Is there a special teams above the line or are those guys chosen from the regular position group above the liners?
For offense, defense, or special teams, you’re trying to show well enough to get playing time.
Think of it like WAR (wins above replacement) or Some similar stat. If you have several players similar, it’s more than a two deep, but you want to make sure whoever you put out there is a net plus. You might be a net plus on offense but not on punt coverage, so you’d be above the line in one and not the other.
Also, from the Philly article, you might have 7 defensive backs above the line. Maybe it’s 9, maybe a different number, but there shouldn’t be much of a drop off from playing one vs another. It’s just whatever shows up from practice. You might get your playing time at corner or at free safety. It’s not “second string free safety”, it’s “here are the players who make an impact on defense” and “here are the best backfield players I have that are a net plus out there”.
The places you fit might vary. Maybe there’s overlap between OLB and Strong Safety. One player might work well at DE to OLB, one might from DT to DE.
It’s that Collins doesn’t want to be putting the “18th best defender” on the field and skipping over six players who could make more impact.
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