Doug Pederson’s Creation Is Taking Form
By Matt Giraldi
The Philadelphia Eagles take the field Thursday for the first time under head coach Doug Pederson. Which questions surrounding the team will be answered against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers?
NFL football is finally back. An offseason that felt like one long wait at the DMV is finally behind us. While the Hall of Fame Game is tonight, the Eagles have to wait until Thursday to get in on the action. A lot of questions have yet to be answered about the Eagles depth chart, style of play, and health. One preseason game against the Buccaneers won’t answer everything, but it will go a long way in discovering how the team will be run under Pederson.
As it pertains to the depth chart, particularly among the running backs, it’s safe to assume that Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles are going to be on the team. Wendell Smallwood likely has a roster spot sewn up too. After Smallwood however, will Kenjon Barner and Byron Marshall be competing for the final spot among the Eagles running backs? Snap distribution at the position will be very telling.
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The depth chart has been shaky due to injuries at the position thus far. Mathews and Smallwood have missed time thus far in training camp. Sproles has been electric to start camp, but his age could limit his productivity long into the season. Despite being 33 years old, some already suggest Sproles as the lead back. A rebuilding team like the Eagles shouldn’t use this approach however.
Last season Sproles got more snaps than Mathews in all but two regular season games. With an eye on the future, the Eagles need to get a long look at the younger running backs on Thursday. Can Barner handle early down work? Could Marshall be utilized in a similar manner to Dexter McCluster? Pederson was the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in McCluster’s final season with the team.
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How Pederson runs the offense will tell us a great deal of what to expect this season. Running a methodical training camp has led to questions on how all three phases of the game will be affected. One thing is certain. The change in offense should benefit the defense immensely. Given the fact that the Chiefs ranked 31st, 29th, and 25th in offensive pace over the last three seasons, it’s safe to assume that the defense won’t have the same issues it did with Chip Kelly.
The offense of course needs to show consistency. Rueben Randle has impressed coaches early on, as has tight end Trey Burton. Both are players to keep an eye on Thursday offensively. There’s also that Carson Wentz guy too. Flashing in practice is one thing. Being able to do so against live competition, guys fighting for a job, is an entirely different animal. Most importantly, even surpassing the debut of Wentz, the Eagles need to emerge from the preseason healthy.
Despite news that the Eagles might sign veteran Stephen Tulloch, the team needs to get production of second year linebacker Jordan Hicks. Hicks is coming off a solid rookie season cut short by a pectoral injury. Flying under the radar nationally, Hicks has earned praise in camp.
I want to see Hicks playing behind a destructive defensive line coached by Jim Schwartz. Should Hicks get a quarter of work, he would have the opportunity to play with the starters and with some emerging backups like Beau Allen and Mike Martin. If Hicks can replicate his rookie performance, or even improve, the Eagles defense will be a formidable opponent in 2016. Again, it hinges on he and the rest of the team staying healthy.
Thus far, the Eagles have appeared banged up early on in camp. Jason Peters, Mathews, Jordan Matthews, Smallwood, and even Malcolm Jenkins have missed parts of practice due to dings and dents. The games in August don’t count. The only winners are the players that are healthy enough to play in the following game. Production on the scoreboard is nice, but it is not an end-all in preseason. Having a full compliment of players emerge afterwards will result in Pederson’s first win as an Eagles coach, regardless what the scoreboard reads when the clock hits zero.