Eagles Special Teams Having Huge Impact on Every Single Game

Everybody could see the level of investment the Philadelphia Eagles were making in special teams during the offseason.

From awarding punter Donnie Jones a long-term contract extension to keeping third-string tight end James Casey on the payroll at nearly $4 million, per Spotrac, from the acquisitions of Darren Sproles, Bryan Braman, and Chris Maragos in March to uncovering kicker Cody Parkey in August, the Birds exhausted just about every possible avenue to improve the unit.

The end result is one of the most influential special teams contributions the NFL has ever witnessed through five games, certainly in Philadelphia. The Eagles have been the recipients of outcome-altering plays on a weekly basis, one of the key reasons the team has a 4-1 record.

The best part is there are no signs of it letting up.

It was Casey’s blocked punt that got the scoring started in Sunday’s 34-28 victory over the St. Louis Rams, recovered by Maragos, a reserve safety who plays almost exclusively on special teams. Sproles’ 23-yard punt return into St. Louis territory led to a Parkey field goal, one of his two for the game. And Jones helped seal the win by pinning the Rams at their 7-yard line for their final, ultimately futile drive.

Casey and Maragos were part of free-agent shopping sprees of the past two offseasons. The Eagles likely had designs on Casey playing some offense at that salary, but they knew full well what he brought to table in this capacity in 2013. Maragos along with linebacker Bryan Braman were brought aboard from the Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans, respectively, both specifically with special teams in mind.

All of the above are working out famously, part of a group effort that is crushing the competition.

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Last week, the unit was just about the only reason the Eagles had an opportunity to steal a W on the road against the San Francisco 49ers. There was a blocked punt yet again, this time stuffed by tight end Trey Burton and recovered in the end zone by wide receiver Brad Smith, two more players in Philadelphia mainly for their special teams prowess.

Burton, an undrafted rookie out of Florida who made the team largely for his performance on special teams, also contributes on the kick coverage unit. According to metrics site Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Burton was tied with Casey for second on the team in special teams tackles behind Maragos heading into Week 5.

Smith, signed midway through last season, is a nine-year NFL veteran who can fill any number of different roles on special teams, from coverage to blocking on returns. He’s even taken four kicks and two punts back for touchdowns himself during his professional career.

That wasn’t all for the 49ers game. Sproles struck again, this time taking a punt 82 yards to the house. Known more for his offensive production, particularly as a receiver out of the backfield, the 31-year-old has contributed big returns in just about every game this season—but none bigger than that.

Not bad value for the fifth-round pick who was traded to the New Orleans Saints.

Those two plays alone, along with an interception return for a touchdown, accounted for all of the Eagles’ scoring in the 26-21 loss. Had the offense been able to convert for six with two opportunities from the 1-yard line, the special teams would have been largely responsible for the win.

Philadelphia once again opened the scoring on special teams against Washington in Week 3 with running back Chris Polk’s 102-yard kick return. Parkey would go on to kick three field goals on the afternoon, including the decisive 51-yarder.

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It was the second week in a row Parkey hit three field goals, including a walk-off against the Indianapolis Colts, the club that traded him for a camp body in August. Not only has the rookie out of Auburn been money on field goals and extra points, he’s been an upgrade on kickoffs as well, booming 56.3 percent for touchbacks.

Speaking of field-goal tries, the Eagles have even blocked one of those this season, with defensive end Brandon Bair getting his paw on one in a Week 1 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Apparently, that wasn’t luck, either. Bair blocked a field goal during the preseason. He got his fingers on another in San Francisco, although the kick somehow cleared anyway.

In addition to all of the plays Eagles special teams have created, they haven’t surrendered any themselves. The unit is firing on all cylinders in every phase.

We haven’t even touched on cornerback Brandon Boykin’s propensity for being the guy that downs so many of Jones’ punts on the 1-yard line.

All told, this is as deep and talented a group of special teams players that has ever been assembled.

Perhaps that’s because nobody else has even tried.

Has any head coach ever put so much of an emphasis on special teams as Chip Kelly has in his short time in Philadelphia? They might from now. Anybody can plainly see it’s paying off and that it’s no accident. While most teams target name players through free agency and trades, under Kelly, the Eagles have been going out of their way to acquire offensive and defensive players who have an impact on special teams as well.

It could be just the latest of a number of league-wide trends Kelly has inspired.