Eagles gave Nick Sirianni way too much power this preseason, and it shows

Exhibition games have been a part of football since the early days of the sport. When the NFL was first founded, teams would barnstorm small towns in their area to play against local colleges or other amateur teams.

Those games ultimately evolved into the NFL preseason. Teams played six preseason games in the early years of the Super Bowl era, but the number of exhibition games has dwindled over time. The preseason was cut to four games when the league expanded to 16 regular season games in 1978, and then reduced to three games when another regular season game was added to the schedule in 2021.

As the preseason nears extinction, some coaches have already abolished it for their starting units. The preseason has been a contentious subject for many years. Some coaches have ascribed to the philosophy that the playing time is valuable to help their starters prepare for the regular season. Others have preferred to take a more conservative approach by resting their veterans entirely to avoid unnecessary injuries in a meaningless game.

Nick Sirianni makes a bold decision to rest Eagles offensive starters

Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni made it clear where he stands on the matter this preseason. No player on the Eagles' starting offense received a single snap during the team's three preseason games.

After Philadelphia's 26-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in their preseason finale on Saturday, Sirianni was asked about the decision to rest his starters.

“Again, you always take everything into account of how many reps you got,” Sirianni said. “I’d say this week — we didn’t have a joint practice this week, but we had two inner-squad practices that were scrimmages. And again, everything up front is live. The only thing that’s not live is the tackling to the ground. So, the receivers are live except for they’re not getting tackled. Everything is completely live. And so, we felt like the work that we got in the joint practice versus the Patriots, the inner-squad that we had at the stadium prior to our first preseason games, and then the two inner-squads scrimmages that we had, you know, was our work for the ones. That’s why we decided to go that way."

Sirianni evidently feels comfortable with the offense's progress so far, but it's still a bold decision. The Eagles will have a new scheme under new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore this season, and the team could likely use as much practice as they can get. By resting their starters, the Eagles will risk beginning the 2024 season a bit rusty.

“And I get it, everybody’s job is to say, ‘Should they have played, should they not have played?’" Sirianni said. "I have to make the decision. I get that. I understand that. I have to make the decision that I feel is best for our team and if I feel our team was ready. I felt we were getting a lot of back and forth. Again, hard practices, out there for two hours, which has been more than what we’ve been. And so, I felt like we got enough work to be ready to go and I’m comfortable where we are leading into this upcoming — I guess couple of days before we get into the game week mode. But I’m comfortable where we are and looking forward to some more good practices.”

There is plenty of evidence to support either side of the rest-versus-rust argument. The Kansas City Chiefs have allowed their starters to play plenty of snaps together in the preseason, and that approach has evidently worked out well for the defending Super Bowl champions. The Baltimore Ravens have rested quarterback Lamar Jackson in the preseason, and he still managed to earn the 2023 NFL MVP award.

Since the league has cut down on contact practices in the offseason, teams have played sloppy football in the early portion of the season, which indicates many teams could benefit from more extensive offseason work. In some instances, however, starters have suffered catastrophic season-ending injuries in the preseason.

It's an issue that's likely best decided on a case-by-case basis. Some teams may need the snaps to develop chemistry prior to the regular season. Other teams may be more prepared or may need more rest. In the end, Sirianni's decision to rest his offense will ultimately be judged by how the unit performs in the regular season.

The Eagles will face the Green Bay Packers in their regular season opener on Friday, September 6.