Report of Eagles' Schwartz trying to 'usurp power' from Pederson may be overblown

Philadelphia's defensive coordinator is vocal, but there are conflicting reports of his standing

A day away from the first game of their highly anticipated 2017 season, the Philadelphia Eagles are in the spotlight for some abrupt in-house drama, perhaps to no fault of their own.

In the wake of comments from former NFL general manager Mike Lombardi, who said on The Ringer that Eagles head coach Doug Pederson "might be less qualified to coach a team than anyone I've ever seen in my 30-plus years in the NFL," Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Saturday that Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz just may be "trying to undercut" or "usurp power" from Pederson.

McLane cites an unnamed Eagles employee and three anonymous Eagles players in the report, also speculating that Lombardi's friendship with Schwartz may have led to the former's public criticism of Pederson:

At the very least, the optics aren't favorable. One Eagles staffer said the only coach who probably doesn't think Schwartz is trying to undercut Pederson is Pederson. Three players, who requested anonymity, said that it's become well-known in the locker room that Schwartz is waiting to usurp power. "He walks around the building like he thinks he's the head coach," one player said.

That's some juicy stuff, and there are some points in McLane's report that have merit -- for instance, Schwartz is a former NFL head coach himself and has never been shy about showcasing his outspoken personality, a stark contrast to that of Pederson.

But there's also no shortage of indications that the alleged staff drama is overblown.

When asked whether he believes Schwartz may have been trying to "use Lombardi" to undermine Pederson, PhillyVoice's Jimmy Kempski downed the notion via Twitter Saturday.

"I can think of a thousand other humans better served for that purpose," Kempski said.

Then there's the timing and source of the report itself. "The optics aren't favorable" doesn't make for the firmest of foundations for a report of this gravity, especially since McLane, who was ejected from an Eagles press box in January, just two weeks earlier penned a story about some players still learning to deal with Schwartz's "abrasive" attitude. Now, less than 48 hours before Opening Day kickoff and two days after Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie himself both endorsed Pederson and called Lombardi's criticisms "click-bait," there's a sudden surge of office politics?

Few people would deny that maybe, just maybe, Schwartz would be primed for head coaching consideration in Philadelphia if Pederson, who enters his second season running the show with Carson Wentz in 2017, doesn't pan out. There might not be a better route for Lurie, in fact, if he ultimately wanted to replace Pederson without overhauling the entire staff for the third time since Andy Reid's departure after 2012. But suggesting that Schwartz's current temperament -- "he walks around the building like he thinks he's the head coach" -- isn't something the Eagles already embraced when they hired him, let alone a reason to believe Schwartz is gunning for his boss's job, is another story entirely.