PHILADELPHIA – With free agency all but over and the draft on the horizon, we’re taking a position-by-position look at the Philadelphia Eagles.
We looked at the defensive line Monday and the offense last week. Today, a look at the team’s linebackers.
Likely starters: WLB Mychal Kendricks, MLB Jordan Hicks, SLB Nigel Bradham.
Key moves: There has been a huge amount of turnover at the linebacker position. The Eagles released DeMeco Ryans and traded Kiko Alonso, two of their starters from last season. Two other starters, Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham, are now attending meetings in the defensive line room.
Kendricks is back, moving to outside linebacker, where he began his NFL career in 2012. So is Hicks, whose impressive rookie season ended with a torn pectoral muscle.
The Eagles signed Bradham, who played for defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz in Buffalo in 2014. Bradham replaced Alonso, who tore his ACL before training camp that year. Now he will replace Alonso again.
Schwartz’s impact: Head coach Doug Pederson said at the owners meetings last week that the Eagles will start with Kendricks on the weak side, Bradham on the strong side and Hicks in the middle. That makes sense as Schwartz evaluates each of the linebackers and looks for the best fits.
Hicks played all three linebacker positions at the University of Texas. He looked good as an inside linebacker last year. He should be able to step into the role of calling out defensive signals.
Kendricks looked more promising in a 4-3 scheme as a rookie than he ever did in three seasons in a 3-4. He wasn’t bad, but he just seemed more comfortable and more effecting in the 4-3. As a weakside linebacker, he can avoid tight ends and focus more on being aggressive in the run game as well as the pass rush.
Bradham has his best season under Schwartz in 2014. He was a relatively low-cost signing that gives Schwartz a familiar player to work with.
In the pipeline: With Bryan Braman now listed as a defensive end, as well, the Eagles are a bit thing at linebacker. They signed Najee Goode to a new deal. Brandon Hepburn and Deontae Skinner are still on the roster as linebackers. They will get a chance to earn roles as special teams players.
Draft outlook: The Eagles did enough in free agency to eliminate linebacker as a position of major need. If UCLA’s Myles Jack were to drop down to the No. 8 spot, and the Eagles were convinced he could be an impact player, they would likely take him.
And they should. Jack is a player who can be moved around and use creatively. Schwartz would be able to get the most out of him. It has been a while since the Eagles had a really disruptive linebacker.