Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher Vinny Curry was moved to 3-4, five-technique defensive end when Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Bill Davis came to town in 2013. Drafted by former Eagles head coach Andy Reid and GM Howie Roseman to be a 4-3, wide 9 defensive end, Curry was asked to bulk up and turn himself from a sleek sack master into a stack and shed defender whose main concern was to hold the point of attack and stop the run before ultimately finding his way to the ball and, hopefully, the quarterback. Now, two seasons later, Curry is again being asked to change positions.
Kelly indicated during a Wednesday press conference, as the Eagles begin preparations for their season opener against the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night, that Curry has now become a "full time" outside linebacker, a position the team was "cross-training" him at during the preseason after Travis Long went down with a torn ACL.
"Vinny has been in (linebacker) meetings and drills,'' Kelly said, via Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Daily News. "But he can still play defensive line because he has a tad bit of experience at playing the defensive line position.''
Kelly now counts Curry among the teams outside linebackers but said that the pass rush specialist will likely see time all over the team's front-seven.
"But that doesn't mean Vinny is not going to line up on the defensive line in the Atlanta game,'' Kelly added, per Domowitch. "He'll play defensive line. He'll play nose guard. He'll (probably play linebacker).''
While the team's 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith returned to practice on Wednesday and seemed to be making positive strides this offseason, he's mostly been a disappointment and likely can't, at this point, be counted on to contribute during the Falcons game as the third player in the Philly outside linebacker rotation behind starters Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin. Brad Jones is a veteran presence who provides versatility inside and outside and Bryan Braman is a special teams star that has played well this preseason, but neither can be counted on to log major snaps with the first team defense. While Curry likely doesn't possess the movement skills and agility necessary to stick with backs and tight ends in coverage for more than a second or two, the Eagles ask their outside linebackers to set the edge against the run first and foremost before flowing to the ball and/or rushing the passer. Dropping into coverage is not something the team is likely to ask Curry to do often, if at all.
Moving forward, Curry will likely remain a chess piece of sorts for the Eagles - Kelly said he'd likely operate as an interior pass rusher in nickel looks - but it seems, for now at least, that he's found a new home with the outside linebackers.
