The Philadelphia Eagles entered Week 5 planning to make a change at off-ball linebacker.
That plan went out of the window after Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was questionably ejected for an on-field fracas that took place during the game’s opening kickoff.
As revealed by Zack Baun (via the Inquirer), the plan was to have Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. rotate at the linebacker spot next to the Eagles’ All-Pro starter.
There was also a curious mention on the game’s broadcast about Trot Jr. potentially
starting the game. Speaking during his Tuesday morning press conference, Eagles defensive coordinator denied that was the case:
“That is an out-and-out lie. Never said that.”
Fangio did, however, confirm the Eagles’ plan to get Trotter more involved:
“Yeah, we were going to play Trotter some.”
There have been calls (including here at Bleeding Green Nation) for Trot Jr. to see more snaps with Campbell struggling this season as he also plays through a knee injury.
Asked for his evaluation of Campbell’s most recent performance, Fangio replied:
“Played OK. Played OK.”
Fangio was asked about the impetus for the change. His answer:
“Well, Trot played good in the start that he had when Zack [Baun] was out. It was a close. I just think he deserves playing time.”
Fangio said the rotation will go “by series” as opposed to specific game situations.
Fangio is typically not shy to put what he feels are his best players on the field, regardless of their status. He clearly didn’t want to play Bryce Huff, the Eagles’ first and most expensive offseason signing in 2024, despite the front office’s investment in him.
Now Fangio is putting the Eagles’ first-round pick from the 2025 NFL Draft in a situation where he’s going to lose playing time to his backup. One can only wonder if it’s a matter of time before Trot Jr. fully takes over. Or perhaps it’ll truly be a time-share the rest of the way.
We’ll see.
I don’t disagree that Trot Jr. deserves more playing time; he’s good and he often knows where to be. But he does have some athletic limitations that have prevented him from earning a start job sooner. He also notably missed a key tackle on Kyren Williams that allowed the Los Angeles Rams to score the game-winning touchdown in Week 4. He’s not perfect. But there is intrigue to be had with his upside.
And now we’ll be able to see how he fares with more playing time.
