Jim Schwartz on Linebackers and Rookies

The Eagles DC doesn't sound like he's ready to trust the rookie defenders while saying the linebacker position isn't devalued by him or the organization

The rookies aren’t ready.

Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz basically admitted as much when asked on Tuesday why the three defenders that are still in the 53-man roster who general manager Howie Roseman took in last spring’s draft have not yet played much of a role on his defense.

“When we can work them in, we'll work them in when it makes sense to the 11 guys on defense,” said Schwartz. “We're in the business of trying to do whatever we can to win games and doing what we think is best to win games. When it's time for those guys that we think it’s best for us to win games with them on the field, we'll do it.”

That means you can forget about linebackers Davion Taylor and Shaun Bradley and safety K’Von Wallace taking over a larger role. The fourth defender the Eagles took in the 2020 draft, Casey Toohill, was released on Tuesday, with the hope he will be able to make it to the practice squad if he goes unclaimed by another team.

Bradley played four snaps against the Steelers and made two tackles, including one for a loss in the Eagles’ goal-line package.

Taylor was raw when Roseman drafted him in the third round, so raw that he was praised earlier this year for standing in front of his fellow defenders and spouting off the game plan without cheat sheets or prompting by anyone.

Wallace played 13 snaps against the Steelers and made three tackles.

Marcus Epps played 54 snaps and made one tackle.

As for the linebacker situation, well, anyone who has paid attention through the first five weeks of the season knows the ineffectiveness of that spot.

The Eagles have allowed former linebackers like Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks, Kamu Grugier-Hill, and L.J. Fort to walk out the door, leaving an inexperienced group behind, with a former college safety taking over as an NFL linebacker in Nate Gerry.

Schwartz begged to differ with the perception that linebacker is not a value position for the Eagles, whether that’s the way he operates his scheme or Roseman’s philosophy.

“Every position is a priority for us,” said the DC. “I mean, every position is important on the field. And I disagree that we haven't spent resources on it. I mean, you mentioned some of those guys we've had. We pay free agent money to guys like Nigel.

“This year, we put some draft picks in there. We have the guys that we have. We're going to work hard to put those guys in a good position. But I don't think from anyone's standpoint it's not a priority for us.”

It is a perception that it is Schwartz’s desire to have a strong defensive line in order to pressure quarterbacks. Except that is flawed philosophy when the D-line is unable to do that, the way it wasn’t able to get to Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday.

The defense had one sack and it was shared between Javon Hargrave and Fletcher Cox.

Schwartz was asked why there wasn’t enough resources allocated to linebackers who could actually play this year, because, clearly, the rookies remain anchored to the bench, except for special teams.

In fairness, though, the Eagles did spend money on a one-year deal for Jatavis Brown, but Brown opted to retire before training camp.

“I'll leave team-building stuff and roster management to Doug (Pederson) and Howie,” said Schwartz, “so I really can't answer your question right there. I'm confident in the guys we have. We're getting the young guys up to speed. I think our emphasis on 11 guys playing better, not any one position.”

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