1 Philadelphia Eagles front office hire that isn’t getting enough hype

After digging into the Philadelphia Eagles recent front office changes, one name stands out, and it’s one that should be getting more hype.

There’s no way to prove this, but if you’re in the media or the Philadelphia Eagles fan base, it just feels like everyone’s in mourning. There have been no polls. There’s no concrete evidence to prove this, but doesn’t it just feel like everyone wakes up on the wrong side of the bed every morning these days.

The timetable makes sense. This sudden change came after the franchise announced eight coaching staff changes. Weeks of excitement built up as everyone assumed that this was a process that the ‘Birds’ were really taking seriously. Seemingly, everything was being elongated because Philly wanted to take their time and place the right people in the right positions.

The announcement came a little over a week before Valentine’s Day. There weren’t any real splash hires that everyone was looking for. Instead, there were a few unknowns and a couple of guys who had failed in coaching jobs at other stops. There was another letdown that trumped all of the others. The Eagles had decided not to hire an offensive coordinator.

So yes, ever since then, it’s just felt like it’s been raining every day. Not only that, things kind of bled over, and another announcement, Philly’s changes to the operations department just kind of came and went with no conversation a day later.

Philly announced the addition of Tom Hunkele (director of sports medicine), Jeremiah Washburn (director of player personnel and senior defensive assistant), and Ted Rath (director of sports performance) on February 7th.

Three former players joined the team as well. Connor Barwin is now the special assistant to the general manager. Brent Celek is a personnel consultant, and Darren Sproles is a personnel consultant.

The name on that list that really stands out belongs to Tom Hunkele. You may not know who he is, but don’t worry. You’re very familiar with his work. He spent the last 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings and has proven to be skilled in doing something the Eagles can’t seem to get done, getting injured players back on the field, getting them back to playing at a high level and keeping them healthy.

Some of his best work includes helping Adrian Peterson recover from that torn meniscus he sustained in 2016, assisting in getting Teddy Bridgewater back on the field after he tore his ACL and dislocated his the knee joint, and overseeing Dalvin Cook‘s recovery after he underwent successful surgery to repair his ACL in 2017 (and after he missed time in 2018 with a hamstring injury). Cook made the Pro Bowl in 2019.

Hunkele was also recognized as the Tim Davey Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year for the NFC in 2019, and he and the rest of the Vikings staff were honored by the NFL as the 2017 Athletic Training Staff of the Year. This is his second stint in Philly as he served as a physical therapist in the offseason and as an assistant to the trainers during a stretch that lasted from 2000 until 2005. It kind of makes you wonder how he got out of the door the first time, doesn’t it?