3 Eagles Lineup Decisions I'd Make If I Was Nick Sirianni in Week 5

These moves could pay off.

Oct 4, 2026; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni in a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Nick Sirianni and the Philadelphia Eagles are outgunned and outmanned walking into London for a Week 5 showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars. They are without eight starters going into Sunday. That's over a third of the team's starting lineup from Week 1.

As the Eagles offense tries to put pieces together, Sirianni is under pressure to try and get things right across the board. Going into Week 5, though, the Eagles should make three roster moves ahead of kickoff.

Let's get to them now.

Move Cooper DeJean to safety

Philadelphia hasn't gotten the kind of quality play at safety compared to the last several years. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has said he doesn't want to move nickel corner Cooper DeJean to safety, but the Eagles do have a contingency plan in place to make that happen. Kenny Moore was one of the better cornerbacks in the slot for a very long time.

If he is up to the task, he could shift to nickel, and that would allow DeJean to roam around the defense and secure the backend of Philadelphia's secondary. There has been precedent as well. Kyle Hamilton is considered the best safety in the league but actually played in the slot for several years to try and help Baltimore's secondary.

DeJean isn't a natural safety, but his skill set and versatility could put him in that same boat.

Stay in 11 personnel....all game

Philadelphia is operating out of 11 personnel (or one tight end on the field) over 70% of the time this season. That needs to be even higher going forward. The Eagles are better at giving their offensive line space to operate in 11 personnel compared to the condensed look that comes with a second tight end on the field.

With so many backups now starting this season, Philadelphia needs to be able to run the ball effectively. Shortening the field has done nothing for them over the last few seasons.

They need to get their best players out in space. On Sunday, that's exactly how they can move the ball.

Short throws

The jury is out. The Eagles have struggled mightily against the blitz all season far. A big part of that is due to the fact that the team has struggled with their offensive line's health for most of the start of the season.

The best remedy to any blitz is to get the ball out quickly. It's also something that the Eagles and Hurts have struggled to do over the last few years. In last week's loss to the Rams, Philadelphia saw several short throws batted at the line of scrimmage.

Against a Jaguars defense that is among the most opportunistic units in the league, the Eagles need Hurts to get the ball out quick and let their receivers start making plays after the catch.