Eagles defense plan on being ‘decisive’ chasing the Rams’ heavy motion offensive scheme

When the Eagles defense met for the first time this week on Wednesday to prepare for the motion-heavy Los Angeles Rams offense led by Sean McVay, Vic Fangio made sure to emphasize a particular point early on, according to Cooper DeJean — how the Eagles play pre-snap is going to set them up to win post-snap.

The Rams use motion at league-best rates in almost every category. According to Next Gen Stats, their 70.3% motion at the snap and 20.2% usage of multiple motions rank atop the NFL. Overall, their 82% motion rate is their highest in a season since at least 2018. DeJean, the rookie slot cornerback out of Iowa, expressed an understanding that the Rams will try to challenge him by putting their receivers in motion before the snap.

“It’s tough,” DeJean said on Thursday. “When to run with the motion and when to not in certain coverages. You’ve got to be decisive in chasing the motions.”

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That challenge will likely come in the form of Cooper Kupp, the Rams’ 6-foot-2, 207-pound receiver who has taken the majority of his snaps this season out of the slot. Kupp thrived in the slot last week against the New England Patriots — five of his six receptions came from that alignment, racking up 106 yards and two touchdowns.

He’s also been one of their primary receivers put in motion. Going into last week’s game against the Patriots, Kupp was in motion on more than half of his snaps this season, according to Next Gen Stats. His size and versatility make him a threat out of the slot, according to DeJean.

“I think he’s just a bigger guy in the slot,” DeJean said. “You don’t normally see guys his size and don’t really play him in the slot like that. So just the way they move him around. Give him a lot of option routes. And then he’s a physical blocker, too, in the run game. They use him almost like a tight end at some points. So he’s a really good, all-around football player.”

DeJean is up to the task. Ahead of last week’s game against the Washington Commanders, the 21-year-old slot cornerback had recorded the greatest coverage success rate (73.9%) among slot cornerbacks who had been targeted a minimum of 10 times since Week 6, which was when he assumed the starting role. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels picked on DeJean a bit more on Thursday, as the cornerback allowed eight receptions for 53 yards on nine targets.

“It’s definitely different, coming in here and you’re playing with all these stars,” DeJean said. “Teams try to come at you a little bit more. But I think it’s a good challenge.”

On the heels of last Thursday’s game, Jake Elliott said he couldn’t wait to get back on the practice field with the team on Wednesday and put his performance behind him.

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Elliott, the 29-year-old kicker in his eighth season with the Eagles, had his worst outing of his career, missing a pair of field goals and an extra point. All three of those failed attempts sailed wide left. Still, when evaluating those misses, Elliott said that there wasn’t a “whole lot of problematic stuff” behind each of them.

“I was still finishing downfield,” Elliott said on Thursday. “Still hitting the ball well. Just sometimes they drift left on you. I was getting a little quick on it and made that adjustment this week.”

Elliott said that he made “a few very, very small tweaks” in practice that will set him up for success going forward. He even took time afterward to get some extra kicks in with special teams coordinator Michael Clay, special teams assistant Tyler Brown, punter and holder Braden Mann, and long snapper Rick Lovato. Elliott will also get a break from the variability of Mother Nature in his attempt to rebound this weekend in the SoFi Stadium dome.

“It’s been a really good, productive week,” Elliott said. “Striking the ball really well. Definitely went back and watched a lot of film and just kind of trying to figure out what exactly I do great and kind of just double down on that type of stuff. I felt like I had a really productive week. Probably hit a few more balls than I normally would. But I feel good about where I’m at.”

When Jalyx Hunt found out that Bryce Huff would require surgery on his wrist after a couple weeks of trying to play through an injury, the rookie defensive end wasn’t excited, even if Huff’s absence means more playing time for him.

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Hunt, the Eagles’ third-round pick out of Houston Christian, has primarily served in a special-teams role this season while taking a handful of defensive snaps here and there, particularly late in fourth quarters when the team has a substantial lead. Even with the prospect of more defensive snaps ahead of him, Hunt lamented his teammate’s misfortune.

“That’s my dog,” Hunt said on Thursday. “I just texted him [on Thursday]. Make sure everything was going well. But it’s unfortunate that he is down. Hope everything works out with his wrist. And now you’ve just got to fill in the hole that he left. He’s a great rusher. So you’ve just got to fill it in.”

The 23-year-old Hunt said he hasn’t been told to prepare for a bigger role with Huff on Friday being placed on injured reserve. However, he has worked behind the scenes in practice to be ready to step in on defense when called upon. Even as a third-rounder out of a small school who switched from safety to defensive end in 2022, Hunt said he never looked at this year as a redshirt season.

“I don’t even think the Eagles thought that way,” Hunt said. “We’re in the league. We’re not in college no more. I can’t red shirt. You’ve got to play. So I think the goal was to work me in, but to contribute in any way possible, like I was saying. So my role, heavily, this season is special teams and getting down, trying to make better field position for offense or defense. I will step into my defensive end role as time comes and games go on.”

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Hunt took on his most substantial defensive workload two weeks ago against the Dallas Cowboys, taking 25 snaps (42%) and posting a tackle and a pass breakup. But last week against the Commanders, Hunt didn’t see the field on defense. While the rookie defensive end popped up on the injury report on Wednesday with an ankle issue, Hunt said that his lack of defensive snaps had nothing to do with his injury.

“When somebody’s rushing as good as they are right now as a group, especially at this position, you don’t want to mess up their rhythm or anything like that,” Hunt explained. “So if you’re rushing, you’ve got that hot hand, go for it. I think that’s all it is.”

The Eagles play in Week 12 against the Los Angeles Rams. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from SoFi Stadium.