Eagles defender Nathan Gerry is listed in the Pro Football Focus database as a linebacker. Hes listed in the Pro Football Reference database as a strong safety. Hes listed as a linebacker on the teams official website, Per PFF, Gerry has played 27 snaps on the defensive line, 32 snaps in the box, 19 snaps at slot cornerback, and seven snaps at free safety. That makes Gerry a versatile defender for his team.

What it does not make him is an asset in coverage. Again per PFF, Gerry has been targeted 23 times this season. He has allowed receptions on every single one of those targets for 267 yards, 109 yards after the catch, four touchdowns, no interceptions, and an opponent passer rating of 154.6.

This is not to slam Gerry as a player; it is more to point out that this is a guy who should not be the primary coverage defender against, say, Steelers rookie receiver Chase Claypool. In Pittsburghs 38-29 win over the Eagles on Sunday, Gerry was targeted four times, obviously allowing four receptions, for 55 yards, two touchdowns, and a perfect passer rating of 158.3.

One of those touchdowns allowed was against Claypool, who scored three receiving touchdowns and one rushing touchdown on the day. The second-rounder from Notre Dame is a physical freak at 6-foot-4 and 238 pounds, with the ability to run a 4.42-second 40-yard dash. Gerry, on the other hand, is 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, and ran a 4.58-second 40-yard dash at his 2017 scouting combine.

So, Claypools third of his three touchdown receptions was based on a grievous mismatch from the start, and that has to be put on the heads of Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz and his staff. The mismatch was even more embarrassing because Claypool wasnt really sure what he was supposed to be doing as an inside slot receiver.

Ben Roethlisberger audibled pre-snap to take advantage of the defensive alignment he saw, and it was off to the races.

We expected them on that particular play to kind of go with an all-out blitz, Roethlisberger said, via Les Bowen and EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer. We had a play called to get the ball out quick and hopefully try and beat the blitz. They sat back in a cover-two zone, and it just wasnt what we expected. I saw that, and I changed the play.

I think the coolest part about the whole thing is weve never run the play I called with that formation or that group on the field. So Chase had never been in that spot before.

Oof. Heres the play in question, in which you can see Claypool burn it up the field, and Gerry struggle (to put it kindly) to keep up.

Ideally, would we like Nate to be on a receiver? No, safety Rodney McLeod, who arrived late over the top on the play, said after the game. We would prefer a defensive back. But that was the call that was made defensively, and they checked to a good play.

Again, oof. Neither Gerry nor Schwartz were made available to the media after the game, which led some Eagles beat reporters to question the accountability thereof. Not so much Gerry whats he going to say, other than, Hey, I probably shouldnt be covering that guy! But Id love to know what Schwartz was thinking when he dropped Gerry into a position he never should have occupied in the first place. Making a linebacker who cant cover the inside slot defender is a recipe for disaster, and as much as some people might blame Gerry for his lack of athleticism, its up to Gerrys coaches to know what he can do and what he cant.

As the late, great sportswriter Ralph Wiley once said, A mans got to know his own limitations. If he doesnt, his coaches should. Schwartz and his staff put Gerry in a rough spot, and kudos to Big Ben and his rookie receiver for taking advantage.

Excerpt from:
Anatomy of a Play: How the Steelers outsmarted the Eagles on Chase Claypool's final touchdown - Touchdown Wire