Sizing up the Eagles' LB situation
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Sizing up the Eagles' LB situation
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
Andy Reid did not hesitate to say "Yes" yesterday when asked if he thought DeMeco Ryans was a three-down player.
He also avoided saying too much about the team's plans at the other linebacker spots. The Eagles currently have nine linebackers on their roster, and that number is likely to grow as free agency continues and the draft takes place in late April.
Below is a player-by-player breakdown of the different pieces the Eagles currently have and how they might fit going forward.
Jamar Chaney - He played 82.5 percent of the Eagles' snaps last season, starting out at SAM, before replacing Casey Matthews in the middle in Week 3. Chaney struggled throughout, and Juan Castillo began to use him more as a situational player towards the end of the season, taking him off the field in many passing situations.. Chaney played about 47 percent of the team's snaps from Weeks 14 to 16, before suffering an injury in the season finale. He had surgery to repair a herniated disk in his neck in January.
Reid was smart to not say Chaney has the edge at SAM. It was only a two-game tryout, but he really struggled in that spot last year (see my game writeups here and here). To be fair, the lockout-shortened offseason affected not only rookies, but second-year players like Chaney too. However, he should have to compete for a starting spot next season. Chaney showed flashes of being a good player as a rookie, but had far more downs than ups in 2011.
Brian Rolle - A sixth-round pick in 2011, Rolle probably had the best season of any Eagles linebacker. He took over at the WILL position in Week 4, showing he could compete against the run despite his size.
By the end of the season, he was being replaced in certain nickel packages. Rolle played about 62 percent of the team's defensive snaps; only Chaney was on the field more among linebackers.
I'd say Rolle is more of a favorite to win the WILL job than Chaney is to win the SAM job, but he'll still have to compete for it. The Eagles could sign or draft a player to compete at WILL. And several of the linebackers currently on the roster could at least be given the chance to unseat Rolle.
Casey Matthews - It was a roller coaster rookie season for Matthews, who was obviously not prepared for the role the Eagles put him in. He spent the first two weeks at middle linebacker, switched to WILL for a week and then barely saw the field until Week 14. But in the final four games, he was on the field for about 61 percent of the Eagles' defensive snaps.
It's probably unfair to judge a player after one season, but if Matthews is going to develop into an every-down linebacker at some point, he'll have to prove himself to anyone who saw him struggle against the run in 2011.
Assuming Ryans never comes off the field, that leaves one nickel linebacker spot open. Matthews had some good moments in coverage towards the end of the season. He should be in the mix to play in that package, but will have to fight for playing time.
Keenan Clayton - Heading into Week 11, Clayton had played a total of 11 defensive snaps. It would be an understatement to say the coaching staff didn't trust the speedy fourth-round pick from 2010. Despite the Eagles' struggles at linebacker, not only did Clayton spend most of his time on the sideline, but he didn't even dress in Weeks 6 and 7.
In the final four weeks, though, he played about 37 of the Eagles' defensive snaps, entering the games in nickel and dime situations. Clayton played relatively well too. At this time last year, I thought he would compete for the starting WILL position. That obviously didn't happen. If he's going to get on the field now, it will likely be in a specialized role in coverage, similar to what I described with Matthews.
Or the Eagles could get a little creative and try him out at safety, which the Daily News' Paul Domowitch recently suggested.
Either way, Clayton is no lock to make the Eagles' 53-man roster.
Moise Fokou - His 2011 season ended in late November, after Fokou suffered an ankle injury against the Patriots. Before that, he played both WILL and SAM, staying on the field for about 39 percent of the team's defensive snaps.
If the Eagles don't make any more significant moves at linebacker, he'll likely get a chance to at least compete for the starting SAM job. But Fokou is probably best suited for a backup/special teams role.
Akeem Jordan - The same can be said for Jordan. He filled in for Fokou at SAM in the second half of last season and could get an opportunity to compete for that spot if the Eagles don't add any more pieces.
But more likely, he'll get a chance to fill in as a backup/special-teams player. Jordan led the team with 14 special-teams tackles in 2011.
Greg Lloyd - A seventh-round pick in 2011, he spent most of last season on the practice squad before being promoted to the 53-man roster. But Lloyd was never active on gameday. He's a longshot to make the team in 2012.
Monte Simmons - He was an undrafted free agent out of Kent State, who spent 2011 on the 49ers' practice squad. The Eagles signed him earlier this offseason.
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Great Article Sheil. Seems like Ryans' past achievements are head and shoulders above this sorry pack. Here, we like the Rolle kid. As for the others, for our dollars, we've seen enough/wouldn't miss any of 'em.— DHowardisdaman- Love the trade for Ryans - however,, the Eagles are in desperate NEED of a QB!!!!! the WR/PR playing the QB position now has and will never work out! he has no discipline, refuses to step up in the pocket and is CARELESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!! what good is revamping the D when you have a clown at the QB position who only thinks of himself. WTF!!!! His style last year was a burden to the team,, and don’t give me the O-line nonsense.. he’s had plenty of opportunities to throw the ball away if nothing was open,, HE CHOOSES to clown around in the back field and in the process creates messes that the D has to work overtime to fix!!! he's EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THIS TEAM!!! GET A QB!!!— osi is hurt boohoo
- You are the epitome of a horrible Eagles fan. — bc3030
- it's call "passionate" fan. and I'm realistic. MV has done nothing to prove to anybody that he's a capable QB.. you on the other hand have proven your idiocy to this forum.
— osi is hurt boohoo - That's comical...You say you're realistic while also saying: "He's EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH THIS TEAM!!!
" It's the simple minded who make absolute statements like that. Vick doesn't "clown" around in the back field. He's trying to keep the play alive, admittedly sometimes to the point of overextending it when he should just accept that he needs to get rid of it. The fact is with EVERYTHING else being equal in 2011, the Eagles were 1 turnover or 1 missed FG from taking the NFC East. Vick needs to contain that drive that sometimes leads to TOs. So saying he is The problem and and is EVERYTHING wrong with the team is simplistic shows you not to be very analytical. That's a fact. The Bird's poor red zone offense can be improved with a tall receiver and Vick has zero to do with the defense's lack of run stopping ability. Before you post something like the last two....really THINK before you post such ignorant drivel. And passionate doesn't mean making sense. Someone who hates is passionate too so what's you point?— DelValLifer - My point??? MV career Cmp % 55.3 – nuff said! — osi is hurt boohoo
- Doesn't sound like there is much competition for Chaney and Rolle, unless they bring some more in.— P Even
- Stiff competition.. dont know if Ryans will be able to crack the starting lineup.— FABER
- I'd also like to see Clayton tried at safety. Otherwise, he, like most of the others listed, is definitely expendable.
My question is ... if Luke Kuechly is still available at 15 do the Birds take him?
My hope is that the answer is "yes." As nice as it is to have good rotation DT's and DE's, it seems that finding an elite (potentially) LB is a little more problematic than a good DT. Or so it looks from here...— FishFryFrank - Me too with Clayton.
And Luke Kuechly is there and they take him, Then Linebacking all of a sudden is a strength. Imagine that??
And I would still Like them to Take Vontaze Burfict in the later rounds. Im sure he can help on special teams and maybe one day he matures enough to let his talent shine.— dmanphilly 
Comment removed.- It'll take a lot for Matthews to win me over. Chaney seemed to miss more tackles than he made. Rolle was fairly impressive this year, and I thought Jordan was solid last year (2010).— T
- Agreed, Rolle is a gamer and proved he can play in the NFL last year. I think upgrading the LB's around him and the front four allows him to mature(gasp) at the WILL. — xlGmanlx
- I agree our line backing group could use more competition but i think we a proven vetarn and a full offseason i expect great things in that area.
Next order of business. More competition in the WR group. Draft michael floyd round1. Then let avant and cooper fight for playing time. Drop passes, fumbles, 3 and outs. its getting old. San Fran beat us pretty good with Crabtree and Vernon davis now they have mario manningham and randy moss. Hopefully the eagles recognize this need and add more depth not in later rounds. But the best on the board round 1 or round 2. I can settle for the best TE on the board but we need something.— Yes_General - Never sold on Cooper. He has been here how long? Dude is garbage. Avant dropped some TD's last year too. No position is safe and they should look to upgrade there with a bigger body WR, but no PLAX! We get pressure from the front 4 and actually have a NFL LB crew, might take the light off the suspect safety play.....
— xlGmanlx
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