The depth chart series continues with a look at Brandon Graham, Connor Barwin and the outside linebackers.

Not everyone is sold on Eagles first-round pick Lane Johnson. One scout says the Oklahoma offensive tackle is “not ready for prime time.”

It won’t be long before DeSean Jackson‘s contract becomes a topic of conversation once again.

The well-documented two-year mini-drama between team and player  ended when the Eagles appeased the mercurial receiver by giving him a five-year, $51 million deal in March of 2012. But the peace treaty is really neither that long nor valuable. We know in the NFL, contracts aren’t what they appear. What  counts is guaranteed money. And after this season, that guaranteed cash runs out.

Today, we examine how the Eagles’ inside linebackers stack up.

DeMeco Ryans and Mychal Kendricks should hold down the starting jobs. But there are certainly depth spots up for grabs.

If Michael Vick is going to be Chip Kelly‘s guy, he will have to change. There is just no getting around that.

How can Kelly’s offense work if his quarterback is keeping the ball in his hands twice as long as he wants him to? This much seems obvious: Vick is going to have to adapt. Kelly believes the 32-year-old can do it.

Troy Vincent was looking for a player who properly represented today’s athletes.

As the NFL’s vice president of player engagement, Vincent needed someone who would be open and honest in front of a room full of coaches, scouts and executives. So he gave the Eagles a call and came up with safety Patrick Chung.

“I didn’t want the typical guy that’s doing all the community outreach,” Vincent said. “I needed a real modern… I needed an edge kind of player. He’s an edge kind of player. He came in here with his golf shirt that he just got from the facility on his way over here. He had his earrings in. But that’s the reality.”

The Eagles worked out running back Felix Jones today, a league source confirmed.

Leftover draft reaction and more in this week’s national media roundup of what they’re saying about the Eagles.

We’re excited to announce the return of the Eagles Almanac, a comprehensive season preview that will be loaded with analysis, essays and more from a talented group of writers.

The project, started by Brian Solomon, was a huge success in 2012 and figures to be even better this time around. Tim and I will both be contributing, along with several other names you are already familiar with.

Click here for complete details and to pre-order your copy now.

The initial overhaul during the summer of 2011 didn’t work out, so the Eagles tried again this offseason.

Gone are Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and Nnamdi Asomugha. In are Cary Williams and Bradley Fletcher.

During the draft, the Eagles didn’t find corner help early, but they grabbed Oregon State’s Jordan Poyer in the seventh round.

Trent Dilfer is decidedly bullish on Matt Barkley. He is on record as saying the USC signal-caller is a first-round talent. Predicted that he would be the Eagles’ starter within three seasons. Thinks he can man that post for 5-8 years.

In a phone conversation with Birds 24/7 on Monday, Dilfer drew parallels between Barkley and another NFC East quarterback, Eli Manning.

“There is not a lot of difference between Matt Barkley and Eli Manning in their senior film,” said Dilfer. “In fact, I would argue that Matt’s college film is slightly better than Eli’s film.”

Dilfer went on to say that Barkley has “slightly higher graduate-level passing skills” than Matt Ryan coming out of college.

Evan Mathis had surgery on his ankle, according to a league source.

The procedure was termed a “minor clean out” to alleviate some discomfort and swelling. He is expected to be sidelined for the upcoming OTAs and potentially all of the summer minicamps, but should be full-go for training camp.

Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly was first with the report.

Asked for a  moment that could shed some light on the make-up of Jordan Poyer, Oregon State secondary coach Rod Perry pointed to October 6 of this past season against Washington State. Poyer had three interceptions in the game to lead the Beavers to a 19-6 win. It wasn’t the performance that was noteworthy to Perry, but rather what prompted it.

“[Washington State] was jawing at him before the game. That got him fired up,” he said. “What I got out of that is that he is a highly-competitive guy that won’t back down. You don’t want to get him riled up. You don’t want to back him into a corner.”

If it’s firewood he needs, then he should be able to pull an acre’s worth from his draft experience.

This is the first in a series. Throughout the next week or two, we’ll take a position-by-position look at the Eagles’ roster. Today, we start with the safeties.

Win the day.

It was Chip Kelly’s motto at Oregon, and it’s a slogan Eagles players can expect to hear quite a bit in the coming months.

The idea is not unique to Kelly. Scan the country, and you’ll find football coaches at various levels use different words to say the same thing.

Take care of the little things, and the big things will take care of themselves.

Focus on getting better today, and you’ll see long-term results.

Kelly, Howie Roseman and the Eagles are in the process of striking a delicate balance.