Eagles' Vic Fangio Plans Linebacker Rotation After Jeremiah Trotter Jr.'s Breakout Performance

Sports admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

Eagles’ Vic Fangio Plans Linebacker Rotation After Jeremiah Trotter Jr.’s Breakout Performance

After the Philadelphia Eagles’ loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, linebacker Zack Baun revealed that defensive coordinator Vic Fangio planned to rotate Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in for Jihaad Campbell early in the game, a plan that quickly fell apart.

Fangio later confirmed the plan, clarifying that the rotation was less of a reflection on Campbell’s play and more of a reward for Trotter’s growth.

“Yeah, we were going to play Trotter some,” Fangio said. “Trot played good in the start that he had when Zack [Baun] was out. It was close. I just think he deserves playing time.”

The game Fangio is referring to was Week 4 against the Los Angeles Rams, where Trotter made his first start outside of meaningless Week 18 games where the Eagles sat their starters. Trotter impressed, looking decisive when attacking downhill and was comfortable in coverage. He finished the game with 15 tackles, three run stops, and one PBU. The 15 tackles not only led the game but were the most tackles in a game by any Philadelphia player this season.

Trotter did not get a chance to build on that momentum when the Eagles traveled to London to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars, with Trotter controversially being thrown out of the game after a skirmish that took place on the very first play of the game while he was covering the kickoff return.

Turning the focus to Campbell, the Eagles’ 2025 first-round draft pick will now have to fight for snaps and a more significant role. When Nakobe Dean signed with the Las Vegas Raiders, Campbell was handed the starting role, something he held to start his rookie campaign while Dean was recovering from injury.

Bluntly, Campbell has struggled to start the season, often hesitating when diagnosing plays, which has prevented him from filling running lanes and allowed opposing offenses to gain significant yardage. His biggest weakness has been in pass coverage, a liability that was exposed in the loss to the Rams and likely contributed to the decision to rotate Trotter in when the roster is fully healthy. Campbell was targeted 12 times, allowing eight completions for 76 yards, while three of the remaining targets were dropped or uncatchable.

Now, with a healthy Baun, a back-to-back Pro Bowler and one of the NFL’s premier linebackers since joining Philadelphia in 2024, alongside Trotter and Campbell, Fangio will hopefully have found a way to maximize the rotation between Trotter and Campbell to get the most out of one of the league’s most talented linebacker rooms.

This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 2:14 PM.