In the first quarter of the Philadelphia Eagles' Week 1 opener against the Atlanta Falcons last Thursday night, NBC color commentator Cris Collinsworth remarked that Michael Bennett is unhappy with his role in Philly.
"Word is Michael Bennett is none too happy with being a backup," Collinsworth said. "Eight and a half sacks. He brings over three straight Pro Bowls. You can understand."
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Those comments came as a surprise to Eagles fans watching the telecast, as there have been no reports of any such unhappiness from Bennett. On Friday, Doug Pederson was asked if Bennett had communicated any frustration with his role on the defense.
"I haven't heard that," Pederson said. "He's doing well."
Bennett was unavailable for comment, but according to a league source, he communicated to the Eagles that those comments came as a surprise to him, and that they were not true at all.
Wherever Collinsworth is getting his "word" from, it isn't from Bennett.
To note, here were the snap counts for the Eagles' defensive linemen Week 1:
• 65 snaps: Fletcher Cox
• 46 snaps: Brandon Graham
• 45 snaps: Michael Bennett
• 40 snaps: Derek Barnett
• 39 snaps: Chris Long
• 27 snaps: Destiny Vaeao
• 17 snaps: Haloti Ngata
• 7 snaps: Bruce Hector
As you can see, Bennett played the third-most snaps of any Eagles' defensive lineman, the second-most among Eagles defensive ends, and only one fewer snap than Brandon Graham.
-2.0 for Collinsworth on that one.
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