Eagles-Commanders snap counts: Kenny Gainwell’s playing time is shrinking

The official snap counts from the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 8 win over the Washington Commanders are in! Let’s take a look and run through some analysis.

OFFENSE

• Jalen Hurts played the entire game despite having a limp. Prior to kickoff, NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that Hurts has been dealing with a bone bruise in his knee for weeks now. The pain did not stop him from having an excellent passing performance.
• A.J. Brown missed just one snap and DeVonta Smith missed two. They combined for 15 targets, 15 receptions, 229 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Pretty efficient!
• Sua Opeta got banged up late in the second quarter but returned to the game after halftime. Opeta could be headed back to the bench with Cam Jurgens eligible to return from injured reserve as soon as Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
• D’Andre Swift played his second-highest snap count percentage of the season, only trailing 75.3% in Week 2. Swift’s 18 touches were the third-most he’s had in an Eagles uniform. Good note on Swift’s red zone usage:

• Olamide Zaccheaus saw his snap count percentage drop for the third straight week. He went from 81% in Week 6 to 57% in Week 7 to 48% in Week 8. Meanwhile, Julio Jones saw a a slight increase from 22% in Week 7 to 24% in Week 8. OZ and Jones both saw two targets against the Commanders, with the latter scoring a touchdown.
• The Eagles went with a bit more 12 personnel in this game. Jack Stoll played his second-highest snap count percentage.
• For the second week in a row, Kenny Gainwell played his lowest snap count percentage of the season. Gainwell’s two carries went for -4 yards and a really bad fumble that resulted in a goal-to-go turnover. We’ve been saying it all season long and we’ll say it again: his usage in high-leverage situations is so bizarre and befuddling. Gainwell isn’t a lost cause entirely; he can contribute as a pass blocker and a dump off option (see: five receptions for 30 yards). But he’s just not providing value as a ball carrier right now. His 51 carries have resulted in 153 yards, which comes out to a mere 3.0 average. Only two out of 38 running backs with at least 51 carries have been less efficient: Josh Jacobs at 2.9 and Cam Akers at 2.7.
• It was a small sample size but Tyler Steen seemed to hold up well while filling in for Opeta. The Eagles might want to consider making him the backup right guard should Jurgens be unavailable again in the future.
• Jack Driscoll saw two snaps reporting as eligible.
• Boston Scott had three touches go for 16 yards in Week 6. That 5.3 yards per touch mark is better than Gainwell in every game this season except his 5.7 that also came in Week 6. Gainwell’s other yards per touch finishes: 4.1, 3.2, 3.5, 3.0, 2.0, 3.7. Despite this, Scott has played just one offensive snap in the Eagles’ last two games combined. And he hasn’t touched the ball. Hard to understand why Scott can’t eat into Gainwell’s role at least a little bit. He deserves to play more than basically not at all.

DEFENSE

• Reed Blankenship played the entire game in his first game back from injury.
• Kevin Byard played the entire game in his first game as an Eagle.
• Darius Slay got banged up late in the game but avoided missing a snap.
• Josh Sweat played his highest snap count percentage of the season (previous high: 78%) but had his quietest game from a box score perspective. Just one tackle and one QB hit.
• Including the playoffs, Haason Reddick played the fifth-highest snap count percentage of his Eagles career. He had another clutch sack.
• Zach Cunningham was the Eagles’ top off-ball linebacker once again but he did not play 100% of the snaps unlike last week.
• Nakobe Dean and Nicholas Morrow were near a 50/50 split in Dean’s first game back from injury in Week 6. The rotation went to a 60/40 split in Dean’s favor in Week 7. It moved closer to a 70/30 split in Week 8.
• Milton Williams still played plenty despite getting banged up during the game. He actually tied for the team lead in QB hits with two.
• Sydney Brown got the start at nickel cornerback and played a decent amount. He was up-and-down in that role. He did some good things in run support especially but he gave up a touchdown in coverage.
• Eli Ricks also rotated in at slot corner like he’s previously done.
• Derek Barnett failed to log a stat for the sixth time in eight games. Barnett still only has one sack and four QB hits over his last 17 games.
• Kentavius Street saw more playing time than usual with Williams having to miss some snaps and Jordan Davis being less than 100%.
• Davis was a game-time decision with a hamstring injury. The Eagles likely had him on a pitch count seeing as he played his lowest snap count percentage of the season. Davis did not log a stat.
• Jalen Carter took a trip to the medical tent earlier in the game. He returned to action only to later leave to be evaluated for a back injury. Hopefully it isn’t too serious:

• Nolan Smith made two tackles on just four defensive snaps played. Smith has four tackles, two QB hits, and one TFL in 47 snaps while Barnett has three tackles, zero QB hits, and one TFL in 99 snaps.

SPECIAL TEAMS

• Josiah Scott was relegated to special teams duty after being involved in the nickel CB rotation last week.
• Britain Covey’s sole punt return went for 25 yards, which has him tied for the NFL lead in punt returns of at least 25 yards this season (3).
• Grant Calcaterra suffered a concussion and thus did not play at least one offensive snap for the first time all year.

DID NOT PLAY

INACTIVE: Bradley Roby, Patrick Johnson, Moro Ojomo, Tanner McKee, Rashaad Penny, Albert Okwuegbunam

ACTIVE: Marcus Mariota

• Roby missed his second straight game. The Eagles didn’t put him on injured reserve, so it seems like they think he can return in Week 9 or after the Week 10 bye.
• With Calcaterra suffering a concussion, Albert O could potentially be active as the third tight end in Week 9.