Rinse, repeat: Eagles have a linebacker problem again

The Eagles’ reluctance to invest in off-ball linebackers is like time repeating itself in an infinite loop.

It’s an eternal recurrence that has been beneficial over the long haul, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t cost the team at times. The philosophy will be put to the test yet again with Nakobe Dean’s foot injury that is expected to sideline the second-year linebacker for about a month.

It could be said that having the NFL’s second-lowest salary cap allocation at the position has already hindered the Eagles. But they escaped with a victory against the Patriots in the opener on Sunday despite suspect play at inside linebacker, predominantly from Zach Cunningham and Christian Elliss.

Dean, though, is out for Thursday night’s game against the Vikings, which forced general manager Howie Roseman to promote Nicholas Morrow off the practice squad and sign Rashaan Evans as his replacement to supplement an already-thin corps.

“We’ll go with some of the guys that we’ve got up. We feel really good about them,” defensive coordinator Sean Desai said on Tuesday when asked about Dean’s replacement. “We’ve been rotating guys and putting guys in different spots. … That’s the NFL season, guys get injured, so you have to have plans in place.”

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Last season, the Eagles didn’t have to dip into their reserves. T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White started every game and Desai’s predecessor, Jonathan Gannon, didn’t have to rotate at the position because he had two reliable linebackers.

Edwards and White left in free agency as victims of the Eagles’ long-held beliefs on the position, but also because of quarterback Jalen Hurts’ contract extension. Roseman can’t pay everyone, and as usual, he emphasized the line and the outside on defense at the expense of the middle.

And he was likely right to do so. But signing only Morrow to a one-year contract was the lone significant move of the offseason, and when it was clear that the 28-year-old wasn’t up to snuff early in training camp, Cunningham and Myles Jack (since retired) were added.

Dean had also suffered an ankle sprain at that juncture. He returned in time for the second preseason game, but two injuries in two months only compound pre-draft concerns about his durability that helped cause him to drop in 2022.

The Eagles’ third-round investment in the Georgia product wasn’t a drop in the bucket. They had expended a pick in the same round on Davion Taylor two years earlier — a complete whiff — but before that it had been five years since they last drafted an off-ball linebacker that high (Jordan Hicks) and eight since Roseman was involved in selecting one (Mychal Kendricks) in the second round.

While Edwards and White didn’t exactly represent a deep investment — the former was an undrafted free agent; the latter arrived via a one-year contract — they were savvy linebackers who minimized offenses attacking the middle of the field through the air where the Eagles have historically been susceptible.

It took several drives, but New England was able to exploit Desai’s unit between the numbers, with Mac Jones completing 22 of 28 passes (79%) for 256 yards and two touchdowns in that area.

“I think they were intentionally trying to attack that with the rain, not throw the ball outside the numbers,” Desai said. “We were trying to make sure we had enough depth in the defense … and rolling our coverages to certain front sides of some routes to help us there. We were tight on some. They had some good catches with some runaways and things like that.

“It’s really about making sure that we’re packing that middle of the defense when we need to, having enough depth when they try to throw over the top of us.”

Obviously, it’s harder to throw outside the numbers. But the disparity in Jones’ stats — he completed just 13 of 26 for 60 yards throwing in that direction — speaks to the Eagles’ struggles in covering the middle.

Safeties Reed Blankenship, Justin Evans, and Terrell Edmunds don’t get a pass, and neither does Desai, who made some questionable calls. But you get what you pay for as the Eagles have also spent the least amount on the safety position in the league.

The Eagles will be light at safety on Thursday as well. Blankenship, who like Dean, performed the best of his group vs. the Pats, has been ruled out with a rib injury, which also factors into who picks up Dean’s play-calling responsibilities.

Elliss is technically the backup middle linebacker and initially transmitted Desai’s calls to the defense when Dean left.

“The green dot communication was great,” Desai said, referencing the helmet sticker that marks the players who wear the headset. “We didn’t miss a beat.”

Teams are permitted to have a second player wear the green dot and Blankenship took over when the Eagles were in dime personnel with Elliss off the field. But the 22-year-old Dean, who called plays at Georgia for two seasons, has the most experience — despite his relative youth — at directing traffic.

“Nakobe is great at communication. He’s great with how he carries himself,” Elliss said. “I’m just trying to mimic that in my game. There’s things that he does out there, just subtle things, where he looks back and talks to the safeties, talks to the corners.

“We’re gonna try to get it done — will get it done.”

Desai is likely to employ a rotation at the two off-ball linebacker spots. While Cunningham earned the start opposite Dean in the opener, Elliss played one series in the first half, and was inserted midway through a third-quarter drive.

It’s unclear if Cunningham was benched, but when Dean ran into Evans and injured his foot, Desai had no other options. The Eagles opted to keep only three inside linebackers on the 53-man roster and currently have the same amount with Morrow called up after Dean was placed on injured reserve.

Rashaan Evans, 27, who arrived in Philly late Monday night, will likely need time before he’s an option. He has 67 career starts in five previous seasons and started every game for the Falcons last year, but was unsigned throughout the offseason.

“I would have to leave that up to the teams,” Evans said when asked about the delay. “When teams know the guys they want, they like certain guys, they basically go with them. For me, I kind of never take it personally.”

His free agency speaks to the league’s view on the position, as well. While there are still some teams that are willing to invest in off-ball linebackers, many would rather fill their spots with cost-effective solutions that often involve younger players.

For the Eagles, Sunday’s defensive performance was a byproduct of that thinking. As poorly as the linebackers played, particularly in pass coverage, it didn’t cost them in the standings. But no one at that position was taking credit two days later.

“There’s a lot of things that we can work on,” Elliss said, “especially in that [linebacker] room — me in particular.”

Here’s a closer look at the film of the linebackers against the Patriots:

The Eagles did well to stop New England’s run game and Dean (No. 17) was very much a part of that. In 15 run snaps, he notched five tackles.

Desai utilized a five-man front on only 7 of 80 snaps — partly because he was matching Patriots personnel — but the Eagles were effective in that grouping with Jordan Davis at nose tackle. Dean, of course, has comfort playing behind Davis, his former Georgia teammate, and in the scheme.

The 5-foot-11, 231-pound Dean is on the smaller side, but he’s instinctive and often beats blockers to the holes. He can struggle to disengage from second-level blocks vs. interior offensive linemen, though.

Dean didn’t run the 40-yard dash in pre-draft opportunities because of injuries, but he lacks elite speed. He probably could have taken a better angle on the below play. Tackling a receiver in space is always tough for a linebacker, but he also appeared a tick slow in his change of direction.

In many cases, the Eagles’ linebackers were in the right spots. But they failed to make impact plays for whatever the reason. The below play, though, was an example of Cunningham (No. 52) biting on a play fake.

It takes all 11 defenders to stop the run, so Cunningham wasn’t solely responsible for Ezekiel Elliott’s long gain there. The same could be said for this over-the-middle curl route by tight end Hunter Henry (No. 85), but Cunningham’s technique was less than optimal.

“In terms of some techniques and fundamentals, that’s part of our job, right?” Desai said when asked about areas he wanted to improve upon after the first game. “They wouldn’t have me as a coach if we didn’t need to clean that stuff up.”

The linebackers will need to be sound with Vikings tight end T.J. Hockenson coming to town.

It wasn’t all bad for Cunningham. Here he was reading a screen pass and shedding a block for a stop:

And while Cunningham didn’t get home on this delayed blitz in the second quarter, Desai’s call on the below play was dubious on third-and-10. The Patriots had yet to complete a pass longer than 9 yards at that point and this zone blitz left the middle vacated.

Elliss (No. 53) probably had the roughest day of the three. In his defense, it can be tough to rotate into the lineup.

“You’ve just got to roll with the punches,” he said.

He said he needed to improve on the angles he took in the open field.

“I had a completely bad angle where [Rhamondre Stevenson] cut it back,” Elliss said, referring to the above play. “It’s mistakes like that that cost us yards. We ended up winning the game, so I’m thankful for that. More importantly, I expect more from myself, and I’m gonna show that come Thursday.”

Tackling wasn’t necessarily an issue, although on this play both Cunningham and Elliss failed to bring Stevenson (No. 38) down.

Desai went with just one linebacker — Cunningham — and six defensive backs during a late drive. But as the Patriots moved closer to the red zone, he went back to two linebackers in nickel personnel.

Elliss didn’t get to Jones on this blitz, but he forced the quarterback to step up in the pocket where he was sacked by defensive tackle Jalen Carter.

Ultimately, the Eagles defense came up with two late stops after a Jalen Hurts fumble and a turnover on downs. It’s debatable how much the linebackers had to do with that resiliency, which could, in theory, strengthen the Eagles’ team-building argument.

In crunch time, their superior D-line came through. But how often can they be expected to compensate for what the defense lacks at linebacker this season? Time, if it’s a flat circle, could tell.

The Eagles play the Minnesota Vikings in the home opener. Join Eagles beat reporters Josh Tolentino, EJ Smith, and Olivia Reiner as they dissect the hottest story lines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from Lincoln Financial Field.