January 12, 2025
With the Philadelphia Eagles set to take on the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs on Sunday, now feels like a good time to answer some questions, solicited from readers on Twitter, Bluesky, and Threads. This is Part II of a two-part mailbag (Part I here).
Question from @astorer5: Given Saquon Barkley's high workload and bye coming early in the season, did you notice him wearing down at all at the end of the season? How much can the rest last weekend give him an extra burst?
I thought he looked great to close the season. I mean, in his last two games he carried 60 times for 317 yards and 2 TDs.
Still, I was curious to see what other backs with similarly high regular-season workloads did in the playoffs.
Barkley had 378 touches this season. Over the last 15 seasons, 13 other players have had 375 or more touches in a season. Seven of them played in the playoffs. Here's a list of those players, with their regular season yards per carry, and their playoff yards per carry:
| Year | Player | Touches | Regular season YPC | Playoffs YPC |
| 2014 | DeMarco Murray, Cowboys | 449 | 4.7 | 4.4 |
| 2017 | LeVeon Bell, Steelers | 406 | 4.0 | 4.2 |
| 2020 | Derrick Henry, Titans | 397 | 5.4 | 2.2 |
| 2012 | Arian Foster, Texans | 391 | 4.1 | 4.3 |
| 2012 | Adrian Peterson, Vikings | 388 | 6.0 | 4.5 |
| 2018 | Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys | 381 | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| 2022 | Najee Harris, Steelers | 381 | 3.9 | 2.4 |
As you can see, there's mostly a downward trend from the regular season to the playoffs. Of course, playoff teams typically have better defenses. Also, just eyeballing some of the names above, their offenses probably relied too heavily on the rushing attack, and were probably a little too one-dimensional heading into the tourney.
The Eagles will likely face good run defenses on their way to New Orleans, should they continue to advance through the playoffs. Here were the NFC playoff teams' run defense DVOA rankings in 2024 (Eagles excluded - they ranked 2nd, just FYI):
| Team | Run D DVOA |
| Vikings | 5 |
| Buccaneers | 6 |
| Packers | 7 |
| Lions | 10 |
| Rams | 21 |
| Commanders | 26 |
Still, the Eagles have proven they can run it against good run defenses, and Barkley has the advantage of teams being unable to completely pack the box to stop him without risk of an elite WR duo in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith toasting them down the field.
I think he'll be just fine in the playoffs, especially since he had a week of rest, as you noted.
Question from @mass_eagle: Who is the Eagles' most improved player in 2024? Candidates off the top of my head are Nolan Smith and Nakobe Dean. Maybe Grant Calcaterra? Cam Jurgens? My vote is for Nakobe Dean simply because at one point in TC, he might not have even made the team.
Yep, those are all good choices:
• Nolan Smith: Smith went from playing in the final preseason game with all the guys who were getting cut to not playing at all Week 18 with the really cool kids. His progression both as a pass rusher and run defender was very encouraging this season.
• Nakobe Dean: Dean was overshadowed a bit by Zack Baun, but he really settled in this season and became a legitimately good starter. (I'll quibble a bit on the notion that his roster spot was ever in jeopardy.)
• Grant Calcaterra: He still has a ways to go as a blocker, but he was a perfectly capable receiver in relief of Dallas Goedert. He went from TE3 a year ago to making 13 starts this season.
• Cam Jurgens: I thought Jurgens played as well as could be reasonably expected in 2023, moving to an unfamiliar position. He was a Pro Bowler and nearly an All-Pro in his first season at his natural position.
I'll add Reed Blankenship, who was up and down in 2023, but was just a really good, reliable safety this season. I'll also add Moro Ojomo, who showed something as a situational interior pass rusher. No sacks, but he got a lot of pressure in his opportunities.
Also, I assume you're only including players who were on the team last year as well? If we were to expand it to newcomers, then guys like Zack Baun and Mekhi Becton would have to be at the top of the list.
Question from @PikeCountyEagle: Lot of attention being paid to Eagles upcoming free agents, and rightly so. However, there isn't much talk about players up for extensions. I think extending Cam Jurgens long-term has to be a big priority. Other players like Nakobe Dean and even Grant Calcaterra are also candidates.
Yeah, a lot of the same familiar names from the previous question.
Jurgens will be extended this offseason. Book it. Dean is a good candidate, too.
I'm curious to see what the Eagles do in the draft at tight end. It is an absolutely loaded tight end class this year, so I don't think you'll see a Calcaterra extension early in the offseason. If the draft comes and goes and the Eagles haven't selected a tight end, then yes.
I think Blankenship is a candidate here, too. His contract expires after the 2025 season, and he has proven that he should be part of the long-term plan.
Question from @adkilbride44: If the Packers beat the Eagles, or do what they did to the Cowboys last year, what happens to Nick Sirianni?
This front office believes that they have assembled a Super Bowl-winning roster and a great supporting coaching staff. If they flame out in an embarrassing way in the Wild Card Round, I can't imagine Sirianni survives.
Question from @loveschak: Is it a given that Josh Sweat is gone after this season?
Sweat is productive, but he has to be on a snap count. I'm curious what kind of market he'll have in free agency. If he doesn't find any big offers, sure, he could return. I do think someone will pay good money for him, however.
Question from @jesuszoidberg (via Bluesky): Considering Jahan Dotson's perfectly cromulent game against the zombie Giants, does your opinion of him change at all? Is his lack of production a product of the Eagles' system, Hurts’ lack of trust in guys not named A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, or Dallas Goedert; or is he just bad?
The Eagles used to dial up a couple of plays per game for Quez Watkins, but they don't even bother with Dotson. So I think it's a combination of the Eagles not trying to get him the ball and Hurts not looking his way, because he is probably bad.
I do agree that he showed a little something against the Giants, but I don't think that'll be enough to increase his role in the playoffs as long as Brown and Smith stay healthy.
Question from @WolfmanNed: Remember when Tom Donahoe was pissed in the draft room that Howie traded down for Milton Williams, I believe he wanted a bum CB the Giants cut, can we reflect on that?
Donohoe wanted Alim McNeill, who has developed into a very good DT for the Lions.
The Eagles had Williams and McNeill rated similarly, but McNeill a little higher. The Eagles had an opportunity to trade back a few spots and add an extra pick, confident that at least one of those two guys would still be there. McNeill came off the board, and Donohoe was pissed. The Eagles took Williams, of course, who has turned out to be a good third-round pick, but McNeill has had the better career so far,.
Question from @TheSmartyJones: Why have the Eagles had Braden Mann kick off when he doesn’t seem to be good at it? All of a sudden, Jake Elliott’s leg can’t handle the stress of kicking off?
It's less the stress on his leg, and more the risk of him getting jacked up on a kick return. With the new kickoff rules, kickers are more likely to be forced to get in on tackles, and the Eagles would rather risk Mann than Elliott.
When the Eagles face good returners, however, Elliott will kick off, like he did against KaVontae Turpin and the Cowboys. Expect to see Elliott out there this week against another great kick returner in Keisean Nixon.
Question from @LocalPalaceMan: Why are the Eagles green? Are eagles green? Has there ever been a green eagle? If so, do they lean more Kelly green or midnight green? Admittedly I’ve never looked into this.
• Animal teams whose colors match the animal they're named after: Cardinals, Bengals, Dolphins (kinda), Falcons.
• Logo is fine, but the team color doesn't match the animal: Bears, Jaguars, Broncos, Panthers.
• Debatable: Ravens (Are we considering the Ravens black or purple?)
• Animal teams whose colors don't match the animal they're named after: Eagles, Lions, Colts, Seahawks (or osprey or whatever they are), Rams.
You're welcome.
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