When the Philadelphia Eagles opened up their game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they immediately lost a key defensive player.
Jeremiah Trotter Jr. was poised for a big role in the Week 5 battle, but he couldn’t make it past the first play.
Being on special teams, Trotter was a part of the kickoff team that nearly gave up a score in the opening seconds. Fortunately, the return for a touchdown was called back, but Trotter was sent to the locker room early after getting into a scuffle with Jaguars player Bryan Thomas Jr.
Eagles’ Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Breaks Silence On Ejection vs Jaguars
“I was getting double-teamed on the play. They got a long return. I was kind of doing my job and trying to compress it. Guy had a long run to like the 10 or scored. I started running down trying to do what I’m doing, and the guy I ended up getting in the fight with, he was like doing a little bit extra,” Trotter explained on 94WIP on Tuesday night.
“As I was running, he was like just trying to ride me down the field. Once we got to the 50-yard line, I realized he was trying to make a point out of me, it seemed like. I didn’t accept that, so we started getting into it a little bit. It lasted a little bit longer than what I wanted. We got into it, and after that, I thought we were going to re-kick it. I heard somebody say offsetting penalties or whatever. We’re going to re-kick it. I’m like the first one out there ready to go back in. Coach called me to the sideline and they’re like, ‘You’re out.’”
Both players involved ended up getting ejected on the opening play.
Contrary to the comments from the crew calling the game, Trotter was not set to start for the Eagles on defense against the Jaguars. However, Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio confirmed on Tuesday that Trotter was going to play a rotational role at linebacker, even with Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell in the mix.
Jeremiah Trotter’s Season So Far
Entering the 2026 NFL season, Trotter was coming off a strong training camp.
Many reporters stated that he was one of the top standouts from the preseason and could challenge Campbell for a starting role.
The Eagles stuck with the Campbell-Baun duo at the start, but a concussion for the latter forced the Eagles to start Trotter for a week. It was a successful showing for the third-year veteran.
At this point, Trotter has racked up 19 tackles. Last season, he collected a career-high 32 tackles in 17 games. As long as he continues to trend in the right direction, Trotter could be in for a career year.