Eagles Wake-Up Call: Clay Harbor At Linebacker?

In the college ranks, it’s fairly common for a player to switch over from one side of the ball to the other.

A wide receiver moving to defensive back, an offensive guard becoming a defensive tackle, and so on.

In the NFL, however, such maneuvers are rare. But that’s apparently not going to stop Chip Kelly from considering them. According to Bob Grotz of the Delaware County Daily Times, the Eagles are giving tight end Clay Harbor a look on defense.

“I’m trying a little outside linebacker, actually, to be more versatile,” Harbor said. “We’ll see how it works out.”

He was later asked about it on Twitter:

@phillyboyintn haha just learning some LB for emergency situations and versatility purposes

— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) May 16, 2013

The truth is, the depth chart at tight end got pretty crowded this offseason. The Eagles signed James Casey in free agency and drafted Stanford’s Zach Ertz in the second round of April’s draft. Veteran Brent Celek is still on the roster too.

If the Eagles keep four tight ends, there’s a chance Harbor could stick. But given the moves the team has made, it’s clear he’s not going to have much of a role on offense.

Harbor was a fourth-round pick in 2010, but has done very little in three NFL seasons. He has 47 catches for 421 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 9.0 yards per catch.

Meanwhile, as we discussed last week, the Eagles have a lot of question marks at outside linebacker.

It looks like Harbor will get a chance on both sides of the ball to prove he’s worthy of being on the 53-man roster.

WHAT YOU MISSED

From Kelly’s past success in the red zone to Mychal Kendricks’ tackling, here are three numbers that matter.

One national writer thinks Matt Barkley can be the next Tom Brady. Rounding up what they’re saying about the Eagles.

Eagles wide receivers better be ready to block.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

Tommy Lawlor of IgglesBlitz.com says he’s all-in on Kelly, but still has questions about Bill Davis as defensive coordinator:

Davis doesn’t have a great track record as a DC. It is hard to get excited by him. I’m also nervous about the hybrid defense. Trying to use the 3-4 and 4-3 Under can be tricky. Hybrid defenses have failed more than they’ve succeeded in the NFL. Too often, coaches think Bill Belichick’s ideas can be copied, but don’t realize you need a brilliant coach like him to teach them, run them, and make adjustments to them.

ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano offers some thoughts on Michael Vick:

I believe Vick is earnest. I believe he wants to succeed, and is willing to put in the off-field work that he needs to in order to do it. I don’t think he’s lazy or aloof or not smart enough to pick up this new offense. What I think is that Vick, who turns 33 next month, is simply what he is, and that you have to take the good with the bad. He can say and do all of the right things in OTAs and minicamps, but when the games start and the play breaks down, nothing’s going to stop him from doing what he knows and what he’s always known — holding the ball too long, trying too hard to make the spectacular rescue play instead of dumping it off or throwing it out of bounds and living to see the next play. That’s the kind of quarterback behavior that has consistently, throughout Vick’s career, led to turnovers and injuries and frustration for his coaches.

COMING UP

Oh, we’ll come up with something.

Follow Sheil Kapadia on Twitter and e-mail him at skapadia@phillymag.com.
Become a fan of Birds 24/7 on Facebook.