Despite winning their first two games to begin the season, it is no secret that the Philadelphia Eagles have been lackluster on offense. With only a field goal in the second half of their opener against the Dallas Cowboys and only 216 total yards of offense in Sunday's Super Bowl 59 rematch against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Eagles have left plenty to be desired on offense.
One player who excelled in limited snaps on Sunday was tight end Cameron Latu. In his NFL debut, Latu played only six offensive snaps, but delivered a strong block in the fourth quarter, just two plays before QB Jalen Hurts rushed for a TD. As NFL Network's Brian Baldinger analyzed, he picked up Chiefs defensive end Charles Omenihu and drilled him into the end zone, making room for RB Saquon Barkley to find an opening behind him.
Cameron Latu Deserves More Playing Time After Key Block
The Eagles' offense has failed to get any rhythm established so far under new offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, leaving plenty to be desired on an offense that has more than enough talent. Barkley had 88 rush yards, but had to work for every one of them on Sunday. Hurts was held to just 101 passing yards, while star receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith were kept out of the end zone once again and failed to produce 100 yards combined.
Tight end Dallas Goedert (knee) did not play vs. the Chiefs, so the Eagles were down one of their key players against a talented defense. However, while he led the team with seven receptions in Week 1, he, too, was kept out of the end zone, so the lack of explosiveness is certainly concerning this early in the season.
According to StatMuse, the Eagles are tied for 16th in points per game (22.0 PPG) through two games. With a run-heavy offense up to this point, the Eagles must develop a better balance with their play-calling going forward. He may not have been on the field much on Sunday, but Latu's key fourth-quarter block is exactly what has been lacking from this team.
He was physical and opened up a lane for Barkley, which eventually led to the game-sealing TD run from Hurts. For a team that has punted eight times in two games, sustaining drives is crucial with a lot of new faces on the defensive side of the ball. As the defense continues to establish some camaraderie, the type of play Latu gave the Eagles in his debut is encouraging and should earn him some additional playing time to prove how effective he can be, even if it is more as a blocker.