Eagles Film Review: What should be expected from new linebacker Eric Wilson?

Eric Wilson, in his first three NFL seasons, had gone from undrafted rookie to special teams jack of all trades to third linebacker. He had carved out a role that made him valuable to the Vikings as he entered his fourth season, and if not to his own team, certainly to another once he reached free agency.

But Wilson’s responsibilities increased last season after Anthony Barr suffered a season-ending injury in Week 2 and Eric Kendricks endured the same fate two months later. His playing time swelled and his roles varied after each Pro Bowl linebacker went down.

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“There were a lot of different things last year playing for the Vikings that came up,” Wilson said Tuesday during a video interview. “The position I played might have changed a little bit throughout the season. I played multiple different positions and I even had to call the plays with the green dot helmet.”

He handled the expansion with aplomb, considering his relative lack of experience, and with opportunity came better individual numbers. Wilson led the Vikings with 122 tackles and notched three interceptions, three sacks, eight pass breakups and a forced fumble.

But the transition didn’t come without issues. Minnesota’s defense, once among the NFL’s best annually, had regressed and finished fourth and sixth from the bottom in points and yards allowed, respectively. The reasons for the downturn were multifaceted, but despite Wilson’s seeming improvement, the Vikings opted not to retain the 26-year old.

It wouldn’t have cost much. The Eagles signed him to a one-year, $3.25 million deal last week. Barr and Kendricks are under contract for 2021, at considerable prices, and with both returning from injury, Wilson was likely viewed as expendable.

But it’s not like there was much of a market outside Minnesota. Linebacker isn’t exactly a premium position, but Wilson remained unsigned for more than three weeks despite last season’s improvement.

What did the Eagles see in Wilson that other teams didn’t?

Based on his film, they likely saw a durable player who was versatile enough to fill all three linebacker spots. They saw a willing run defender, effective blitzer, and above-average pass defender, who could handle both zone and man cover tasks.

But the Eagles also likely saw the issues that led the Vikings and other teams to pass on Wilson: The way he could get swallowed up by blockers, or the missed tackles or the general lack of comparable size and physicality that left him undrafted coming out of Cincinnati.

“I don’t have any deficiencies,” Wilson said when asked about the criticisms. “I think those are just people’s opinions.”

The Eagles clearly valued the former high school safety’s ability to drop and cover in space over his run defense. And considering the importance of the former vs. the latter in today’s NFL, it’s easy to see why.

Sure, they would love to have a linebacker who could do both equally as well. But the Eagles just aren’t going to allocate resources to the position, even if new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s scheme remains a bit of a mystery.

Wilson should have some idea having spent time with Gannon when they were both in Minnesota. He could very well end up the Eagles’ three-down linebacker and be charged with calling plays. The same could apply to former Vikings safety Anthony Harris, who signed a one-year deal last month, on the back end.

But Alex Singleton, T.J. Edwards, and second-year linebackers Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley could have something to say about Wilson stepping into the No. 1 job. It’s not like he arrives in Philly with an extensive resume.

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“I don’t have a ceiling,” Wilson said. “I truly believe I’m getting better each and every day.”

If so, the Eagles may have found a gem late in free agency. Their recent record in assessing linebackers is mixed, but what Wilson’s film from last season showed is that he is certainly capable of being the guy, even with the aforementioned flaws.

Here’s a closer look:

Gannon and new Eagles coach Nick Sirianni had a first-hand look at Wilson when the Colts hosted the Vikings in Week 2 last season. The linebacker was shaky against the run and whiffed on two tackle attempts in a Minnesota loss. But he did well against the pass and notched his first interception of the season when he caught a deflected pass.

Wilson (No. 50) is rarely in the wrong spot. On this play, he read the jet action from the running back and when Colts quarterback Philip Rivers (No. 17) dumped into the flat, Wilson was there for the tackle for loss.

Like many linebackers, Wilson was often responsible for the running back in man coverage. If he had eyes on his man, his speed often allowed him to keep any damage to a minimum. But he, again, used anticipation to jump this swing route against the Lions in the season finale and notched another stop behind the line.

One of Wilson’s best man cover plays came against perhaps the best receiving back in the NFL -- the Saints’ Alvin Kamara (No. 41). He may have trailed early in this wheel route, but Wilson’s athleticism showed with his recovery and ability to break up the pass just as the ball arrived.

Later in that game, Wilson had the fullback in the slot. Mike Burton (No. 32) isn’t in Kamara’s company, but he got separation on this vertical route. Wilson’s initial technique wasn’t great, and quarterback Drew Brees’ (No. 9) pass was errant, but what impressed was the linebacker’s ability to turn and make a play on the ball.

Wilson has a keen understanding of zone concepts and the fundamentals of playing underneath. When you’re the middle hold backer, you’re often responsible for short crossing routes. But your positioning is also pertinent to deeper routes and how offenses will attack the middle with hi-lo route concepts.

You can see on this play vs. the Lions in Week 9 how Wilson was able to transition from the cross to the curl all while keeping his eyes on quarterback Matthew Stafford (No. 9). The pass was poor and the interception relatively easy. But Wilson had already done all the dirty work by the time he was gifted the ball.

Pro Football Focus ranked Wilson 48th out of 52 linebackers who played more than 50 percent of their team’s snaps in 2020 in run defense.

“I can stop the run,” Wilson countered. “The Football Focus is the Football Focus. But I’m a great player. I’m great against the run.”

While great may be an exaggeration, it’s important to note that PFF’s grading system is subjective and lacking player-responsibility context. The criticisms of Wilson are valid, though. He could be easily blocked and tended to get washed out of plays.

No linebacker is immune. Even the best will get blown out of gaps. But with Wilson he often got taken out of plays by tight ends or lead-blocking fullbacks. On this inside zone run from the Colts, he got turned around by a pulling tight end.

Wilson was often in the right gap. And he didn’t avoid contact. And even when initially blocked, he worked through and made plays. Here he was able to fend off a second level block from a Buccaneers tackle and kept running back Ronald Jones (No. 27) to a short gain.

But there were times when Wilson failed to make plays either because his eyes betrayed him or he gambled and vacated his lane. On this Kamara 40-yard touchdown run, the linebacker appeared to be fooled by the jet action. He was on heels and taken out of his gap by the tackle and the rest was history.

There were other Vikings almost as complicit. But Wilson just didn’t stand out against the run -- both in size and playmaking ability -- compared to his teammate Kendricks. He worked downhill and was often square to the line, but he could gamble at times, as he did here against the Packers when he incorrectly played the jet motion.

PFF charged Wilson with 20 missed tackles. It’s a subjective enterprise, but he finished tied for the third most among linebackers. I didn’t watch his every play, but for certain games, I did, and I think the tackling issue may be a touch overblown.

Wilson didn’t do a good enough job of dragging or pushing Falcons receiver Julio Jones (No. 11) out of bounds on this 40-yard touchdown catch and run. But he was in chase mode and I didn’t see many other candidates for missed tackles in a game in which he was charged with two.

Again, Wilson struggled to make tackles in the box with so many bodies and moving parts. But he did well in space. Here he was against a Titans end around angling a wide receiver to the boundary and closing out.

Of all of Vikings coach Mike Zimmer’s blitz packages, the one he may be most known for is the double-A gap. He’ll line two linebackers over each side of the center. The interior line and the quarterback have four basic permutations to consider pre-snap: both linebackers come, or both drop, or just one or the other rushes.

Still to be determined is how much Gannon takes from the Vikings scheme. Zimmer hasn’t dialed up his calling card as much in recent seasons, but he may utilize the premise in other ways. Wilson and Kendricks stood over the Bears right guard in this instance and the look caused confusion.

Wilson had a clear path to quarterback Nick Foles and got home for a sack.

On this green dog blitz, Wilson displayed his athleticism again. The Seahawks’ Russell Wilson is as tough to get down as any quarterback, but the linebacker squared him and dragged him down for the sack.

Wilson had perhaps his best game in the upset over Seattle. Along with the sack, he had an interception and a tackle for loss.

Wilson would occasionally play up on the line in the Vikings’ base package five-man fronts. This would allow him to set the edge on the strong side and if the run went away he would sometimes be able to make plays from the back side.

Here he was doing the former against the Colts.

Wilson made his NFL bones as a four-core special teamer. He didn’t play as many snaps last season because of his increased role on defense. But he still managed to shine as he did when he blocked this extra point against the Cowboys.

If the Eagles don’t use Wilson on special teams, it’ll likely mean that he has won one of their top two linebacker spots. The film, the contract and his relationship with Gannon and new linebackers coach Nick Rallis project as much. But skepticism on how he’ll perform is fair based on the Eagles’ checkered history with the position.