Howie Roseman and Nick Sirianni of the Eagles have differing opinions about rookie playing time.
Pundits praised Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles for their draft haul following the 2023 NFL Draft. The Eagles received straight As, and frequently even A+, grades from the Mel Kipers of the world.
Only Jalen Carter, one of their rookie draft selections, had a significant impact during the season, though. Carter included, not a single one of their rookie draft selections saw greater over fifty percent of the offensive or defensive snaps. The rookie snap counts were as follows:
It’s reasonable to argue that Smith, Steen, Brown, and Ringo all ought to have played more than they did in 2023, and that Nakobe Dean should have occasionally been included in 2022 as well.
As a rookie, Smith only played 11.3 snaps on average each game. Although Smith’s lack of playing time was somewhat reasonable given that he was behind seasoned veterans like Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Brandon Graham, there were still many missed opportunities for Smith to get on the field.
For example, Josh Sweat played 272 snaps, or 68 snaps per game, while Reddick played 270 snaps during a four-game run from Weeks 8–12 against the Commanders, Cowboys, Chiefs, and Bills. In Week 12 against the Bills, Reddick and Sweat combined for over 80 (!) snaps of
Smith only played 29 snaps, or 7.3 snaps per game, throughout that four-game span. If nothing else, the Eagles should have used Smith more often to help Reddick and Sweat stay fresh for the final stretch. Ultimately, given that Reddick and Sweat combined for zero sacks over the team’s final four games, there is compelling evidence to imply that they were physically exhausted at the end of the season.
Tyler Steen Steen exhibited prolonged activity in just
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