Eagles defensive line gets some love from PFF, Philly's linebackers aren't as lucky

70 sacks... Let that sink in for a second. On 70 different occasions, the Philadelphia Eagles' pass rush dragged the opposing quarterback to the turf. That averages out to a little more than four sacks per contest during the 17-game grind that is the NFL season. Common sense tells us that equaling that feat in 2023 will be a tall order, especially after Javon Hargrave traded midnight green for the red and gold of the San Francisco Forty Whiners... Sorry... We meant the 49ers. Then again, we may need to revisit that theory.

The additions that the Birds made, namely drafting Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith, have the rest of the NFL on notice. There isn't an offensive coordinator in the game or a quarterback on Philly's schedule that will enjoy a decent night's rest when the Birds are the opponent.

Everyone seems to know that. The national media is talking. It appears that one of our favorite publications is on the hype train as well.

Pro Football Focus gives the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line a passing grade, but the linebacker corps isn't as lucky.

Just look at the names: Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Brandon Graham, Josh Sweat, Derek Barnett. The Eagles' defensive line is going to be nasty... even without Hargrave.

Pro Football Focus is drinking the midnight-green-colored Kool-Aid. They recently ranked every D-line in the game. The Birds are holding serve at the top spot.

"A season ago, Philadelphia ranked second in the league in pressure percentage despite blitzing at a below-average rate. And this was largely due to the defense's ability to get after the quarterback with just four pass-rushers.

While the Eagles lost interior defender Javon Hargrave in free agency, they were able to draft Georgia's Jalen Carter, who earned a Power Five-best 92.3 PFF grade in 2022.

There is a case to be made that Philadelphia’s second-string defensive line would also rank in the top 20 on this list."

- Zoltán Buday, PFF

That's the good news. Here's the bad news.

Okay, so remember all of those discussions we had about T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White leaving (and the concerns we had about whether or not Nakobe Dean was going to be able to step up as a starter)? Well, it appears that we aren't the only contingent that shares those concerns. PFF ranked every NFL linebacker corps, and the Birds landed at 31.

Yes, you read that correctly. The Birds landed at 31. The L.A. Rams were the only squad to be ranked lower. Here's the explanation for Philly's ranking.

"It will be hard to judge the Eagles' linebackers until we see them in action. Last year’s starters, T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White, left in free agency and left the Eagles with a huge hole in the middle of their defense. Nicholas Morrow enters the fold as the only player with significant experience, but he’s graded above 54.0 in just one of his five seasons in the NFL.

Former third-round pick Nakobe Dean looks to establish himself as the new leader of Philadelphia’s defense. There are concerns about his small stature and health in a full-time role, but the Eagles won’t know what they have until he plays. Dean put up first-round production in college, so he’ll aim to prove the doubters wrong while playing alongside several former Bulldog teammates."

- Dalton Wasserman, PFF

We're going to disagree with the ranking here. Here's our bold prediction.

Nakobe Dean is going to shock a lot of people. Haason Reddick and Nolan Smith are going to eat all season. Write it down. The Philadelphia Eagles are home to what will be the most feared front seven all season.

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