Alex Singleton Called on Again to Help Eagles Defense

Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Alex Singleton has seen his playing time diminish recently, but stepped right in and was ready when called on in Sunday’s win against the New Orleans Saints.

"I was really excited for Alex, because when he got in there, he played well," explained Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon. "That's really a testament to him to not ­– sometimes when your snaps get diminished, you kind of ­–a lot of guys I've seen go in the tank a little bit and that hasn't been him because he's got high football character. And that's the guys we want to be there."

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Davion Taylor left the game with a knee injury that will cause him to miss the next few weeks, meaning Singleton will be called on once again to help out the Eagles defense.

Taylor posted this picture from his Instagram account, showing him giving a thumbs up with the words "successful surgery" and "road to recovery".

Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon told reporters Tuesday that with Taylor out he doesn't expect to see a drop off from Singleton.

"He understands that he still had a very big role on this defense and that could increase at any time," Gannon said. "When Davion's rep count went up, Alex said, ‘I'll be ready to go when you guys need me. And I'm going to be a star within my role.’" 

"And that's why he went in there and played well, because a lot of times you see guys that come in and they don't play well, they're typically not prepared to play. And this guy is ready to play all the time."

"And like I said, he's got high football character. And his snaps will increase with Davion being out a little bit and he's going to play well."

In 11 games this season, Singleton started the four games, and has 87 tackles and broke up two passes in pass coverage.

Last season, with the Eagles defense struggling, former defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz turned to Singleton, who ended up starting the final 11 games. Singleton piled up 120 tackles, two sacks and a interception.

Taylor's role on the Eagles defense had grown as Singleton's snaps went down. With Taylor likely to be placed on injured reserve, Singleton is about to see a boost in his playing time.

The 2020 third-round pick out of Colorado exited Week 11’s game against the Saints after suffering a knee injury that will likely leave him sidelined for a few weeks.

“He's been good when he's been playing in there," Gannon said. "He's been playing winning football and he's doing a good job and I like how he's physical and he's fast and can make plays in space.”

Taylor has 39 total tackles this season in nine games with two forced fumbles.