Missing Minicamp: Malik Jackson
Malik Jackson has gone from being a big part of the Eagles defensive plans into a mysterious one, coming off a lost season in which a Lisfranc injury limited the veteran to just one game and 32 defensive snaps in 2019.
Jackson was penciled in as the complement to Fletcher Cox at defensive tackle last season and now that role will belong to Javon Hargrave as the organization’s big-money, free-agent signing this offseason.
That would leave Jackson as the third man in Jim Schwartz’s DT rotation where in theory Jackson would be in line for 20-25 snaps at the most, not much traffic for a player the Eagles are paying over $10 million in real money this season.
There are two ways to look at that money situation, however. The realization that Philadelphia can’t move on from Jackson because the dead cap hit vs. the 2020 cap impact is $17.2M compared to $4.66M. That is countered by the fact that under $5M from a cap perspective is palatable for a backup, even a limited one.
The intrigue comes with what Philadelphia expects and wants from Jackson, perhaps something that would have been cleared up by an on-field minicamp.
It’s hard to imagine the Eagles no longer believe Jackson is skilled so any pullback would be related to health and it’s reasonable to say that a 6-foot-5, 290-pound man could lose some explosion coming off a serious foot injury.
Conversely, if Jackson has been given a clean bill of health he’s going to be regarded as the fifth-best player on this defensive line and you could at least argue No. 4 ahead of weakside defensive end Derek Barnett.
If the Eagles believe the latter they would want Jackson on the field more and the easy way to accomplish that would be to give him snaps at both defensive tackle and defensive end, pumping up those reps from maybe 20 or so to 30 or 35 as the top option behind not only Cox and Hargrave but also left end, Brandon Graham.
For years the Eagles have talked about lightening Cox’s load and now probably want to do the same for the 32-year-old Graham to keep both veterans as fresh as possible for those all-important, late-game pass-rushing situations.
The potential problem with that plan is Jackson himself. Because of his frame, people have been asking Jackson about playing DE for years and the veteran has always demurred because he feels more comfortable inside.
In this instance, however, Jackson might not have a choice because the Eagles may want a larger return on their investment.
"I'll do what they tell me," Jackson told ESPN South Jersey earlier this offseason. "My job is to come in here and play the game at a high level. If you're asking (me), I'd rather have a three-man rotation (inside) where I have been the last eight years."
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
