Eagles reserves that can elevate their teammates if given larger roles

If the emotions feel familiar to you, don’t war with them. Truthfully, we’ve all either arrived at the same theory or we’re relatively close to it. This Philadelphia Eagles team is beginning to remind us of the 2017 version. The starters are uber-talented, and so are so many of the reserves.

Now, that doesn’t mean that the current roster and coaching staff will see their season end in an identical fashion as the team we cheered for five years ago. There’s no guarantee that Philly will hoist the Vince Lombard Trophy or that the City of Brotherly Love will host a parade. There’s a long way to go here, and this is a marathon, not a sprint, but it’s hard not to get excited about this team or its roster.

Gosh, this team is deep! It’s also full of characters who have character. We’re just hoping for three things: their best effort, a run that’s as void of injuries as possible (get well soon Jordan Davis), and reps for the role players so they can get in on the act.

2017’s Eagles employed the next-man-up mantra because they had to. They had a ton of injuries, many were at key positions. 2022’s Eagles are also deep, but rather than play guys out of necessity, they have the luxury of giving more responsibility to some guys who are just too doggone good not to utilize.

Just get these guys on the field more. We’ll let the Eagles coaches figure out when and where.

We’re not coaches. We aren’t here to argue over usage or snap counts, but we wouldn’t have any problem with seeing more of the guys on this list.

Jordan Davis (whenever he returns)

Ask 30 different Eagles fans their opinions of Jordan Davis‘ usage, or lack thereof, and you’ll most certainly arrive at 30 varying opinions. Some believe that limiting his snap count will ensure that he’s fresh and available for Philadelphia all season long.  Others state he’s been criminally underutilized after the Birds traded up to the 13th-overall selection to draft him. Here’s where we can agree.

Whenever he’s on the field good things happen more often than not. He’s a force in the running game, and if he’s given more snaps on obvious passing downs, while he may not currently be the sack artist that he’ll probably grow into, having him on the field will create opportunities for his teammates on the edge.

It’s believed that he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 8 and that we won’t see him for about four to six weeks. If that’s correct,  he should be back in tilme for what we hope is a deep playoff run. That’s good news. Philly will need all hands on deck if they are to hoist another Vince Lombardi Trophy.

This is a freak of nature. Don’t rush him back, but when he is ready, use him! Whether you agree or not with the analysis, it’s definitely a discussion worth having.

Zach Pascal

Prior to the arrival of Zach Pascal and A.J. Brown, occasionally, there were discussions about there being a need for a veteran presence in the Eagles wide receivers room. Just in case you haven’t noticed, those conversations don’t occur anymore.

No one has to be convinced of A.J.’s brilliance. Zach is a monster too, often putting himself on the back burner and doing the dirty work to ensure his teammates are the stars of the show. It was great to see him get in the end zone in Week 8. He deserved that.

Having Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Dallas Goedert, and Miles Sanders as teammates means Pascal will never be a consistent focal point of the offense, but a few more targets on third down and in the red zone will lead to touchdowns rather than field goals and fewer punts. That’s a promise.

Quez Watkins

Tell the truth. When the Eagles attempted to go deep to Quez Watkins versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, you felt a slight adrenaline rush didn’t you?

Jalen Hurts’ pass fell harmlessly to the ground incomplete, but Week 2’s bomb when these two connected is proof enough that Philadelphia may want to try to get Quez involved more often. That remains as one of the best plays of the season so far

Trey Sermon, Grant Calcaterra, and Reed Blankenship

Running back Trey Sermon, tight end Grant Calcaterra, and safety Reed Blankenship are each at the bottom of the depth chart at their respective positions. That probably won’t change between now and the conclusion of the season, but these are three monsters in waiting.

Again, no one wants to see injuries occur, but they’ll be ready if ever asked to step up. Then again, the more we think about it, there may be some wisdom in allowing them some extra snaps seeing as how there’s no current pressure on them to perform.