The Philadelphia Eagles wrapped up the Week 14 slate with a trip out to the West Coast to play the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football. After dropping their last two games to the Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears, Eagles fans were hoping to see their team on the winning side of the scoreboard.
That didn’t happen as the Eagles lost 22-19 to the Chargers in overtime. QB Jalen Hurts was the main topic of discussion afterwards as he had five turnovers, including four interceptions. However, he wasn’t he only person who struggled on offense. The offensive line wasn’t great once again, and backup tight end Grant Calcaterra was a non-factor in the run blocking department.
On Monday night, Eagles fans and content creators highlighted Calcaterra’s struggles, which played a huge part in the running game’s performance. And it’s been a constant talking point over the last few weeks.
According to Pro Football Focus, Calcaterra recorded a 59.7 run blocking grade across 15 snaps (nine run blocking snaps), which leaves much to be desired. If there was a silver lining to the running game sans Calcaterra, it was that the Eagles found success from under center, as superstar running back Saquon Barkley averaged 10.2 yards per carry (10 carries), per Shane Haff.
Eagles Once Again Continue to Ignore Blatant Grant Calcaterra Issue
Now, how much Calcaterra factored in on those carries requires a deeper dive. At the same time, Cameron Latu, the Eagles’ de facto fullback, also recorded a 59.7 run blocking grade, but he was on the field for five snaps (three run blocking).
Over the last few weeks, fans have been wondering why the team continues to put Calcaterra in the game for run blocking purposes, especially when they have a better option in Latu. In fact, Sirianni was asked about Calcaterra at one of his weekday press conferences last week, and his response left Eagles fans frustrated and confused.
"We have a lot of faith in Grant and the things we can do. It's always our job as coaches to first get them in a position to succeed. Sometimes the loss is drawn up to execution, sometimes the loss is drawn up to scheme,” Sirianni said, via Cory Nidoh of Metro Philly.
It seems that continued faith in Calcaterra has backfired on the Eagles, as he hasn’t done much to help the running game, which is already at a disadvantage with the offensive line performing badly across the board.
Heading into Monday night’s game, Calcaterra had a 44.3 run blocking grade for the season, according to Pro Football Focus. That’s not good enough for a player who you aren’t expecting to do much as a receiver.
If his only job is to help out in pass protection and run blocking, you’d hope that his numbers would be better than that, and they're not.
Sadly, it seems like the Eagles aren’t ready to make a change in their blocking scheme with Calcaterra, which will leave them in the same spot. And this convo will continue to be a thing every week.