Eagles Lose Scout to Matt Rhule and Panthers
When it comes to transactions, personnel departments around the NFL are on a different timetable, one that runs from draft to draft.
That’s why the upheaval around the league comes after the draft process with most contracts set to expire May 1 or shortly thereafter.
The Eagles will have at least some change in Andy Weidl’s department with national scout Patrick Stewart leaving to become the director of player personnel with the Carolina Panthers. NFL Media first reported the move.
Stewart joined the Eagles in 2018 after 11 seasons with the New England Patriots where he started out as a scouting assistant before becoming an area scout and volleying back and forth between pro and college scouting for the Pats.
With the Eagles, Stewart was in charge of the organization’s midwest scouting along with looking at players from a national perspective.
In Carolina, Stewart will be reuniting with Matt Rhule, the former Temple and Baylor coach who has now taken over as the Panthers head coach.
In many ways, the NFL is about relationships and that explains Stewart’s sojourn to the Queen City where he will reunite with Rhule.
Rhule and Stewart first got to know one another at Western Carolina University in 2005 when Stewart was just starting his career as a grad assistant and Rhule was the associate head coach. Stewart went with Rhule to Temple in 2006 and was the Owls’ assistant director of football operations while Rhule was the defensive line coach under Al Golden.
By 2007 Stewart had graduated to the NFL with the Pats and has been scouting for the past 14 years.
John McMullen covers the Eagles for SI.com and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every day on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, Every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio, and every weekday on ESPN 97.3 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
