Notable snap counts from the Eagles Week 16 win vs. Giants (and what they might mean)

Nolan Smith: 17 snaps

This was Nolan Smith’s highest percentage of snaps that he’s played this year (27%). It’s great to see a rookie, who hasn’t been seeing the field as much as we want, actually get significant playing time, especially when that rookie is a first-rounder. 

The other REALLY interesting thing about this is that Smith saw a good number of snaps as an off-ball linebacker. He’s not an off-ball linebacker. He’s an edge rusher. Maybe the coaches are seeing versatility?

You can take this recent approach as the ‘have your best players on the field’ mentality. You’d be right. A rookie, Nolan Smith, LOVES playing football, and he definitely has more juice than a perpetually injured Shaq Leonard and former undrafted free agent Ben VanSumeran.

If you want your best players on the field, you got exactly that. Don't ignore Nolan Smith. He could be a star in the making.

You could also say this. ‘Develop the players you drafted at the position they're supposed to be playing’. You’d also right about that as well.

Nolan Smith is a potential Eagles lifer. You’re going to want him to be a top-tier edge rusher for his career, and being an off-ball linebacker potentially limits his success coming off the edge. 

The point here is that everyone is right and your feelings are justified. Congratulations to everyone. 

Kelee Ringo: 51 snaps

Kelee Ringo is going to be a good cornerback. He’s been playing pretty well for a guy who has only started in two games.

His snap counts will decrease when Darius Slay returns, but the signs so far are encouraging. Ringo's talent and speed are obvious. That too is encouraging and gives us some sense of security going into the future.

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