The Philadelphia Eagles have announced the following changes to the football operations department:
• Tom Hunkele - Director of Sports Medicine
• Ted Rath - Director of Sports Performance
• Jeremiah Washburn - Director of Player Personnel/Senior Defensive Assistant
• Connor Barwin - Special Assistant to the General Manager
• Brent Celek - Personnel Consultant
• Darren Sproles - Personnel Consultant
Tom Hunkele – Director of Sports Medicine
Tom Hunkele joins the Eagles as the team's director of sports medicine after spending the last 14 seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, where he served as the coordinator of rehabilitation/assistant athletic trainer. In his role with the Vikings, Hunkele assisted in the evaluation and care of all injuries sustained and helped to implement proactive treatment and rehabilitation programs.
This will mark Hunkele's second stint in Philadelphia, as he worked with the NovaCare Rehabilition staff from 2000-05. During that stretch, Hunkele served as a physical therapist in the offseason and as an assistant to the trainers from the preseason through the end of the season.
In 2019, Hunkele was recognized as the Tim Davey Assistant Athletic Trainer of the Year for the NFC. He was also part of a Vikings staff that was honored by their NFL peers as the 2017 Athletic Training Staff of the Year.
A native of Reading, PA, Hunkele graduated from Duquesne University in 1998 with a bachelor's degree in athletic training and remained at the school to earn his master's in physical therapy while serving as a graduate assistant to the head athletic trainer.
Ted Rath – Director of Sports Performance
Ted Rath has been hired by the Eagles as the team's director of sports performance and brings 11 years of NFL experience to Philadelphia. Most recently, Rath spent the last three seasons with the Los Angeles Rams, beginning his stint with the Rams in 2017 as the team's head strength and conditioning coach before being promoted to director of strength training and performance in 2018.
In 2017, Rath was named the Strength Coach of the Year by the Professional Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association, an award voted on by strength and conditioning coaches around the NFL. That season, according to Football Outsiders, the Rams finished as the healthiest team in the NFL based on adjusted games lost due to injury.
Prior to his time in Los Angeles, Rath spent one season as the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Miami Dolphins (2016) and seven seasons in the same role with the Detroit Lions (2009-15).
Rath played linebacker at the University of Toledo from 2003-06 and went on to serve as the assistant director of strength and conditioning at his alma mater in 2008 before entering the NFL.
Jeremiah Washburn – Director of Player Personnel/Senior Defensive Assistant
Jeremiah Washburn, who has 18 years of NFL experience in both coaching and scouting roles, first joined the Eagles' front office during the 2019 offseason as an advanced projects coordinator. He will now serve as the director of player personnel/senior defensive assistant. Prior to coming to Philadelphia, Washburn served as an offensive line coach for the Miami Dolphins (2016, 2018), Chicago Bears (2017), and Detroit Lions (2009-15).
Before his transition to coaching in the NFL, Washburn spent six seasons with the Baltimore Ravens as a personnel assistant (2003-04) and area scout (2005-08) after originally entering the league as a football operations assistant with the Carolina Panthers (2002).
Washburn played guard at the University of Arkansas and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater (2000-01) where he also earned an MBA in 2002.
Connor Barwin – Special Assistant to the General Manager
Connor Barwin, a former All-Pro and Pro Bowl defensive end and linebacker, played 10 NFL seasons with the Houston Texans (2009-12), Philadelphia Eagles (2013-16), Los Angeles Rams (2017), and New York Giants (2018). He joins the Eagles' front office as the special assistant to the general manager.
During his NFL career, Barwin recorded 56.5 sacks in 142 career games and led the Eagles' defense with 31.5 sacks during his four years in midnight green, including a career-high 14.5 sacks in 2014.
A native of Detroit, Barwin was originally selected by the Texans in the second round (46th overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft after earning All-America honors as a senior at the University of Cincinnati.
Brent Celek – Personnel Consultant
Former Eagles tight end Brent Celek, who officially retired from the NFL following the 2017 season, has been hired by Philadelphia as a personnel consultant. An 11-year veteran, Celek played his entire professional career in Philadelphia and capped it off by helping the Eagles capture the first Super Bowl title in franchise history with 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.
Celek was selected by the Eagles in the fifth round (162nd overall) of the 2007 NFL Draft and went on to compile 398 receptions for 4,998 yards and 31 touchdowns. At the time of Celek's retirement, his 398 catches and 4,998 yards ranked fourth and eighth, respectively, in franchise history.
Darren Sproles – Personnel Consultant
Darren Sproles announced his retirement from the NFL following the 2019 season and will now serve as a personnel consultant for the Eagles. A three-time Pro Bowl and 2014 All-Pro selection, Sproles finished his 15-year career with the fifth-most all-purpose yards in NFL history (19,696), trailing only Jerry Rice (23,546), Brian Mitchell (23,330), Walter Payton (21,803), and Emmitt Smith (21,564).
A dynamic running back and kick returner, Sproles was originally drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round (130th overall) of the 2005 NFL Draft. After spending the first six years of his career (2005-10) with the Chargers, Sproles played for the New Orleans Saints from 2011-13. After the Eagles acquired Sproles from the Saints in 2014 in exchange for a fifth-round draft choice, Sproles went on to earn three straight Pro Bowl nods following the 2014, 2015, and 2016 seasons.
Sproles appeared in 183 regular-season games and compiled 3,552 rushing yards, while registering 553 catches for 4,840 receiving yards. One of the best return specialists in NFL history, Sproles notched 2,961 punt return yards and 8,352 kickoff return yards. His nine total return touchdowns (seven punt, two kick) are tied for the sixth most in NFL history, behind Devin Hester (19), Mitchell (13), Dante Hall (12), Eric Metcalf (12), and Josh Cribbs (11).
