When Howie Roseman first appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia, he discussed the reasons why the Eagles failed with Nolan Smith.

Why not play Nolan Smith after drafting him in the first round?

Excellent query.

And a query that has no right response.

Despite having a strong training camp, Smith—the 30th choice in the previous year’s draft—vanished from sight once the season got underway.

He averaged just 6.1 snaps per game through the Chiefs game and never played more than nine snaps in the Eagles’ first ten games. He only played 11 snaps in three games at one point during the midseason.

After that, his numbers started to rise, but he still only averaged 11 snaps per game, despite playing 41 snaps in the season finale against the Giants—mostly after the game was over.

Smith sat on the bench even toward the end of the season when the edge rushers were struggling to score points (four sacks in the final eight games, none in the final four).

When he did receive snaps, he didn’t do much with them. a bag. Three quarterback hits. a lost tackle. 18 tackles. But how can you honestly assess a player who isn’t even playing?

Nope.

Howie Roseman revealed what we already knew on Tuesday, and both defensive coordinators are no longer in their positions.

Smith ought to have participated more.

Roseman stated at the Indianapolis combine, “In retrospect, just watching him obviously in the playoff game, one of the players that performed well in the playoff game, maybe giving him a little bit more time during the year and experience, we thought about that.”

“His body is equipped with all the necessary tools. He has the appropriate mindset. He also needs to demonstrate it by going out and doing it.

Smith had by far his best game during his 16 snaps during the Bucs wild-card loss. In just 16 snaps, he recorded four tackles, shared a sack with Fletcher Cox, and had a QB hit. With an 84.9 rating, Pro Football Focus ranked him fourth among all edge rushers during the wild-card weekend (Brandon Graham had the best score, at 90.2).

All year long, where was that?

84 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps were spent with him sitting on the bench.

Roseman’s Tuesday media interview included the idea that young guys ought to have played more as one of its central topics.

It wasn’t just Smith.More snaps would have helped Sydney Brown and Kelee Ringo, who, by the end of the season, were both beginning to play well. Ben VanSumeren, who has spent the entire season trailing behind Shaq Leonard and Nicholas Morrow, could perhaps be added to the list.

Something is amiss when players with more potential than others, including Bradley Roby, Kevin Byard, Zach Cunningham, Leonard, and Morrow, are getting snaps.

Many coaches, notably Nick Sirianni and Sean Desai, seem to feel more at ease starting older players who are more seasoned and have been around longer but aren’t as talented as younger players who will play more but may also make more mistakes.

However, Roseman’s message on Tuesday was that players like Smith ought to have played more and that the Eagles will need to rely more on draft picks and players in their first two seasons as they build a younger club and shed aging veterans.

He declared, “It’s OK to play some young players.” It’s acceptable for them to gain experience and assess your capabilities. Because of the circumstances we were in, some of our troops were able to take a step back and pick up some knowledge, depending on where they were. I believe it will get more difficult to accomplish that in the future.

“Obviously, over the past few years, we have had some additional picks when you look at our roster and who is making a lot of money. Therefore, I believe that we need to not be scared to play our young players and help them improve. Coach and I have discussed this. You draft them for that reason. For that reason, you sign them.