Eagles news: An ignored landmark, a new fullback, a rookie's golden opportunity

Jalyx Hunt, Ben VanSumeren, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. take center stage in this one.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (L), Jeremiah Trotter (R), Philadelphia Eagles
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. (L), Jeremiah Trotter (R), Philadelphia Eagles / Mitchell Leff/GettyImages
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Sometimes, when we should be working, we roll the chair away from the desk, eat, and daydream. Just once, we wish we could suit up in the Philadelphia Eagles' locker room. We wish we could only walk into a Philadelphia Eagles huddle without being thrown out (or drawing a '12 men in the huddle' penalty). One problem... We were never that good for such events to happen.

Some of us played D-1 ball. Others saw their dream end after high school. Others still were benched by the time we reached middle school.

That's okay. We'll take it! We have no issue with discussing the game we love for a living. We have guys like Jalyx Hunt, Ben VanSumeren, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. who we can live vicariously through.

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Eagles news: Jalyx Hunt deserves more credit than he's been getting.

If we're being honest, we remember less about what happened during the Eagles' Week 7 win over the New York Giants than we remember about the game's earlier stages. Maybe that's why Jalyx Hunt's career sack hasn't been discussed in great detail. It came once the game had been decided.

Still, Jalyx has done what we wished we could... play in the NFL, so it's for that reason we offer another look.

Something tells us he's going to be good. He has to leap a few guys on the depth chart, but every time we have seen him play, we've been pleased with his performance.

By the way... He's one of those edge rushers Philly might be able to drop in coverage with favorable results.

Must read: A long jinx that must be broken

More Eagles news: Jeremiah Trotter could see some playing time soon.

Nothing is official yet, but here's something worth monitoring. Zack Baun left Philly's Week 7 game and didn't return. He's dealing with a shoulder injury. On Wednesday, he was a non-participant in practice.

Naturally, the next thoughts here are about Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and some possible playing time. But Trot isn't guaranteed anything. Nakobe Dean is the starter. Junior Axe Man may get more reps in practice, but there's no concrete evidence that Baun won't be ready by Sunday.

And, even if he isn't, as far as game-day action goes, it would seem Ben VanSumeren is next up on the depth chart. We'll keep an eye on this though. Jeremiah Trotter Jr. getting significant playing time isn't something fans and the media won't notice.

Oh, and speaking of Ben VanSumeren...

Worth mentioning: Ben VanSumeren at fullback?

Former Eagle Jon Ritchie will like this one. The fullback position is back! And, what do you know? The Eagles have a linebacker filling the role.

Ben VanSumeren played the first offensive snap of his career vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Sunday in Week 7, he played five offensive snaps and helped out with some key blocks to set up some good runs.

Pro Football Focus gave him a 65.0 run-blocking grade and an overall offensive grade of 65.4. Those numbers were better than the grades earned by Fred Johnson. Tyler Steen, and Jack Stoll.

Hmmm... Philly might be onto something here.

There's only one issue with this. He wears the Number 57 jersey, so every time he enters the game, he must report as an eligible receiver.

That kind of sucks. We know Ben is never seeing a pass thrown in his direction. Then again... Can this guy actually catch?

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