PHILADELPHIA − The benefits of adding veteran defensive linemen Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh and Robert Quinn are tangible and intangible for the Eagles.
No, those contributions haven’t shown up in sacks. The three have combined for 199 career sacks spanning 38 combined seasons, but only 1.5 of them have come with the Eagles in a combined 22 games.
It does show up in depth on a defensive line that set a franchise record for sacks with 70, coming just two short of the NFL record set by the Chicago Bears in 1984.
And it shows up in the knowledge passed on to younger players like rookie Jordan Davis, the Eagles’ first-round pick last spring; fellow defensive tackle Milton Williams, the third-round pick in 2021; and defensive tackle Josh Sweat, who’s having the best season of his career with 11 sacks.
WHO’S NEXT FOR EAGLES?Ranking Eagles’ 4 possible playoff opponents, and why they should want to face Tom Brady
HURTS HURTING:The real reason Eagles’ Jalen Hurts played through a shoulder that was ‘hurting bad’
The Eagles have used that to their advantage, and they’ll try to continue that when the Eagles play in their Divisional Round playoff game either Jan. 21 or 22nd.
“They’ve all played for such a long time that they have so much to offer to the rest of the room with their experiences, with their techniques, with their fundamentals, everything,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said about Suh, Joseph and Quinn. “Off-the-field, on-the-field experiences.
“We know our younger guys are getting that wealth of knowledge … That’s really a big thing. Then you talk about all the things they provide on the field. The play. The rotation. The keeping guys fresh, where we just keep bringing numbers at the (other team).”
Suh, who just turned 36, and Joseph, 34, were out of football until they signed with the Eagles just a few days before the Nov. 20 game against Indianapolis. They both played that day, plugging a hole when Davis went on injured reserve a few weeks earlier with an ankle injury.
Before signing, they both stayed in shape, hoping for another chance. But they were also being choosy, waiting for a team that had a chance to reach the Super Bowl. Joseph won one with the Giants as a second-year player in 2011. Suh lost one with the Rams in the 2018 season before winning one with the Buccaneers in 2020.
“You want to choose a place that’s going to fit you, your personality, the way you are, the opportunity to win and go to the Super Bowl,” Joseph said. “To be able to check off all of those boxes here is really big.”
Quinn, 32, was with the Bears when the Eagles traded for him on Oct. 26. Quinn, an every-down player with the Bears until the trade despite only having 1 sack, has played sparingly since joining the Eagles. He missed four games while on injured reserve with a knee injury. The week before going on IR, Quinn was left off the game-day roster.
But Quinn returned last Sunday in the 22-16 win over the Giants, replacing Sweat, who was out with a neck injury.
It would seem like it might be a tough adjustment accepting a lesser role as a part of a defensive line rotation. But Suh and Joseph said that hasn’t been the case even though all three played a vast majority of snaps throughout their prolific careers.
Since joining the Eagles, only Joseph has played as many as 50% of the snaps in a game, something he did twice in eight games.
Put another way, since 2012, when snap counts have been tracked, Joseph has played fewer than 50% of the snaps in an entire season just twice (at 47% and 49%); Suh had never even played less than 63%; and Quinn had only done played less than 50% in two injury-plagued seasons in 2015 and 2016.
“When I first came into the league (in 2010), guys were older and on their second and third contracts,” Joseph said. “My goal was to be the best at my job, whether it was one play, 10 plays, or every play. I wanted to be able to contribute and celebrate with everybody else because we’re doing it together.
“Once you think like that, football is fun.”
Added Suh: “It’s fun to win. It’s fun to play for a championship. So no matter what my particular role is, whether that’s starting, adding value and making plays when my number is called, that’s what it’s all about.”
Technically, Suh and Joseph are only halfway through a normal 17-game season because they sat out the first two months of the season.
Both spent that time working out on their own, staying in shape. That’s why both said the adjustment wasn’t really that difficult. They also admitted that they aren’t as worn down late in the season as they’d normally be.
“I think there’s a combination of being fresh, but also being able to make sure you got your sea legs at the end of the day,” Suh said. “I pride myself on always being prepared.”
Added Joseph: “I won’t say I’m fresher. I’m just saying the role is different. I’m not taking every snap no more. I have my job. I have to do it to the best of my ability. That’s it.”
But Suh and Joseph are taking snaps away from Davis. Since returning from IR on Dec. 4, hasn’t played more than 26% of the snaps in any game. He played just 8 snaps, or 13%, against the Giants on Sunday.
Davis was typically playing about 35% of the snaps before his injury against the Steelers on Oct. 30.
But the Eagles see it as Davis getting a chance to learn from four defensive tackles with multiple Pro Bowl selections in Suh (5), Joseph (2), Fletcher Cox (6) and Javon Hargrave (2).
And all four are in the final year of their contracts, meaning that Davis will have a major role in 2023 as perhaps only one or two will return.
“I talk to him every day,” Joseph said. “He’s going to be a hell of a player. I just wanted to teach him all the tricks of the trade. I want to see him have great success in this league. He knows what to do, he knows what it takes. Now he’s understanding.
“It’s nice to see that he’s asking questions, he’s more engaged, and he wants to better himself. I feel like it’s a win-win all around.”
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
