Philadelphia Eagles News & Rumors

Patriots To Interview Eagles’ Brandon Hunt

After going 0-for-3 in interview requests for their top front office position, the Patriots are indeed set to meet with a candidate. Eagles exec Brandon Hunt will go forward with an interview, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

The Hunt interview is on tap for today. Hunt has been with the Eagles since 2022, coming over after a lengthy tenure with the Steelers. This Patriots connection marks Hunt’s first GM-related tie since the Steelers passed on promoting him to that post, elevating Omar Khan instead, in 2022. Hunt interviewed twice for the Pittsburgh GM gig.

[RELATED: 2024 NFL General Manager Search Tracker]

Hunt is currently in place as the Eagles’ director of scouting. He was with the Steelers, as their director of pro scouting, from 2010-22. Khan hired Eagles exec Andy Weidl as assistant GM; the latter move preceded Hunt leaving for Philadelphia. The Eagles lost four staffers (Weidl, Brandon Brown, Ian Cunningham, Catherine Raiche) to assistant GM posts elsewhere in 2022; Hunt became one of Howie Roseman‘s additions in the wake of those exits. Brown, Cunningham and Raiche have come up in GM searches since; the Eagles will now see another of Roseman’s lieutenants take a key meeting.

News of this Hunt meeting comes after three execs — Trey Brown, Terrance Gray and Quentin Harristurned down Patriots interview requests. The Pats are likely to keep Eliot Wolf atop its front office, soon in a more official capacity, likely leading to the run of execs turning down interview requests.

Each of the four known external candidates for this position are Black. Teams must interview at least two external minorities for HC and GM positions, shaping the nature of a Patriots search that other GM hopefuls clearly believe will end with Wolf staying in place atop the AFC East team’s front office.

2024 NFL General Manager Search Tracker

With the Patriots hiring Eliot Wolf as their de facto GM after having moved on from Bill Belichick, all five teams in need of a GM have filled their post this offseason. If other teams decide to make GM changes, they’ll be added to this list.

Updated 5-11-24 (4:35pm CT)

Carolina Panthers

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/6/24

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: QB Emory Jones, DE C.J. Ravenell
  • Waived: WR Jelani Baker, DT Tre Colbert

Green Bay Packers

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Signed: CB Shon Stephens

NFL Front Office Updates: Titans, Browns, Eagles, Cardinals, Bears

We mentioned yesterday how a number of teams who have seen changes in the leadership of their front office may be making changes following the NFL Draft. These teams needed their staff at the time, with only weeks leading up to the draft, but with that process now over, the new leadership has started making changes.

The Titans are one such team making changes in recent days. One change is the apparent departure of college scout Tom Roth, who no longer appears on the team’s website, according to Neil Stratton of SucceedinFootball.com. Roth had spent the last six years in Tennessee after serving 14 years as a college scout for the Bills.

It’s not all departures, like yesterday. Stratton noticed two promotions in Tennessee’s front office, as well. Previously the team’s pro scouting coordinator, Rob Riederer now appears on the team’s website as assistant director of football strategy. Likewise, Bryce Wasserman has been promoted from manager of football strategy to chief of staff of football strategy.

Here are a few other updates in player personnel offices around the league:

  • The Browns also see a departure, per Stratton, with Joe Dever reportedly not returning to the team for 2024. Joining the team as a scouting intern in 2019, Dever had spent five years with Cleveland. He had risen to the position of mid-Atlantic scout before his departure.
  • The Eagles are also losing a longtime staffer, according to Stratton. A 15-year veteran of the NFL, Brad Obee will use the expiration of his contract with Philadelphia as a reason to pursue new opportunities in the NFL. Obee began his scouting career on the personnel staff of the Eagles in 2009, working his way up the ladder for six years. He left to serve as a pro scout for the Bears for the next six years before ultimately returning to Philadelphia as a college/pro scout for the past three.
  • The Cardinals, who we noted lost a personnel staffer in yesterday’s post, will also part ways with area scout Darius Vinnett, per Stratton. Vinnett’s contract was expiring, as well, and though Arizona offered him an extension to return in 2024, Vinnett has declined and will seek other opportunities.
  • Lastly, the Bears are moving forward without area scouts Drew Raucina and Sam Summerville, according to Stratton. Raucina is a holdover from the Ryan Pace-era, serving the last six years with the team. He had previously been a combine scout for the NFL. Summerville’s departure is a bit more surprising. He had been with Chicago since 2012 and was voted the BART List as one of the NFC’s best scouts in 2022, per Stratton. He was also named NFC Scout of the Year in 2019. Regardless, general manager Ryan Poles is making changes for the 2024 NFL season.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/4/24

Saturday’s lone draft pick signing:

Philadelphia Eagles

Keegan spent five seasons with the Wolverines, serving as a full-time left guard starter from 2021-23. He was a key member of Michigan’s O-line (a unit which won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top offensive front in 2021 and ’22) and he earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season. With Landon Dickerson locked into the left guard spot in Philadelphia, Keegan will look to compete for playing time at the opposite guard position. The Eagles have now signed two members of their nine-man draft class.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/3/24

Our first draft pick signings post for rookies taken in the third round or later:

Green Bay Packers

Philadelphia Eagles

Pratt was the final of 11 quarterbacks taken in the 2024 NFL Draft last week. A four-year starter for the Green Wave, Pratt was named first-team All-AAC and the AAC Offensive Player of the year in 2023, despite failing to recreate his breakout numbers from 2022 of 27 passing touchdowns to only five interceptions with 10 more scores on the ground. He’ll compete with last year’s fifth-round pick, Sean Clifford, and Alex McGough for backup duties behind Jordan Love.

King was a two-year starter for the Nittany Lions, forgoing his senior year of football for the NFL draft. He failed to reach the success of his sophomore season, in which he tallied 21 passes defensed and three interceptions, but showed enough as a junior to warrant a late-round selection. He’s listed by the Packers as a cornerback but has the potential to add to the entire secondary’s depth as many teams saw him as a safety at the next level.

Wilson was one of two transfer wide receivers to lead the Seminoles’ offense last year, spending his first two years at Arizona State before transferring to Tallahassee. Like the two players above, his best season came in 2022, when he caught 43 balls for 897 yards and five touchdowns. After the arrival of Bills new wideout Keon Coleman last year, Wilson’s contributions lessened to 41-617-2. Wilson provides the Eagles with a massive 6-foot-6, 231-pound frame that he doesn’t always play up to but could create a number of mismatches with at the NFL level. Some thought Wilson may be a tight end as a pro, but Philadelphia has plenty of depth at the position, which could allow them to try and continue developing Wilson as a receiver as a rookie.

Eagles Sign Seven UDFA Rookies

After addressing several positions of need in their nine-man draft class, the Eagles have expanded their rookie class to 16 men. The seven undrafted rookie free agents joining the drafted players are:

*Roster exemption for International Player Pathway Program

Just like they were able to do with many of their draft picks, the Eagles were able to add some major value throughout the undrafted free agent class. Tackle was a position of need that the Eagles were unable to address through the draft, though they did sign former Jets first-round tackle Mekhi Becton to come in as a swing tackle last weekend. Here, they add three more young prospects to the position in Ayedze, Dankwah, and Vakalahi.

All three represent giant, inexperienced projects to the position room. Dankwah, 6-foot-8, 349 pounds, was selected to the All-MEAC first team in each of the last two years despite making only five starts in 2022. The Canada-native is not alone as an international addition as Vakalahi, 6-foot-5, 318 pounds, comes from Brisbane, Australia. Despite zero athletic experience in the past two years as he completed his mission service in Wellington, New Zealand, Vakalahi was discovered when Eagles international scout Chris Naeole walked past Vakalahi’s father, also a large man, while Vakalahi’s parents were vacationing in Hawai’i.

Castles caught five touchdowns for the Volunteers as a graduate transfer after time at both Cal and UC Davis. He was mainly an in-line blocker at Tennessee, but with a 6-foot-4, 244 pound frame and a basketball background, Castles could certainly find a place on an NFL roster if he improves his abilities as a receiver.

It was a surprise to see Hall go undrafted. Ranked by Dane Brugler of The Athletic as the 11th-best defensive tackle and a projected fourth-round pick, Hall somehow fell out of all seven rounds. He doesn’t play with a ton of consistency but could prove impactful as a rotational player should he make the 53-man roster.

Though the Bulldogs were led in rushing yards by Daijun Edwards (880), Milton wasn’t far behind (790) and led the team in rushing touchdowns with 14. Milton is a thumper who could find an impact as a short-yardage or goal-line back, but his significant health issues throughout college prove a major hurdle to overcome moving forward.

Sam led the Tigers in interceptions (3) as another graduate transfer. He spent his first five years of college at McNeese State followed by a season at Marshall. He initially announced he would transfer from Marshall to Tulane before switching to LSU, where he would start all 13 games for the Tigers last year. Though he plays the physical role of a strong, box safety, he has more of the size of a smaller free safety and may have to find a role on special teams in order to make the roster in Philadelphia.

Jakeem Grant Attending Eagles Rookie Minicamp

After sitting out the past two seasons due to injury, Jakeem Grant will be looking to resume his career in Philadelphia. The former All-Pro special teamer will be attending the Eagles rookie minicamp, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 in Houston.

It wasn’t too long ago that Grant was one of the league’s top returnmen. He earned his first All-Pro nod in 2020 after returning 29 punts for 330 yards and one touchdown for the Dolphins. That season also coincided with his best offensive showing, as the part-time wideout finished the year with career-highs in receptions (36) and receiving yards (373).

He earned another All-Pro spot in 2021 after splitting the season between Miami and Chicago. He finished the year with another 300-plus punt return yards and a touchdown, and he also set a career-high with 539 kick return yards. In total, Grant has scored six career special teams tackles (four on punts, two on kicks), and he’s returned 119 punts and 110 kickoffs.

Grant signed a three-year, $14MM deal with the Browns prior to the 2022 campaign, but he didn’t end up getting into a single game with his new squad. An Achilles tear ended his 2022 season before it began, and a ruptured patella tendon wiped out his 2023 campaign.

Now, he’ll be hoping to restart his career in Philly. Second-round cornerback Cooper DeJean and fifth-round wideout Ainias Smith are assumed contenders for return spots with the Eagles. The team is also rostering veteran Parris Campbell, who returned eight kickoffs for the Giants last season. Grant will hope to parlay his minicamp appearance into a real contract, and he would then compete with that trio in training camp.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/29/24

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Waived: LS Matt Hembrough

Cleveland Browns

  • Signed: T Roy Mbaeteka

Las Vegas Raiders

  • Waived: S Tyreque Jones

Philadelphia Eagles

  • Waived: DT Noah Elliss, WR Griffin Hebert, CB Tiawan Mullen, OL Lecitus Smith

The Eagles gave reserve/futures contracts to each of these players in January. Of this lot, only Smith — a 2022 Cardinals sixth-round pick — has played in a game. The young blocker started two games with Arizona as a rookie.

Mbaeteka will receive a second crack at developing with an NFL team through the league’s International Pathway Program. A Nigerian who did not play in high school or college, Mbaeteka spent last year on the Bears’ practice squad. Chicago cut the aspiring offensive lineman in March. Mbaeteka will not count against the Browns’ 90-man roster limit.