Nick Sirianni has a thin Eagles roster to manage in London, and the Week 5 trip against the Jacksonville Jaguars feels like a spot where the details matter even more than usual. Philadelphia is heading into Sunday without eight starters, which leaves the team trying to patch together a lineup that’s missing more than a third of the group that opened Week 1.
That reality makes the margin for error small, and it puts the spotlight on a few lineup and usage tweaks the Eagles should consider before kickoff.
One move worth making is a shift in the secondary. Philadelphia has not gotten the level of play at safety that it has been used to in recent years, and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has already said he doesn’t want to move nickel corner Cooper DeJean to safety. Still, the Eagles have a contingency plan for that possibility.
The idea would be to let Kenny Moore handle the slot if he can take on that role, which would free DeJean up to move around the defense and help stabilize the back end of the secondary. The concept isn’t without precedent. Kyle Hamilton is widely viewed as the league’s best safety, but he spent several years in the slot while Baltimore tried to strengthen its defense.
DeJean isn’t a natural safety, but his versatility and overall skill set could make that kind of arrangement workable.
Offensively, Philadelphia should lean harder into 11 personnel. The Eagles are already using one tight end on the field more than 70% of the time this season, and that number ought to climb even higher. The reason is simple: Philadelphia has looked better when its offensive line has more room to function in that grouping than it does in more condensed sets with a second tight end on the field.
With backups now filling so many starting spots, the Eagles need a formation that helps them run the ball more effectively. Shortening the field has not been a winning formula for them in recent seasons. They need their best players in space, and that setup gives them the best chance to move the ball on Sunday.
The final adjustment comes down to Jalen Hurts and how the Eagles handle pressure. Philadelphia has struggled badly against the blitz all season, and a big reason is the offensive line health issues that have followed them through the opening stretch.
The cleanest answer to a blitz is quick decision-making and fast delivery, but that has not been a strength for the Eagles and Hurts over the past few years. In last week’s loss to the Rams, several short throws were knocked down at the line of scrimmage.
That’s a problem against a Jaguars defense that ranks among the league’s most opportunistic units. The Eagles need Hurts to get the ball out quickly and let the receivers work after the catch.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Sends Strong Message As Pressure Builds On Jalen Hurts
Jalen Hurts heads into a Week 5 road test in Jacksonville with the Eagles short on the kinds of help a quarterback usually leans on. DaVonta Smith and Saquon Barkley are out, and Hurts has also been navigating a battered offensive line, leaving Philadelphia to ask its quarterback to keep the offense moving through another stretch of uncertainty.
Amid the pressure, former coach Nick Saban offered a reminder of why Hurts has long drawn praise for more than just his play. Saban highlighted Hurts character and resilience, framing the quarterback as someone who has already lived through adversity and responded the right way, a message that lands differently with the Eagles facing another game where the margin for error feels thin. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Head Into London Severely Shorthanded Before Jaguars Kickoff
The Eagles are heading into their London matchup against the Jaguars with a much thinner margin for error than usual, and the Week 5 inactive list made that clear. Philadelphia has already had to shuffle around its offense because of injuries, and now the depth chart is going to be tested again with backups such as Will Shipley at running back and Jake Majors at center expected to shoulder larger roles.
Jonathan Greenard is among the players unavailable, leaving him out because of an ankle injury and sidelined for a third game this season. He is joined on the inactive list by Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown, a collection of absences that leaves the Eagles piecing together a game plan with far less firepower than they would normally expect in a matchup that already comes with the added challenge of travel. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Head To London With A Problem They Can't Keep Hiding
The Eagles arrive in London with more than a cross-Atlantic trip on their hands. A matchup with the Jaguars now comes against a backdrop of roster strain, with Philadelphia trying to steady itself after a week that has thinned out key parts of the offense and put added pressure on a group that usually sets the tone for everything else.
Philadelphias line already had little margin for error, and the timing of the latest changes only makes the challenge sharper overseas. With Jacksonville carrying a 3-1 record and a strong statistical profile, the betting market is leaning toward the Jaguars, and the specific matchups up front could go a long way toward determining whether the Eagles can keep this from turning into a much bigger early-season problem. [Read more 🡒]