10 Unsung Philadelphia Eagles and how they can help a playoff push

A pair of safeties could contribute for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Injuries forced K’Von Wallace into action as the starting safety in Week 4 versus the San Francisco 49ers. In that game and the matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the week following, K’Von showed plenty of potential. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz used him as a box safety a decent amount and it worked out pretty well. Wallace showed promise in both run and pass defense. The former Clemson safety even added a few violent hits which reminded us of another former Clemson safety known as ‘Weapon X’.

Wallace has a long way to go before he is even mentioned along with Brian Dawkins but he has been mentored by Dawkins. That could go a long way in his development. Even on the play that Wallace got hurt on in Week 6, he laid quite the hit on James Proche on a punt return. With most of the other safeties on short-term deals, Wallace needs to get playing time to prepare for the future. Hopefully, Schwartz has some packages ready for Wallace. If not, he can still be valuable as a gunner on special teams.

Speaking of gunners, Rudy Ford has been the special teams MVP for the Philadelphia Eagles when he’s been on the field. If you pay close attention during the games, Ford is almost always the first one down the field on both punts and kicks. In just four games, he has seven tackles on special teams. Even when he’s not making tackles, he’s forcing players to change direction during punt and kick return situations or he’s forcing them toward the sideline.

The field position battle can win or lose a game. Ford getting down the field and preventing a big return could pay huge dividends in a game where both offenses are struggling to move the chains. This Eagles offense tends to stall out at times. Based on what we’ve seen in the first eight games, they’re going to need some help from the defense and special teams. Ford can quietly make an impact for this team down the stretch.