Young Eagles defenders expected to make huge strides in 2022

Make no mistake. The Eagles found a monster in the form of Milton Williams.

We’re all very aware of the business model when it comes to how the Philadelphia Eagles want to go about building their defensive roster. They love to build from the interior of their defensive line and then work their way out. That’s been very evident over the past few seasons.

In 2017, they traded the 74th pick in the NFL Draft to the Baltimore Ravens to acquire Timmy Jernigan and the 99th-overall selection. They drafted Rasul Douglas at 99.

In 2018, they added Haloti Ngata before resigning Jernigan and adding Malik Jackson in 2019. Jackson got hurt in 2019’s season opener and was released in 2021, but the transition was smooth as Philly had already added Javon Hargrave.

That brings us to the present. The Birds are excited about Jordan Davis, as they should be, after drafting Milton Williams in Round 3, 73rd-overall, in 2021’s draft. Williams, in reserve duty, played 41 percent of the defensive snaps, 456 total, and he racked up 30 total tackles (15 solos), two sacks, two pass breakups, and six additional hits on opposing quarterbacks.

With a full year of experience under his belt and more involvement in the defensive strategy, his star is going to continue to rise. He should be fun to watch, especially seeing as how there isn’t any pressure on him to do anything except be a solid role player and a rotational piece for the Eagles at the defensive tackle position. We’re calling for five sacks this season.