Eagles head coach Doug Pederson hinted that Ellerbe would likely serve as the team's starting middle linebacker Week 17 against the Cowboys, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.
During Monday's 19-10 win over the Raiders, Ellerbe logged four tackles and played 27 of 69 defensive snaps, good for third among the team's linebackers. However, because the Eagles typically deploy five defensive backs rather than three linebackers, it's unlikely that Ellerbe's 'Mike' linebacker role will yield a more substantial increase in snap share in future contests, thereby limiting his tackle counts. The 32-year-old Ellerbe, who has one 100-tackle campaign on his resume, looks like a part-time player at this stage of his career.