The Philadelphia Eagles go into their bye week with a 6-2 record after taking down the New York Giants 38-20 in Week 8.
The Eagles watched as the Los Angeles Rams traded for Roger McCreary one day after they decreased the snaps for rookie linebacker Jihaad Campbell. In the win against New York, Campbell played in a season-low 21 total defensive snaps and has taken a backseat since the return of fellow linebacker Nakobe Dean.
Eagles Cut LB Jihaad Campbell’s Snaps
Since Dean's return, the linebacker rotation has been adjusted for the Eagles. In the Week 7 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Dean played in 31 total snaps and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wanted to get him involved in the game plan.
"The plan was base for Nakobe and you never know how much base you’re going to get in a game," Fangio said via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia. "Then we played him some in nickel too. And I think he got about 30 plays, which I think was a good number and the way they came was good too."
Dean's usage continued to rise, as he played in 63% of the defensive total snaps (33 plays) on Sunday. Over the past two games, he has supplied 11 total tackles and it's a tough situation for Fangio to deal with, especially since Dean was a monster last season, en route to career-highs in total tackles (128), TFLs (9), and sacks (3).
It seems like the Eagles didn't know how he would come back from a torn patella tendon, as they used a first-round pick on Campbell. And the Alabama product has been a productive force on the second level of the field.
He's racked up 45 total tackles, one QB hit, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one interception. He's also been really effective as a pass defender. According to Pro Football Focus, he has an 83.1 coverage grade (4th among 76 graded linebackers). He's allowed 14 catches (18 targets) for 160 receiving yards and one touchdown. Campbell has allowed fewer than 45 receiving yards in seven of the eight games this season.
His speed is eye-catching, but it seems like Fangio is looking for more physicality out there. And that's where Dean comes in as a run stopper. Considering Campbell is still a rookie and has some learning curves to overcome, the Eagles are increasing the reps for Dean.
This is certainly something to watch over the second half of the season, as Campbell and Dean will continue to fight for reps at linebacker.