The Craig Carton ‘Report’ About the Eagles Locker Room Has No Merit
Craig Carton is not necessarily a guy you go to for breaking news. He’s built a career for himself as an entertainer in sports media. A lot of his schtick is hot takes and bluster though. Like when he claimed Jalen Hurts was the worst QB left in the playoffs in 2022 after he beat the Giants. Credit to him for making a successful career off of it. But people aren’t going to trust what you have to say when that is what they know you for. And recently he was up to his usual antics when he claimed that he knows why the eagles fell apart, but can’t say what he knows.
“A problem that would splinter any group of men… I know what the problem was. I know they’re trying to fix it, and I don’t think it can be fixed. It’ll be very interesting to see if a very high-profile player is no longer with the Eagles going into the season.”- Craig Carton
We all assumed he was full of it. But now we can be even more sure of it. Adam Schefter joins The John Kincade Show every Wednesday. So when he joined us today, John Kincade asked about Carton’s “report,” and Schefter dismissed the report completely.
“I texted somebody in the organization yesterday (saying) ‘What is this?’ The text back was ‘None of that s— happened.’ …That’s what qualifies as a report. You can just go say whatever you want, and it gets clicks… I’m just telling you somebody in the organization was pretty adamant yesterday (that) none of that happened.”- Adam Schefter
And of course that is the case. If something did happen, Craig Carton wouldn’t be the only guy who knows about it. What person in the Eagles locker room is going to run to Craig Carton to give him of all people the scoop? He is, as Schefter suggested, trolling for clicks. He knows if he puts out something vague like that, he will get attention. And our own Bob Cooney called him out for it during today’s show.
“You use the words professionalism and integrity to Craig Carton. There’s no professionalism there. There’s no integrity there. It’s crap. You don’t do that. If you have something to say, say it.”- Bob Cooney
There doesn’t need to be some secret reason why the Eagles fell apart. Their defense was terrible, and the playbook on offense was too. Teams were blitzing the Eagles at crazy rates, and the Eagles had no answer for it. They could tear the Eagles apart through the air and on the ground. We don’t need a deeper reason than that. They were just a mediocre team. The 49ers exposed them, and they were never able to adjust. We don’t need to make things up about them to explain the collapse. Just look at how poorly they played, and you will have your answers.
But if anyone was actually worried about what Craig Carton said, don’t be. There are many real reasons to be concerned about the Eagles going forward. But none of them have anything to do with what Carton said.
Watch The John Kincade Show on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page on weekday mornings from 6 am-10 am.
List of Philadelphia Eagles Picks at the 2024 NFL Draft
1st Round (22nd-Overall)
Fans hoped the Eagles might pick a little bit later in the 1st round. The Eagles had the best record in the NFL when the calendar turned to November. The late-season slide and the early playoff exit has them in position to draft 22nd.
Their primary needs include offensive tackle, edge rusher, and cornerback. The Eagles selected Andre Dillard the last time they occupied the 22nd-overall spot in 2019.
2nd Round (50th-Overall)
Howie Roseman executed a blockbuster in 2022 with three 1st-round picks at his disposal. The mega-trade with the New Orleans Saints helped the Eagles get into position to acquire A.J. Brown and Jalen Carter. The last asset of the trade will materialize in 2024.
2nd Round (53th-Overall)
The Eagles still own their own 2nd-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Their first two picks are the only two of their seven total picks that weren’t acquired by trade or the compensatory formula. Memorable 2nd-round picks include Brian Dawkins, DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy, and Zach Ertz.
4th-Round Pick (120th-Overall)
The Eagles acquired their 4th-round pick as part of the Kenny Pickett trade. They dealt a 3rd-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers in what was essentially a trade back into a lower round. The deal also included a pair of 7th-round picks in 2025 that Howie Roseman sent to Western PA.
5th-Round Pick (161st-Overall)
The name Jalen Reagor doesn’t spark many positive memories for Eagles fans. Roseman did trade the botched 1st-rounder for a reasonable return, however.
The Eagles cut their losses and walked away with a 7th-rounder in 2023 and a 5th-rounder in 2024. Reagor did not meet the conditions that could’ve moved this year’s pick to the 4th round.
5th-Round Compensatory Pick (171st-Overall)
The 2022 Eagles faced an unusual situation. They didn’t even worry about extending impending free agents during the season because there were too many key contributors on expiring contracts.
Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson were among the key players who signed free-agent contracts and added to the compensatory formula that impacted the Eagles at the 2024 NFL Draft.
5th-Round Compensatory Pick (172nd-Overall)
A pick in the 5th round of the NFL Draft might not look like much. Roseman has his fair share of good picks in the late rounds, however. He grabbed Kenny Gainwell and Halapoulivaati Vaitai to become solid contributors, and the franchise landed steals Trent Cole and Brent Celek out of Cincinnati in previous drafts.
6th-Round Compensatory Pick (210th-Overall)
NFL teams are happy if picks from the later rounds end up as contributors on special teams or short-term starters who give minimal contributions.
The occasional Hall of Famer doesn’t come along often, but remember that Jason Kelce came off the board in the 6th round of the 2011 NFL Draft after the Eagles selected Danny Watkins in the 1st round. You just never know.
