Eagles' Sirianni Explains Starters Not Playing a Single Snap in 3 NFL Preseason Games

The Philadelphia Eagles chose not to play their starters during any of their three preseason games this summer, a decision that surprised some fans and pundits.

Head coach Nick Sirianni explained the decision while talking to reporters:

"Again, you always take everything into account of how many reps you got. I'd say this week—we didn't have a joint practice this week, but we had two inner-squad practices that were scrimmages. And again, everything up front is live. The only thing that's not live is the tackling to the ground. So, the receivers are live except for they're not getting tackled. Everything is completely live."

"And so, we felt like the work that we got in the joint practice versus the New England Patriots, the inner-squad that we had at the stadium prior to our first preseason games, and then the two inner-squads scrimmages that we had, you know, was our work for the ones. That's why we decided to go that way."

Most teams at this point don't play their starters much during the preseason in an effort to keep them healthy for the regular season. Some teams won't play veterans or star players at all, remaining cautious. It's rare that teams will keep their entire starting groups on both sides of the ball sidelined during the entirety of the preseason, however.

What the Eagles risk is those players starting the 2024 season a bit rusty, especially with new coordinators and schemes on both sides of the ball. The tradeoff is keeping them healthy. It remains to be seen if it will be an effective approach.