Photo: Philadelphiaeagles.com
Vinny Curry, a second-round pick by the Eagles this year, has yet to be active for a regular season game. Through seven games this year, the supposed great Eagles pass rush has accounted for exactly eight of the defense's nine total sacks.
The "wide-nine" has been wide-ly ineffective so far this year. So it begs to wonder, why not give Curry a shot?
Everyone, myself included, was ecstatic when Curry fell to the Eagles with their second, 2nd-round pick in April. Their first two picks, Fletcher Cox and Mychal Kendricks are both starters right now so why aren't they even activating Curry on game days?
The simple answer is because he plays at a position where the Eagles are supposedly "stacked"...defensive end. However, the players in front of him on the depth chart haven't exactly been lighting-up opposing QBs.
Jason Babin leads the DEs with 2.5 sacks, followed by Trent Cole (1.5), Darryl Tapp (.5), Brandon Graham (.5) and Phillip Hunt (0). That's five defensive ends that are being activated on game days and they've produced exactly five sacks between them.
And none since Week 3 of the season!
The problem with getting playing time almost always comes down to a numbers and status thing. Babin and Cole are the unquestioned starters, even if they're not producing. Then you have Graham, a former first-round pick, whom the team wants to see in action.
Tapp is considered a solid rotational player and has produced in the past. Hunt? Well, he showed flashes last year and performed well in training camp this year so the team is giving him a shot.
However, Hunt is likely the only player the Eagles would consider deactivating in favor of Curry.
More after the jump...
He's played exactly one snap in the past two games, according to Pro Football Focus.
If you're not going to use him, why continue to activate him over someone like Curry?
It's not as if Curry is some irrelevant late-round draft pick or a washed-up bum. They spent a second-round pick on the guy and were worried that he'd still be there when they picked.
So, the Eagles wanted him. And with good reason too...
In his senior season at Marshall, Curry posted 11 sacks, 22 tackles for a loss and seven forced fumbles. Yes, it's college ball, but those are the stats of a playmaker...which is something the defense is sorely lacking right now.
Curry posted two sacks and five tackles for a loss during the preseason and showed tremendous hustle every time he played. Hunt was the glamour man in preseason by getting more sacks but Curry may be a better overall player with a much higher ceiling.
Though Hunt looked good in preseason, he hasn't done anything in the regular season. Plus, all we're talking about is swapping 5th DEs here, not supplanting Trent Cole as a starter.
The Eagles need a spark along the defensive line and new blood may be just what this unit needs. Whether it's scheme, age or simply diminished talent, this supposedly great pass-rushing Eagles DL just isn't getting the job done so far.
Plus, how can you not root for a guy who grew up as a die-hard Eagles fan?
It's time to spice-up the defense by adding a dash of Curry. Let's see what kind of flavor he can add to this rather bland group of defensive ends.
Follow Dave Stoessel on Twitter for more Eagles news and discussion!
Comments