Twitter Mailbag: With the Fourth Pick, the Eagles Select…

Every Thursday we select a few of your Twitter questions and provide the long-form answers they deserve. For a chance to have your question published on Birds 24/7, send it to @Tim_McManus.

From @tomlindlar: Can you see Cole or Curry succeeding as a 3-4 end? Do you believe that their speed would negate the fact they’d be undersized?

The recent buzz suggests Chip Kelly will try Curry at defensive end rather than linebacker. I am curious to see how that experiment goes. On the plus side he worked under defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro for a year at Marshall, so there is some familiarity there. And Curry has added some bulk and definition to his frame this offseason, though the plan was to come in at the same playing weight as last year — around 270.

Curry seems a little light to be a traditional end in a 3-4 base defense. But teams aren’t in their base as often as you might think, and Billy Davis will likely use multiple fronts to keep the opposing offense guessing. Curry could be a good option in passing situations.

“Whether my hand is in the dirt or I’m standing up, I promise you I will be prepared for both,” Curry said.

There has been plenty of debate surrounding Cole. Some argue that the team is stuck with a piece that doesn’t fit because he has an unmovable contract. The sense I get is the Eagles legitimately want him to be part of the equation, and will find a way to make it work. It makes the most sense to have him play outside linebacker on the open side, where he can serve primarily as a pass rusher. I wouldn’t count Cole out quite yet.

From @Fightinz: What is Jason Peters’ status? Will he ever be sprinting downfield for a third block in one play again?

All the news has been positive regarding Peters’ recovery from a double Achilles rupture, and Kelly anticipates that his left tackle will be ready to participate in the upcoming offseason workouts.

“What I was told was that they think he should be pretty good when he gets here April 1,” said Kelly. “Everybody when they get in there needs to be checked out.”

In other words, the Eagles are hearing good things but still haven’t gotten their eyes on him.

Peters is a freak athlete, so it is plausible that he regains his Pro Bowl form. But he is 31, and the Eagles would be wise to invest in the future sooner rather than later. Which leads us to…

From @ZainSaleh24: Star, Jordan, Milliner, and Fisher are there at four, what do YOU do? Pick one of them? Trade back?

Out of this group, I would take Fisher (I would consider Sharrif Floyd if he were available as well). I keep going back to Kelly’s quote from his days at Oregon, when he said “The five offensive linemen are the key to your football team.”

The tackle position is thin on this roster. Peters is 31, Todd Herremans is 30, and they are both coming off major injuries. Even if you are confident these two will play the entire year and play well, big picture the position is screaming for attention. Fisher could conceivably play right tackle to start (pushing Herremans inside, where he is at his best) and eventually take over at left tackle when Peters hits his decline.

It is a position of need, and you can argue that Fisher is the best available player regardless.

From @Jonzee72: What sort of record next year do you think is expected all things considered? 4 wins? 6? More? Less? Or just playing better?

We asked Jeffrey Lurie what his expectations are for Year One of the Chip Kelly era.

“I don’t think you can institute a complete culture change and implement everything Chip wants to accomplish just by having one training camp and one offseason,” the owner said, “but we’re just awfully excited about what he brings to it and his obsession with it. His manner of analysis and thinking is refreshing and very bright. And we hope that is reflected as time goes by.”

You can tell just by that quote alone that the Eagles are in this for the long haul, and realize there could be some growing pains as the Kelly way is implemented.

That said, I believe Kelly to be a smart and resourceful coach, and I expect this team to be competitive. No idea how that will translate in terms of win total. We are still a ways out from the regular season.

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