The Philadelphia Eagles are set to host the Atlanta Falcons in the team’s home opener on Monday night. While the Eagles escaped Brazil with a sloppy victory over the Green Bay Packers, they’ll be looking to make a statement in Week 2.
As we look ahead to Monday night’s prime-time battle of the birds, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Eagles. I’ll answer those questions and more in the latest edition of my Eagles mailbag.
Eagles Mailbag: Who Will Start in Philadelphia’s Secondary Moving Forward?
@evanlovesphilly asked, “Do you think the pass rush will be better in week two?”
After an underwhelming performance in Week 1, many have begun to panic about Philadelphia’s pass rush. Despite poor field conditions in Brazil, the Eagles still recorded 17 total pressures and two sacks against the Packers.
Now the Eagles are flying back home to Lincoln Financial Field, where the home crowd should give the pass rush an advantage. Atlanta’s offensive line struggled against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 while attempting to protect a clearly limited Kirk Cousins.
Therefore, Philadelphia’s pass rush should be able to bounce back in Week 2. Bryce Huff wasn’t concerned about his performance against the Packers and believes the Eagles will be just fine moving forward.
@shawnrob42 asked, “Did Zack Baun’s Week 1 performance solidify him as a starting LB?”
Not only did Zack Baun solidify himself as a starting LB in Philadelphia, but he also solidified himself as the best LB on the Eagles. Baun enjoyed a dominant debut against the Packers and joined elite company with his performance.
Baun recorded 15 total tackles and two sacks. Baun is just the sixth player to reach those marks in a single game since 2007.
According to TruMedia, the only other players to record 15 total tackles and two sacks in a single game were Bobby Wagner, Devin White, Roquan Smith, Vincent Ray, and Patrick Willis.
Here’s a closer look at Baun’s impressive debut in Week 1:
Zack Baun looks like the BREAKOUT STAR of the NFL I ALL-22, ALL PLAYS I Week 1 Highlights
Zack Baun had an unbelievable debut for the Philadelphia Eagles, here is EVERY play from week 1 against Green Bay
Full video here: https://t.co/lY89PvMWav#Eagles #ZackBaun #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/oQwJaARowr
— MRCROCKPOT (@mrcrockpot) September 8, 2024
@ScooterMcgilli1 asked, “What’s your ideal starting secondary assuming everyone on the roster is healthy?”
After Isaiah Rodgers was forced to miss Week 1 due to a hand injury, the Eagles went with a new look in the secondary.
Darius Slay Jr. and Quinyon Mitchell started at outside CB, Avonte Maddox started at slot CB, while C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Reed Blankenship started at safety. Cooper DeJean was the team’s sixth DB in dime packages.
With Rodgers ready to return in Week 2, I believe the Eagles will use the following secondary against the Falcons:
CB1: Darius Slay Jr.
CB2: Quinyon Mitchell (replaced by Isaiah Rodgers in nickel/dime packages)
Slot CB: Quinyon Mitchell
S1: C.J. Gardner-Johnson
S2: Reed Blankenship
Dime DB: Cooper DeJean
@thePHIspecial asked, “What’s the biggest concern for the team right now? (yes, I realize we’re only one week in)”
After Philadelphia’s sloppy win in Week 1, the biggest concern should be the team’s run defense. The Packers had 163 rushing yards and averaged an absurd 7.8 yards per carry.
The Eagles looked lost at times, both setting the edge to contain runs and fitting gaps along the interior. Nick Sirianni also talked about the team’s poor tackling technique in Week 1, which is why they added tackling drills to practice this week.
Falcons running back Bijan Robinson is viewed as one of the best players at the position in the NFL. If the Eagles are unable to contain Robinson, Atlanta could make things interesting on Monday night.
@Leobega7 asked, “Is there a role for Devin White on this team or is he a trade candidate?”
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has officially named Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean as the team’s starting linebacker duo. Therefore, Devin White is suddenly on the outside looking in.
Philadelphia reportedly entertained trading White before the regular season, which could certainly be revisited at the trade deadline. In Week 1, Fangio only used Baun and Dean at LB.
If that trend continues, White will likely be traded elsewhere by the trade deadline. White clearly wants an opportunity to play meaningful snaps, and that suddenly doesn’t seem like it’ll happen in Philadelphia.
@GarrettPhils asked, “Maybe I missed something, but I was surprised to see Mann doing the kickoffs—was that always the plan?”
The Eagles used both Braden Mann and Jake Elliott for kickoffs during the preseason. Jake Elliott appeared to have more success, as the average field position for his five kickoff attempts was 27.6, according to Pro Football Focus.
Meanwhile, Mann had four kickoff attempts with an average field position of 34.3. Yet he showcased a stronger leg, averaging 66.3 yards per attempt, 5.3 yards more than Elliott.
In Week 1, the Eagles had six kickoffs and Mann handled them all. Five of Mann’s kickoffs resulted in a touchback, while the only return was for just 24 yards.
@WuKingdom1 asked, “Who do you think will catch a TD pass first this season: Jahan Dotson Dallas Goedert, or Groot (Johnny Wilson)?”
Dallas Goedert feels like the obvious choice given his target share and the pecking order in Philadelphia’s offense, yet I’ll go with Jahan Dotson due to his versatility and big-play ability.
While Goedert is a key target for the Eagles, he doesn’t score a ton of touchdowns. Goedert scored just three touchdowns in each of his last two seasons in Philadelphia. During that same time span, Dotson has recorded 11 touchdowns.
Dotson should be able to capitalize on defenses focusing on A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith at WR. Once Dotson is comfortable and targeted more in Philadelphia’s offense, he could quickly score his first TD of the regular season.