3 reasons Hakeem Butler could breakout for Philadelphia Eagles this week

3. Hakeem Butler can help the Philadelphia Eagles attack the 49ers’ scheme.

The 49ers play a lot of ‘Cover 3’ for a good amount of their defensive snaps. They won’t call it every snap but it’s their go-to coverage. There are a variety of ways to beat that. The sail concept is one of those and it’s been a staple of Doug Pederson’s offense. Three receivers lineup on one side of the field. The outside receiver runs a vertical route to take away the corner who is playing deep. Then, one receiver runs into the flat and the other runs a sail route about 10-yards deeper forcing the one defender underneath in the flat to choose between the high or low receiver.

Those other two receivers are usually the slot receiver or tight end. Butler played in the slot a good amount at Iowa State so he could lineup at either spot and get some yards. If the defender in the flat decides to cover the receiver on the sail route, he will have to take his chances making an open-field tackle if the ball goes to Butler underneath. It’s unlikely one man is going to bring down Butler. If the defender bites on Butler or another receiver underneath, the sail route will be open.

Another way to attack the ‘Cover 3’ defense is with seam routes in the middle. This often involves the slot receiver and tight end on opposite sides of the formation running vertically towards the lone safety responsible for the middle third of the field. The safety has to make a decision and lean towards one of them which allows the quarterback to hit the open man in stride. Again, Butler can play the slot and will play tight end for the Eagles and even with inaccurate throws he could bail out Wentz at times because of his size, athleticism, and catch radius.

Deep dig routes breaking in behind the linebackers underneath in cover 3 can also be where the Eagles utilize Butler. In Week 16 last year versus the Dallas Cowboys, the Eagles put J.J. Arcega-Whiteside on a 15-yard dig against cover 3 on the first play from scrimmage. It resulted in a 27-yard catch. Keep in mind that’s the same player who has ten catches in 19 career games so there’s no reason Butler can’t be useful there. Last but not least, because of Butler’s ability to get yards after the catch, the Birds can dump the ball off to him on quick routes when the 49ers’ bring pressure. Get the ball in his hands and let him do the rest.