The Philadelphia Eagles have made the playoffs three straight years, and they’ve accomplished that feat despite being one of the NFL’s most injured teams during that time period.
The team has dealt with soft tissue woes for the bulk of the past three seasons and that factor wasn’t lost on GM Howie Roseman after the Philadelphia Eagles officially announced multiple changes to the 2020 coaching staff, while the front office and training staff received an overhaul as well.
According to The Inquirer via Football Outsiders annual report on adjusted games lost to injury, the Eagles finished 21st out of 32 NFL teams with 84.4 games lost to injury, based on a metric that includes every injury report listing and weighs the loss based on a player’s role and position on an individual team.
Two of the additions made by Howie Roseman, Tom Hunkele, and Ted Rath, could ensure that the Eagles avoid being ravaged by injuries in the coming seasons.
Roseman hired Tom Hunkele as director of sports medicine and Ted Roth as director of sports performance.
Hunkele had previously spent the last 11 years with the Minnesota Vikings and has ties to the area as a Reading native. Hunkele has been honored for his training and rehabilitation methods, while also being lauded for his proactive approach to treatment.
Rath joined the Rams after eight seasons as a Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions assistant.
Rath and Jim Schwartz have history, but most important to the Eagles, his recent stint with the Rams resulted in LA having one of the healthiest teams in the NFL.
Rath is to like utilizing analytics, wellness checks and recovery plans to keep players healthy while using a digital questionnaire — similar to a short quiz — to stay updated on his player’s health.
With injuries playing a major part in Philadelphia’s struggle to reach and advance once they make the playoffs, these two changes to the personnel and training staff could pay huge dividends going forward.
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