Stone Free

INDIANAPOLIS – The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine kicked off Tuesday morning, with more than a dozen head coaches and general managers available to speak at the various time slots.

Ravens GM Eric DeCosta, who was very candid and thoughtful during his 15-minute availability, talked about pending free-agent safety Geno Stone, who notched a career-high seven interceptions in 2023.

Given the Eagles’ need at safety, Stone could be a target – and could be very available.

“I’m very proud of Geno,” DeCosta said. “He was a seventh-round pick and probably … and Geno might be the best seventh-round pick that we’ve ever had – playmaker, attitude, special teams. Just an excellent season.”

GETTY IMAGES: Ravens S Geno Stone could be one of the better safeties on the free-agent market.

Excellent, yes, but DeCosta seemed to suggest that Stone wouldn’t be able to be retained.

“He’s put himself in an awesome position,” Decosta said. “We’re fortunate that we have some good safety depth, and I’m not really sure exactly what that means for Geno and the Ravens, but regardless, I know he’s going to be a great pro.

“If he doesn’t come back and play with us, he’s going to be a great player for somebody else, and I would expect him to have a great career.”

Praise For Parker

I asked Sean Payton, entering his second year as Broncos head coach, about new Eagles defensive backs coach/pass game coordinator Christian Parker, who was recently added to Vic Fangio’s staff in Philadelphia after previously coaching in Denver.

Payton emphasized the natural scheme fit for Parker reuniting with Fangio.

“They’re getting a bright young coach,” Payton said. “Obviously, Vic knows him. Vic has worked with him before. Christian is really sharp. I’d say his degree, if you will, in defensive football, is in that scheme.

“He was a pleasure to work with. And I’m excited that he has that opportunity. Vic and I talked at length about Christian. He was one of the coaches that we kept from last year.”

Corner Market

The Eagles will presumably be looking for upgrades at cornerback this offseason. One of potential top names in free agency, the Bears’ Jaylon Johnson, sounds like a player viewed by the Bears as an essential centerpiece.

“I’m so proud of Jaylon the way he improved in the way he took the challenge to be a ball guy and he certainly did that,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said. “He’s a great leader, not only in our defensive back room but in our whole defensive room, too.

“He’s really starting to become a really good leader on our football team. So I’m excited about him. Like [general manager] Ryan [Poles] said this morning, we want to get him to a long-term deal. Hope they’re close. Hope it works out.

Hand The Keys

One extra item from Tuesday’s Eagles pressers came from head coach Nick Sirianni, who is expected to take a step back from the offensive controls, turning it over to new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore.

Sirianni described the blend of coaching philosophies as a marrying of schemes:

“I hired Kellen because I felt like he was the best guy for the job,” Sirianni said. “Kellen’s been successful every place that he’s been. I know that’s a relatively young career. I like the way that he thinks about football and takes everything in and is able to make decisions off of that. It’s been fun getting to know him.

“Always had respect for him from afar. And it’s been fun getting to know him and work through these things together to build our offense for next season. I’m really looking forward to meshing what he’s really done well together with the things that we’ve done really well. Again, I think it’s going to be a really good match. Kellen’s track record speaks for itself.”

– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com.