Do the Philadelphia Eagles have a top-five defensive trio?

Would a unit of Fletcher Cox, Malcolm Jenkins, and Brandon Graham be considered as a top defensive trio in the NFL?

Over the last couple of years, the Philadelphia Eagles have had one of the better defenses in the NFL. Sure, there are times they look like swiss cheese in the clutch, but inexperience and injuries played a significant part in that recently. The Philly defense surely isn’t perfect. However, their key veterans have made it known they are some of the best at their respective position.

Take Fletcher Cox, for example. Everybody knows that he’s easily the second-best defensive tackle in the league behind Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald. Cox might not be number one right now, but the battle between one and two is not too far off. Then, there’s safety Malcolm Jenkins. Although Jenkins has had his fair share of snubs over the years, the production doesn’t lie — he’s clearly one of the more reliable safeties in the league.

The third veteran in this trio would be defensive end, Brandon Graham. While Graham isn’t a sack-master on the Eagles defensive front, he still displays elite abilities getting past his opponent and to the quarterback. Plus, he comes in the clutch more often than not (see Super Bowl LII). So considering Graham, Cox, and Jenkins as the Eagles top defensive trio, would we be able to say they are one of the top trio’s in the NFL? Let’s check in with NFL.com analyst, Bucky Brooks.

Do the Eagles have a top defensive trio?

In the eyes of Bucky Brooks, the Eagles’ defensive trio is worth mentioning. However, they did not crack the top five. The Denver Broncos came in at five with a trio of Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, and Chris Harris Jr. The fourth was the Los Angeles Rams with Aaron Donald, Dante Fowler, and Marcus Peters. The third was the Chicago Bears, who have Kahlil Mack, Akiem Hicks, and Eddie Jackson.

The second-best was a familiar enemy of the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys. As we know, the Cowboys have a solid young trio in DeMarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith, and Leighton Vander Esch. Then, number one became the Los Angeles Chargers with Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Derwin James. Do the Eagles deserve a spot in the top-ten? We believe so. Apparently though, the top five is too much of a stretch. So where do they lose in this case?

Why didn’t the Eagles make the cut?

While there wasn’t a specific reasoning as to why the Eagles missed the top five cut, we can make our best-educated guess. First of all, stats most likely matter in this case. Therefore, Brandon Graham might be the weak link in this scenario. Pressures are Graham’s thing — but finishing the pressure with a sack is not.

Last year, Graham finished off the year with only four sacks. It was surely a down season for him, but his most productive year even looks like a down season for some of the NFL’s best defensive ends. Again, you would have to watch Graham closely to understand his value — but if statistics play a big part in this equation, it makes sense as to why the Eagles are left out.

Perhaps Graham can change in 2019 and uplift the trio. After all, it was known he was recovering from an ankle injury in 2018, which could’ve caused the down season. With a new contract inked and more time to get healthy, Graham could be on his road to having a comeback season for the Birds. If that’s the case, the rest of the NFL will have to be on notice.