Philadelphia Eagles: How does Alex Singleton fit with Eric Wilson?

In Minnesota, Eric Wilson played outside linebacker out of necessity.

Paired up with a, well, pair of former UCLA Bruins who tore things down for years together in Westwood for the better part of his professional career, Wilson was largely used on the weakside in the Vikings’ 4-3 base package and as the team’s interior WILL when deployed in two linebacker defensive subpackages.

Could Wilson have been a viable inside linebacker? A true blue MIKE capable of thumping versus the run and going coast-to-coast against the pass while barking out orders before the snap? Maybe so, but in Minnesota, that was never going to happen: not with All-Pro Eric Kendricks on the roster.

In Philadelphia, however, things are a whole lot more open for Mr. Wilson.

When asked about Wilson’s role at media availability, new Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon proclaimed that his former fellow Minnesotian would likely split his time at middle and weakside linebacker, where his previous experience in a Mike Zimmer scheme should come in handy.

On paper, that’s great news for Gannon, Wilson, and the Eagles as a whole. Gannon gets a veteran linebacker who can help the rest of the defense learn his scheme. Wilson gets an expanded role to prove his worth and potentially earn a long-term contract moving forward. And as for the Eagles? Well, Wilson is an improvement over almost every LB they had under contract last season, so their base level of talent just went way up.

But do you know who this news maybe isn’t so good for? 2020 breakout candidate Alex Singleton, who was likely in line for a similar role had Jim Schwartz been retained for the forthcoming season.

So, assuming nothing changes in camp and Gannon’s proclamation holds true, where does that leave Alex Singleton in 2021? Let’s attempt to find out.

Alex Singleton’s role with the Philadelphia Eagles may change ever so slightly.

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Why is a 4-3 defense called a 4-3 defense?

Seems like a rather easy, obvious question, right? A 4-3 defense gets its name from having four defensive lineman on the field and three linebackers behind them – plus four defensive backs – but in the modern-day NFL, where base packages account for maybe 35 percent, outside observers seldom see the throwback trappings of a 4-3 defense all too often.

Heck, with the rise of the big nickel package in recent years, where teams replace a linebacker with a bigger safety for coverage purposes, there may eventually come a day where three linebackers on the field becomes as rare as the dime package was back in the 1990s, and about as situationally relevant as running power from the I-formation from the 22 personnel.

With that being said, NFL teams do still need two good-to-great linebackers who can remain on the field in base, nickel, and big nickel packages, logging as many as 80 percent of the individual snaps in any given game.

That, my friend, is the role Alex Singleton will surely fill for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021… unless, of course, one of the team’s young linebackers like Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley, or contract year T.J. Edwards takes it from him.

Whether technically titled a strongside linebacker or given a more nuanced positional distinction a la Jonathan Gannon’s description of Eric Wilson’s role (more on that above), Singleton will surely line up on the outside, probably over opposing tight ends in defensive subpackages, and remain on the field regardless of down and distance.

If that’s how things shake out, it’ll be great news for fans in Philly.

Assuming the Eagles reconfigure their defensive scheme into a tweaked version of what Mike Zimmer likes to run in Minnesota, Singleton’s base package role will probably look a lot like Wilson’s in 2020, with a bigger “rush” linebacker filling the third linebacker spot – who could be anyone from Genard Avery to Patrick Johnson but probably not Ryan Kerrigan – filling the third role. That trio will probably play together about 30 percent of the time, with the bigger SAM being swapped out for a third safety like K’Von Wallace on some snaps and a nickel corner like Josiah Scott on others.

Sound familiar? Well, it should, as that was the exact same role Singleton played in 2020 under Jim Schwartz from Week 6 on.

While some assumed Singleton might step into a bigger role as a middle linebacker this season, as his size, speed, and athletic profile perfectly suit a MIKE role, it’s hard to knock Gannon for turning to one of his former players for that role if for no other reason that to help usher in the terminology and tendencies of his system.

Plus, it’s 2021; no one really plays one position anymore anyway.

Because Wilson is a better on-man defender, it’s entirely possible he could be utilized in more of a WILL role, as Gannon suggested, in nickel packages, with Singleton staying between the tackles either as a blitzer or as a zone defender. The duo could also be used interchangeably, which would optimize versatility and make it harder on opposing quarterbacks to read the defense pre-snap.

Either way, having two solid linebackers makes this defense a whole lot better.

Next. The Josiah Scott trade tips Howie Roseman’s hand. dark

After bursting onto the scene in 2020, it’s clear Alex Singleton is an NFL player. While it may not be ideal to have to learn a brand new scheme a season removed from a fantastic campaign, Jonathan Gannon seems like the type of coach who will put his players in the best position to succeed, instead of forcing square pegs into round holes. Regardless of his positional distinction, expect Alex Singleton to play early and often this season and for the Philadelphia Eagles to be better for it.

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