Defensive end will be a serious strength for the Eagles in 2017
The Philadelphia Eagles have sneaky good depth at defensive end.
The 2016 Philadelphia Eagles defensive ends struggled to say the least. Connor Barwin did not have a smooth transition into Jim Schwartz’s scheme and would eventually be released. Vinny Curry played in less than 50 percent of the defensive snaps after signing a massive contract. Brandon Graham was named an All-Pro but didn’t have those eye-popping stats that you look for from a defensive end, and Marcus Smith was, well, Marcus Smith.
But as they say, there is no sense in living in the past. The roster has gone through a serious transformation since the end of the 2016 season, with a major focus along the edge. It’s still early, but it appears that the Eagles have taken a past weakness and turned it into a future strength.
Newcomers
The release of Barwin left a major hole opposite of Graham. Curry has yet to show that he can be a consistent starter in the league. Smith has not instilled confidence since entering the league and the depth behind them was not anything you could depend on. Without any additional help, teams would key in on Graham (more than they already were) and effectively neutralize the edge of the defensive line. The interior defensive line would then be counted on to produce more pressure. Since defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz typically only rushes the four down lineman, this would not be ideal.
Philadelphia Eagles
Obviously, the Eagles brass understood this and knew that they had to make the position a priority. Chris Long was signed after a season with the New England Patriots where he was not a consistent starter, but still productive. Long had four sacks while playing in about 65 percent of the Patriots’ defensive snaps last year. While this number is not head turning, it’s still not terrible. It would be safe to assume that if Long had played in about 90 percent of the snaps, he probably would have had six to seven sacks. This would have put him near the top for the Eagles.
The Eagles then selected defensive end Derek Barnett out of Tennessee with their first-round selection in the draft. Barnett had a school record 33 sacks (beating Reggie White) and an equally impressive 52 tackles for loss. There is always the worry that college players won’t transition well to the NFL, but all signs out of OTA’s are that Barnett has been impressive. So impressive, that he has beaten Lane Johnson, arguably the Eagles best offensive lineman, on multiple occasions.
New Look
With the additions of the two players listed above, the Eagles have added serious competition to the defensive end position. While Long and Barnett are both very productive players, their additions will also hopefully light a fire under others. Specifically Curry and Smith. Curry needs to prove that he deserves the contract the Eagles gave him last offseason. Smith needs to prove that he even belongs in this league. Unfortunately for him (fortunately for the Eagles) he is going to have a tough path to the field due to the talent ahead of him.
Potential Depth Chart:
RDE
LDE
A name to watch going into training camp is Alex McCalister. Last year was treated as redshirt year for the defensive end out of Florida. He has had a whole offseason in a professional strength and conditioning environment and has added 12 pounds to his frame. If he has been able to maintain his speed, he could sneak onto the field in third and long situations.
Final Thoughts
The depth of the defensive end position is going to pay dividends for the Eagles down the stretch. An effective pass rush will allow the Eagles to close out games in which they are leading or put pressure on teams that are trying to mount a comeback. Either way, the pass rush should help force quarterbacks into high pressure throws which will allow the rest of the defense to make plays.
Rome may not have been built in a day, but hopefully it only takes an offseason.