One benefit of having a roster as talented as the Eagles do on offense is that it is not going to be easy for players they take in the upcoming NFL Draft to find their way onto the field.
At almost every position you look on offense, the team has multiple players they expect to play big roles in 2019, leaving very few snaps for incoming rookies. In 2018, the Eagles' offense ran 1,037 plays. In 2017, they ran 1,073 plays. That averages out to an average of 1,055 plays, or 1,055 likely snaps on offense next season.
Using those projected numbers for the offense, here is a look at how much playing time — barring injury — is actually up for grabs for the Eagles' rookies.
Quarterback:
Expected Snaps: 1,055
Needless to say, the Eagles are crossing their fingers and praying that the only snaps not taken by Carson Wentz are either at the end of a blowout or during a meaningless Week 17 game.
Running Back:
Expected Snaps: 1,055
No running back played more than 354 snaps for the Eagles in 2017 or 2018, a sign of how committed they are to the running back-by-committee approach. Of course, injuries played a role as well, as both Jay Ajayi in 2018 and Darren Sproles in 2017 missed considerable time. The question is whether Jordan Howard will change that. Howard has played around 600 snaps the last two seasons. Assuming he takes up more snaps than the Eagles' usually give a running back, let's pencil him in for around 500 snaps. Considering the Eagles had a running back on the field for almost every play last season, but very rarely had two, that leaves around 555 snaps to spread around after Howard between Corey Clement, Josh Adams, Wendell Smallwood and a potential rookie. It is very possible a rookie running back could come in and take the majority of those snaps. Of all the positions on offense, there are the most snaps up for grabs at running back.
Tight end:
Projected Snaps: 1,523 (two-tight end sets)
The Eagles use plenty of two-tight end sets. Last year, Zach Ertz played 1,000 snaps while Dallas Goedert played 523. Goedert's numbers might go up, but it is unlikely that any rookie is going to be able to come in here and take snaps away from either Ertz or Goedert. Last season the third tight-end on the roster — Joshua Perkins — played 95 snaps. It is unlikely the Eagles draft a tight end high enough for him to even be considered for snaps next season.
Wide Receiver:
Expected Snaps: 2,691 (Multiple receiver sets)
The Eagles paraded a whopping nine different receivers out onto the field during the regular season last year, the result of injuries to Alshon Jeffery and Mike Wallace. They are hoping that is not the case this season, and if all goes well, Jeffery, Nelson Agholor and DeSean Jackson will be taking up almost all of those snaps. If you pencil Agholor in for the 982 snaps he played last season, that leaves 1,709 snaps. Jeffery played 770 snaps last season while missing three games, so he could be back up to around 900 this season. The question is how many Jackson will play. Jackson played just 452 snaps for the Buccaneers last season as he struggled to stay healthy. If he plays all 16 games, that number will obviously skyrocket. If you project Jackson to play around 700 snaps, that leaves just 109 snaps for the rest of the receivers — which amounts to almost nothing over 16 games. If the Eagles draft a receiver, and keep their top three, it is going to be very hard for that rookie receiver to get on the field.
Offensive Line:
Expected Snaps: 1,055
On paper, there does not appear to be any snaps up for grabs along the offensive line —which is exactly how the Eagles want it. Injuries, however, have plagued the team's offensive line the last few seasons, and figure to play a role again with Jason Peters coming back and Brandon Brooks recovering from a torn Achilles. If the Eagles do draft an offensive linemen high — like in the first two rounds — it is possible they could step in for an injured player and never leave the lineup. Otherwise, any late-round pick is going to have to beat out Jordan Mailata for time at tackle, or Matt Pryor for time at guard. Chances are the Eagles will take someone on the offensive line late in the draft and develop them all next season, like they did in 2018.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
