March 22, 2016
BOCA RATON, Fla. - One of the themes of Eagles free agency this offseason was the acquisition of former Jim Schwartz players on the defensive side of the ball. The Eagles poached the Buffalo Bills' defense, landing linebacker Nigel Bradham, as well as cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks.
Speaking at the NFL owners meetings, Bills head coach Rex Ryan said that he did not want to lose any of the three. However, while he seemed to be genuinely fond of Bradham, Rex did not exactly give McKelvin and Brooks effusive praise.
• Rex on Bradham: "I think Nigel Bradham has a chance to be a great inside linebacker. He’s got great cover skills, he’s tough. I liked the kid. He’s a good football player."
• Rex on McKelvin: "I love his competitiveness."
• Rex on Brooks: "Brooks to me is a special teams player. But the thing I liked about Brooks is that he’s tough, physical, and he can run."
• Rex's summary of the three: "The Eagles are getting three good, (then corrected himself) two really good players, and then a guy that’s an outstanding special teams player and provides depth."
Special teams players are players too, Rex.
Houston Texans head coach Bill O'Brien discussed former Texans (and current Eagles) RG Brandon Brooks.
"The Eagles are getting a big guy, an athletic guy for his size," said O'Brien. "This guy is big all the way through. He is an enormous guard. 340 pound guy, good guy, really smart, played some really good football for us. Philly's getting a good guard."
In terms of what Brooks does well, O'Brien said, "I think drive blocking is one of his best traits. I think he pulls pretty well for a guy his size. I'm not sure what they're going to be doing in Philly. I'm sure it's similar to what they're doing in Kansas City. I think one of the hardest things to do is pass protect a three-technique, and he just a good job of that because he's so big. I think the guy's a good player."
