BOCA RATON, Fla. — The crowd around Chip Kelly’s table at the NFC coaches' breakfast on Wednesday morning was early-arriving and massive.
Meanwhile, a few tables away, first-time NFL head coach Doug Pederson answered questions from a smaller group of dedicated reporters.
Sure, Kelly’s answering questions about his exit from Philadelphia for the first time was a big story, but there were plenty of newsworthy items about the Eagles that came out of the hour-plus long session with Pederson.
Here’s a recap:
The linebackers
Based on what Pederson said on Wednesday, the Eagles’ linebackers will play the following positions: Jordan Hicks in the middle, Nigel Bradham at the strongside and Mychal Kendricks at the weakside.
Both Bradham and Kendricks have experience playing at the SAM and WILL positions. Pederson likes Kendricks at the WILL because of his athleticism and ability to go sideline to sideline.
Then, there’s Hicks, who will be charged with manning the all important MIKE position in Jim Schwartz’s 4-3.
“It’s a comfortable position for him,” Pederson said. “He communicates well in there. He’s solid. He has the right size to fit that spot.”
Living on the end
Veteran defender Connor Barwin has been pretty vocal every chance he’s gotten this offseason to say that he’s going to be a defensive end in Schwartz’s defense.
Turns out, the head coach agrees.
“I think Connor can be a defensive end, pass rusher, where he’s comfortable,” Pederson said. “He’s also been comfortable in space, he’s done that before, with the style of defense they had. But his position is coming off that edge, rushing the passer.”
Including Barwin, the Eagles have three starting-caliber players — with salaries to match — at the defensive end position. Only two can start, which means either Barwin, Brandon Graham or Vinny Curry will be coming off the bench.
Another side note: Pederson sees former first-round pick Marcus Smith as a defensive end, too. Smith has been an outside linebacker during his short and disappointing NFL career.
Bringing it back
In Kelly’s offensive scheme, there was no use for a prototypical fullback on the 53-man roster.
That might change under Pederson, who obviously crafted his offensive philosophy under the watchful eye of Andy Reid, who uses the fullback position. Last season, when Pederson was the offensive coordinator in Kansas City, the Chiefs had Anthony Sherman as their fullback.
“I like the fullback position,” Pederson said. “It’s a position that we want to evaluate this spring. I know there’s not necessarily a fullback on the roster. We had one on Kansas City. Sort of on assignment to find one. I like the fullback position and if we can find one that can also be a four-core special teams guy, that is probably his primary role.”
Pederson also mentioned the possibility of a current player filling the hole at the position, namely Trey Burton. Burton is the team’s third tight end, but it’s unclear how well he’d do in a lead-blocker role.
Pederson said it’ll be hard to know until he sees what Burton can do with pads on this summer. If Burton can fill that role, the Eagles can save themselves a roster spot for a different position.
Inside or out?
Under Kelly, wide receiver Jordan Matthews predominantly played in the slot, even as the team’s outside receivers struggled. The only time Matthews played outside was when there were only two receivers on the field.
Pederson, however, wants to see what Matthews can offer on the outside.
“I think he can play outside. I want to look at him outside this spring as we go through the offseason,” Pederson said. “With his skill set, he can play both.”
Pederson did make these comments before the team reached a one-year contract agreement with Rueben Randle (see story), so it’s possible that deal means Matthews will stay inside.
Slender Sam
For the first time in two years, Sam Bradford is actually able to focus on his strength and conditioning during an offseason instead of rehabbing an injury. And it’s made a difference.
Pederson said the Eagles’ svelte starting quarterback has already gained five pounds this offseason.
“From where Sam has come, he’s come a long way with his weight,” Pederson said. “Would you like to see a bigger guy? You would, just from the durability issues, the contact there. But it’s not a concern.”