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Eagles All-22 Film Review: Kentavius Street has some upside as a pass rusher

NFL: New Orleans Saints at San Francisco 49ers Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

The Eagles signed another defensive player! Saints defensive tackle Kentavius Street was the latest one-year contract issued by Howie Roseman. This was another player I had very little opinion on, so I had to watch him quite closely. Hopefully, you can learn what type of player he is after reading this one. Let’s get into it.

Statistics

I always look at the stats, but I am never guided by them. Stats are just one piece of the puzzle. The numbers are pretty brutal but I think he’s better than the stats show, but it’s just my opinion of course. Let me explain why below!

Strengths

+ For an undersized defender, he has surprisingly good strength and plays with really good pad leverage at times which gives him a useful bull rush.

+ I was really impressed with his hand usage. He had a number of reps where he flashed quick, violent hands to move the opposing lineman.

+ He looked like a high-motor pass rusher who just keeps going after the quarterback. He’s not a guy I’d like to block on obvious passing situations.

+ Really quick first step which allows him to beat slower, bigger offensive linemen immediately.

+ Showed the athleticism to run TE stunts, which we could see more of this year.

+ He might not be a great early down run defender, but he is OK. He’s not going to completely ruin your defense if he had to play some early down reps as a 3-technique.

+ He has the athleticism to lose the battle at the LOS and still recover and make the tackle.

+ Has taken reps at EDGE before in his career which highlights the athleticism he has for a defensive tackle (and also why he will struggle in run defense!).

+ Had a better second half of the season. Seemed to improve as he got used to a new scheme.

+ Versatile and played as part of a 4-man and 5-man front as the 1 or 3 technique and even as a nose in pass-rushing situations. Has even played as an EDGE defender before, but I didn’t see much of that last year.

Weaknesses

- Moved in the run game too often. Wasn’t used that often on 1st and 10 and was used more in passing game situations.

- He is much more suited to a 1-gap style where he can get upfield quickly. Will struggle in run defense if he is asked to 2-gap.

- Struggled with injuries throughout his career and has struggled to stay on the field.

Overall

Street is another cheap low risk-signing who should play some meaningful snaps this year. Street is not good enough to be a starter and should not be playing on 1st down very often, but he is a useful interior pass rusher to have and will get snaps as he will likely be the Eagles' 4th defensive tackle behind Jordan Davis, Fletcher Cox, and Milton Williams. The Eagles love athletic defensive linemen and I think Street does have some upside as a pass rusher.

The Eagles have targeted many defensive players this free agency who are cheap due to previous injuries they have had. This strategy makes sense as these players come with low risk but high upside, especially as they will be extremely motivated on a 1-year deal. If Street stays healthy, he will face a lot of one-on-one matchups and he is good enough to win a fair share of them, especially against weaker opposition. You can never have too many pass rushers in the NFL and this move feels sensible to me.

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