How Eagles’ Sua Opeta approaches defensive tackle gauntlet he’s facing – NBC Sports Philadelphia
It isn’t lost on Sua Opeta.
As starting right guard Cam Jurgens works to get over a foot injury suffered against the Commanders in Week 4, the 27-year-old Opeta has been filling in.
And he’s seeing an absolute murderer’s row of defensive tackles.
“It’s kind of funny that it ended up that way,” Opeta said on Wednesday. “I’m getting my starts in and it’s against some of the best guys in the league. It’s just kind of funny how it works out. But you just can’t overthink stuff like that. You just have to trust in your own ability.”
Here’s a reminder of the defensive tackles Opeta has already played and the ones he’ll have to face during Jurgens’ IR stint:
Week 4 (Commanders): Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne
Week 5 (Rams): Aaron Donald
Week 6 (Jets): Quinnen Williams
Week 7 (Dolphins): Christian Wilkins
Week 8 (Commanders): Allen, Payne
That’s about as tough as it gets in this league. At least the Eagles hope Jurgens will be back by Week 11 to deal with Chris Jones.
Sunday in Los Angeles was just Opeta’s fifth career NFL start in the regular season. It was just the second game in the NFL he’s started at right guard. And he had to face one of the greatest defensive players in NFL history in Donald, the three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
“I feel like overall I did a good job,” Opeta said. “As far as what you learn, you just realize that you can play with these guys. Because he’s obviously the best player I’ve ever gone against. That was a pretty big confidence booster.”
While it wasn’t like the Eagles just let Opeta block Donald 1-on-1 — it truly was a group effort with a ton of attention being paid to the perennial Pro Bowler — Opeta played well.
Opeta has been with the Eagles since 2019 and has proven himself to be a steady backup and reliable fill-in. In Jurgens’ absence, he’s the starting right guard over Tyler Steen and Jack Driscoll. One of those players was a third-round pick and the other has started way more games at the position.
But there’s a reason the Eagles went with Opeta.
“He showed me what he’s always shown,” Jalen Hurts said. “Shown us every time he has an opportunity, he steps in and does the most with it. Much credit to him.”
Facing this gauntlet of defensive tackles might seem pretty daunting, especially for a player with relatively limited experience like Opeta. But he is just trying to make sure the moment doesn’t get too big for him.
A lot of it just boils down to trust.
“You just go back to your basics, trusting yourself, trusting your coach,” Opeta said. “Just let all those reps you went through during the week in practice take over. You don’t want to overthink it.”
Opeta on Wednesday gave a ton of credit to his former teammate and former Eagles starting guard Isaac Seumalo for his improvement in recent seasons. He said he and Seumalo would get together after practice most days and work on their craft. They’d study their opponents, work on positioning and technique.
Of course, Jeff Stoutland deserves a lot of credit too. When Opeta arrived as an undrafted rookie from Weber State back in 2019 he was an athletic ball of clay that Stoutland has molded into a savvy offensive lineman.
But, ultimately, Opeta deserves the credit. He’s the one on the field.
And his teammates have seen the growth.
“It’s been impressive,” All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson said. “I feel like he’s always had the physical traits and now as he’s gotten older, I feel like he identifies the film a lot better, games and he’s picking that up. His football IQ has gone up. Probably less thinking and more acting as he’s gotten older.”
That’s an especially important key against some of the best interior linemen in the NFL. Opeta is seeing a lot of them.
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