Comparing Alex Singleton to some weak Philadelphia Eagles teammates

Should Riley be the Philadelphia Eagles’ third linebacker going forward?

Duke Riley has been on the field for a decent amount of defensive snaps as well. He was expected to fill Kamu Grugier-Hill’s role as a special teams captain and off-ball linebacker. While he may have the position and while it appears that it’s his job to lose, he hasn’t been doing that job very well.

Riley looks more and more like someone who should only be used on special teams each week, and as he creates more film with which to evaluate him, most people watching are starting to conclude that they’d be happier if he was a backup who didn’t play as many defensive snaps.

T.J. Edwards was off to a solid start, but now he’s on the injured reserve which hurts this group even more. On top of that, Schwartz refuses to give the rookies extensive playing time. Shaun Bradley has been on the field for just 14 defensive snaps but has five tackles, including one tackle for a loss of yardage. Bradley has also demonstrated a strong football IQ, but for whatever reason, Schwartz refuses to give him more opportunities.

Then, there’s the third-rounder, Davion Taylor. He hasn’t played a defensive snap all season. Schwartz needs to let these guys loose. Yes, they’re rookies. Yes, they’ll make mistakes, but they’ll learn from them down the road. If Gerry and Riley aren’t any better than this and both are in their fourth seasons, they might need a change of scenery. It might be time for Philly to give more on-field time to the guys that are supposed to be this team’s future at the position. The rookies can’t be much worse than what we’re seeing from the veterans.