Philadelphia Eagles: Josh Sweat has an edge on Cam Fleming

Week 10 is going to be a tricky contest for the Denver Broncos.

Not because of their opponent, mind you, as the Philadelphia Eagles are both incredibly inconsistent and just not that good overall, but because they’ve been hit with a rash of injuries that could put their personnel into serious disarray.

First, there’s offensive coordinator – and one-time Eagles interim head coach Pat Shurmur – who was placed on the COVID list during the week and is out for the Week 10 game. That’s a pretty big blow for the Broncos, as their head coach, Vic Fangio, is a defensive specialist, but what could hurt the team even more are the numerous players on their injury report.

Left tackle Garett Bolles? Out. Right tackle Bobby Massie? Out. McTelvin Agim, Mike Boone, Baron Browning, Shelby Harris, Albert Okwuegbunam, Tim Patrick, Malik Reed, Dalton Risner, Caden Sterns, and Pat Surtain II? All questionable for one reason or another, with 13 players on IR and four more, including quarterback Drew Lock, on the COVID list.

That’s… a lot.

While it’s never nice to outwardly celebrate the misfortune of others, the Broncos’ offensive line woes do present a perfect opportunity for Josh Sweat and the rest of the Philadelphia Eagles defensive line to have a big game against Teddy Bridgewater and the players actually available for Denver.

The Philadelphia Eagles need to apply pressure on the Denver Broncos.

On paper, Calvin Anderson and Cam Fleming don’t have a lot in common.

The former is a UDFA out of Texas who has been a member of three different organizations since 2019 and has 25 appearances with three starts on his NFL resume. He measures in at 6-foot-5, 300, and turned in average-to-pro measurable at his pro day coming out of college.

While Anderson may develop into a player one day, he’s a depth piece at this stage of his career for a reason and could see his game exposed in extended action.

And as for Fleming? Well, he stopped being a prospect a very long time ago.

A fourth-round pick out of Stanford back in 2014, Fleming has appeared in 92 games with 42 starts and is a two-time Super Bowl champion thanks to a four-year tenure in New England to start out his career.

Fleming has allowed 18 sacks in his career, including a career-high six in 2020, and appears to be a backup right tackle for a reason, especially when you consider his underwhelming athleticism.

What do the duos have in common? Well, they’ll be starting at offensive tackle in Week 10 for the Denver Broncos, much to the chagrin of the Philadelphia Eagles.

While Teddy Bridgewater can still move a bit better than you may expect, as he ran the ball 53 times for 279 yards last season in Carolina, he’s largely a stationary target in the pocket and could struggle mighty to outrun a blazing fast Josh Sweat coming off the edge.

… hey, Jonathan Gannon; do that.

While conventional wisdom would and probably should suggest that the left side of the Broncos’ line is more susceptible to sustained pressure, especially if Dalton Risner is out too, Sweat has a clear schematic mismatch against Flemming on the right side, and thus, could benefit greatly from Fletcher Cox lining up between the Broncos’ right guard and tackle as he forced double teams with his still game-changing interior abilities.

Shade pressure to that side of the line with an eye for getting Sweat a few free runs and watch whomever the Broncos have calling plays – probably quarterbacks coach Mike Shula – have to make serious schematic adjustments to combat it, whether that be means deploying a blocking tight end on Flemming’s outside shoulder or having Melvin Gordon run block instead of serving as an easy outlet pass.

Either way, forcing the Broncos’ offense to adjust to the Eagles’ rush is the easiest way to disrupt an opposing surprise play-caller’s game plan and, thus, force a few more 3-and-outs than the Los Angeles Changers recorded in Week 9.

I know Gannon isn’t the biggest fan of blitzing but this one feels like a no-brainer.

Will the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Denver Broncos? Only time will tell. Should the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Denver Broncos? Yes, yes, they should. With a slew of players either outright scratched or questionable and the team’s primary offensive play-caller home with COVID, the Eagles have lucked into a very adventurous situation; they just need to capitalize on it with imaginative play-calling unordered to turn Denvers’ misfortune into their own again.