10 Philadelphia Eagles that need to shine on Sunday Night Football
. . Nathan Gerry, linebacker. 10. player. 54.
Two Philadelphia Eagles players must step up in Week 4.
After progressively getting better over the course of the last two seasons, Nathan Gerry has completely lost all of his swagger in 2020. Originally drafted in the fifth round of 2018’s NFL Draft, the team’s brass envisioned him to be a fixture in their linebacker corps. Three years after the fact, it may be time to revisit the idea and explore some other options.
Opposing quarterbacks have earned a near-perfect 156.9 passer rating off of 13 passes thrown in Gerry’s direction in 2020. He’s been a liability in pass coverage. He hasn’t been much better versus the run, but defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz refuses to take him off of the field. If he’s going to stay out there, he had better show some improvement in Week 4.
54. . . . Malik Jackson, defensive tackle. 9. player
After missing the 2019 season with a Lisfranc injury, no one could honestly say that they knew what the future held for Malik Jackson, but people were positive. After all, he had never missed extensive time due to injury, so people were willing to call what happened in 2019 a fluke.
Predicting what his impact would be in 2020 was pretty close to impossible though. In training camp, he answered a lot of questions, and so far this season, it doesn’t appear that there are any lingering effects from the injury.
Jackson has been adequate these past three weeks, registering seven total tackles and half a sack. He needs to help the Eagles generate pressure up front in Week 4.