Rookie Tyler Steen was in the right place at the right time for the Philadelphia Eagles in his first NFL start on Sunday.

With the Eagles nursing a five-point lead against the Dallas Cowboys, running back D’Andre Swift fumbled in the Philadelphia backfield. At the bottom of the pile of players in the scramble for the loose football, Steen made the recovery at the Eagles 31-yard line with 59 seconds to play, and Philadelphia held on for a 28-23 victory.

A third-round draft pick from Alabama on April 28, Steen had played six offensive snaps before Sunday, when he went all the way at right guard for the Eagles.

While the fumble recovery might have saved the game for Philadelphia, Steen’s work with the offensive line factored into winning it as the Eagles battled All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons and the Dallas defense.

“You’re just taking on hell with a squirt gun,” Philadelphia tackle Lane Johnson said after the game. “You know what it is going into the week. Even with Micah and DeMarcus (Lawrence) coming out, they have Dante Fowler, (Dorance) Armstrong – they have guys that can really rush the passer.

“Hats off to Steen, man. That’s a hell of a first start. This is one of the better defensive fronts in the league, so I was proud of how he did short notice. I was proud of how we battled.”

Philadelphia’s 2022 NFC championship team returned its offensive line except for right guard Isaac Seumalo, who left in free agency for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Eagles opened the season with Cam Jurgens in that spot. A second-round draft choice in 2022 as center Jason Kelce’s likely successor, Jurgens moved to guard for 2023 when the Philadelphia center decided to keep playing.

Jurgens went to injured reserve with a foot injury sustained in the fourth game of the season on Oct. 1. That moved fourth-year offensive lineman Sua Opeta into the starting lineup.

When Opeta sustained a hip injury against Washington on Oct. 29, Steen played Philadelphia’s final six offensive snaps in his place. His time on the field included an Eagles’ touchdown in a 38-31 victory.

“It’s awesome,” Steen said last week about playing again. “Getting another chance to contribute is obviously a great feeling, and feeling like you get the chance to help the team win, that’s obviously a great feeling, so it’s pretty cool.”

Steen played left tackle for Alabama in 2020, but he worked in several spots for Philadelphia as he prepared for his first NFL season.

“It’s a little different playing tackle and guard,” Steen said. “It’s like some different things you got to focus on, different keys and things like that, so I just think getting a better understanding of the offense has helped me out. …

“At tackle, you got a lot of space, and at guard, at times it feels like you’re just cramped up a little bit, like you don’t want to step on people’s feet and things like that. Also you’re going against bigger bodies, so different body types and things like that, so it could be bigger people but maybe not as quick, or when you’re outside, it’s really fast people but maybe not as big.”

At right guard, Steen works between Kelce and Johnson, who have a combined 24 NFL seasons, 10 Pro Bowl invitations and seven first-team All-Pro selections.

“They help me out all the time,” Steen said. “They try to encourage me and stuff like that, giving me little tips and pointers and stuff like that. They’ve been playing the game for a long time and have been playing it really well, so definitely if they have anything to tell me, I’m going to be open to it.”

Steen wasn’t the only rookie from Alabama to contribute in the Eagles’ victory over Dallas. Cornerback Eli Ricks made the team after going undrafted, and he played 47 of Philadelphia’s 75 defensive snaps.

As Dallas tried to overtake the Eagles on its final possession, Ricks was on the field as both of Philadelphia’s starting cornerbacks, Darius Slay and former Pleasant Grove High School and Samford standout James Bradberry, came off the field with injuries, although both were able to return before the final play.

“We have faith in these guys,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said. “That’s why we drafted Steen. That’s why we picked up Eli in free agency. That’s why they made the football team. And that’s why they’re playing in these critical moments. …

“Our guys made plays in crunch situations, and those two young guys made plays in crunch situations. And they were there and they were contesting and they were in good spots.”

Philadelphia has an open date this week. The Eagles will return to action on Nov. 20 against the Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl.

Philadelphia will have options at right guard. Jurgens returned to practice, opening a 21-day window for the Eagles to restore him to the active roster. Opeta practiced fully on Friday, but Philadelphia chose to go with Steen at right guard on Sunday, with Opeta playing only four special-teams snaps against Dallas.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.