As the Eagles looked for a way to bolster their kickoff unit entering the playoffs, they turned to a few starters.
One of them was Nolan Smith.
And the second-year starting defensive end didn’t hesitate to accept an expanded role. Heck, he was pretty pumped about it.
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“I was excited to be out there. Man, it’s football,” Smith said with a big smile after the Eagles’ 22-10 win over the Packers in the wild-card round. “This is what I signed up for. Kickoff, punt return, all that. This is what I’m here for. I don’t care nothing about ‘Oh, you this and that.’
“It’s football and we get opportunity to play a game that we love. So kickoff is part of the game. I go out there and try to run through somebody. My friend, Lukas Van Ness, was on the other side of the kickoff so I kind of knew him a little bit so I was trying to set him up the whole time.”
That says a lot about Smith but it also says a lot about the buy-in of the Eagles as they continue their playoff run. This is a selfless team with big goals in mind.
We’ve seen that as their star receivers have taken a backseat to a run-first offense. We’ve seen that from a veteran like Avonte Maddox, who was benched but is still contributing. And now we’re seeing it from some starters being asked to play even more than normal on special teams.
NFL
Of course, this is nothing new for the 2024 Eagles.
All-Pro linebacker Zack Baun has been playing a big role on special teams all season so it’s probably pretty hard if anyone else wants to complain.
Especially in the playoffs.
“It is all hands on deck,” special teams coordinator Michael Clay said. “We know there is no next game if you lose. We're always trying to put our best 11 out there whoever is kicking the ball or whoever is covering and Nolan, very similar to Trott (Jeremiah Trotter Jr.) and very similar to everybody on this team doesn't bat an eye when I say, Coop (Cooper DeJean), you're up on kickoff this week. They are raring to go and they are into the game plan, and they do their job at a high level and it paid off.”
The Eagles have struggled at times this season on kickoffs but they came through against a dynamic returner in Keisean Nixon on Sunday afternoon. Oren Burks delivered a huge hit on Nixon on the opening kickoffs to knock the ball loose and Trotter somehow came away with it on the bottom of the pile.
On Tuesday, the Eagles shared the scene before that tone-setting opening kickoff.
Special teams was in fact READY FROM THE JUMP 😤 pic.twitter.com/oBiqJElSPA
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) January 14, 2025
While several players got more time on special teams, Smith was the most notable name. He had played just five special teams snaps in the previous nine games but played six against the Packers on Sunday. He provided energy and had a big solo tackle on the third kickoff of the game.
Why was Smith the guy to get more special teams snaps on Sunday?
“He's done it before,” Clay said. “Obviously last year, he excelled at that and especially with this new kickoff format it's no different know than him setting an edge and getting off blocks. For him, it's almost like he's going against another tight end or not a premiere right tackle. He's able to use that flexibility to his strength to get off and make plays. He's a tone-setter. He has so much energy and guys feed off it. It's one of familiarity with having Nolan play kickoff last year, and given the understanding it is an advantage having a guy like that going out and making plays.”
Clay said it matters for the entire team to see starters be so eager to step into roles on special teams. For guys like Smith, Baun, Reed Blankenship and more, they got their first snaps on special teams so if the Eagles want them to rejoin those units in the playoffs, they’re all for it.
“These guys are so selfless and all they want to do is put this team in the right spot, like [Offensive Coordinator] Kellen [Moore] said, to advance in the tournament,” Clay said. “We always are going to try to put these guys in the best possible way to move forward. So it's all kudos to the guys in here to being selfless and doing everything they can to help this team progress.”
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