The Ringer's Philly Special Eagles Bye Week Check-in With Zach Berman!
12 snips
Oct 31, 2025 Zach Berman, Eagles reporter for The Athletic, joins to dissect the Eagles' impressive 6-2 start. He breaks down the recent trade for cornerback Michael Carter II and how he’ll fit Vic Fangio's defense while discussing potential trade targets as the deadline looms. The conversation shifts to A.J. Brown's projected second-half surge and the offense's expected improvements post-bye week. Zach predicts the season's finish and playoff outlook, plus a fun mailbag segment addressing airplane etiquette and more!
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Slot-Outside Flexibility
- Acquiring Michael Carter gives the Eagles optionality to move Cooper DeJean outside without permanently weakening the slot.
- That flexibility lets the Eagles tailor matchups game to game rather than force a single alignment.
Outside Corner Value Over Slot
- Cooper DeJean may be more valuable on the outside even if slightly less effective than in the slot because outside corners are rarer.
- The Eagles can mix Cooper inside or outside depending on opponent personnel and game plan.
Fangio's Baseball Analogy Reveals Mindset
- Vic Fangio joked about 'throwing at him' when discussing walking Shohei Ohtani, revealing a defensive mind focused on exploiting weaknesses.
- Zach Berman called that reaction a window into a defensive coordinator's thinking and liked it.