With superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown ruled out with a hamstring injury, the Philadelphia Eagles have some game-planning issues to sort out entering Monday night’s home opener against the Atlanta Falcons.
But even with Brown’s injury stealing the pregame headlines, the biggest question marks surrounding the team fall on the defensive side of the ball.
MORE: 3 ruled out, 1 questionable for Eagles vs. Falcons on MNF
Here are 5 major questions surrounding Vic Fangio’s crew entering Monday Night Football at the Linc:
1. Is linebacker Zack Baun for real?
Much like his former team, the New Orleans Saints, did to the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Baun will be looking to show that his dominant Week 1 performance was no fluke.
Fangio’s preseason plan to try Baun at inside linebacker passed with flying colors against the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. A situational pass rusher with the Saints, Baun was used in more of a hybrid role in his Eagles debut. Per PFF’s advanced stats, he played 47 of his 70 snaps in the box as an inside backer, but also logged 13 snaps on the EDGE and another six as a slot cornerback.
The returns — 10 solo tackles, two sacks and seven run stuffs — were fruitful against the Packers. The Falcons present an intriguing next challenge with star skill position players like running back Bijan Robinson and tight end Kyle Pitts in Baun’s sights.
2. How are the cornerbacks deployed with Isaiah Rodgers back in the lineup?
Isaiah Rodgers, a presumed Week 1 starter at outside cornerback, was surprisingly scratched from the season opener with a hand injury. The move created a domino effect of sorts for Fangio and how he deployed his defensive backs vs. the Packers.
Rookie Quinyon Mitchell started on the outside opposite Darius Slay, and converted safety Avonte Maddox got the nod at nickel corner. The results were a mixed bag, with rookie Cooper DeJean and Kelee Ringo on the outside looking in for reps.
What changes with Rodgers back in the fold? Will Mitchell stay on the outside after performing well in Week 1? Or does Fangio move him back inside, where he logged the majority of his reps during training camp? Does Maddox move back to a reserve safety role?
A healthy Rodgers will help crystalize how the Eagles want to play in the secondary this season.
3. Is rookie Cooper DeJean finally ready to roll?
Fangio has been straightforward with reporters throughout the summer, at times brutally honest on where players stand. He talked openly about Mitchell’s readiness for a full-time role, and followed through in the Week 1 game plan. This past week, he squashed the Nakobe Dean vs. Devin White storyline by flat-out naming Dean the starter at middle linebacker going forward.
DeJean? Not so much. Fangio has remained vague in his assessments of the rookie, citing missed practice time in training camp — DeJean missed the first three weeks with a hamstring injury — for his reduced role to start the season. The line Fangio has gone back to with DeJean is: "He’s behind, but we’re trying to catch him up."
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni hinted that DeJean is finally gaining some steam in his preparation. But is the second-round draft pick ready for prime time on Monday night?
“He's getting close,” Sirianni said. “We'll see how the game plays out this week, but he's stringing together some nice practices in a row."
4. Is Bryce Huff more than a situational pass rusher?
If the Eagles view Huff as a future replacement for Haason Reddick, then they have some work to do.
Fangio rotated his pass rushers throughout the Packers game, and Huff was only out there for 30 total snaps. It was an uneventful debut, as Huff failed to record a single hurry or pressure in his 17 pass rush reps, per PFF.
The Eagles view Huff as more than just a situational pass rusher, which was his previous role with the New York Jets. The 26-year-old was not a major part of the defensive game plan in Brazil, indicating there’s still ground to cover there.
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5. So, what is Devin White’s role now?
It was a brutal Week 1 for White, who started every Eagles training camp practice but one at middle linebacker. But a tweaked ankle in practice prevented White from even making the trip to Brazil. Now, he enters Week 2 against the Falcons in what he called a surprising twist — stuck in a backup role behind Dean.
Sirianni said the team is going to need White at some point this season. White, for a guy who signed with Philly on a one-year prove-it deal looking to cash in big next offseason, has said all the right things since losing the starting job.
What exactly will the former No. 5 overall draft pick’s role look like? Monday night will provide the first true indication.
"Right now, I'm locked in with this team," White said. "I came here to do a job. I know everything is in front of me, so I got to do what I got to do. ... If I stay true to myself and the team, it's going to come."
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