Eagles Rookie Free Agent Offensive Linemen May Be Surprises

The two rookie free agent offensive linemen, Mike Coccia and Malcolm Bunche, which the Eagles signed this off season, have a chance to make this football team.  They each grew up as Eagles fans in the Philadelphia area.

Coccia grew up in nearby Bethlehem, Pennsylvania and went to school at New Hampshire University, which is Chip Kelly’s Alma Mater.  His college football team ran the same uptempo style offense, which was developed by Kelly.

“Learning curve wouldn’t be as great for me,” said Coccia, who is 6-foot-3 and 302 pounds. “When I made the decision, that was the main factor. Pretty familiar with the scheme, the zone scheme, and if there was one scheme that would help me succeed in the NFL, it’s definitely this one.”

The young center, who at 6’3″ 302 pounds is the biggest center on the roster, can also slide out and play guard, which is the type of versatility that Kelly loves.  He’s used to playing in the offense, so that will help him when it comes to conditioning.

I like the fact that Coccia played basketball in high school and the youngster seems to have a good work ethic.  I saw that his sister was a world class gymnast with a great work ethic.  Usually work ethic is a family thing.  The parents teach the same work ethic to all their kids.

For all those reasons, I could see Coccia making this football team.

Bunche has a factor in his favor as well.  He’s another local kid, who grew up idolizing Birds offensive tackle Tra Thomas in Newark, Delaware.

He was recruited by Eagles offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland to the University of Miami, where Bunched played 3 years, before he finished his career blocking at UCLA.  Stoutland saw something in Bunche, which he liked when he saw tape of him in high school.   Now he saw something he liked when he saw tape of him in college.  That’s an advantage, which Bunche may be able to take advantage of.

The youngster hit the nail on the head last Friday, when he was asked about what he learned from his first workout as an Eagle.  “I’ve got to get in shape”, the young Eagles offensive lineman said.  He’s 6’6″ 320 pounds and he had better get in shape, if he wants to play in a Chip Kelly offense.

He’s got the versatility that Kelly likes because he can play both guard and tackle, which could help him make this team, if he gets himself in shape.

The fact that the Eagles weren’t able to draft any offensive linemen could wind up being a tremendous break for both of these guys.

“It could be a blessing in disguise,” said Bunche referring to not being drafted.  He was able to choose which team he wanted to try out for.

“Talking with coach Stoutland, he told me, ‘You’re the one guy that we want to be here. We didn’t draft any lineman, so you have to make a name for yourself. You’ve got to put in the time and effort in the weight room and the film room and show that you want to be here.’

“And that’s what I’m going to do,” Bunche said.

Hopefully Bunche comes out and shows everybody that he belongs in the National Football League.

They’re definitely in the right place from an opportunity standpoint because the Eagles have the oldest offensive line in the NFL.  All-Pro’s Jason Peters and Evan Mathis along with projected starters Allen Barbre are all above 30 of age.

Last year, despite opportunities their backups Matt Tobin, Andrew Gardner, Dennis Kelly and Julian Vandervelde were unable to prove they can play in the NFL.  If one of the offensive linemen goes down, these rookies could be the guys who Kelly turns to when he looks to his bench.