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The 2020 NFL offseason has begun for the Philadelphia Eagles. Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson have a lot of tough decisions to make as they try to get this team back to Super Bowl contention. Today we continue our position-by-position roster outlook series by examining the special teams coverage and return units. Previously: Quarterback | Running back | Wide receiver | Tight end | Offensive tackle | Offensive guard | Center | Defensive end | Defensive tackle | Linebacker | Cornerback | Safety | Specialists.
COVERAGE UNITS
SPECIAL TEAMS TACKLES
| Player | Eagles | NFL | PFF |
|---|---|---|---|
| Player | Eagles | NFL | PFF |
| T.J. Edwards | 14 | 4 | 7 |
| Craig James | 12 | 7 | 9 |
| Duke Riley | 10 | 7 | 6 |
| Nathan Gerry | 8 | 5 | 5 |
| Alex Singleton | 8 | 2 | 3 |
| Rudy Ford | 5 | 2 | 2 |
| Rick Lovato | 5 | 3 | 5 |
| Genard Avery | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Malcolm Jenkins | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| Rodney McLeod | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| Andrew Sendejo | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Johnathan Cyprien | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| L.J. Fort | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Dallas Goedert | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| Daeshon Hall | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Cameron Johnston | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sidney Jones | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Josh Sweat | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Zach Brown | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Corey Clement | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Rasul Douglas | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Marcus Epps | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Kamu Grugier-Hill | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Mack Hollins | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Greg Ward | 1 | 0 | 0 |
SPECIAL TEAMS PENALTIES
| Player | Penalties |
|---|---|
| Player | Penalties |
| Rudy Ford | 4 |
| Josh Sweat | 1 |
| T.J. Edwards | 1 |
| Jake Elliott | 1 |
| Rasul Douglas | 1 |
| Kamu Grugier-Hill | 1 |
| Malcolm Jenkins | 1 |
| Boston Scott | 1 |
| Derek Barnett | 1 |
SPECIAL TEAMS (AGAINST)
| Category | Eagles | NFL AVG | Difference | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Eagles | NFL AVG | Difference | Rank |
| Punt Return Avg | 6.5 | 7.6 | -1.1 | 11th |
| Kickoff Return Avg | 23.8 | 22.5 | 1.3 | 21st |
T.J. Edwards looks like a good undrafted rookie free agents find by Howie Roseman. Edwards made an impact on special teams in addition to being a role player on defense.
Craig James also looks like a savvy pickup. He was very active on special teams coverage, especially late in the season.
Duke Riley’s special teams efforts earned him captaincy after Kamu Grugier-Hill went on injured reserve. With Grugier-Hill likely leaving in free agency, Riley figures to be one of the Eagles’ five team captains in 2020. The trade to get rid of Cyprien, upgrade a 2020 seventh-round pick to a 2020 sixth-round, and get Riley was a low key shrewd move.
Rick Lovato doesn’t just stick to long snapping; he also gets involved in special teams tackles. Maybe that’s part of why he made the Pro Bowl.
Rudy Ford was a disaster. He had four penalties — tied for sixth most in the NFL — despite only playing in 10 games.
RETURNING
TEAM
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PLAYERS
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Miles Sanders stopped returning kicks after Jordan Howard got hurt in Week 9. With Sanders projected to have an even bigger role in 2020, it’s safe to say his kick returning days are probably over.
Boston Scott is the early favorite to be the Eagles’ kick returner moving forward. He handled those duties after Sanders was taken off. Could Tremon Smith be in the mix? The 2019 practice squad signing has an uphill battle to make the team but Smith had an NFL fourth-best 26.8 kick return average as a rookie two seasons ago.
Darren Sproles is retiring (for real, this time) so the Eagles will enter the 2020 season with a primary punt returner that isn’t him for the first time since he arrived in Philly in 2014. Scott handled some punt returns before Greg Ward finished the season in that role. Scott’s numbers were clearly better. Maybe the aforementioned Smith gets a look at returning punts since he did that in college.
The Eagles’ special teams unit has never really been a weakness under special teams coordinator Dave Fipp but it’s been some time since it was a legitimate strength. It’d be nice to see some improvement here.