The Eagles brought middle linebacker Nakobe Dean back from IR in Week 6, but he was not a starter.
Instead, the Eagles started Nicholas Morrow and Zach Cunningham and used a three-man rotation against the Jets.
After the 20-14 loss, Dean said the Eagles limited his pitches as he returned from a foot injury that forced him to miss four games on IR.
But will this rotation continue even after Dean is 100 percent?
“We really think week-to-week, game-by-game and the package and scheme is what we want to do,” Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai said. “But we are confident that they will come out there and do it for us.”
The Eagles started the season with Dean and Cunningham as starters and Morrow on the practice squad. However, after Dean’s injury, Morrow became the starting middle linebacker, and the duo of Morrow and Cunningham played well in the four games Dean was absent.
On Sunday night, Dean also acknowledged that Morrow and Dean have earned snaps.
Here’s what happened on Sunday:
Cunningham: 49 snaps (75%)
Tomorrow: 36 snaps (55%)
Dean: 32 snaps (49%)
However, rotating at the linebacker position can put extra stress on on-field communication during games. Desai also admitted as much on Tuesday.
“It can be done. That’s what we’re preparing for,” Desai said. “We’re preparing all week, we’re putting our players in those situations, we’re putting myself in those situations as the main communicator to them on game day. But we’re preparing for all of that. We’re preparing for that situation, so we’re making good plans for that.”
Desai praised linebackers coach DJ Elliott for managing the rotations and communication from the sideline during the game, and also for organizing and preparing Green Dot helmets (helmets with one-way radio transmitters). He praised the equipment staff for preparing the equipment.
Note: This increased stress due to linebacker rotation comes on top of a constant flow of rotations on the defensive line and in the secondary thanks to a cavalcade of injuries in 2023. Desai’s defense this season.
Because of all of this, it seems like the Eagles have to feel like they’re getting enough value out of the rotation at linebacker, or they probably won’t.
They at least saw the value in the game against the Jets.
“I think it was a good situation for us to keep everyone fresh, and that’s a big thing for us,” Desai said. “We want to stay fresh in every game and throughout the season until the fourth quarter. We’ve got some good players at that position who are playing really good football, so we’re all shooting shots on goal. You might be able to hit it.”
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