Listening to Fletcher Cox might make the mind wonder. With an influx of veteran leadership, could the Eagles’ defensive line be even better in 2018?
Thanks to a roster full of standouts and some pretty hefty contracts that had already been given out, we knew several things about the Philadelphia Eagles a season ago. We knew they had minimal money to spend. We also knew that some of the guys reaching the ends of their deals wouldn’t be around past the free agency period, but we also knew they had Fletcher Cox locked up.
That made many Eagles fans happy.
The more things change, the more they stay the same (or get better).
Fast forward, and ‘The Birds’, despite losing Vinny Curry and Beau Allen, may still be in great shape (if not better). Just like a season ago, Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman found money where there wasn’t supposed to be any and found a way to add Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata to the mix. Then, they re-signed Chris Long.
Just like that, Philly got another infusion of veteran leadership. According to Mr. Cox, Philly also got, in Bennett and Ngata, two guys with a lot of character.
"As far as (being) a teammate, I think they’re really fun to be around, and as far as being a professional, they are guys you really want to be around because you just take things that they do well and you try to learn from them."
Take a listen to some more on that and a few other things from Cox himself:
Video courtesy of the Philadelphia Eagles official YouTube page
With all of the veterans on the roster, it’s easy to forget about the new guys. ‘The Birds’ have added two young standouts in two consecutive drafts. Derek Barnett was taken with the 14th-overall selection a season ago, and all it cost ‘The Birds’ was Sam Bradford.
One year later, in Dallas, Philly added Josh Sweat in the fourth round. That one’s already looking like a seal. Destiny Vaeao is also in the mix. He’s showing signs given the opportunities he’s been given in Timmy Jernigan‘s absence.
Buckle up ladies and gents. Philly’s line may be even better in 2018.