Former Eagles make big plays in Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season

We’re now just over a quarter way through the 2020 NFL season, and Week 5 saw A LOT of former Eagles doing big things throughout the league — which is great, and I’m not at all bitter, considering Philadelphia is now 1-3-1 after losing to the Steelers. Although, to be fair, things weren’t great for everyone.

Here’s how some notable former Eagles did this week, and through five games.

Nick Foles will likely keep the starting job in Chicago

Sure, neither Foles, nor Brady were with their respective teams from Super Bowl LII, but this week’s Thursday Night Football game felt like a rematch — especially because Foles squeaked out a 20-19 victory for the Bears.

Through two starts, Foles is 56-of-84 attempts for 492 yards, 2 touchdowns, 2 interceptions, and 1 fumble — he’s also been sacked 4 times.

Nelson Agholor goes long

The Raiders served the Chiefs their first loss of the season on Sunday, and Las Vegas’ momentum came off a huge 59-yard TD to Agholor. The former Eagles’ wide receiver hasn’t had a ton of action so far this season, but he’s been solid, averaging over 14 yards per catch, and catching all but one ball thrown his way.

ProFootball Reference

Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas

The Jaguars activated Sidney Jones in Week 2, and he hasn’t seen a ton of playing time... yet. He made his first interception of the year on Sunday against the Texans, and could have earned some additional snaps.

Rasul Douglas is already a starter for the Carolina Panthers, and was on the field for 100 percent of the defensive snaps in Weeks 3 and 4. He notched 8 total tackles on Sunday against the Falcons, and had one pass breakup.

• Two other former Eagles were on the opposing sideline against Douglas and the Panthers, Steven Means (4 tackles) and LaRoy Reynolds (1 tackle) for Atlanta.

Two guys who struggled to find their footing in Philadelphia are off to more promising starts in 2020 (with other teams) than they were in any of the seasons since they were drafted in 2017 by the Eagles.

Dolphins’ haul of former Eagles

Heading into the season, Miami was one of the NFL teams with the highest number of former Eagles’ players, including Kamu Grugier-Hill, Jordan Howard, Eric Rowe, and Mack Hollins.

Kamu Grugier-Hill only had three tackles on Sunday in the Dolphins’ win over the 49ers, but he’s at 18 total tackles through five games, and also had a sack against Jacksonville in Week 3. Grugier-Hill has averaged over 30 percent of the defensive snaps, and taken the field for over 50 percent of the special teams snaps, so far this season.

Against the 49ers, Jordan Howard was a healthy scratch. The running back hadn’t seen over 10 offensive snaps a game so far this season, and only netted 14 yards on 18 carries through Week 4, but still managed to score a touchdown in each of the first three games.

Mack Hollins has been predominantly seeing special teams snaps, and just a handful of offensive snaps per game — zero targets. He did make a tackle on Sunday. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Eric Rowe had 4 solo tackles — totaling 22 through four games — and 2 pass breakups for the Dolphins’ defense.

Other notables

• Kicker Cody Parkey went 3-for-3 in Cleveland’s win over the Colts this week, and with three successful point after kicks, scored 12 points. Also, for the Browns, safety Andrew Sendejo has been a solid contributor on defense with 21 total tackles and a forced fumble.
• Tight end Trey Burton reconnected with Frank Reich in Indianapolis this offseason, and he’s been active in Weeks 4 and 5. Against the Browns, Burton had 5 catches for 33 yards.
• Wide receiver Golden Tate has 18 catches on 23 targets for 145 yards for the Giants — a team that hadn’t scored many touchdowns heading into Week 5, so Tate’s lack of scoring was more of a team issue. Someone who did get in the endzone for the Giants was running back Dion Lewis who scored in Week 3, but has really had a limited role overall this season.
• Linebacker Jordan Hicks continue to thrive in Arizona, with 9 tackles of Sunday, his season total grows to 42. And, another former Philly linebacker, L.J. Fort — who the Eagles will face next week when they host the Ravens — has made 18 total tackles, had one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries so far this season.
• Former Eagles’ UDFA DB Ryan Neal has been cut, re-added, and assigned to the practice squad by the Seattle Seahawks — and all just in the month of September. He was activated in Week 3, and since then, has increased his contributions each week. In Week 4 he became a starter for the Seahawks, and took 100 percent of defensive snaps in Weeks 4 and 5. On Sunday Night Football, Neal had 8 total tackles — 2 for loss — and one pass breakup.