Tuipulotu enters his second year with the Philadelphia Eagles facing some pressure.
Raise your hand if you tend to forget that Marlon Tuipulotu plays for the Philadelphia Eagles. A sixth-round selection during the 2021 NFL Draft out of the might USC Trojans program (and the 189th selection overall), the expectations for this 2020 First Team All-Pac-12 nod weren’t what we would call lofty.
They never are for a sixth-rounder though, are they?
Tuipulotu enters the 2022 version of Eagles camp with more of a reason to worry than he had at this same juncture of the summer last year. We knew he’d make the team in 2021. Now, that isn’t a certainty.
With Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Milton Williams, and Jordan Davis being assured of roster spots, it feels as though the Birds may be approaching gridlock at the defensive tackle position. It seems doubtful that they’d carry five on the 53-man roster, and even if they did, who’s to say that Tuipulotu would beat out Renell Wren, Marvin Wilson, and undrafted rookie Noah Elliss for a roster spot?
Tuipulotu appeared in five games during the 2021 Eagles season. He played 55 defensive snaps, another 11 on special teams, and he racked up five total tackles. Wren has more in-game experience (12 games with two starts). Wilson may be the more athletic specimen, and he’s two inches taller.
Elliss is the Wild Card. If the goal is to move to the 3-4 defensive scheme, and some believe it is, it’s Elliss, a six-foot-four, 346-pounder that appears to be the better fit for Philly’s defensive scheme than the six-foot-two, 307-pound Marlon Tuipulotu. It should be interesting to watch these dudes compete.