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Philadelphia Eagles had NFC East’s best pass rush in 2016

By Ryan Quigley

Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) celebrates with Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Browns, 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Fletcher Cox (91) celebrates with Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (55) against the Cleveland Browns at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles defeated the Browns, 29-10. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Philadelphia Eagles had the best pass rush in the NFC East last season and it really wasn’t all that close.

Many assumed the Philadelphia Eagles‘ defense would take a significant step forward after the arrival of Jim Schwartz as defensive coordinator last offseason. And aside from below average play from the secondary, that certainly turned out to be the case.

According to Pro Football Focus, the Eagles had the best pass rush in the NFC East in 2016, which ranked second-best in the NFL. The Washington Redskins had the second-best pass rush in the division, which ranked 15th in the league.

What makes this ranking so impressive is the fact that Schwartz typically strays away from sending an extra man to rush the passer. Schwartz relies very heavily on his front four to make opposing quarterbacks uncomfortable. While he doesn’t necessarily refrain from blitzing, Schwartz certainly isn’t the blitz aficionado the late Jim Johnson was.

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With the Eagles’ pass rush ranking so high last season, it will be interesting to see how the unit performs in 2017. Not only did the Eagles add former New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long this offseason, but they also selected Derek Barnett in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft, who broke Reggie White‘s sack record at Tennessee in one less year of collegiate play than the Minister of Defense.

That’s, uh, kind of impressive.

And let’s also not forget about the return of a healthy Vinny Curry. While recently speaking on 94WIP, Curry revealed that he played through an MCL injury last season, which obviously had a negative impact on his play. Despite the injury, Curry still managed to play in all 16 games and was listed as one of PFF’s most effective pass rushers of 2016.

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