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New Gigs for Eagles Beat Writers Zach Berman and EJ Smith

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Aug 7th, 2025 · 10:15 AM EDT

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Sports media news:

Life update: After eight years, I’m leaving The Inquirer.

In that time, I’ve worked with so many wonderful people. I'll especially miss my beat partners, current and former.

I appreciate all of you for following my work. I won’t say where I’m going yet, but I won't be far!

— EJ Smith (@EJSmith94) August 7, 2025

The multi talanted @EJSmith94 (except for spotting the correct Eagles player, according to @ZBerm) came up clutch for @Bo_Wulf and manned the guitar for the farewell song to the great Zach Berman at the @PHLY_Eagles #Ospreys award show. Good times! @FDuffyNFL pic.twitter.com/SwW2JTF4kB

— Ray Lee (@Machplane) August 7, 2025

PHLY did a live Eagles podcast Wednesday night at the Hard Rock Cafe, reclaiming the hallowed ground from the nefarious clutches of Tailgate Ted and assorted Commie sympathizers. They hinted at Berman’s departure several times, and there’s been related buzz about both guys on the various Eagles podcasts out there. The old smoke and fire bit, though Zach himself hasn’t tweeted anything. Sources tell Crossing Broad he’s staying on the Eagles beat and rejoining The Athletic two years after first departing for PHLY, while I would assume EJ then takes his spot at PHLY. Not 100% sure on the second part, so we’ll call it “informed speculation” for now. (EDIT – thank you to Justin, who notes in the song above that the final lyric goes, “welcome to PHLY and the show EJ”)

Zach left The Athletic (now with ads) in September of 2023 to join PHLY from the onset. His first stint with The Athletic ran about five Eagles seasons, following his 2019 departure from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

Bo Wulf and Berman worked alongside each other at the The Athletic, and came over to PHLY as a tandem. The pair continued their Eagles podcast, “Birds with Friends,” rebranded as “PHLY Philadelphia Eagles Podcast,” which later added Xs and Os guru Fran Duffy and other recurring guests.

The shuffle means that The Athletic now has Berman and Brooks Kubena on the Eagles, presumably, while PHLY has Wulf, Duffy, and maybe Smith. The Inquirer has Jeff McLane, Jeff Neiburg, and Olivia Reiner, plus the three columnists in Mike Sielski, Marcus Hayes, and David Murphy. I believe that some of the guys who joined PHLY at its inception are approaching the end of their first contract, so we’ll see if anything more is coming down the pike.