Philadelphia Eagles: Do Fletcher Cox and Malik Jackson top other DT tandems?

Fletcher Cox has long been seen as the man by NFL standards for quite some time, but with the Eagles’ addition of Malik Jackson, how do the two stack up versus the NFL’s best?

Ask around, and you’ll probably get the same answer regardless of who you talk to. In terms of defensive tackles, the Philadelphia Eagles‘ standout, Fletcher Cox, is head and shoulders above the rest of the NFL. Thinking about him being paired with the likes of Timmy Jernigan, if he’s healthy, and newly added Malik Jackson is probably enough to make opposing offensive coordinators lose sleep already.

Yep, Philly’s decision to take ’91’ 12th overall in 2012’s draft definitely paid off. Most see him as the second-best defensive tackle in the league, behind only Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams. Every Eagles fan knows what Jernigan’s skill set is, and anyone who’s seen Jackson in action won’t complain about adding him to the interior of Philly’s defensive line.

The natural reaction is to think about where Philly’s duo of starting defensive tackles (most likely Cox and Jackson) ranks in comparison to the rest of the league. Well, recently, Mike Johnson of Pro Football Focus decided to rank the best starting tandems in pro football.

How did Cox and Jackson do? Only that guy from the Los Angeles Rams and his partner in crime, Michael Brockers rank higher. Here’s a quote:

"Jackson comes to the Eagles where he’ll immediately provide a viable pass-rushing option to the middle of the defensive line that will free up much-needed space for Cox to continue to rush the passer at an elite level. He recorded 51 total pressures with the Jaguars last season, ranking him ninth at the position."

As 2019’s regular season approaches, shorter-term goals include making sure Cox is ready for training camp. So far it appears as though things are on track there. Fingers are crossed all around Philly.

Looking down the road, if Jackson brings some of that same fire we saw from him while with the Jacksonville Jaguars and, if Jernigan is back to one-hundred percent, Philly’s defensive line will, indeed, be one of the most feared in football. That should  provide opportunities for the guys on the outside to make plays.

To make long stories short, this should be a big year for several guys along the entire defensive line. We’ll see if it’s big enough for them to take the top spot both statistically and in the eyes of the media.