Eagles notebook: How huge play in early season came together

Jahan Dotson hasn’t become a big-time pass catcher in the Eagles’ offense just yet.

But he did make a huge play on Sunday in New Orleans.

It was Dotson who helped create separation on Dallas Goedert’s 61-yard catch late in the fourth quarter to set up the game-winning touchdown. Dotson ran a rub route but wisely avoided contact and an offensive pass interference call.

“The critical aspect is it's still a route, we're not going to truly create a rub,” offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said. “You're going to run a route and create a little bit of traffic the best you can and ultimately it's about trying to stress the defenders in so many ways and force those guys to communicate at a really high level. And ultimately that's the challenge, when those guys are man-to-man, they have to play it perfectly.

“By Jahan running his route and creating movement and force those guys to be in the same lane and create traffic and run into each other, it's a great example of the time he put into it through the week to prepare and run that play.”

The Eagles entering last Sunday’s game knew the Saints were going to play a ton of man coverage and they wanted to take advantage of it. Dotson estimated the Eagles ran that exact play about 10 times during the week.

And then on a crucial 3rd-and-16 with just 1:16 left in the game, Jalen Hurts checked to the play that was beautifully designed. And then Dotson played his role so perfectly that three Saints collided in the middle of the field.

“I was really just trying to get in the way of Dallas’s guy,” Dotson said. “I didn’t know all three of the guys were going to run into each other but it was pretty cool. It sprung a big play for us and helped us, overall, get a win.”

That wasn’t the only time Dotson helped create some space for Goedert either. Earlier in the fourth quarter, Dotson had another rub route that sprung Goedert on a 30-yard gain.

Through three games, Dotson has just three catches for 14 yards. But he’s at least doing the little things well. And maybe the receptions will be soon to follow.

The personal touch

Earlier this week, receiver Parris Campbell revealed that when he was cut by the Eagles and offered a practice squad spot on August, he initially turned them down.

But then head coach Nick Sirianni called him and that went a long way. Sirianni was the OC in Indianapolis when they drafted Campbell in the second round back in 2019. They go back.

On Friday, I asked Sirianni what compelled him to call Campbell.

“I love Parris. I’ve known him for a long time,” Sirianni said. “Obviously, had a relationship with him before the Philadelphia Eagles and got close with him there. Again, everything we do is about relationships, right? And so, as his offensive coordinator and somebody that specializes in wide receivers, I got to be able to coach him and get to know him.

“One thing I said , I won't obviously share conversations I have with these guys, but one thing I will share that I said to him is, ‘We're going to need you, man. We're going to need you to make some plays. We're going to need you. I know this isn't how you wanted it to go, but we're going to need you for this journey that we're going on. We’ve got faith in you, and it’s just the way the numbers kind of worked out.’ And I'm sure glad that he decided he’d changed his mind.”

Campbell has been elevated for each of the last two weeks and has played significant snaps. The expectation is that he’ll be elevated for a third time on Sunday in Tampa.

Over the last few weeks, Sirianni has been criticized for some of his in-game management and those criticisms are certainly fair. But Sirianni does have strengths and his ability to connect with his players is a major one.

“I think that shows the importance of relationships,” Sirianni said. “A lot that we discuss probably is more about the Xs and Os and not about the relationships.

But I'm not so sure that the relationships aren't more important in a lot of the cases. That's what you're trying to do as a football team. That’s what we’re trying to do is build those relationships. 

“Because when you have those relationships, that's going to help you push a little bit harder. That's going to help you ride through criticism. That's going to help you ride through praise. There is nothing like being on a football team.”

Rodgers over Ringo?

For most of training camp, it appeared that Isaiah Rodgers was ahead of Kelee Ringo on the Eagles’ depth chart. But then on Sunday when Darius Slay suffered an injury, it was Ringo who replaced him and played the final 11 snaps of the game.

What gives?

“It was just that Kelee was up and ready to go for the game,” Vic Fangio said. “Because if we had played any six DBs, he would have been in there. We just thought of the guys on the side, he was more into it and ready to go, in a spur of the moment thing. And if this had happened earlier in the game, there's still a lot of football to play, probably would have seen Isaiah out there.”

In Week 1, Cooper DeJean was the Eagles’ extra defensive back in the dime package but in Week 2, that role went to Ringo. While the Eagles didn’t play any dime against the Saints, Fangio’s thought was that Ringo was more ready to play.

A mid-season move

Mekhi Becton packed up his stuff and moved this week. A few lockers down.

Since Doug Pederson became the Eagles’ head coach in 2016, the final five lockers in the back right corner of the NovaCare Complex locker room have been reserved for the starting offensive linemen. They’re lined up in the locker room how they line up on the field.

So after Jason Kelce retired, Cam Jurgens moved one spot to his left in the spring, which left the right guard locker open. At that time, Tyler Steen was the most likely option to take over a right guard so he took over that locker. But since then, Becton has won the job and this week finally took over that locker. He and Steen switched spots.

The lockers in the back corner of the locker room are now: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Cam Jurgens, Mekhi Becton, Lane Johnson

Baun always knew

Through three weeks of the NFL season, Eagles linebacker Zack Baun is second in the NFL in combined tackles (37) and is first in solo tackles (27).

Not bad for a guy who was expected to have a limited role when he signed in the spring. But Baun has been an every down player for the Eagles and has been one of the better linebackers in the NFL through the first few games. Fangio clearly saw something in the 27-year-old but Baun claims he knew it was there too.

“I always knew. I always knew,” Baun said this week. “Coming here, I just wanted to prove it to myself that I can do this and I can be a good ‘backer in this league.”

The Eagles signed Baun to a one-year, $3.5 million deal this offseason. That ranks him 46th in the NFL among linebackers in terms of APY. So far, he’s been an incredible steal.

“I think we’re just playing good team defense,” Baun said. “And then effort and energy is always there. That’s one of our core values, is playing with effort and intensity and that’s what I’m doing.”

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