What's good, y'all? It's Vaughn Miller, Super Bowl MVP, SAG Master, and now your host of Free Range. This is where NFL meets real talk. Every week, I'm bringing you inside the game, from locker room stories to league-wide headlines. You want football IQ, locker room insight, and real conversations with the people shaping the league? Welcome to Free Range with Vaughn Miller, where nothing is off limits and every down counts. New episodes every Wednesday. Listen and follow Free Range with me, Vaughn Miller, wherever you get your podcasts. what's going on everybody and good morning today is monday february 23rd and this is your daily go birds morning update giving you all the eagles news you need to know as well as what to keep an eye out for today and here we go again here we go again as you wake up on this monday morning and if you live pretty much anywhere on the east coast, at least the northeast, you're dealing with snow again. And not only are you dealing with snow again, it feels like we're going to have snow for a while. Snow dominated January, felt like it dominated February. It's really on quite the run. And now, once again, it seems like it's going to dominate this week. So good morning. I hope you are safe and warm wherever you are. Hopefully you get to enjoy the snow day. but I have a feeling mostly nobody is. This last three months has officially turned me on snow. Unless it's snowing on Christmas Day, I'm no longer interested, not able to drive the car. I'm officially in the James Seltzer camp of don't give me any snow. But not only is it here we go again with the snow, it's here we go again with the combine. As the combine officially kicks off this week. I think this will be my 15th year being an Eagles reporter and covering the combine, but here's the bad news. It's my first year not being there. I was unable to make it to Indianapolis due to the snow. Flight's canceled. Going to be doing some stuff in studio. Pretty sad about it, although I'm happy to be home and safe with Kristen and Kingsley. Still pretty sad that not covering the combine, but this week we will hear from Nick Sirianni and Howie Roseman And I'll hear from them a lot about different items, different things that are impacting the team. A.J. Brown, the new coaching staff, free agents, and all that good stuff. So here we go again with the snow. Here we go again with the combine beginning. And here we go again with free agency. As in today's pod, we're going to take a look at 16 defensive ends that I think could make sense for the Eagles. Now, I doubt the Eagles will be super active in free agency, but they're going to sign some people. Last year, they didn't spend a ton of money, and they still signed 11 free agents. So I think you will see them add people. I just would be surprised if there was a big splash signing. But before we get into that, let's start with some news and notes you might have missed over the weekend. Maybe half the league was asleep because it really was not a ton that happened. It felt like a lot of what was going on was also shout out USA for the gold in hockey. That was a big news on Sunday. I'm sure you all know that. Be pretty wild if I just spoiled it for someone. Like imagine you don't watch the game. You do everything you can to avoid it. And you're like, OK, I'm going home. Listen to the pot. And you hear what happened. But hopefully that didn't happen. What a win by USA. So. All right. Enough. Enough killing of time here. You can tell that I'm going to be snowed in for quite a bit. Let's get into the news and notes from the weekend. As you said, there was not a ton, but there was this piece of interesting news that came out, according to The Athletic, which is that Nick Sirianni spoke to Frank Reich about a potential job on the staff. the article writes quote in fact Reich's still getting paid by the Panthers because the year before the Colts fired him he signed an extension that the Panthers picked up they owe him through 2026 and after the season at Stanford Reich at 64 could have lived a good life and cashed his checks he could have been an advisor to one of his coaching friends that's his Philadelphia Eagles coach Nick Sirianni whom he discussed the possibility a couple of months ago but the Jets presented an opportunity for a comeback and Frank Reich is all about the comeback. So Frank Reich almost joining the staff is interesting. But my main takeaway from this really, and who knows what that role would have been. It might've been if it says a few months ago to come in and try to help save the 2025 season. It could have been a role for the 2026 staff. I don't think it was going to be offensive coordinator, but it does seem like there was interest in bringing him in. My real takeaway from this is it just is an example that Nick Sirianni does have more power down there than people give him. I know it's a big joke that Jeffrey and Howie pull the strings and Nick's just a puppet and it's Sean Mannion's offense, which we'll get into in a second. But I think this is another example. You look at the coaching staff that was hired. You look at the fact that there was talks about bringing in Frank Reich. It's obvious Nick does have say in what's going on there. And I would not have been a huge fan of Frank Reich being the offensive coordinator, having like a prominent role within the team. But I do think he can add something. If he would have been an advisor, having him in meetings, throwing ideas by him could have been a positive thing. But as we know now, he's going to be the Jets offensive coordinator. So he will not be in Philadelphia. But speaking of Nick Sirian in the offense, Saquon Barkley was on ESPN this past weekend and talked about a few different things. One of which, though, was how excited he is to play in an offense like Sean Mannion's offense. So here's a clip of Saquon talking about his excitement for what he's seen so far. McVay out there with the Rams. When you think about what you know about that system, how do you think it fits this team and specifically your game? I'm super excited about it. I'm going on year nine, which is crazy to say. And I've had a lot of different coaches and head coaches and been a part of a lot of systems. And I don't think I really came across a system like this. And for me, it's just about, you know, it's refreshing. You get something new. You get to learn something new. You know, I got to meet them. I didn't really we didn't really talk about X's and O's and kind of just really, you know, kept it just introduction and got to meet a lot of the new guys on offense. But as a competitor, you love it. You love the challenge of putting yourself in a new system and, you know, doing the things that you do really well and also things that you need approval on and that they're going to challenge us to do. And I feel like we are able to have that mindset as an offense and buy into that. I think the sky's a limit. so spike eskin has this thing um where he's joking about it now with jared mccain but it it originated with ben simmons right when ben simmons was traded it was a few years and people are like when are you gonna let this go and his joke about it was like when will i stop talking about it when i die that's when i stop that's how i feel this season is gonna be for me with nick sirianni sean manion and the offense and i'm gonna try not to harp on it but man oh man is it already killing me. It's like that clip right there is very exciting. I think Eagles fans should be excited. Saquon is excited about what he's seeing. It's something new that he's not been in before. There should be true excitement there. But it feels like this is a situation where everybody has dug themselves into certain corners. And maybe that's what I'm doing right now by having myself dug in a corner. But every reaction to this tweet was, oh, Kevin Petullo could never. He's so happy to be free of Kevin Petullo. So there's so many thoughts on this. One, if we're just going to take what Saquon says at face value, then he also was super supportive of Kevin Petulo all year. But whatever. I'm not even going to get Petulo into this. Here's what's killing me in this. And honestly, if you're a Sirianni guy, it should kill you too. It is not Sean Mannion's offense. And I'm not saying this as a slight at Sean Mannion. Sean Mannion, I think, could be a good coach. I think obviously he's brought in because he has experience in the offense they want to run. but the idea that a 33 year old coach that's been in the league for two years or as a coach and that was a backup quarterback his whole career has this like new innovative offense that they nobody ever seen i i find it hard to believe and i think what going to kill me all year is this is yes Sean Mannion is going to come in and help change the offense But it is so abundantly clear that the offense is changing because Jeffrey, Howie, and Nick wanted it to change. And then if you wanted to say in those three, like Howie and Jeffrey maybe like did kind of push Nick in a certain direction, I think there's an argument there. But the idea that they're giving Sean Mannion control of the offensive scheme over Nick, I just think is crazy. So like this is such a perfect example, right? Sean Mannion's offense. If you want to be more honest about it, we really could say it's a Sean McVay, Kyle Shanahan type offense, right? So it's going to kill me all year. All year it's going to kill me because people are going to say it's Sean Mannion offense. It's Sean Mannion offense. It's not a Sean Mannion offense. It's an offense that Eagles are trying to run and decided to run that Sean Mannion is going to help them implement and coach. That is what is going to happen this season. So maybe I need to stop harping on it. Maybe I'm snowed in too much. Maybe I need to stop reading the tweets, but it's killing me that everybody is saying a Sean Mannion offense. I just don't think it's a, uh, it's a Sean Mannion offense. So Saquon, in addition to the Sean Mannion stuff, also talked about the clip or the wink heard around the world last week where AJ Brown was on the podcast with Gronkowski and Edelman, two Patriots, and they jokingly said to a member, we're all Patriots. And he winked and they all started to laugh. So Saquon was asked about that, about that moment. And here's what he had to say. I will say this. I do not want to speak for AJ Brown. Love him as a teammate, as a brother, but he is a huge Patriot fan. He is one of those guys. Growing up, I was a Jets fan. My dad has a Jets tattoo. I was able to kind of move on now when I got to NFL, but he's always been a big Patriots fan. And I think this year, I think before Dallas, Tom Brady, he was throwing him the ball. So for him, he was like a kid in a candy store. So that wink is just all fun and games. But I will tell, I will give the inside scoop. A.J. Brown is a big Patriots fan. All right, well, I guess that's good to know. That doesn't mean Eagles fans should be panicked or anything like that because he loves the Patriots. No, I don't think so. I think it's a good answer from Saquon, probably because it's true. Like, AJ has always been a big Patriots fan. It's been obvious since he's gotten here, you know, just being around him. It's obvious he's a Patriots fan. You've seen him do it on social media. Saquon talks about it. And that's fine. That's absolutely fine. AJ can be a big Patriots fan. That's no problem. but it's kind of like during the season where it's I have no problem with AJ wanting the ball more like all players want the ball more Devante wants the ball more Saquon wants the ball more Dallas Goddard wants the ball more they all want the ball more it's about how you handle it and how you show it and AJ knows when he winked like that it was going to be a big deal AJ is smart enough to know that right so um I think it's not an issue that he's a Patriots fan I'd imagine there's only a handful of actual like born Eagles fans on the Eagles, just like there's only probably a handful of born Patriots fans on the Patriots, right? Now, maybe AJ will end up being one of those Patriots fans on the Patriots, but players are fans of different teams from growing up. That's just the reality of the world. Like I've said, imagine if you got drafted to the NFL by the Carolina Panthers. You'd probably love the Panthers because they're paying you millions of dollars, but you would be an Eagles fan at heart. It's just a matter. The difference is how AJ went about creating a moment in a time where everybody's very on edge about if he'll be traded, very on edge about the possibility that could be to the Patriots, a lot of denial from people that they're not actually going to trade him. It just wasn't the time to do it. So I think it's fine that he's a Patriots fan. I think Saquon's correct. It's a well-known thing. It's the wink and how he handled it that was the problem with that clip. All right. Complete shift of gears here before we get into the edges that they could sign. Jahan Dotson was on a podcast recently and was asked about Jalen Hurts' leadership. So Dotson was asked about it and really gave a glowing example of how Jalen has improved as a leader. So here's what Jahan Dotson had to say. Is this version of Jalen the best leadership you had seen from him? I would say so. My two years being here, he was way more vocal. Yeah. We were challenging ourselves. The coaches were challenging us. And, you know, he was relaying those messages to us when we were tired, tired in practice or retired in the fourth quarter. He was relaying those messages to us and he was making sure that, you know, everything was a tight ship run. You know, he truly is, I feel like, one of the best leaders I've ever been around. He commands the attention of the huddle. He commands the attention of the room. So that was on the Jordan Schultz podcast, NFL insider Jordan Schultz. And I think it's true. I think not AJ. AJ is a vocal leader. But I think Jalen has or was a more vocal leader this year. And that's just not from off what Johan Dodson said. It's from everything. Like what his teammates say, the clips that they showed. And I know the clips they show are, you know, not always like they want that out there. I get it. But I do think he was a more vocal leader this year. Even little things like seeing him hang out with people in the offseason, going to the team Halloween party. Like, I just think there were moments where you could tell Jalen was trying more to be a vocal teammate. And, you know, it feels like with every quarterback we talked about this, we talked about this with Carson. You know, he needed to put his hand across the aisle, hang out with defensive guys and all that. And I think Jalen still has still has work to do in that area. But I do think he improved in that way going into next season. So, yeah, I thought that was encouraging clip. And what has not been a month of encouraging Eagles news. I thought maybe that was a good thing for you guys to hear on this snowy day. So on the other side, we're going to get into our free agency preview, which is now at the edge position. And the edge position certainly is one that is up in there for the Eagles. So we'll get into that on the other side. But first, a word from our sponsors. Hey, this is Richard Deitch, the host of the Sports Media Podcast. If you're interested in what's happening with all the places where you consume sports, the Sports Media Podcast has you covered. I've been turning down interviews all week. Cotacopi reached out, Oprah, George Stephanopoulos. So I said, no, I was booked on the Deitch podcast before the Taylor Swift phenomenon. I must live up to my responsibility. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Okay, we're going to be previewing every position for a free agency because they always add guys at different positions, right? Last year, they had Saquon Barkley. they still went and added A.J. Dillon. So we'll talk about every position, but we all know some positions are more important than others. And the Eagles certainly value some positions more than others. And other than the quarterback position, the lines are always what they value. Between the offensive, defensive line, it's probably even, but there is no question they absolutely value the edge position. That is what Howie Roseman came up on in the NFL world, valuing the lines, right? The offensive line, the defensive line. Andy Reid taught him that. Juan Castillo being with Jeff Stoutland. And then on the defensive side of the ball, Jim Johnson, Jim Schwartz, like all the great coordinators he's been around. Juan Castillo, the defensive coordinator. But the lesson is that when it comes to the defensive line, the Eagles are going to spend money. The question is, where are they going to spend that money and who are they going to spend that money on? So as we continue the free agency preview, let's look at some potential edges the Eagles could sign this offseason. But before we do that, let's look at where things currently stand with the team. So right now they only have two, two edge players under Ross on the, uh, wow. They only have two edge players under contract for next season. That's Jalex Hunt and Nolan Smith. Now it does seem like Brandon Graham will probably be back. He has said he wants to be back. I would think he will be back on the roster. So you kind of have three outside of that. Jalen Phillips is a free agent Josh Uche is a free agent Aziz O is a free agent Patrick Johnson is a free agent So like they have a lot of guys that are not going to be back The Jalen Phillips one is really where like let start with that because that could be the big first domino to fall Will they re Jalen Phillips? I think they are going to re-sign Jalen Phillips. As we kind of enter the week of the combine, and look, things could change this week. There could be news that he has a huge market and is going to get huge money, but I think they want to re-sign Jalen Phillips. I think they view Jalex Hunt and Jalen Phillips as their edges of the future. And one thing I would keep an eye on is if they were to re-sign Jalen Phillips for big money and they bring Brandon Graham back, it would not completely shock me if they entertained trading Nolan Smith in the offseason. Not because they don't think he's a good player, but because if you look at all the guys they have coming up that they are going to have to pay, Jalex Hunt, Jalen Phillips, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Quinion Mitchell, Cooper DeGene. Like we can go on. There's 10 of them, right? And we'll see what they do with Reed Blankenship, N'Kobe, and those guys. But there's a lot of guys that are coming up on the defensive side of the ball that are owed big deals. Mauro Jomo. Nolan Smith is not one I'm sure that they want to give big money to. So I think in a world where they sign Jalen Phillips, and this is just a quick projection of what he could get. It looks like I would guess he'll get around $20 million, maybe a little bit more with around $140,000, $45 million guaranteed, 27 years old, has had injury history, has played well. There's a lot of different things going on with him, but he's going to get a decent amount of money, right? If they pay Jalen Phillips, now they don't have to trade Nolan. They could hold on to Nolan for another year and see what happens, right? But they could pick up his fifth-year option, which I think they probably will. So you would own his rights for two more years. But if you can sell high on Nolan Smith, and I think you're probably selling high on him now, even though he didn't have a great year, he's still pretty young. I think there's a world where you go with Phillips, Hunt, Brandon Graham, maybe a rookie, and then you sign somebody. And that's your edge group. And you cash in on Nolan Smith for a draft asset. But really, you avoid having to pay Nolan Smith big time money. So maybe that's not this offseason. Maybe that's next offseason. But if they re-sign Jalen Phillips, I think Nolan Smith could potentially be on his way out in Philadelphia. So who are some edges that they could sign to bring in? Now, like I said, I don't think they're going to spend big money in free agency. I think they'll work to retain a lot of their guys, Jalen Phillips being one of those guys. But I think there are some intriguing options. So one would be, and I'll start with him, even though I don't think there's a good chance he signs, Khalil Mack. They wanted to sign him last offseason, didn't work out. He's worked with Vic Fangio, actually had a pretty good year last year. He's actually played quite a bit. 42 quarterback pressures last year at 52 the year before. Now with Brandon Graham back, there's like some redundancy there. I think they thought last year he could be the Brandon Graham replacement. Like Brandon had retired. Khalil Mack could be that veteran voice that played for Fangio. I think with BG, there's some redundancy there. But if Khalil Mack hits the open market and is at a good price, I mean, maybe they would pick him over Brandon Graham. But we know Vic likes him. Vic always speaks highly of him. He's played well under him. Khalil Mack probably wants to go somewhere where he has it where he thinks he has a chance to win I still think the Eagles are a place people will view that way so Khalil Mack maybe a name to keep an eye on there next one Arden Key from Tennessee wow that rhymes so by the way of course we're doing the emojis again Khalil Mack gets the old man emoji at 35 and the money bag emojis I don't think he's going to be cheap now here's a problem I ran into with edge rushers what emoji do you put for sacks right like or pressures quarterback pressure so I just picked the log the wood emoji because like they're bringing bringing the wood right like they're bringing bringing that they're hitting they're hitting the quarterback so Arden Key gets the wood emoji now he'll be 30 next season it's a bit on the old side almost got the old man emoji 6'5 240 pounds former third round pick has played for the Raiders has played for the Niners the Jags the Titans have been his home the past few seasons 33 pressures last year 39 the year before has over 39 five straight seasons so he's consistently getting pretty good pressure sack production also consistent not great but consistent four six and a half six four and a half six and a half the past few seasons so um i like the consistency i think he can be a veteran guy that's not you know 35 like like khalil mac and brandon graham um and i think you know six five 240 former third round pick there's draft pedigree in his body i think you know what you're getting with with Arden Key so I would like him as a veteran backup um Hassan Redick would be hysterical if they brought Hassan Redick in has not played that well since he uh since he went from the Eagles to the Jets and then to Tampa 34 pressures last year uh 26 with the Jets when he missed you know uh part of the season there I don't think they'll bring him back but like I just don't think the relationship with him and the team is is great but he gets the old man emoji because we're all getting older and it's crazy Hassan Redick's the old man emoji now and he does he still gets i think the wood emoji because he does still consistently get to the quarterback like not a great year but i think you can count on him to get to the quarterback still not to be great against the run but i think they won't sign him but he's an interesting option out there if his market gets so bad maybe they're like look we know his flaws but we know his strengths too and they bring him in but i don't think he will be uh be back all right one of my favorites here gets the star emoji gets the money bag emoji unfortunately because I think he'll get paid. And then he gets the baby emoji because he's only 27. Boye Maffei from Seattle will be 27 during the season. Has only played four seasons, all for the Seahawks. So you're getting him off of his rookie deal. 44 pressures last year, 47 the year before, 58 in 2023. So actually should get the wood emoji as well too. So that's my bad. That should be on there. Has eight total sacks the last two seasons. So he's getting to the quarterback a ton, not bringing him down a ton. He stayed healthy 15 plus games in each of his four seasons. He's someone that if you pay, you pay instead of Jalen Phillips. Like if Jalen Phillips leaves, maybe you bet on the upside of Maffei. But I think he'd be a good signing. I think he has good upside, good pressure numbers coming from a great defense. I think he's someone they should definitely have interest in if the price is right. All right. Another star player for me here that gets the upside emoji. And finally we get a cheap emoji. Edges get paid. I don't think this guy will get a ton of money though. Michael Clemens, 6'5", 263 pounds, just like a physical specimen, elite athlete for the position, has been with the Jets where really nobody can succeed. Will be 29 when the season begins. Fourth round pick in 2022, so still have some draft pedigree. 22 pressures last year, 23 the year before. Has improved the last two seasons after a slow start to his career. So that's intriguing to me. Sack numbers, not great, but 20 quarterback hits in 65 games. You know, he's not getting to the quarterback consistently, but once every three games, I think shows he has some ability to do it. Maybe in a better situation, better talent around him, he'll be able to really, uh, he'll be able to get more out of that pure athleticism he has. So again, the upside emoji, the star emoji and the, uh, and the cheap emojis. I don't think he'll get a ton of money. All right. This is where, you know, talking about Hassan Redick getting old. I loved this guy coming out of the draft. And it's crazy that he's already been in the league now, like five, six, seven years. But, uh, Caleb on chase from LSU has bounced around. We'll be 27 next season. First round pick in 2020. So it's crazy. It's been that long. He's played for the Jags, Panthers, Raiders. It wasn't great for them. I looked like maybe I was wrong about them, but then the Patriots last year, he absolutely crushes it has a breakout 2025 after a slow start to his career. 74 pressures last season after 29 the year before. 12 and a half sacks the last two seasons combined after only having five combined in his first four seasons. So he's really starting to come on athletic, long, fast. I would sign him. I would sign him. I would pay to get him. And then even if you sign Phillips you have Phillips Hunt Nolan Smith Chase on and then Brandon Graham can be your fifth kind of like play edge and go on the inside It might make it tough to sign a rookie but I think he would be a really good signing It seems like he really coming on and figuring out how to play the position. It took a while, which it does for some people, but I think he will be an excellent edge rusher next season. Speaking of guys that have ties to Fangio and also people think will be excellent next season, Bradley Chubb. Now he gets the old man emoji. He'll be 30 next season, gets the money bag emoji. He's going to get paid the wood emoji because he gets a ton of pressure and then he gets the ambulance emoji, unfortunately. So Bradley Chubb is someone we've talked about on this pod, obviously has played excellent football under Vic Fangio. Health is still a bit of a concern, obviously, because he missed all of 2024 with a torn ACL, much like with Jalen Phillips. It'll impact his market as a free agent. But the good news is he did bounce back and play all 17 games in 2025. He has 19 and a half sacks in his last 33 games, 48 pressures last season, 70 in 2023, obviously didn't play in 2024. He's someone that if you're bringing in, you are probably trading Nolan. I don't think he's going to be a third end. I guess you could reconnect him with Jalen Phillips, but you want Jalex Hunt out on the field. If Nolan's your fourth end, he's really probably not getting a lot of playing time. I think it's not super likely. I think he'll get more than the Eagles want to spend, but an intriguing free agent. All right. Now we get to some of the lower end, I think guys, in terms of what they will, uh, what they will make. So we'll, we'll fly through these a little bit. Uh, Charles Omenohu, sorry, Omenohu, um, from Kansas city will be 29 next season. He's been on three teams in seven years, Texans, Niners and chiefs, Kansas city, the last three years where he's really kind of started to come on a little bit. 34 pressures last season, 14 in 2024, 37 in 2023. Best season was 2023 when he had seven sacks. Average numbers outside of that. He would just be a little game, like a Josh Uche, you know, kind of Aziz Ojolari kind of contract where maybe less than Ojolari, but you bring him in as basically a flyer and see if he can make good on some of his, some potential he has shown. all right this next guy I do like he's a bit older uh Samson Aboukam I can never pronounce these names that's been one thing about the uh the free agency preview it does it does uh it does expose my ability to to pronounce names but will turn 31 in May has played for the Rams Niners and Colts been in the NFL since 2017 very healthy with 15 16 games consistently unfortunately tears his ACL in 2024 but 23 pressures last year so he did bounce back a little bit 48 in 2023 50 in 2022 so he was coming on has the injury and then obviously wasn't as productive last year but I do think that if with a full year to recover he could be a good value signing again similar to a Brandon Graham I don't think he makes sense with Brandon Graham but maybe in a different setting with a full year under his belt of playing he can get back to to some of those numbers. All right. This next guy gets a star and it's not just because of his name, but Kingsley and Nagbare from the Packers only 26 and just turned 26, four years in the NFL, all with Green Bay, 25 pressures last year, has at least 25 pressures every year of his four-year career. Despite consistently pretty good pressure numbers, he only has 11 and a half sacks in 68 games. A lot of like three, two, four and a half, but I think has potential to be more. He gets the baby emoji because he's still very young in his career. Upside emoji, star emoji. And I give him the cheap emoji. I don't think he's going to get paid a ton. You look at what Spotrack projects. I don't think he's going to get a ton of money. So he's someone that I think like in what's not a strong free agency class, there is some upside in signing him. All right. Another veteran type player here. Alquadin Muhammad from the Lions, 30 years old from New Jersey, has played for the Saints, Colts, Bears, now back with the Lions the last two seasons. He's been really hit or miss in his career, had his best season by far in 2025, though, with 11 sacks. So good year to have it becoming a free agent. But it's his first time ever in double digits and first time over six. So has not gotten a ton of sacks in his career, really exploded last year. 53 pressures last year, 26 the year before. So just coming off of an awesome year because outside of that, two seasons with more than 30 in eight years. So you're probably paying a bit of a premium on him because he is coming off his most productive year. But who knows? Maybe he figured something out. So he could be an intriguing signing. All right. This guy, I think we've talked about on the pod before. Joseph Osai, 25 from the Bengals, will be 26 when the season starts. So he gets the baby emoji. I give him the upside emoji, the star emoji, and the wood emoji. So we got a cha-ching five-year five emoji player here third round pick in 2021 nfl draft has been consistent the last two years but hasn't broken out yet five sacks each of the last two seasons 43 pressures last year 31 in 2024 so he's consistently getting to the quarterback has played at least 14 games every year of his career and 44 quarterback hits in four seasons so to me he seems like not a great one or two but an elite three so i think he'll be a good player um i'll be curious to see what his market ends up at. I do think he will get paid, but he's someone I think the Eagles should have interest in. All right. Only three more here. A lot of intriguing edge rusher guys. DJ Wanham from Carolina, 28, will be 29 next season. Played for both Minnesota and Carolina, 30 sacks in six seasons, 31 pressures in 2024, 26, and then 38 in the previous season. So he's consistently gotten good pressure. 59 quarterback hits in six seasons. So he's hitting the quarterback. Now he has a tie to Chris Cooper in Minnesota. Obviously Chris Cooper coached the offensive line, but he does get the emoji having crossed paths with Chris Cooper in Minnesota. So that's a, the Eagles like to sign guys that their players have, that their coaches have been around. So there's some intriguing options there. Uh, AJ Epinenza from Buffalo. And what's interesting to me about him is I could have swore. You could have told me he was like 33. He'll be 28 in September, uh second round pick in 2020 so hasn't been in the nfl quite a while bills his entire career 24 sacks in 91 games six plus sacks in each of the last three seasons prior to 2025 when he only had two and a half last year so not coming off a great year but it's a guy that's consistently gotten to the quarterback um i think he's a good depth signing and then the final one a guy i think they wanted at the deadline didn't happen they ended up getting aj phillips uh aj phillips um Jalen Phillips, Arnold Ebukati, I believe it is, from the Falcons. Look that one up. That's the best I can make of it. Second round pick in 2022, 27 years old, has been very healthy with 16 plus games each of the past few seasons, 17 the last three, never had big sack numbers, but six of the last previous, sorry, never had big sack numbers. I'm trying to read my own writing here, with only two last year, but six of each previous two, and then two and a half as a rookie. So two seasons of around two, two seasons of six sacks, 25 pressures last year, almost 40 in 2024. And he's someone they wanted at the deadline. So he gets the baby emoji, the wood emoji, the upside emoji, the star emoji, cha-ching, a five emoji player, because I think he will get paid as well. So like I said, I think the first domino to fall is Jalen Phillips. What will they do with him? is Brandon Graham back. But I do think they will bring in an edge. It might be a cheap edge, but they'll bring in an edge kind of like they did last year. And I think those would be some good options. So maybe you're listening to this as you're shoveling out your car. And if you are, I'm sorry to hear that. But hopefully the snow melts soon and we can get back. It's getting back to some of our springtime clothes. It's time to bring out the springtime jackets. I think we're all excited for that. So go out, enjoy your day. Until next time, he's Elliot. I'm James. Talk to guys later
