New scheme, new dream for Eagles pass rusher Marcus Smith

Out of all of the Philadelphia Eagles defensive linemen who are excited about their new defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, Marcus Smith has to be the happiest of them all. Schwartz is bringing an attacking style 4-3 system to replace the 3-4 scheme the Eagles ran for the past three seasons. That should mean happier days for Smith.

For his first two seasons, Smith -- who was a first-round pick in 2014 -- hasn’t been able to get on the field all that much. In his rookie season Smith was only active for eight games and didn’t record a single tackle or any other kind of official statistic. Last year wasn’t much better for him -- he was active for 13 games, but still didn’t get much burn until the end of the season.

A big part of this was because Smith was behind productive players like Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham on the depth chart, and neither of those guys came off the field much. On passing downs, Philly had Vinny Curry, who provided some pass rush inside beside Fletcher Cox. That simply didn’t leave many reps for Smith most weeks.

When Smith finally did get a little more playing time at the end of the season, he looked at least decent. I wondered why it took so long for the Eagles to get him more involved. I mean, a few reps here or there could have both helped his development and allowed Barwin and Graham to stay fresher by the end of games and throughout the season.

Well, none of that really matters anymore because there are two things I know about Jim Schwartz defenses. One, they’re going to get up the field and after the quarterback on every single down. Two, they’re going to rotate their defensive linemen a ton during games, so that the heat on the quarterback continues unabated. Those are both good developments for Smith, who looks better with his hand in the dirt at defensive end trying to rush the passer anyway, and he should get a lot more playing time in that rotation.

I don’t think Smith will necessarily beat out Barwin or Graham (although it is a possibility with a new defensive staff), but he won’t have to be a starter to have a breakout season.

The little bit I did see from him at the end of last season was enough to show me that the kid still has some decent pass rush ability from the edge, which is what he was supposed to be coming out of college in the first place. I thought he was okay against the run as well. Now that he will be able to actually showcase his talents on a regular basis, there is no telling what he will be able to do with this opportunity.

I expect Marcus Smith to top six sacks and be a key contributor to the pass rush this season. That would be a huge step forward for him, considering how his first two seasons went. Depending on just how well he plays, he could end up making Barwin and/or Graham expendable by the middle of the season.