Eagles rookie storylines entering the Bears game

The Eagles are on the road in Chicago this weekend. While the Bears have not been among the NFL’s best, they have improved over the year and are especially dangerous on offense. The whole team will need to stay sharp to avoid a letdown. For the Eagles rookies, there are a few things to keep tabs on.

Jordan Davis’ snap count

Jordan Davis’ playing time has been cut down as he returns from an ankle injury. The Eagles going up big early the last two weeks have meant Davis hasn’t really been needed and with Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph in the fold, the Eagles can play it safe easing Jordan Davis back in. This week’s game against the Bears might be a different beast, though. Chicago has emerged as one of the best running teams in the NFL behind the legs of their dynamic quarterback, Justin Fields. Fields, Khalil Herbert and David Montgomery are a versatile, dangerous backfield and the Bears will try to set the tone on the ground early in the game. Jordan Davis’ run stopping prowess could be hugely important to force the Bears into third and longs. This could be the game we see Davis being used at the frequency he played pre-injury.

Has Grant Calcaterra carved a role for himself, even with Goedert returning?

Grant Calcaterra is coming off his best game as a pro. The rookie tight end was solid catching the football against the Giants last week (2 catches for 24 yards), but more importantly was an excellent blocker. With Dallas Goedert set to come back, the Eagles go from having a very shaky tight end situation to having Dallas Goedert and two promising young players behind him. The Eagles might value Calcaterra a bit more than Jack Stoll at this point though, considering his upside catching the ball. With Goedert back, it will be telling how much Calcaterra sees the field.

Any chance we see more Nakobe Dean?

Between some injuries and the Eagles putting in the backups, Nakobe Dean has gotten to see the field some over the last two weeks. The results have been promising as Dean has flashed the speed and big play ability that made him such an exciting prospect at Georgia. It would be fun to see Dean incorporated into the defense a bit more, even as a role player.