Eagles Still Unconcerned About Lack Of LBs vs. Patriots?

Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai has just three off-ball linebackers on the 53-man roster headed into Sunday's season opener against the New England Patriots.

Just as the Philadelphia Eagles aren't worried about the relatively small number (four) of wide receivers on their active roster to start the season, they're taking a similar approach with their perceived shortage of off-ball linebackers headed into Sunday's opener against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium.

Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham and Christian Elliss are the only ones on the 53-man roster, though the liberal game-day roster rules that have stayed in place since the advent of the COVID-19 pandemic allow for practice-squad players such as Nick Morrow and Ben VanSumeren to be called up.

No matter. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai, in his first season, is happy with the mix of players they are taking to New England to open the season.

© Bill Streicher, USA TODAY

"I think we have a great plan organizationally," he said. "I think the roster process is such a fluid process throughout the week. You see that in all the teams in the NFL and how they are trying to construct their roster, especially the first month of the season.

I think we’re in a really good spot. We have a really good plan and we’re prepared for a lot of different avenues that we need to go toward."

Still, there has to be cause for concern, considering how little experience they have in those spots. Dean and Elliss combined to play just 56 defensive snaps last season, and Cunningham is in his first year with the Eagles, though he did lead the league with 164 tackles in 2020 while playing for the Houston Texans.

New coordinator, many new starters, same top priority: To keep the ball from going over their heads while making opponents work for even small gains.

"We’re not in the business of giving up free yards," Desai said. "We want people to earn things on us and make them work to earn things, and that’s the business we’ll be in. We’re not going to deter from that, and our guys know that ... whatever we do give up, every inch we give up on that field, they better earn."