Philadelphia Eagles: Kamu Grugier-Hill has become a surprising standout at LB
Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill is proving to have much more value outside of special teams nowadays.
Has the Super Bowl LII victory motivated select players to want to expand their talents? Clearly, the Philadelphia Eagles are starting to see a few surprises heading into the 2018 preseason. While the team is seeing some excellent progression from some obvious names, there are a few players that are looking to earn a lot more playing time this season. One player, in particular, that has stood out is third-year veteran linebacker (and kicker?) Kamu Grugier-Hill.
We have seen some tremendous special teams contributors throughout the years for the Eagles. Somehow, Eagles special teams coach Dave Fipp seems to get the best out of his players on game day. For that, the Eagles have had seen some outstanding seasons out of their special teams unit. And every year they tend to find a new standout. Last year, the Eagles discovered the ‘special’ talents of Kamu Grugier-Hill.
Listed as a linebacker, Grugier-Hill didn’t exactly find himself on the defense much. He accounted for roughly eight-percent of the defensive snaps in 2017. Considering that the Eagles were in search of continuous help at the position, it wasn’t really a good look for Grugier-Hill as he remained on the sidelines for plays that didn’t require special teams.
With Mychal Kendricks out of the picture, though, the weakside linebacker position is wide open to whoever wants it most. And if training camp is any indication of who is going to win over the job, then we can only assume that Grugier-Hill can step out of his comfort zone on special teams and realistically find himself becoming a full-time defender by September.
A surprising standout:
More from Inside the Iggles
- Eagles captains earn high praise on roster blending veteran leadership, youth
- How former Eagles star Cre’Von LeBlanc helped Renegades upstage Cowboys
- Eagles 2023 schedule: Every WR duo Darius Slay, James Bradberry will battle
- Imagining better names for Jason Kelce’s Good Guy Award
- Bold predictions for the Philadelphia Eagles offense in 2023
Back in March, the Eagles handed out a one-year deal to former Denver Broncos linebacker, Corey Nelson. Jim Schwartz and the Eagles coaching staff made it clear to Nelson that he would be considered for a starting position even with Kendricks still on board. Since Kendricks was issued his release, the job was Nelson’s to lose. As of right now, he just may be missing his opportunity.
Back in OTAs, Nathan Gerry might’ve been the surprising standout at linebacker. But OTAs is only a small sample size of what guys can do. Training camp is when it really matters. As training camp progresses, it seems like Grugier-Hill is the one who wants it the most. Philadelphia Inquirer’s Les Bowen dug out some great quotes from the hungry Hill this past Friday. “The first year, played special teams. The second year, was a really good special-teamer. This year, I want to move it on to defense. Every year I want to grow.”
Don’t think that the media are the only ones who spotted Grugier-Hill’s obvious progression. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has made it clear that he is very comfortable with the current state of linebacker’s depth and talent ratio despite what the public says about the team. Also, Grugier-Hill’s special teams captain Chris Maragos spoke highly of Kamu by stating that he has “tremendous ability” and that he’s “in that zone to really make a run.”
Time will tell if Kamu Grugier-Hill can truly step into a more prominent role in 2018, but with the way things are going now he really seems to be on his way to bigger and better things. With the first two phases of OTAs and training camp being conquered, Grugier-Hill will now have to take it to the next level on the playing field starting next week. This preseason will be the biggest test of his young career.