Eagles Move Forward Without Evan Mathis
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It was the topic of conversation which was impossible to avoid.
As the Eagles opened up a three-day mini-camp in South Philadelphia, Evan Mathis was nowhere to be found. The veteran guard was released last week, but his former teammates were forced to answer plenty of questions about his departure. Center Jason Kelce had lined up next to Mathis for the past few seasons. Kelce sympathized with Mathis and understood why he was looking for a new contract, but Kelce also understood why Mathis was released.
"There's a number of reasons why the players have a different mentality," said Kelce. "Everything we've been emphasizing since Chip (Kelly) has been here has been a culture. It's always been a team first environment and everybody being in this together. That's part of the reason why I don't think you see so many players actively speaking out."
Chip Kelly said Mathis was released because his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, asked for his client to be let go. The move also seemed to serve as a warning to the rest of the players to buy into Kelly's culture or find work elsewhere. Tight End Zach Ertz says players who are focussed on football aren't thinking about any potential contract showdowns.
"It's not a threat in any way," Ertz said. "We want guys that are going to be invested in themselves, first and foremost, in the springtime getting better each and every day, and I think that's what we have right now. We have 90 guys that are focussed on getting better every day."
The release of Mathis and the departure of players such as LeSean McCoy have raised questions about Kelly's culture. Some believe Kelly is sacrificing too much talent, but Safety Malcolm Jenkins says you can still have a team of talented players that buy into the coach's culture while fielding a talented group heading into the season.
"That's part of the business," said Jenkins. "No team, whether you're about talent or culture, can avoid that. As far as the type of guys we bring in and the type of guys we spend the money on, it's always going to be guys who buy in and think about the team first and have talent as well."
Kelly admitted the Eagles lost a talented player in Mathis, but expressed confidence in the rest of the guards going forward. Kelce and several other Eagles also showed faith in the remaining players, and added it will be business as usual this week without Mathis.
"It's the same thing that's we've been doing since the start of OTAs," Kelce said. "We're rotating in a number of guys at right guard trying to figure out who's going to man that position through the season. Allen Barbre has been the starting left guard, so that obviously will not change."
The mini-camp continues through Thursday.
