In Roob's Observations: How remaining patient is paying off for the Eagles
In Roob's Observations: How remaining patient is paying off for the Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
An under-rated aspect of the Eagles' roster building philosophy, the most important part of A.J. Brown's apology and musings on where it went wrong with Bryce Huff.
And who thinks I should do a daily 10 Observations on general life situations?
Can you just imagine? Ten Observations on drivers on I-95! Ten Observations on shopping at the grocery store! Ten Observations on Dr. Dog's last album! Ten Observations on the other Eagles beat writers! Ten Observations on the 10 worst songs they play at the Linc during Eagles games!
The possibilities are endless!
For now, we'll just stick to 10 Random Eagles Observations. But anything is possible!
1. Byron Young barely played in his first two NFL seasons, 2023 with the Raiders and 2024 with the Eagles. He's now averaging 16 snaps per game in Vic Fangio's defensive line rotation. Kelee Ringo was bad enough in training camp that some teams would have given up on him. Now he may be holding down CB2 for the Eagles for the rest of the year. Parry Nickerson was released 15 times before the Eagles brought him back last week. Then he made the key 4th-down stop in the win over the Bucs on his second snap in two years. Jordan Davis had an awfully disappointing first three years as the 13th pick in the draft. The Eagles not only kept him around, they exercised his 5th-year option, and now they'll have him at a bargain price in 2026. Tyler Steen lost training camp battles at right guard in 2023 and 2024. Now he's a starter. Cam Latu has been released by three teams - including the Eagles - since August of 2024. On Sunday he blocked a punt that led to a touchdown. Eli Ricks has been released four times, but the Eagles have brought him back each time because they believe there's something there. We always want NFL players to be stars from the jump, but it doesn't always work out that way, and the Eagles as a franchise have a philosophy of patience when it comes to young players. They rarely give up on a young player unless they're sure he'll never be a contributor. Because even though developing young guys takes time and resources and tons of patience, it frequently pays off, as we're seeing this year. Not always. Sometimes you keep a guy around hoping to develop him and it doesn't pan out. But when it does, it makes all the waiting and hoping and developing worth it.
2A. Zach Baun is already the first Eagles linebacker with at least one sack, one forced fumble and one interception in consecutive seasons since Jeremiah Trotter did it three years in a row from 1999 through 2001.He's playing at an insane level.
2B. And don't forget just how great Nakobe Dean was last year. Compare Dean's 2024 regular season to Baun, who was a 1st-team all-pro: Interceptions (one each), sacks (3 for Baun, 3.0 for Dean), tackles for loss (11 for Baun, 9 for Dean), quarterback hits (five for Baun, six for Dean), pass breakups (four each), fumble recoveries (one for Baun, two for Dean), tackles (151 for Baun, 128 for Dean). Dean could have easily been a Pro Bowler last year. He was that good. Can't wait to see what sort of role Vic Fangio has in store for him once he's back on the field Thursday vs. the Giants.
3. Jalen Hurts Stat(s) of the Week!
3A. Hurts has more seasons with 13 rushing touchdowns than every other quarterback in NFL history combined. Hurts had 13 in 2022, 15 in 2023 and 14 last year. The only other QBs with 13 rushing touchdowns in one season are Cam Newton (13 TDs in 2011) and Josh Allen (15 TDs in 2023).
3B. If Hurts rushes for 13 TDs this year - and he has four through four games - he'll become only the third player in NFL history with four straight seasons with at least 13 rushing touchdowns. LaDainian Tomlinson had six straight from 2002 through 2007 (15, 28, 18, 17, 13, 14) and Shaun Alexander had five in a row from 2001 through 2005 (27, 16, 14, 16, 14).
3C. Hurts is up to 69 career rushing touchdowns, only two behind franchise record holder Steve Van Buren, who scored 71 during his Hall of Fame career from 1944 through 1951.
3D. Only eight players - six of them Hall of Famers - have rushed for more touchdowns than Hurts in their first six seasons: Emmitt Smith (112), LaDainian Tomlinson (102), Shaun Alexander (94), Adrian Peterson (81), Eric Dickerson (78), Earl Campbell (73), Terrell Davis (72) and Jim Brown (71). And Hurts likely has at least 13 games to go in his sixth season.
4A. I thought the most revealing part of A.J. Brown's chat with the media Wednesday wasn't his apology but his heartfelt explanation of how his desire for the football isn't born out of selfishness or wanting to pile up stats but out of wanting to help the team win and the confidence to know that if he gets opportunities, he can do that: It's not just for targets or anything to put numbers up. I see that we're struggling and I'm a guy that wants the ball in those times, when we can't find a way. Give it to me. When the game's on the line, give the ball to me. I want that. I want that pressure, I put it on myself and I work hard for it. ... My teammates know that when the game's on the line, look at me. I want everyone in the stadium to know that. That's not a secret. I'm not shying away from that. That's where you see that frustration, that hunger comes out. Because I see we're struggling and I believe that you give the ball to me, I'm going to open up things and I'm going to get this thing going. You can put it on my back."
4B. Yes, Brown needs to stop tweeting every time he gets frustrated, but he's absolutely right that this team is better when he has the football in his hands, and Nick Sirianni, Kevin Patullo and Jalen Hurts need to do everything in their power to make that happen. It's insane that a top-three receiver in the NFL has had eight or fewer yards in six of eight halves of football so far.
4C. Justin Jefferson has never had fewer than 224 yards in a four-game span. Puka Nacua has never had fewer than 172 yards in a four-game span. Amon-Ra St. Brown has never had fewer than 201. Mike Evans 184. Brian Thomas 164. Malik Nabers 221. Why does A.J. Brown have 151 and DeVonta Smith 158? This just can't happen. It's inexcusable. I don't know how to split the blame among Nick, Jalen and Kevin Patullo, and I don't even care whose fault it is. All I know is if you have two elite wide receivers and both are averaging below 40 yards per game and it's not just one game or two games but nearly a quarter of the season, something is seriously wrong. And until it gets fixed the Eagles are not going to be the team we all know they can be.
4C. Brown has 34 yards in four games before halftime this year.
4C. He ranks 133th in the NFL in 1st-half yards.
4D. His longest catch before halftime is nine yards.
5. It's curious to me that while the Eagles are struggling to get sacks from their outside rushes - all Eagles edges combined have half a sack this year - Bryce Huff is tearing it up in San Francisco. Huff picked up his third sack of the year Thursday night in the 49ers' win over the Rams, and the good news is if he gets to eight sacks - which means five in the 49ers' last 12 games - the 5th-round pick the 49ers owe the Eagles becomes a 4th-round pick. The bad news is the Eagles could sure use a guy like Huff, who has a forced fumble, four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and a pass breakup to go with his three sacks. The Eagles blamed the old not a good scheme fit" for unloading Huff, and maybe there's something to that, but Huff was starting to show up a little bit before he suffered a torn ligament in his wrist in early November. In his last six games before going on I.R. - including two after he got hurt - Huff had 2 sacks, three tackles for loss and four quarterback hits. He only played briefly after coming off IR and didn't play a snap in the playoffs. But in those last six games before he got hurt it looked like Huff had started to turn the corner and was showing signs of the player the Eagles expected. But then he barely played after the injury. And especially knowing that Brandon Graham was planning to retire and Josh Sweat was headed for free agency, why not give him another year when he's already under contract? Huff counts nearly $22 million in dead money over the next two years and a 4th-rounder - which looks like where it's heading - is a nice pick but right now the Eagles could use an effective pass rusher much more than a 4th-round pick. Howie Roseman doesn't miss very often, but I just wonder if the Eagles gave up on Huff too quickly.
6. Nine current NFL head coaches (not including Nick Sirianni) have coached with or played for the Eagles: Todd Bowles, Jonathan Gannon, John Harbaugh, Sean McDermott, Kellen Moore, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, DeMeco Ryans and Shane Steichen.
7. The Eagles have already had eight players 24 or younger start at least two games on defense so far this year (Jihaad Campbell, Jalen Carter, Cooper DeJean, Jalyx Hunt, Quinyon Mitchell, Andrew Mukuba, Moro Ojomo, Nolan Smith). And Kelee Ringo could make it nine on Sunday. Next-most is the Browns and Texans with five starters 24 and younger. The Eagles are already just three shy of the club record of 10 set in 2018 (Derek Barnett, Ronald Darby, Rasul Douglas, Nate Gerry, Kamu Grugier-Hill, Sidney Jones, Cre'von LeBlanc, Avonte Maddox, Jalen Mills, Destiny Vaeao). The most starters 24 and younger ever is 12, which several teams have done. Imagine having one of the best defenses and one of the youngest defenses in football? That's exactly what the Eagles have.
8. Saquon Barkley would have to average 8.0 yards a carry the rest of the year to match his 2025 stats. Barkley ran 345 times for 2,005 yards last year in the regular season. So far this year, he has 77 carries for 237 yards. So to match his 2,005 yards from last year, he'd have to gain 1,768 yards on his 268 remaining carries. That's 8.0. Crazy.
9. Remember when every former NFL player that lived in Philly would scream and cry and kick about Nick Sirianni's easy practices and how the Eagles would never be ready for the season because they didn't put in the work? Remember all the dumb jokes about how it was more like summer camp than training camp?" And How are you going to tackle in games when you don't practice tackling?" Guess what. The Eagles are 13-4 in September under Sirianni, tied with the Bills for best in the NFL, and 12-2 in September over the last four years, best in the league. Hey, maybe, the Eagles practice just the right amount after all.
10A. Dallas Goedert's career catch percentage of 73.8 is highest among any tight end since 1978, which is as far back as Stathead tracks targets (minimum 400 targets). George Kittle (73.5) and Austin Hooper (73.5) are next. Goedert has 12 catches on 13 targets this year for a 92.3 catch percentage, highest among all tight ends with at least 10 targets.
10B. Goedert's 8.6 career yards-per-target is tied for 7th-highest since 1978, which is where Stathead's target figures go back to. He trails only Kittle (10.0), Rob Gronkowski (9.7), Dave Casper (8.8), Rodney Holman (8.7), Mark Andrews (8.7) and Travis Kelce (8.7).
10C. Goedert's 413 career receptions are 5th-most in NFL history by a tight end who's never made a Pro Bowl. He has 12 fewer than Brent Celek. The top three are Ben Watson (572), Randy McMichael (426) and Bob Tucker (426). So with 14 more receptions, Goedert will have the 2nd-most catches ever by a tight end who hasn't made a Pro Bowl.