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Philadelphia Eagles: James Casey. There is a reason Philadelphia signed Casey right when free agency opened. Chip Kelly has a plan for Casey, who was tragically underused in Houston. The Texans moved him around a fair amount but used him too often as a blocking fullback. Expect Kelly also to move Casey all over the formation and utilize his versatility, but also expect Casey to be a tight end first in Philadelphia. I can’t say I know exactly how Kelly is going to employ Casey, or even what the Eagles’ offense will look like exactly in 2013. But I do know that Casey can block, catch, run and operate on the move. I’m betting that Philadelphia’s new offense and Casey will be an excellent match.

Full article: http://espn.go.com/blog/nfceast/post/_/id/50358/eight-in-the-box-breakout-player

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PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – Eagles fans will have a lot of new names to learn when the team opens up in July. Free agency begun the turnover of an Eagles roster that went 12 and 20 over the last two seasons, and the draft should continue that process.

One of the first additions is former Texans tight end and fullback, James Casey. If his first interviews are any indication, he’ll be one of the guys that people remember.

Though Casey comes to the Eagles listed as both a tight end and a fullback, that’s a light load compared to what he did in college, where he once played seven different positions in one game.

“Yeah, back when I was at Rice, I was fortunate enough to get a lot of opportunities,” Casey told Angelo Cataldi and the 94WIP Morning Show on Friday. “The coaches let me do a lot of different things. I played all over the place on offense. I played a lot of quarterback, running back, receiver, some tight end. In one game, the game you are referring to, I played defense also against Southern Miss and we played them on a Wednesday night game. I played some defensive end, so I played both ways for a little bit that game.”

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If Chip Kelly likes unique, versatile weapons, then nobody should be surprised that James Casey was the first player the Philadelphia Eagles signed once free agency began on Tuesday. The former pro baseball player once played seven different positions in one football game. He’s a fullback, a tight end and a slot receiver, and maybe more.

“His versatility is really one of the keys to us acquiring him,” Kelly said at a press conference on Wednesday, via a transcription released by the team. “He was a guy we targeted right away when free agency started, a guy that can really come into our program and have a big effect on what we’re going to do.”

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The Philadelphia Eagles made their first 2013 free-agent signing official Tuesday night, announcing that they have agreed to terms on a three-year deal with tight end James Casey. The Eagles announcement specifically identified Casey as a tight end, and that’s significant since he was used as a fullback in Houston. But I think that distinction speaks to the appeal of Casey to the Eagles and new coach Chip Kelly as he works to build his offense at the NFL level.

The idea of someone like Casey, who can function as a blocker, a receiver out of the backfield or a tight end, has to seem exciting to a coach who likes to experiment and stay as multiple as possible on offense. Kelly will want options, and having an H-back or “joker” type of player available to Michael Vick (or whoever the quarterback ends up being this year or down the road) can only help with that. The Eagles can run double-tight end looks with Casey and Brent Celek or line the new guy up in the backfield and force teams to have to account for him as something more than a blocker.

I like the signing. It’s not a big, splashy one, but Casey is a guy who was drawing interest around the league from teams that thought the Texans underused him. The Eagles have work to do on defense, but the defensive back market is overloaded and likely to move slowly. It’s fitting that Kelly’s first big move was on offense, and it’s a move that’s likely to pay dividends as he gets creative.