Eagles Snap Counts: Feed Darius Cooper, Depleted Running Backs, and a Defense Running on Empty

If you want to understand how the Eagles lost 19-17 to the Jaguars in London, just look at the snap counts. A brand new offensive line, a running back room down to its fourth string, tight ends who can’t catch a cold and a defense that spent the entire afternoon on the field because the offense couldn’t stay on it.

Eagles had it won in London but now they are 2-3 and spiraling >>

Eagles Offense:

Jordan Mailata is the only Eagle on offense who’s played 100% of the snaps this season. The entire line around him got blown up and rebuilt in a week, and he’s the one guy holding it together. Pay that man whatever he wants.

Jake Majors made his first career start at center, in his first regular season game ever. Willie Lampkin made his first career start at left guard. Both played all 62 snaps against one of the nastiest fronts in football.

You saw how the run game went. That’s what happens when you throw two guys with zero career starts into the fire on four days’ notice.

Darius Cooper is WR1. He led every Eagles receiver in snaps at 85% and led the team with 71 receiving yards. Every time the ball goes his way, something good happens, and the coaching staff barely looked at him.

Cooper is a legit football player, and if this offense wants to find life after halftime, step one is throwing him the ball more than three times.

DARIUS COOPER 62 YARDS!!! pic.twitter.com/TTJayV78mF

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) October 11, 2026

Dontayvion Wicks finished second among pass-catchers in snaps, targets and receiving yards. He also had the game-changing touchdown bounce right off his hands after a pointless stutter-step.

Wicks has the talent. He just has to make the play when it’s sitting right there.

Makai Lemon set career highs in snaps, targets, catches and receiving yards. Every week he looks more like he belongs. That’s the one storyline on this offense that’s actually heading in the right direction.

Will Shipley started at running back and lasted 13 snaps before getting hurt, which bumped Dameon Pierce from RB4 all the way to RB1.

Yikes.

Pierce ran 11 times for 14 yards behind that line, and for some reason the Eagles targeted him five times in the passing game. He caught two of them for negative two yards. That’s 13 touches for 12 yards. Somebody explain to me who thought five targets for Pierce was a good idea.

Tyler Steen missed some time with a shoulder injury before coming back, and Fred Johnson filled in at right guard while he was out.

The Eagles went with Johnson over rookie Micah Morris, which tells you exactly how much the coaching staff trusts Morris on offense right now. It’s not much.

Dallas Goedert played 69% of the snaps in his first game back from a knee injury and still led the team with eight targets, catching six of them for 38 yards.

Even on a lighter workload, he’s the guy Hurts looks for when nothing else is there.

Now for the uncomfortable part. Johnny Mundt is TE2. E.J. Jenkins is TE3. That makes Zach Ertz TE4, and he played seven snaps. He got two targets and caught neither of them.

Over the last three games, Ertz has eight targets, three catches and 22 yards. Maybe he’s still shaking off last year’s injury. Or maybe, at 35, the tank is empty. It’s starting to look a lot more like the second one.

Elijah Moore still hasn’t seen a single target this season, and he doesn’t play special teams. What is he doing on this roster? Once DeVonta Smith and Hollywood Brown are healthy, cut him and stash him on the practice squad.

Eagles Defense:

This defense is getting run into the ground, and it’s not their fault.

They played 70 snaps in Week 1, 72 in Week 3, 84 in Week 4 and 72 again on Sunday. The only break they’ve gotten all year was Week 2, when they played 53. That’s 70.2 opponent plays per game.

Last year, the most any NFL defense saw was 65.5 per game. Vic Fangio’s guys are way past that pace, and if the offense keeps going three-and-out after halftime, this unit is going to be dead on its feet by Thanksgiving.

Zack Baun played every snap in his first game back from a concussion and was everywhere. Quinyon Mitchell looked banged up after his interception and didn’t miss a single play. Riq Woolen, Cooper DeJean and Andrew Mukuba all went the full 72 too.

Baun let it slip that the plan was for Jihaad Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to rotate at linebacker. That lasted exactly one play, because Trotter got thrown out on an opening kickoff that didn’t even count. Campbell ended up playing 86% of the snaps. Now we wait another week to see what that rotation actually looks like, and whether Fangio really splits it down the middle.

Jalyx Hunt left with ankle and knee injuries on the last play of the first half, and it did not look good. That made Nolan Smith the top edge rusher by a mile at 81%.

Arnold Ebiketie stepped in as the No. 2 guy and led the team with four pressures, according to PFF, but he also whiffed on two tackles. A.J. Epenesa got more work than usual with Jonathan Greenard out and Hunt hurt.

Kenny Moore II played 61% of the snaps after Michael Carter II went down with an abdomen injury and couldn’t come back. Jonathan Jones was the extra defensive back in dime packages.

Moro Ojomo had his second-lowest snap rate of the season at 58%. Jordan Davis tied his second-highest at 49% and finally got his first quarterback hit of the year. That was also his first QB hit since Week 14 of last season, which is way too long for a player with his size and talent.

Eagles Special Teams:

Britain Covey was the Eagles’ best offensive weapon, and he doesn’t even play offense. He racked up 136 total return yards on three kick returns and four punt returns, which was just 96 yards short of the Eagles’ entire offensive total.

Read that again. The punt returner almost outgained the offense.

Carson Steele only played special teams in his Eagles regular season debut. After the preseason he had, he deserved a touch or two, especially since he’s a better pass-catcher than Pierce, who somehow got five targets.

Rookie quarterback Cole Payton made his regular season debut as the punt protector after moving up to QB3 when the Eagles released Andy Dalton.

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