PHILADELPHIA – Kicker Jake Elliott said recently that Jason Kelce is in the Philadelphia Eagles’ training facility every day.
Now retired, Kelce looks around the weight room, the locker room, the meeting rooms and likes what he sees. General manager Howie Roseman has done a stellar job adding depth and competition via the draft and free agency to an Eagles team that fell off the planet over the final two months of last season.
“Howie, I have to take my hat off to him,” said Brandon Graham. “He really impressed me on this one. I know Kelce is sick about it.”
Kelce may be sick, but he has a new gig with ESPN as part of the ‘Monday Night Countdown’ crew.
At least for now. One of his first analyst assignments will be to “countdown” his former team’s home opener against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2, leading Joe Buck to remark, “Will we come out of Philly with Jason Kelce a member of ESPN?”
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The implication us that Kelce could unretire.
Graham showed up at Citizens Bank Park to soak in the soaring Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night. He watched the Phillies run their major-league-leading record to 31-13 with a 10-5 win, their third straight over the New York Mets.
He also stopped by the broadcast booth to visit with announcers Tom McCarthy and John Kruk.
“The offseason has been really good,” said Graham. “I like the vibe of the team right now. Howie definitely put together a really good start. Once training camp comes that’s when I’ll really know (just how good the team is), but right now, it’s good vibes.”
Graham said he liked what Roseman did in the draft and one of his new defensive teammates.
Of the rookie class, which featured defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds, Graham said, “I like their personalities already. I like how they’re working and they got a bunch of good guys who I feel have chips on their shoulders.”
Graham added that linebacker Devin White definitely has a chip on his shoulder, after being released by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after last season in which he struggled with injury and was never able to earn a contract extension from the team that drafted him fifth overall in 2019.
“He wants to prove something,” said Graham. “Then we have some rookies coming in; they should definitely have something to prove. Man, I’m excited. This year, my 15th year and I wanna go out a winner.”
