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Doug Pederson’s practice schedule, playing time vs. Washington, 2019 opponents | Early Birds

The Eagles are sticking to their recent practice schedule, which is less intense.

Eagles fans celebrate after the Week 17 victory over the Redskins.
Eagles fans celebrate after the Week 17 victory over the Redskins.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI

Good morning and Happy New Year. The Eagles turn their focus to Sunday’s postseason game against the Chicago Bears, although the players are off today. (More on that below.) The big news yesterday was that Nick Foles will start at quarterback. Coordinators Jim Schwartz and Mike Groh will have press conferences today at noon.

This is a Tuesday edition of the Early Birds newsletter. I want to know what you think, what we should add, and what you want to read, so send me feedback by email or on Twitter @ZBerm. Thank you for reading.

— Zach Berman

This week’s practice schedule

The Eagles are sticking to the practice schedule that has helped them in recent weeks: off days on Monday and Tuesday, a Wednesday walkthrough, and then practices on Thursday and Friday.

The normal schedule for the Eagles has them returning to work on Tuesday after a Monday off day, then taking the practice field on Wednesday for three days of work. At this time of the year, though, Doug Pederson believes the Eagles need more rest. Also, they can work on more plays at a walkthrough than at a practice.

“It’s something I’ve done the last couple weeks,” Pederson said. “Quite frankly, it’s a little more rest. You get guys that are nicked up that maybe wouldn’t practice Wednesday normally. They can actually get some mental reps. We know the guys who are going to be in the game, so we want to make sure they can get the rep on Wednesday. It allows us to get twice as many plays in, so it’s been good. Guys have responded well, and it’s something that this time of year is good for us.”

Before the playoffs last season, the Eagles put back on the pads and had physical practices. The difference, though, was that they had a bye week. This is a game week for the Eagles, so the approach might be different, although Pederson said he would consider it.

“I just try to gauge that just based on talking to them and just seeing how they react coming off a big game,” Pederson said last Friday. “I think, too, I have to realize we have some young players on defense, and sometimes getting a live rep is better. But this time of year, just guys have played a ton of snaps and we’re in a position to continue our season. I just want to make sure they’re as fresh and as healthy as possible. It’s a little bit of philosophy for me, and just having a pulse of your team.”

Playing time vs. Washington

What stood out about the Eagles’ playing time against Washington?

My biggest takeaway was just how few snaps the defense played overall. They were on the field for only 45 snaps. Interestingly, that’s how many snaps for which they were on the field in the first Washington game. (My biggest takeaway might be they need to play Washington every week.) Nigel Bradham continues to be an every-down linebacker, even with Jordan Hicks in the lineup. Bradham played every snap, while Hicks played 47 percent of the snaps. The Eagles continue to use a three-safety formation in dime, which was why Tre Sullivan played 58 percent of the snaps even as Cre’von LeBlanc played 93 percent of the snaps as the slot cornerback.

Tim Jernigan played only 20 percent of the snaps at defensive tackle, where he was outpaced by Haloti Ngata (31 percent) and Treyvon Hester (27 percent). The top three defensive ends were at 76 percent or more, with Michael Bennett leading the way at 91 percent.

On offense, the Eagles continued using a committee at running back: Darren Sproles with 38 percent of the snaps, Wendell Smallwood with 37 percent, and Josh Adams with 25 percent. Dallas Goedert played 61 percent of the offensive snaps, showing that the Eagles continue to commit to using two-tight-end sets. But it didn’t come at the expense of Golden Tate, who played 56 percent of the snaps. Alshon Jeffery (80 percent) came off the field a bit, and Jordan Matthews played 28 percent of the snaps.

The 2019 opponents

The Eagles’ 2019 opponents are now in place. There was only one opponent contingent on a Week 17 result: the second-place finisher in the NFC South. That turned out to be the Falcons. So here are the opponents next season:

Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks.

Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Buffalo Bills, Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings.

The NFL’s rotating schedule means the Eagles play every team from one other NFC division and one AFC division each season. In 2019, that will be the NFC North and the AFC East. They obviously play their three NFC East rivals twice each season, so the two remaining games are the teams that finish in the same spot in the standings in the other two NFC divisions. That’s why Seattle and Atlanta are on the schedule.

What you need to know about the Eagles

From the mailbag...

It sounds as if Isaac Seumalo has the best chance of returning, although I wonder if he gets his job at left guard back. The offense has played well with Stefen Wisniewski in there. Seumalo is considered day-to-day with a pectoral injury. Sidney Jones remains a “long shot,” according to Pederson. Receiver Mike Wallace will participate in individual drills this week, but it doesn’t sound as if he’s ready for team drills.