Eagles rookie LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. ready for another new playoff experience
With Nakobe Dean out for the rest of the season, Trotter Jr. could be called upon to play more on defense for the team he grew up rooting for when it was his father playing playoff football.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s first brush with playoff football at the Linc occurred long before Sunday’s wild-card win over the Green Bay Packers.
The 22-year-old inside linebacker frequented the stadium with his father, Jeremiah Trotter Sr., for the Eagles’ playoff runs in the mid-2000s as a child. Roughly a decade later, he became more than just a spectator. He was a key special-teams contributor against the Packers, recovering Oren Burks’ forced fumble on the opening kickoff to help set up the Eagles’ first touchdown.
Sunday’s divisional-round game could provide Trotter with yet another new postseason experience. With Nakobe Dean on injured reserve due to a torn patellar tendon sustained against the Packers, Vic Fangio said Tuesday that Trotter and Burks could split reps alongside Zack Baun against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I definitely feel like I’m ready,” Trotter said Wednesday of potentially seeing his first meaningful defensive game action. “Prepared every single week kind of like I was going to start. Try to make sure I’m always on top of what I need to do, as far as mentally and preparation-wise. I just try to look up to the veterans and see how they prepare as well and that’s really all you can do.”
The veterans have been watching Trotter, too. Baun, the All-Pro linebacker, has taken reps in practice with the fifth-rounder out of Clemson throughout the season, as Fangio prefers that his starters work with the backups to prepare for situations like Dean’s injury.
Baun, who will wear the green dot on Sunday to receive defensive signals, has taken the week to ensure that he, Trotter, and Burks are on the same page come game day. Depending on the defensive alignment, he and Dean would assume particular individual responsibilities. Now, Baun has been discussing those duties with Trotter and Burks as they prepare to face Sean McVay’s offense.
After a season’s worth of practice reps together, Baun has learned that the 6-foot, 225-pound rookie is “hungry,” “physical,” and “instinctive.” Above all else, he is prepared for his prospective opportunity to contribute on defense.
“He’s been ready for a long time now,” Baun said. “He’s really excited and I’m excited for him and Oren.”
» READ MORE: Nakobe Dean suffers season-ending knee injury in Eagles’ wild-card win vs. Packers
While Trotter could be playing his most meaningful snaps in Fangio’s defense on Sunday, it wouldn’t be his first game action. He played 100% of the defensive snaps (53) in the regular-season finale against the New York Giants, for which most of the Eagles starters rested. Trotter finished the game with 11 tackles, which was the second most on the team behind Burks (17).
Trotter also rotated with Burks in the Eagles’ Week 17 blowout victory over the Dallas Cowboys while Dean was out with an abdominal injury. The rookie linebacker was sent on a blitz late in the fourth quarter and split his first career sack with defensive tackle Thomas Booker.
“I definitely thought those reps helped out a lot,” Trotter said. “In practice, I was getting reps and just trying to do what I could out there. Make sure I was getting better and working on my craft. But getting real game reps definitely helps out a lot, especially just learning from the veterans all the way up to this point as well.”
Trotter has been a special-teams contributor all season, posting three tackles in the regular season (tied for fourth on the team). By working hard on special teams and in practice, he said he was able to establish a sense of trust with his teammates and coaches that led to this opportunity on defense.
Dean has lent the rookie advice this week, encouraging him to trust his preparation all season long. But his teammates aren’t the only ones offering words of wisdom. Trotter Sr. also offered his perspective on his son’s chance to make an impact on defense.
“His advice is just to make sure I put in the work,” Trotter Jr. said. “Prepare every single week. And really just at the end of the day, the stakes are higher, but it’s another football game. You can’t make it more than what it is. You’ve got to go out there and just do what I’ve been doing my whole life, which is playing football.”
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The younger Trotter went from the stands to the sideline over the last decade when the Eagles were on defense. Come Sunday, he is eager to finally make a difference on the field.
“It’s going to be a different point of view,” he said. “I guess I’ve already experienced it by now. But it’s definitely something that’s surreal, playing for your hometown team and already being a fan of the team. So I want to win just as much as the fans want us to win.”