highlight what they do really well.
09:30I think that's a really important tenet of coaching.
09:32So, yeah, I think there's some of that, right?
09:34And, like, he's worked on the interpersonal stuff as much as he can.
09:38Like, I know that there have been talks, you know, he's standoffish.
09:42He doesn't get along with all his teammates.
09:44He's not having fun.
09:46Like, that's kind of been his whole career is because he's so singularly focused on winning
09:50that, yeah, sometimes you look at him and he's stone-faced and you're going,
09:54well, what's going on in the head of his?
09:56I think he's made an effort to be a little more personable with his teammates,
10:00to spend more time with them, to give them the attention they need.
10:05And that was in the piece, too.
10:07You know, I know that the negatives of it kind of stood out most to people,
10:11but I thought there were some positives in it that got glossed over,
10:15and I think his effort in some of those areas were part of it.
10:18Yeah, it's very interesting.
10:20I mean, as many questions as there are for the Eagles offensively,
10:24they still have a good O-line.
10:25They still have Saquon.
10:26Jalen Hurts has shown at times he can be an incredibly high-level player,
10:30but that defense is so damn stacked.
10:32I mean, Carter, Davis, Vaughn, Campbell, Dejean, Quinion Mitchell.
10:42I guess they lost Reed Blankenship.
10:44Grenard's not healthy yet.
10:46You think Grenard's playing week one?
10:48I don't know.
10:49We'll see about that.
10:50But even if he doesn't, I'll give you another name to keep an eye on this year.
10:54Man, Jalex Hunt has looked unbelievable this summer.
10:58We were up in New England for joint practices, and I can't tell you how many people
11:02who were working for the Patriots or who covered the Patriots were like,
11:07who is this No. 58 guy, and why is he beating Will Campbell like a drum?
11:12I think Jalex Hunt has the potential to have a really big season for them.
11:18Yeah, dude.
11:19I mean, even just watching him when we would see them twice a year
11:26and he wasn't getting that many snaps, but when he did, he looked like a real player.
11:33What, if anything, could – like, we've seen Nick Sirianni seem to be on the brink
11:39of losing it at various times.
11:42What, if anything, could kind of derail the Eagles?
11:47Yeah, obviously, this is the same with any team but health,
11:51especially with this team, though, because the offensive line health is a big deal,
11:55and, you know, Cam Juergens and Landon Dickerson, two Pro Bowl interior linemen,
12:01both went to Columbia this offseason for stem cell treatment
12:03because they needed to kind of get their bodies back up to speed.
12:08Yeah.
12:08Columbia the country, yes.
12:09Okay.
12:10So it's not, like, completely out of the ordinary.
12:13Like, players go to get stem cell therapy relatively often,
12:17but the fact that both of those guys had to do it after years where they were not
12:21themselves is notable.
12:23Lane Johnson, you know, if he's on the field, he's still going to be excellent.
12:27But he's 36 now.
12:28He's in year 14, and I think it's reasonable to expect a little bit of decline
12:33at some point.
12:34So, yeah, their offensive line, and, like, I think they have decent depth,
12:37but you don't want to lose that strength.
12:40And they lost that strength last year.
12:42It's kind of the way this whole thing is built.
12:44So, I feel pretty confident about most of the offensive linemen.
12:48I'm a little concerned about Landon Dickerson in this new offense just because
12:51he's more of a, like, a big, lumbering offensive guard.
12:55And now they're running this system where they've got to reach blocks,
12:59and they've got to, like, get out in front.
13:01And I don't know how that's going to work.
13:02So, I think that's a concern.
13:04And then on defense, their safety position is not very deep.
13:07They lost to Reed Blankenship.
13:08And for agency, like you mentioned, they bring back Drew McCuba in his second year.
13:11You don't really know what he is.
13:13They're probably going to start Marcus Epps, who's, like, a, you know,
13:15pretty run-of-the-mill average starter in the league.
13:20They feel like they can hide the safety position a lot easier.
13:22And I tend to agree with that.
13:24If you had to pick a position on defense to be weak, that would probably be it.
13:28But, yeah, look, they're far from perfect.
13:31And then, obviously, like, the offense, I don't know.
13:35Like, it's going to take some time to come together.
13:37We saw that in training camp.
13:38It was very up and down.
13:40Jalen threw a lot more interceptions in camp, which isn't like hit the panic button.
13:44But it's also, okay, like, he doesn't want to throw picks.
13:48He's been really turnover-prone or non-turnover-prone in his career.
13:53Like, he doesn't turn the ball over very much.
13:55So, it makes you wonder what it's going to look like.
13:57Yeah.
13:58Well, I mean, do you see him as totally comfortable?
14:01Like, sometimes a person's not comfortable.
14:03They're hesitant.
14:04And when they're hesitant, they throw the ball a little late,
14:06and you can see those interceptions.
14:07So, if he doesn't get to that disc, let it go freely, that could be a problem.
14:12Yeah.
14:13Yeah, no.
14:13And I think he's – there's, like, levels to comfort, right?
14:17Like, is he as comfortable now as he was two weeks ago or as he will be in a month?
14:22Like, I think it's all different.
14:23I think he's in a good enough spot, and he feels like he has command of this offense
14:27for where he is right now.
14:29But, yeah, I mean, and timing is so important in this offense.
14:33It's a lot of, you know, short passes that can become long passes.
14:37And if you're not on time, all of that goes out the window.
14:41Like, yards after catch is not a thing when the receiver has to stop and gets the ball.
14:45You know, like, you have to be in rhythm with those passes.
14:48And I think there could be some growing pains when it comes to that kind of stuff.
14:52Were you surprised Jalen Carter got paid like he did?
14:56No, no.
14:59They were pretty positive they were going to pay Carter.
15:03It took a little longer than I think the Eagles wanted.
15:06That was more from my understanding on Carter's end of it.
15:10I think basically they wanted to see some other guys get paid to know where the line was.
15:15And they found the line, and then they jumped over it.
15:18But entering the offseason, I think their biggest priorities were to extend Jordan Davis
15:23and extend Jalen Carter.
15:24And I understand why people are, like, concerned about Carter because he's a little different of a guy.
15:32Like, he's got some stuff to him, right?
15:36Like, there's some baggage there.
15:39Yeah.
15:40But, man, he's a difference maker.
15:42They're just, you know, sometimes you watch a football team and there's like,
15:46who's that guy and why is everything he does just different?
15:49That's Jalen Carter.
15:50Sure, he's probably the most physically gifted defensive tackle in the league.
15:56And if he's not the best, then they think he has the potential to clearly be the best
16:00if he puts the work in.
16:02And so far, I can tell you the early returns after that contract have been very promising for him.
16:07When you look at people like him, look at some of the guys,
16:11the top guys in almost every position, they got something strange about him.
16:15Check it out.
16:16He's unusual.
16:17Yeah, yeah.
16:19Do you think him getting the massive contract gets the best out of him more consistently?
16:25Yeah, that's a good question.
16:27And it's funny because I actually was talking to their defensive tackle coach yesterday
16:31and I asked him about, like, hey, now this guy's got the money.
16:33That can be a concern, right?
16:35You pay a guy, you wonder, is the motivation the same?
16:39And I actually think that that was not a concern of theirs.
16:43Does he do some knuckleheaded things?
16:44Like, yeah, he does, but he does take coaching and he does care about this.
16:51So, like, he's just kind of a unique character from that sense of it.
16:55It's not like they're worried about him slacking off and not taking football seriously.
17:00It's like, is he going to show up for this meeting on time?
17:02Like, that kind of stuff is the bigger issue.
17:05And you can deal with that.
17:06You know, he's a younger guy still growing up in the league and the potential for him
17:12is just, yeah, I mean, there aren't many people in the world who can do what he does
17:17from a physical sense.
17:18And then the other thing, you know, you were mentioning, like, there's something unusual
17:22about some of these guys.
17:23Like, his football instincts are different.
17:26You know, like, he just seems to understand where a play is flowing better than some other
17:33players.
17:34So, like, you add that to his physical gifts and, like, yeah, I mean, he has the potential
17:38to be one of the best defensive players in the league.
17:42See you in a week, dude.
17:43Thank you for making time for us.
17:44Hi, Dave.
17:45I can't wait.
17:46It's exciting, huh?
17:46I know, man.
17:47I just want to see some real football.
17:49I hear you.
17:50We've all been making evaluations over the last six weeks.
17:53Let's see what's real.
17:55I can't wait, guys.
17:56I'll see you soon.
17:57All right.
17:57That's our guy, Dave Zangaro, Philadelphia Eagles coverage for NBC Sports Philadelphia.
18:03He does a great job.
18:04D Zangaro, NBCS.