In the wake of the news that Philadelphia Eagles outside linebacker Trent Cole has a broken bone in his hand, which may require surgery and force him to miss an indeterminate amount of time, the position, one that already lacked depth, got quite a bit thinner.
Brandon Graham, the main backup to both Cole and Connor Barwin, will take over Cole's spot at right outside linebacker. Beyond that, it's anyone's guess what the rotation will look like Saturday, as the Eagles prepare to face off against the Washington Redskins.
The Eagles first round pick this past April, outside linebacker Marcus Smith II, may be part of that rotation -- or he may not. After inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans went down for the year with an Achilles injury earlier this season, Smith II was moved inside to help offset the lack of depth there.
Now, with Cole's injury, it sounds like he will "cross-train" at both the inside and outside spots this week.
Which leaves the question: has all the moving around stunted the growth of a player many already thought of as something of a project coming into the league?
Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer was at the Novacare Complex today to live-tweet Eagles defensive coordinator Bill Davis' press conference. Davis offered several interesting nuggets concerning Smith II's status at present.
Marcus Smith is back at OLB. Eagles don't know where he'll play long term. Bill Davis admitted his development has been stunted with move
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 16, 2014
Davis said original move was necessity; Eagles needed ILB help b/c of injuries & they saw flashes. But it's 12/16, and they still don't know — Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 16, 2014
Sounds like Trent Cole will be out this week, could be back next week. But Bill Davis doesn't know for sure yet re: Cole.
— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 16, 2014
Bill Davis on where M. Smith plays longterm:“I’m not positive right now. I would say outside first, but I still think the jury’s still out." — Zach Berman (@ZBerm) December 16, 2014
It sure sounds like Smith II's progress as a defensive player in the NFL has been hampered by the team's decision to move him around so much in his rookie season.
Whether or not that continues for the entirety of his career remains to be seen, but if the Eagles -- sitting at 9-5 and on the cusp of playoff elimination -- are to make it to the postseason for the second straight year under Chip Kelly, they'll need Smith II to begin providing some kind of positive contribution.
If not, injuries and a lack of linebacker depth, along with some questionable starters at other positions (Mark Sanchez and Bradley Fletcher, ahem ahem), may sink a once promising season.
