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Inside The Snap Counts, who were the “Iron” Men?
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Inside The Snap Counts, who were the “Iron” Men?

Vic Fangio’s association with multiple player groups throughout the summer came to an end when the Eagles defeated the Green Bay Packers 34-29 on Friday night in Brazil, resulting in him giving multiple players the majority of the snaps.

Here’s a closer look at the defense’s snap counts after the win:

Zack Baun, Reed Blankenship and Darius Slay. All three played 100 percent of the snaps, 67 of which. That will likely be the norm for Fangio with these three players and maybe one more.

Baun played fantastically with 15 tackles and two sacks, including the game-ending one when he tackled Malik Willis to the ground with the clock barely running out in what looked like a wrestling takedown.

The Packers wanted nothing to do with Slay and stayed away from him, opting to test rookie Quinyon Mitchell in the passing game.

CJ Gardner-Johnson. The safety was supposed to play 100 percent of the snaps, but he came off one play to have a hand treated. He played 66 snaps.

Nakobe Dean. The linebacker did some good and bad things, but was on the field for 64 snaps. He had four tackles with one QB hit and one pass defensed. We’ll see if that role grows or shrinks when/if Devin White returns.

Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis. There was talk all summer about conditioning both defensive tackles, but Carter played 51 snaps (76 percent), which feels like the right amount. Davis played only 35 (52 percent).

Jalen Carter

Sep 6, 2024; Sao Paulo, BRA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love (10) is pressured by Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jalen Carter (98) during the second half at Neo Quimica Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Brandon Graham. Fangio said there would be no pitch count on the 36-year-old defensive end, and in this one he had him on the field for 32 snaps (48 percent). He had one tackle.

Cooper DeJean. Fangio said the rookie wasn’t where he needed to be after missing three weeks of training camp, and his playing time reflected that. He was on the field for just six snaps.

Kelee Ringo. Mitchell (94 percent of snaps) put in a valiant effort on the outside, leaving Ringo with just four snaps.

Bryce Huff. In his rookie debut, he only allowed 30 points (45 percent) on the field and barely played a role.

And now the offense:

Line: All five starters went the distance and Mekhi Becton looked right at home in his first start at inside guard. Becton allowed just two QB pressures.

AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. Smith played 100 percent of the snaps (76) while Brown had 72 snaps. They combined for 12 catches and 203 yards, with Brown scoring a touchdown on a 67-yard catch-and-run.

Backrunners. Saquon Barkley had 61 snaps (80 percent) and boy did he play them well. Kenny Gainwell had 15 snaps (20 percent) and rookie Will Shipley had four (5 percent). Shipley got 17 reps on special teams.

Tight ends. Dallas Goedert had 62 snaps (82 percent), Grant Calcaterra had 36 (47 percent) and EJ Jenkins, who was promoted from the practice squad, had three reps. Goedert had four catches for 31 yards, while Calcaterra had one for 11. Jenkins had seven special teams reps.

Jantje Wilson. The rookie receiver got a small taste of action with 10 reps. He was targeted just once.

More NFL: Moment Not Too Big for Eagles Rookie Cornerback: “I Knew They Would Test Me”