ITB RADIO: IMPACT OF JAMES BRADBERRY'S INJURY ON THE EAGLES ROSTER, PLANS FOR THE FIRST GAME

football for is powered by the inside the birds podcast it's brought to you by bet 365 whatever the moment whatever the sport it's never ordinary at bet 365 Andrew too from the inside the birds podcast he's been pumping a ton of material out over at inside the birds.com and we're going to get a lot of thoughts on this Eagles 53 which is now uh locked and loaded but fluid I would imagine they made some roster moves today James Bradberry injured at practice he is out six to eight weeks so they made some roster moves around that as well we'll get a lot of observations and thoughts now from our buddy Andrew too here on another edition of football at 4 ad what's up buddy hey Mike doing great how are you good to talk to you man a week from uh tomorrow we're going to have football back in Brazil Eagles and Packers and let's get your initial thoughts on uh the 53 what surprised you what stood out and obviously they already made some changes the only thing that really stood out to me Mike was James Bradberry making the 53 it was something that we had discussed all through the offseason will he or won't he be on the roster there was ton of reasons why he wouldn't and there was only one or two reasons why he would but if you heard hi Roseman and Nick serrian the other day they spoke like glowingly about James Bradbury and what he brings in terms of being a consument professional that football Acumen that he has his intelligence which I think goes a really long way but I would even take it a step further and say Vic vanio also was fusive in his praise for James Bradbery throughout training camp I think that probably weighed in and factored in a little bit because you're getting a player who you can have at least in theory in your in your secondary that's that's going to help a lot of the Young Players Get on Board and and someone that he can trust to carry out their assignments you were down there a lot and I know you got a chance to talk to a lot of guys and see a lot of guys are there some players on this team that maybe don't get the you know recognition that you think can surprise that ended up making this Rost because I think there were guys that you know at the bottom end of this roster that people know yeah Tristan McCollum the the safety the third year safety I thought he really had a strong spring and he carried that over and translated that into a really significant training camp not only just in practice but he was really consistent in the games as well he was always a physical type of player but he was able to play a lot faster you see the instincts come into play it's it's it's cool to almost now to see everyone sort of see what I've seen in Tristan from a year ago you see the ability and it was just a matter of him getting the Reps and getting familiar into the defense and playing a lot faster and when you look at someone like a Josh joob who didn't make the roster who was a phenomenal special teamer well Tristan can do all the things that Josh does he's he can play Gunner he can play interior exterior and and kick return protection he can be a personal protector so there's a lot of value in having him here and on the game day roster and I would also say Daran Canard the offensive lineman he quietly had a really good summer he's 24 years old can play right tackle can play guard so I think he's a player of eagles didn't want to lose and he quietly had a good summer so those are two players right there that I saw a lot of Promise in and they were very consistent yeah I know with mccollum's interesting because now with Bradberry out if one of the other safeties were to go down would he be the next man up or is there somebody else there it would probably be Tristan mccum although you can also make a case for ION Maddox who gives you cornerback and and SA versatility but I think mcum has proven enough now he's gotten steady second team work throughout training camp throughout spring practices enough so where I think that Vic vanio and the defensive backs coach Christian Parker would feel comfortable putting him in in a game situation he also played if you remember back in the at the end of last season against the Giants and and acquitted himself pretty well by the way and another player that I would mention that I forgot to mention in uh the previous question was Ben van summeran making the roster that he was he was essentially a lock but you and I have talked about him before I've written about him I've gotten to know Ben and I've highlighted his his developing instincts for the position he's kind of Raw to the to the position but he's a football player and he had a really good summer and I think when you see a 24 year old who has that kind of athleticism who runs a 44 who can be a core special teamer but also perhaps contribute situationally for you as a linebacker I really just think that that was too uh enticing to pass up and I think eventually he he sort of won over and endeared himself to the coaching staff Andrew the checho football at for insidethe birds.com um what's your thoughts on the wide receiver room five of them there doson is obviously the Newbie but Paris Campbell goes to the practice they only kept five cvy Johnny Wilson and Smith is on the injury reserve is that a spot that you think is fluid and unfinished I I do I I I just think that when you have someone like Jan Dawson who's still trying to immerse himself in the Playbook and get up to speed where you have other players that have been here in the spring and summer that they had to learn Kell Moore's Playbook I think it's a big ask and when you look even further in the depth chart Britain cubby hasn't played a ton of receiver I still think he can help you sporadically but he hasn't played a ton of receiver and Johnny Wilson is a rookie who's still working through a concussion he didn't practice today with a with that as he's still recovering by the way so I think you might see maybe a Paris Campbell elevated for for week one in Brazil just given that he's been here all summer he knows the Playbook and he gives you a veteran player at that position who can give you inside and outside versatility but I I I do think it's kind of fluid there I'm not necessarily sure that they would sign Paris Campbell to the roster while other players continue to to grow into their roles but I think he's someone that makes a lot of sense to have around because it gives you that those three games of of flexibility there to elevate him talking with Andrew of course it's football at four here a lot of questions regarding uh a kind of An Unfinished field to this 53 28 on defense 22 uh on the offensive side of the ball ball in one spot where it seems unfinished you're not going to go to Brazil with two tight ends so what happens in that spot to me it would be Jack sto that gets the elevation if I were to guess right now just because he gives you the blocking prowess which you really don't have currently he also can help you on special teams which obviously given the new kickoff rule everything that that facet of the game is Amplified and and he's a veteran player with some experience so I think that gives you some some comfortability there knowing that you can throw him in there and he's going to be to to capably handle himself so I would I would have to think that he would be one of the elevations Mike and then veteran Nick Gates who is the he can play guard and he can play center but he would be elevated to be that backup center and he spoke about that today about his comfort Level Playing Center he's a veteran he's played with the commanders and the Giants among other teams so those are the two names that I would keep an eye on all right there you go on the tight end spot there yeah obviously they're light at that spot there the offensive Line's very interesting I mean you had nine guys um finish on the roster but now you've got some movement here and there you brought Brett to back you got Gates back um is this a finished product with uh you know these are starters but Steen Johnson Keegan and Canard you only have four backups there yeah I think right now it is because when you look at their roster they look at the practice squad as an extension of the active roster and you have Nick Gates you have Brett tote there I think that that gives you a comfortable set of veterans you can lean on should you have to should injuries are rise but they really prioritize the younger players I mentioned Darren Canard Tyler Steen wasn't was never uh in Jeopardy of making the roster but he's there as well uh Trevor Keegan's a player they really like but he's had that hip injury and he had a shoulder injury prior to that so but he's healthy now and that's not going to affect his week one status but he's a player that can play all three interior positions so I think that they like what they have largely it is Young and and a lot of that depth is unproven but I think that they they they sort of cushioned themselves by adding those two veterans to the practice squad yeah you got a lot of people wondering um who's the backup center on this team right now but that kind of changed over the last their initial 53 it looked like they didn't have one at all I guess the gates thing would he be the guy let's you know you don't want anybody to get hurt but if Jurgens were to get hurt in game one would Gates be the first guy I I think that he would get the elevation and I also wouldn't rule out Brett to as well Brett to I'm actually surprised that he came back just giv that he's been on and off the roster he played decently in training camp but there you would think that with a with an with a league on short supply of offensive lineman someone that has that kind of experience might Garner some interest elsewhere but nevertheless he's here and so he might be a player that that that Garner some consideration for an elevation but uh Trevor Keegan as I mentioned he can play all three interior positions Center included obviously but he hasn't done it before at the pro level so while that's nice to have that versatil I think they sort of uh they gave themselves some some flexibility there with with to and and Gates all right uh we're talking with Andrew tocho football four looking at the 53 some changes today uh with Orin Burks getting uh elevated now as well so now they'll have go they go from five linebackers to six we'll get to that in a minute defensive tackle they kept six guys there Carter Davis Williams ojomo Tui paloto and Thomas Booker so uh that that was an interesting decision are you surprised they went with six tackles no I mean last season that last summer they went with seven and I had Thomas Booker making it on my 53 actually I got 51 out of the 53 players right Dylan McMahon the rookie Center got me and anah Smith got me but Thomas Booker is someone who had a really good summer I think that he really developed his pass rush Acumen he plays with really good leverage and he's physical at the point of attack but he kept showing up every practice I kept writing down number 59 in my notebook he kept showing up and eventually you know you it's one thing to dominate in practice but it's another thing to take that and correlate that onto the game into into a game setting and he did that and Vic vanio actually singled him out in a press conference so that that signaled to me that that what he was seeing matched what I was seeing and what what all of us who were at practice were seeing so he's legit and I think if you if you look at Vic Van's history he doesn't tend to rotate a lot of defensive linemen but the Eagles philosophical approach has been to rotate lineman so I think that that might help him or that may that that helped Thomas Booker make the roster and and Vic himself even said look I would there there should be a a minimum of five to seven defensive tackles on the roster and the Eagles have six all right let's go to a very important position I'm really interested in getting some uh Insight from you on the edge spot because you got Huff sweat and then Nolan Smith Brandon Graham jayx hunt and Patrick Johnson so there's other than Graham in his prime right there's not a guy that you know is going to give you consistent pass rush there's guys you're hop do uh but where do they what do you think about the pass rush from this team the six guys they went with so when I look at the Eagles defense and really at the team as a whole one of the biggest storylines or the biggest question marks that I have going into the 2024 season is the pass rush how can they manufacture consistent production from that from that area because you have a young secondary you have a lot of young a lot of moving Parts back there so if you're not able to marry your coverage and your pass rush well that could that could lead to some and some turbulence early on but Bryce Huff they're hoping that they can get a lot of production out of him obviously they signed him he was a big ticket for agent signing he's flashed occasionally in training camp I didn't see the dominance he did have a really strong joint practice for what it's worth but they're banking on him Mike to be the double digit sack player that he was last season with the New York Jets they're hoping that Nolan Smith takes a big leap here in year two I've seen flashes from noan Smith but again I haven't seen the consistency that you'd like to see but I think I think it's way too early to to write off a young player I I think you need to you owe it to to in all fairness you owe it to him to really give it a month maybe first five games by the bye to really assess what you have there in Nolan Smith because he says all the right things he is noticeably bigger he got stronger but now you have to see it manifest on the field and I think it's way too early to suggest that he can't do it but then you have Josh SED as well who played 828 snaps last season you have to wonder if that's going to kind of sple into this season if he's emptied the tank last year if he's a player that is best suited to be a rotational player or if he's willing to if you know with this type of rotation that they have here if that really lend itself favorably to him redefining who he was a couple of seasons ago all right d great stuff with Andrew here looking at this 53 and some of the changes that have happened recently now you got white Dean Bond Trotter van sumerin uh Orin Burks was you mentioned in your article over at inside the.com that he made a strong push well now he's there I you know the interesting thing for me is it would Burks who didn't make the roster initially would he be actually higher up the depth chart than some of these guys in the event that somebody ended up getting her that's an interesting thing that you brought up but I I would say I would say this Orin Burks is a really good football player it was evident to me from the onset of that final preseason game that he did not belong out there and I mean that in a good way he was clearly far Advanced over any player that was on that field and I think the Eagles frankly are lucky that they got him back this is a player who has 91 games of experience 15 starts he played in the Super Bowl and he's a good player I I I think that right now if you're looking to kind of find your way if you're Vic vanio I think you're gonna be more comfortable putting in a player like Burks who has played in in high leverage moments and he's someone who you can capably uh have confidence in that he's going to execute the defense in Your Vision whereas someone like a Devin white well he has that that Rogue those Rogue tendencies that sort of creep up every now and then when you watch them and Zack Bon's a little bit new to the position he's played it a little bit but not not to the degree that you'd feel comfortable with and then the Kobe Dean I still believe is their best linebacker so I think you might see Orin bur contribute early on and then I wouldn't be surprised if you see a little bit of Van Sumer and although very sporadically I think he can help you in short yarded situations and when you're really trying to uh you know when you're trying to if a team's trying to spread you out I think that's where his athleticism and range comes play all right uh a lot of Buzz about Dean late in Camp are you buying him yes I am I I believe that noobe is the Eagles best linebacker I've maintained that since the spring he didn't even get cleared until the final week of of spring spring practices but everything that I've seen suggests that he's ready to to make that leap he plays physical he's at his best going downhill and attacking but he leaves a little bit to to be desired and coverage but I think he's improved in that area really ever since that open practice where he got exploited greatly by Kenny gainwell who beat him on a couple wheel routes and and beat him in the open field I think noob's really refined that area of his game this is someone who hasn't played a lot of football so I think that's really what he needed he he got a lot of reps in the preseason and as Camp went on he became more confident and and and sure of where he needed to be and he shows no ill effects of the foot injuries that plagued him last season so I I think he's ready to have a big season if he's able to stay healthy all right uh going into Camp corner with was maybe the biggest uh Intrigue slay Mitchell Rogers Dee Ringo Ricks are you uh surprised at all at how it played out I'm a little surprised that Ricks hung on as the sixth corner but if you really look at it Carolina who was the top the the waiver priority list they they they brought in Four Corners so it's likely that if Ricks got waved he doesn't make it back to the Eagles on the practice squad he's a 22y old corner he has good length he's good on the outside side he played over 300 snaps for you last season so I I think that's really enticing and valuable to a GM when you want to continue to develop that th those players and and not necessarily expose them to waivers and you have in theory you have Quan Mitchell key Ringo Cooper deine and possibly even Eli Ricks if if you want to consider him as part of your future as terms of young Corners that that the Eagles have to to really work with and develop and be a part of your future but I was a little bit surprised that he he hung on as the sixth Corner because he's not great on special teams and that's really what you're looking for in that final corner I didn't think Josh job was going to make it the further we got along through training camp it became very evident to me that he was becoming unplayable as a corner and so much so that it offset his special teams ability as good as it was but I I I was surprised that I had him going just five corners there yeah and then the safety spot you know uh Gardner Johnson Blanket ship your starters Maddox and McCollum and then of course Bradberry made it originally but he no longer there and then you got Sydney Brown on the pup list there but uh is this safety spot uh deep enough for you there I think so I thought that the carrying five safeties was a lot in in in general but depending on how you view Maddox Maddox has gotten a lot of work at safety and training camp so I'm counting him as a safety there and McCollum to me has checked off enough boxes and I've seen enough of him to suggest that if he needed to step in and sub packages or or what have you I think that can do it and give you capable production but Bradberry always was uh peculiar to me because I didn't know how he was going to factor in in the in on the game day roster because he doesn't play special teams in fact he has not played a special Team snap since 2021 and really if you're that third or fourth safety that is an essential function of that role so I think it kind of worked itself out in that way and you have someone like an Andre Sam who's an undrafted free agent who had some momentum late in the summer who's on your practice squad and you you went heavy at corner so I think they have enough defensive backs to kind of masch that by the way as we're having this conversation uh the Eagles have uh signed Byron young the third round pick from Alabama a couple of years ago with the Raiders he got released and say that again who got waved I have not seen a corresponding move yet this just came out as we're having this conversation Tom pelisa the Eagles have claimed Byron young off of waivers I'm imagine it's the Byron Young from Alabama that was the third round pick it doesn't say even which team but I I'm assuming that is but but another defensive tackle though that's that's the interesting part there a guy was a third round pick Alabama obviously a high upside type of deal yeah I think he he gives you uh multiple positional versatility there and tackle and and and he can play end but um yeah as soon as we get off this call I'm gonna have to uh do a little dick here yeah Jimmy kmky just put out to be clear it's Byron young drafted by the Raiders 7 th overall in 2023 not the Byron young drafted by the Rams 77th overall um who was very good this Byron young Alabama that Byron young um goes is still with the ram so there you go that that just happened I'll let you get to that and uh man another season of football at four is ready to crank up next Thursday we'll be previewing the Eagles and the Packers right here on 973 ESPN all right Andrew always enjoy it buddy yep yeah take Mike talk to you soon there's Andrew and he's back on Thursday