The Eagles did it, they heard our pleas and signed a safety! Following an already impressive offseason by general manager Howie Roseman, he continued his wizardry by signing former 49er safety Jaquiski Tartt to a one-year deal. With the addition of Tartt the Eagles safety room gets a big boost in both depth and as a potential starter the moment he lands in Philly! While Tartt may have the P.R. of Cincinnati Bengal Jessie Bates III, Tartt is still going to be a very pivotal piece to this new vamped up Eagles defense and here is how…
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Jaquiski Tartt on 6/4/22
The Numbers
Looking at this article by Niners Nation titled Why Jaquiski Tartt is the most irreplaceable pending free agent for the 49ers.” The niners defense, which ranked sixth overall in the NFL, had a meaningful change when Tartt was playing and when he was not playing.
“One thing that cannot be disputed is the statistical splits for the 49ers’ defense with Tartt on the field vs. Tartt off it over the last couple of seasons.
Here are some numbers from the 49ers’ defense when Tartt plays over 50% of the defensive snaps since 2019
Points per game – 18.8
Total yards allowed per game – 289.5
Passing yards allowed per game – 185.3
Now, let us compare that to when Tartt is not on the field for more than 50% of the defensive snaps.
Points per Game – 26.4
Total Yards per Game – 331.5
Passing Yards per Game – 222.3
That is over a touchdown difference with him out there compared to when he is not, which is a massive point swing in the NFL.”
Where will he play?
Tartt is not just a one trick pony, he can play single high, split-safety or as a more ‘traditional’ strong safety in the box. However, expect to see most of his snaps in the Strong safety position for good reasons. As mentioned earlier he is a very physical back and has kept up with the likes of D.K. Metcalf, who is one of the most physical receivers in the NFL. Tartt was able to stop him in his tracks. He excels in stopping the run, can sniff out screens and play in the box like a linebacker. Defensive coordinator Johnathon Gannon should be ecstatic to have a player like that. Tartt can and will be anywhere on the field, he wants to hit his opponents and hit them hard.
Does he fit the scheme?
Not only does Tartt fit the scheme, but he should also excel in the scheme. In a press conference earlier this year Johnathon Gannon mentioned his inability to run the defense the way envisioned because of missing pieces, well Johnny boy, here is a brand-new toy for you. Not only did Tartt excel in zone coverage, which is Gannon’s preference, he will now join a robust defense consisting of Kyzir White, Nakobee Dean, Jordan Davis, Hassan Reddick, Fletcher Cox, Darius Slay, James Bradberry, to name a few.
Conclusion
Jaquiski Tartt is the pinnacle of Howie Roseman’s offseason moves and acquisitions. Eagle’s fans have not seen this hard-hitting of a safety since the glory days of Malcolm Jenkins. With the NFL season kickoff only seventy-three days away the excitement for this team continues to grow and anticipation is building every day. I can already hear Merrill Reese now, ” Goff in the shotgun, its a screen, he passes it to Swift and HOLEY MOLEY, Swift gets popped by pop Tartt for a loss of five yards”
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