6 Eagles who are primed for breakout seasons in Vic Fangio's defense

There was an old saying that everyone used to throw around. The offense sells tickets, and the defense wins championships. That theory evolved. Defense doesn't necessarily win games, it allows your offense the opportunity to win them. Shortly after Super Bowl LII, the Philadelphia Eagles had completely rewritten the rulebook. Now, a contingent believes the best defense is a great offense.

Hold your horses. This is Philly. Don't tell Birds fans to ignore the defensive side of the ball. We have watched Buddy Ryan, Bud Carson, and Jim Johnson.

Welcome to Vic Fangio's era. After that Sean Desai-Matt Patricia thing, everyone is hungry for some attitude. Come to think of it, defense might sell tickets around these parts.

There are new faces at every level. There are two newly-drafted DBs. Here are six Birds from which we're expecting to see breakout seasons.

Also read: Bold predictions for Nolan Smith and the Eagles defense

Milton Williams, interior defensive lineman

Maybe we're in the minority, but when we've actually seen Milton Williams play, we find far more to praise than criticize. A six-foot-three, 290-pounder, he's a former third-round draft choice who prides himself on being able to play every position along the D-line.

For most of his career, he's been at the middle or back-half of the depth chart. Blame Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Jordan Davis, and Jalen Carter for that.

Fangio is a Milton Williams fan though. That equals more responsibility and potentially more snaps leading to a breakout run in a contract year.

Nolan Smith, EDGE

You guys give up on people so quickly! Nolan Smith may not have lived up to the first-round hype of a year ago yet, but you also have to remember a couple of things.

He battled injury. He wasn't needed to start as Philly had Haason Reddick on the 2023 roster. But, as you know, Reddick is gone now. The need for pass rushers never vanishes.

Smith is healthy, and he will get his chances now. Vic will scheme things to showcase his athleticism. This is one of those breakout candidates we have the most faith and confidence in.

Jalen Carter & Jordan Davis, defensive tackle

This argument probably lends itself to the Milton Williams argument too. The interior of the defensive line is one of the main cogs to Fangio's defensive engine. Look no further than Christian Wilkins if you need an example.

Last season, he racked up nine sacks and had never notched more than 4.5. A career-high 61 pressures topped his then-best 37. What's more impressive is he was unblocked on 20 of those 61 pressures. Chalk that up to some wise play-calling and good scheme.

At the risk of sounding disrespectful, we'd like to point out something. Wilkins isn't as talented as Jalen Carter, nor is he as big as Jordan Davis.

Carter, Davis, and Williams are going to do work in 2024. Tell everyone we told you so. If conditioning isn't an issue, the sky will be the limit.

Zack Baun & Nakobe Dean, linebackers

Zack Baun is 64 games into his NFL career if you count two playoff games. So far, he only has 14 starts on his resume, and even though that has led to 660 defensive snaps, the majority of his work has come on special teams (1,293 snaps).

Dean played behind TJ Edwards and Kyzir White in year one. His sophomore effort resulted in two trips to the injured reserve. Both he and Baun will see significant playing time all season long.

Dean is Philly's best linebacker now. If he doesn't start, there needs to be an investigation. This will be a huge season for him. One, in all honesty, that we have been expecting. Remember... We never doubted him, not for a second.

Read more about the coming Eagles season!