Getty John Elway looks on before a Broncos game in 2019.
The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off one of their best drafts in years. The “gold standard” is back. Which makes the shuffling going on in the front office so bizarre. Well, interesting might be the better word.
The dominoes started falling on May 4 when the Eagles fired director of scouting operations Casey Weidl, according to The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. A weird move since his brother Andy serves as vice-president of player personnel for the team. Then again, Andy Weidl is a candidate for the vacant GM job with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
McLane noted Weidl’s departure would be the “first of several changes that will be part of a restructure of the Eagles’ scouting and football operations.” Which has been the case. The Eagles also cut ties with Shawn Heinlen (Southwest area scout), Evan Pritt (scouting assistant), and T.J. McCreight (player personnel executive), per multiple reports.
The Eagles saw a few key executives leave for greener grass in other organizations. The most notable exit was Catherine Raiche who has accepted a “front-office role with assistant GM-like responsibilities” with the Cleveland Browns, per USA Today’s Jori Epstein. Raiche was already the NFL’s highest-ranking woman football executive.
Eagles VP football operations Catherine Raiche to join Cleveland in a front-office role with assistant GM-like responsibilities, source confirms to @usatodaysports. Raiche has risen Eagles ranks after CFL, XFL stints. Reunites with GM Andrew Berry, whom she worked with in Philly.
Other Eagles’ departures include senior football advisor Tom Donahoe, director of player personnel Brandon Brown, and director of player personnel Ian Cunningham. Donahoe’s contract was up and he decided to move on. The other two guys took higher-level jobs with the New York Giants and Chicago Bears, respectively.
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Eagles Hire John Elway’s ‘Right-Hand Man’
It’s not out of the ordinary for NFL teams to shake things up in the front office after the draft. Between people leaving for better opportunities and clashing in the war room, it’s bound to happen. The Eagles are no different.
Matt Russell was a scout for the Eagles in the past. He’s familiar with Lurie and Roseman.
He was a western region scout from 2006-2007 and then a national scout in 2008. He then took a promotion to become Denver’s director of college scouting in 2009 and was there ever since.
And the franchise has already started refilling the coffers. According to The Athletic’s Bo Wulf, the Eagles are hiring former Denver Broncos vice-president of player personnel Matt Russell.
While his title in Philadelphia isn’t known at this time, Russell is expected to work hand-in-hand with personnel executive Dave Caldwell. The 48-year-old served as a scout for the Eagles from 2006 through 2008 before heading to Denver. Russell spent 11 years with the Broncos in a variety of roles, leading to John Elway calling him his “right-hand guy.”
“I got to work with the all-time greatest Bronco.”
After announcing retirement, Matt Russell reflects on working alongside John Elway » t.co/2WtzChB0PU
Morocco Brown Set to Interview
According to Inside the Birds’ Geoff Mosher, the Eagles will interview former Indianapolis Colts director of scouting Morocco Brown for a “high-ranking executive position.” Brown is well-regarded in Indianapolis and his eye for talent helped draft guys like Jonathan Taylor, Quenton Nelson, and Darius Leonard. He was a finalist for the Atlanta Falcons’ GM job in 2021.
NFL sources tell @GeoffMosherNFL and @caplannfl that #Colts director of scouting Morocco Brown expected to interview this week with #Eagles for high-ranking executive position.
Eagles interviewed #Steelers pro scouting coordinator Brandon Hunt over the weekend.
Philadelphia is also interviewing Steelers scouting director Brandon Hunt and Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy for front-office positions, according to Mosher and colleague Adam Caplan. And adding former Cleveland Browns national scout Charles Walls as their new director of player personnel, per Kimberley A. Martin.
So, yes, there are a lot of moving parts for an organization recently called the “gold standard in identifying, cultivating, and developing front-office talent” by NFL Network’s Peter Schrager.
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Eagles Shake Up Front Office with New Hire After 8 Key Departures