Overview
It has been two seasons since outstanding defensive play helped the Eagles get to the Super Bowl. How quickly and how far the mighty have fallen. In 2022, Philadelphia lit up opponents for an unheard-of 70 sacks. The pass defense gave up the fewest yards and the fewest yards per attempt, the team’s 17 interceptions ranked fourth, and their 22 passing TDs allowed was eleventh. The run defense was middle of the pack but this unit gave up the eighth fewest points and created the fourth most turnovers.
Fast forward to 2023, when the Eagles came crashing back to earth with a thud. Last year’s unit was 28th against the pass, with only Washington giving up more points through the air. They recorded 27 fewer sacks, allowed 56 pass plays of 20+ yards, and were one of eight teams with fewer than ten interceptions, while their 18 total takeaways were tied for 23rd. At least the run defense was decent, finishing tied for 19th at 4.3 yards per carry.
In 2022, the Eagles had four players with double-digit sacks. Last year, they had one, and he is now playing for the Jets. In free agency, Philadelphia managed to sign edge Bryce Huff, inside linebacker Devin White, and bring back safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. They focused on defense early in the draft as well, adding two corners and an edge with their first three picks and coming back in the fifth round for an inside linebacker. There is no repeat of 2022 on the horizon, but the team may have done enough to stop the bleeding.
Defensive Linemen
Haason Reddick is gone, Josh Sweat fell from eleven sacks two years ago to six and a half last season, and Brandon Graham is 36 years old and went from eleven sacks to three. The team used a first-round pick on Nolan Smith last year, but despite their struggles, he went 10-8-1 on 204 snaps as a rookie. And don’t forget that Fletcher Cox retired. Despite all of this, it is not all doom and gloom for Eagles fans, and there could be good value here for IDP managers.
Philadelphia made a huge investment in the interior line positions leading up to last year and has an exceptionally strong group to lean on. They stepped up for Jordan Davis in the first round in 2022 and went back to the well for Jalen Carter in round one last spring. Those two players had an impact in 2023 but have only scratched the surface of what they can bring to the team.
All four players posted similar tackle totals. Davis had the most with 45 combined while Carter’s 33 were the lowest. Carter led the group with six sacks though, making him the best fantasy option of the group. At 20-13-6 with 2 forced fumbles and a recovery, Carter was the fantasy game’s DT26. With the year of experience and the likelihood that he will move into the lead role in playing time, we could see a big production jump in his second season.
Josh Sweat should continue to start on the outside. After the eleven sacks in 2022, his total fell back to normal in 2023, while all his other numbers have been about the same since 2020. He was on the field for 828 plays last year, recording 43 combined stops with a couple of turnovers. Over the last four seasons, Sweat put up between 38 and 45 total tackles. In three of those seasons, he was good for six or seven sacks. With that in mind, 40 or so combined tackles and 7 sacks, with a couple of forced fumbles are reasonable expectations. That makes Sweat a decent spot play for bye weeks.
Some managers see Bryce Huff as a breakout candidate. I'm not sure he will be a starter for his team, much less ours. Huff led the Jets with ten sacks a year ago, but he did it on a career-high of only 480 snaps, and it was the only time in his four seasons that Huff had more than three sacks. I expect he will be a full participant in the rotation, but I would be shocked if he plays more than 500 snaps on the season.
We know that Brandon Graham will have a rotational role. Between his age and the fact that he played fewer than 30 snaps in fourteen games last year, that is an easy call. The one that’s much harder to make is Nolan Smith Jr. Despite his first-round status, he was on the field for less than 200 plays as a rookie. With Reddick and Derek Barnett gone, how much bigger will Smith's role be? He still has to prove he can be more than a pass-rush specialist. Until that happens, don’t listen to the hype.
- Edge Bryce Huff – Watchlist sleeper
- Edge Josh Sweat – Bye week depth
- Edge Brandon Graham – No impact
- Edge Nolan Smith – Sleeper with a low floor and limited ceiling
- Edge Jalyx Hunt – Taxi squad target
- DT Jalen Carter – Target as a low-end DT2 with top-12 potential
- DT Jordan Davis – Potential depth in leagues starting two tackles
- DT Milton Williams – Injury sleeper who can produce if playing time is there
- DT Marlon Tuipulotu – No impact expected
- DT Moro Ojomo – No impact
Linebackers
Sometimes, we have to wonder what NFL teams are thinking when they make certain decisions. Looking at the Eagles linebacker situation is one of those times. The team made a lot of changes at the position over the last few years, presumably because they thought the grass was greener on the other side of the fence. From the outside looking in, it seems they don’t recognize a good linebacker when they have one. This is a team that, since 2021, has failed to re-sign Alex Singleton, Kyzir White, and T.J. Edwards. The Broncos, Cardinals, and Bears appreciate those decisions. I point this out because Philadelphia might be heading down that path again.
Having Nakobe Dean redshirt in his first season served two purposes. It allowed him to get fully healthy while learning the defense. Most teams had Dean as a first-round talent, but he fell to the third due to injury concerns. Dean battled several issues while at Georgia including a sore ankle, a meniscus problem, and a torn labrum that he showed toughness by playing through at the end of the 2020 season. The big one, however, was the pectoral injury Dean suffered while working out in preparation for the combine.
After playing 34 snaps as a rookie, Dean was supposed to take over the lead role last year. He lasted less than one full game before a foot injury took him out. Dean managed 182 plays on the season before landing on IR with a Lisfranc injury. He was back in action this offseason and a full participant at the start of training camp but there is some question in the early going about his role.
Maybe the coaching staff is limiting Dean’s workload for health reasons. Whatever the case, Zack Baun and Devin White have been seen running with the first-team defense. Dean is getting some work with the ones as well so there may be nothing to see here. That said, between his injury history and the team’s recent string of poor personnel decisions, this is a situation we will need to watch closely.
Adding to the intrigue is the fact that the organization stocked up on linebackers over the offseason. They added Baun and White in free agency then drafted the son of Eagles legend Jeremiah Trotter. White is expected to be locked in at one of the off-ball linebacker positions. The question is, will the Eagles get the version of White that made the Pro Bowl in 2021 or the version that fell out of grace with the Buccaneers and was benched in 2023?
White was the fifth overall pick in 2019 and lived up to the expectations early on. In his first two seasons, White was everywhere on the field and among the elite fantasy options. Despite missing four games as a rookie, he tallied 90 combined tackles and blew up the big play columns for 8 turnovers, 2 sacks, and a pair of touchdowns. His average points per game ranked fifth among linebackers. In year two, White was third in the league with 97 solo tackles, adding 43 assists, 9 sacks, and a pair of turnovers to claim the top spot in the rankings.
White’s third season is when things started to go bad. He still managed to finish 17th in 2021 and 16th in 2022, but he was not the same player. His tackle production was fine in 2021, but White failed to force a turnover, with his three sacks being the only big play contribution. The big plays came back in 2022, but his solo tackles dropped to 73. Then came last year’s disaster.
There is no doubt that White is highly talented and capable of big things on the field and on the stat sheet. Maybe a fresh start is just what he needed. What we do know for sure is that Philadelphia’s linebacker positions have been very fantasy-friendly over the years. If White falls on his face in this situation, it’s all on him.
The news of Baun running with the starters is interesting, but we should not get too excited about it just yet. He could be productive if he does indeed win a starting job, but there is a reason the linebacker-needy Saints let him walk at the end of his rookie contract.
Baun had 88 total tackles over four years with New Orleans. For much of his time there, he had the title of starting strong side backer. The problem is that New Orleans rarely fielded a third linebacker. Baun had some opportunities to start on the weak side but failed to impress. Like White, the change of scenery could be just what he needs, but these players are apples and oranges in terms of talent.
There is a wildcard in the deck here. Some managers will look at the Jeremiah Trotter Jr. selection and think the team only picked him for sentimental reasons or out of respect for his father. Had they signed him as a free agent, I might believe that, but teams don’t use a fifth-round pick for such things.
Trotter fell to round five because he is undersized at 6-foot-1 and 228 pounds, has average speed, and has adequate cover skills. It is the intangibles that could make him one of the biggest steals of his draft class. He is hard-nosed and determined, with a nose for the football, a high football IQ, and strong leadership qualities. While he is not fast, Trotter is quick and agile, can get to the quarterback regularly on the blitz, and has a knack for slipping blocks to make plays in traffic.
If you watched his games with Clemson, you know that Trotter passed the eyeball test. He checks the box for college production as well. In two seasons as a starter for the Tigers, Trotter totaled 192 combined stops, including 29 for loss, 13 sacks, 7 turnovers, and 2 scores. It may not happen right away but this young man will eventually get his chance, and when he does, the Eagles revolving door at linebacker could finally stop. One last note on Trotter: NFL draft Analyst Lance Zierlein offers comparisons with his scouting reports. His comparison for Trotter is right on in my opinion, Nick Bolton.
- ILB Devin White – High floor and high ceiling, but there is some risk
- ILB Nakobe Dean – Injury prone and possibly falling out of grace with the team
- ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – Sleeper with strong dynasty potential
- ILB Zach Baun – Watchlist sleeper with limited upside
- ILB Oren Burks – No impact
Defensive Backs
The Eagles made a significant investment in their secondary over the offseason. It started with the signing of strong safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and continued when the team selected corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean in the first two rounds, respectively. The additions make the team younger and more talented. What effect will they have on a unit that gave us three players who averaged at least 10.3 points per game, including a pair of top-twelve safeties and a top-ten corner?
Reed Blankenship is a great story. He made the team as an undrafted free agent out of tiny Middle Tennessee. Blankenship played sparingly as a rookie, getting on the field in week twelve after Gardner-Johnson was injured. He had a significant role in six games but it was enough to impress the coaching staff. When Gardner-Johnson signed with the Lions last spring, Philadelphia made Blankenship their starter. He responded with a strong year that included 79 tackles, 34 assists, 4 turnovers, and 11 passes defended in 15 games. The raw numbers made Blankenship a top-ten fantasy option, while his average of 12.3 points per game ranked fifth among safeties.
Gardner-Johnson played eleven games with the Eagles in 2022, missing the other six with an injury. In those eleven games, he put up 60-6-1 with six interceptions for an average of 12.7 points. When he was hurt, Gardner-Johnson was the fantasy game’s number two safety behind Jalen Pitre. He had a cup of coffee with the Lions last year, before spending the final 15 weeks of the season on IR. When he hit free agency again, Philadelphia brought him back.
The team planned to roll with Justin Evans as the starter last year. When he was lost early on, and none of the backups could get the job done, the team traded for Kevin Byard. With his season split between Tennessee and Philadelphia, Byard piled up 122 tackles, including 80 solos, adding a couple of turnovers for a final rank of twelve.
The point is that the Eagles' safety positions are a fantasy goldmine. Even Evans averaged ten and a half points over his two healthy games last year. There could be some questions about who will end up at strong safety, but that doesn’t make much difference either. The scheme calls for and uses its safeties as interchangeable pieces, working more as right and left than strong and free.
Improvements at linebacker could have some effect, and there are injury concerns with Gardner-Johnson, who has missed at least five games in three straight seasons. We might not see both players in the top twelve in 2024, but Gardner-Johnson and Blankenship should both be quality every-week starters for us.
Once he is healthy, last year’s third-round pick, Sydney Brown, should be a factor as the third safety. He was in that role for most of his rookie season before suffering an ACL injury in week 18. Brown started camp on the PUP and that could carry over into the season. James Bradberry is moving from corner to safety this year and is expected to fill the void at least until Brown returns and possibly beyond.
The writing was on the wall for Bradberry as a corner. He did not play well as a starter for the team last season so the addition of the two rookies would have made it tough for Bradberry to make the team at that position. His size and skill set should fit well in the new position.
Philadelphia will have an old guy on one corner and a young guy on the other this season. The old guy is Darius Slay, who enters his twelfth season at age 33. Slay falls a little short of being an elite, shut-down corner, but he has been a very good one. He is a marginal IDP factor in most years. Slay had a monster 2017 that included career highs of 54 solo tackles, 8 interceptions, and 26 passes defended. He was heading for another strong season before missing five games in 2023. Career averages of 43-8, two and a half turnovers, and 14 passes defended pretty well tell the tale of Slay’s IDP value.
Quinyon Mitchell has some things going for him in terms of IDP potential. The rookie corner rule is the biggest factor as he will covered in chum and thrown to the sharks from day one. The second big factor is having a player of Slay’s caliber on the other side. The third thing is his skill set. Mitchell has good size, runs a 4.33 in the forty, hits like a safety, and is a ball hawk.
Mitchell did not have stellar numbers over his three years as a starter for Toledo. That is because he was the stud corner on those teams and opponents avoided him often. He did manage six interceptions over the last two seasons so the big play potential is real.
Since 2018, Avonte Maddox has been a mainstay as the Eagles slot corner. He missed most of last season with a bad shoulder but was not limited at the start of training camp. While he has been a steady contributor on the field, Maddox has not been a factor on the stat sheets over his five seasons.
Once healthy, Cooper Dejean could push for playing time at Avonte’s expense. The rookie opened camp on the PUP as he nurses a sore hamstring.
- SS C.J. Gardner-Johnson – Injury risk with a load of upside
- SS Reed Blankenship – High floor second starter with top ten potential
- FS Sydney Brown – May not be healthy before mid-season
- FS James Bradberry – Injury sleeper
- CB Darius Slay – Year-to-year inconsistency makes him hard to project
- CB Quinyon Mitchell – Rookie corner rule
- CB Avonte Maddox – No impact
- CB Zech McPhearson – No impact
- CB Cooper DeJean – Opened camp on the PUP but could be ready for week one.
That’s a wrap for the EOTG pre-season series. I’ll be back for an update once we have some warmup games to look at. Until then, best of luck with your drafts.
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