The Philadelphia Eagles have an 8-1 record after two seasons, but this year’s is unique because the rookies are participating and succeeding while gaining experience.
The Philadelphia Eagles have an 8-1 record, but not all 8-1 records are made equal.
A baptism under fire, this year’s 8-1 has been bolstered by rookies. Particularly in the secondary, where Sydney Brown, a third-round pick, and Eli Ricks, an undrafted rookie, have been thrust into the furnace of pivotal moments and have played a combined 72 snaps during Sunday’s 28-23 victory.
Although Ricks and Brown did not have the entire blame for Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott’s incredible 374-yard, three-touchdown performance, they also cannot escape criticism.
A day after the Eagles defeated Dallas, head coach Nick Sirianni defended the pass defence.
“We trusted Eli and Sydney to complete the task, which is why they were there,” Sirianni remarked. “Once more, did the 375 passing yards look good on the stat sheet? Nope. Did the scoreboard, though, look nice? Yes. It’s pretty damn good to hold that kind of team to six points in the second half and 23 points for the entire game.”
Although it’s a risky performance, Brown and Ricks are learning important skills that will benefit them in the long run, as well as the Eagles.
The head coach stated, “You have to overcome some of those challenges to continue to grow as a player.”
Although Brown and Ricks have already played 127 defensive snaps (33 percent) and 112 (22 percent) respectively, they are not the only rookie class being put to the test in combat. After veteran Bradley Roby recovers from the shoulder injury that has kept him out of the last three games, those numbers may decline a little.
Jalen Carter, a defensive tackle selected ninth overall, played a career-high 51 snaps (68 percent) last week. The Eagles’ other first-round pick, Nolan Smith, has already recorded one sack, seven tackles, and two quarterback hits in his limited snap count.
Against the Cowboys, third-round pick Tyler Steen had his chance in the spotlight, playing every snap in his first professional start.
Sirianni commented, “I think he played pretty good,” about Steen, who filled in at right guard. “He will obviously want the plays returned. He was paired with several different guys on a few occasions.
“Despite it being his first start and as a rookie against a very strong defence, I thought he played a good game,” the player said.
The rookies didn’t play much last season.
Undrafted free agent Reed Blankenship led the team in rookie snap totals with 291 (26 percent), despite not playing extended snaps until Week 12 due to Chauncey Gardner-Johnson’s ruptured kidney during the game against the Green Bay Packers.
Jordan Davis, a first-round selection, may have finished with the most, but after going on injured reserve for four games, he found veterans Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh impeding his ability to get on the field.
Drafted in the second round, Cam Jurgens scored 35 points, Nakobe Dean scored 34, and Kyron Johnson, the first of two sixth-round picks, scored 18 points. Tight end Grant Calcaterra, the second of the two sixth-round selections, played 227 games, the most of which were during the five games Dallas Goedert missed due to a shoulder injury.
Nevertheless, the Eagles are 8-1 this season after going 8-1 the previous year thanks to a different approach to playing younger players. Naturally, some injuries have a major role in the need to play the rookies, but the Eagles are still winning a lot of games.
Sirianni became just the 11th head coach since 1970 to lead his team to 8-1 start in back-to-back seasons, joining Tony Dungy (2005-06 Colts), Mike Shanahan (1996-98 Broncos), Barry Switzer (1994-95 Cowboys), Marv Levy (1990-91 Bills), Bill Parcells (1989-90 Giants), George Seifert (1989-90 49ers), Tom Landry (1976-77 Cowboys), John Madden (1976-77 Raiders), Ted Marchibroda (1976-77 Colts), and Don Shula (1972-73 Dolphins).