Eagles snap counts: A bunch of new faces on defense vs. Vikings
Eagles snap counts: A bunch of new faces on defense vs. Vikings originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
There were probably some moments during the Eagles’ 34-28 win over the Vikings where you found yourself asking, “Who the heck is that?”
Injuries will do that. And with the Eagles a little banged up on defense going into Week 2 on a short week, there were a bunch of new guys out there on that side of the ball.
Making the first start of his career, cornerback Josh Jobe played all 58 snaps on Thursday. Linebacker Nicholas Morrow played 55 snaps after being called up from the practice squad and handed the green dot helmet. And Mario Goodrich was forced into action after Avonte Maddox left with a shoulder injury. It was Goodrich’s first NFL action ever and he played 39 snaps on defense.
Goodrich wasn’t the only player to get his first NFL defensive snaps either. Rookies Sydney Brown (4 snaps), Kelee Ringo (1 snap) and Eli Ricks (1 snap) also made their NFL defensive debuts.
Other defensive notes:
• Without Reed Blankenship (ribs), Justin Evans played all 58 snaps and Terrell Edmunds played 53. Brown finally got on the field but just for a handful of snaps.
• Maddox lasted just 13 snaps before suffering a shoulder injury. Goodrich came in and played 39.
• At linebacker, Morrow went from practice squad to 55 snaps, while Zach Cunningham played 53. Christian Elliss, who came in on Sunday after Dean’s injury, played just 4 snaps on defense.
• The DT rotation: Fletcher Cox 44, Jalen Carter 28, Milton Williams 23, Jordan Davis 17, Marlton Tuipulotu 7, Kentavius Street 6. Cox has played the most snaps in the rotation in both games to start the season. He did it on Thursday after entering the game listed as questionable with a ribs injury.
• The edge rotation: Josh Sweat 40, Haason Reddick 39, Brandon Graham 17, Derek Barnett 14, Nolan Smith 6. Sweat had a monster game working on a backup left tackle. For the second straight game, Barnett got more snaps than the rookie Smith.
Offensive notes:
• With Kenny Gainwell (ribs) inactive for this game, D’Andre Swift had a breakout performance. He played 58 snaps and had a career-high 175 rushing yards with a touchdown. Those 58 snaps are the third-most he’s played in a game in his NFL career.
• After Swift, Boston Scott got 10 snaps and Rashaad Penny got 9. Scott had 5 carries for 40 yards in his limited action.
• For the second straight game, Jalen Hurts and his starting offensive line played every snap. On Thursday, they played all 77.
• At WR, DeVonta Smith also played all 77, while A.J. Brown followed him with 74. Quez Watkins was out there for 11 plays before suffering a hamstring injury. Olamide Zaccheaus filled in with 35 snaps but didn’t see a target.
• At tight end, Dallas Goedert played 74 of 77 snaps and got his first catch of the season but finished with just 6 for 22. Jack Stoll played 27 and Grant Calcaterra played 10.
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