Eagles snubbed from ranking of NFL defensive position groups (and it's puzzling)
If you're like most, you probably can't even begin to count how many hours you've watched the Philadelphia Eagles play football. We'd still be willing to bet you have done so enough to be familiar with some of the cliches.
It's said that NFL teams only soar as high as a capable quarterback can take them. There's also another side to that coin. QBs can struggle when their organization doesn't put pieces around them.
Once upon a time, we heard that 'offense sells tickets' and 'defense wins championships'. Some have debated the accuracy of both statements. Then again, had Philly's offense made a few more plays (or if the defense would have made one stop in Super Bowl LVII's second half) the Birds might own a second Vince Lombardi Trophy.
Last season, Philly's defense regressed, so they added pieces during free agency. They added young playmakers early in the most recent NFL Draft. They also hired Vic Fangio. We'd assume all that would get people to drink the Kool-Aid, but it's what's not being said that has grabbed our attention.
Wouldn't it seem like the Eagles' defensive upgrades would land at least one of their units among the NFL's elite?
CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo cooked up an intriguing read recently. He ranked the NFL's top 10 defensive position groups. Every unit from every team is considered, so for a squad with playmakers on both sides of the ball, you'd assume Philly would be somewhere in the discussion.
They are not... They are not first. They are not fifth. We read Pro Football Focus's take on the best units in the NFL. Again, no mention of the Bird Gang. Did we overrate Philly some, or are these rankings fair? Are we right to ask questions? Let's take a look at all three levels of the defense.
The linebacker corps was upgraded by drafting Jeremiah Trotter Jr. Zack Baun, Oren Burks, and Devin White were acquired before that, but maybe you aren't impressed by the return of Nakobe Dean. We'll let you slide if that's your theory. Let's talk about the other two levels of Vic Fangio's unit.
A secondary that already featured Pro Bowler Darius Slay added Isaiah Rodgers. It appears stashing the latter for a year will prove to be a wise investment, but only time will tell. We've only seen him work out in shorts.
Still, adding two of the top prospects at the position during the most recent NFL Draft has to count for something, right? ... No? Well, how about reacquiring C.J. Gardner-Johnson?
Pro Football Focus ranked Philly third in their defensive line ranking, but they only stacked them 24th while ranking secondaries. It appears Slay and Bradberry's age is part of the reason PFF didn't give our Birds a favorable mention.
Never mind Isaiah Rodgers' reinstatement. Never mind everything we just mentioned. Perhaps our grades are emotional, but we'd like to believe we were still being impartial.
As far as the defensive line goes, there's enough firepower here to earn a passing grade. Jalen Carter is going to be a star. Milton Williams is underrated, and Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, and Bryce Huff make for a nice rotation of pass rushers. We'll see what happens with Nolan Smith and Jordan Davis, but something tells us they'll be better than advertised.
We knew the Jets featured an elite defense. They rank first in PFF's defensive line ranking while being credited with having the fourth-best secondary on DeArdo's list, but even that makes us feel like there was a snub here. Philly can't be that far behind them, right?
The truth is, as fun as all of this is, none of us will know whether or not we're right until September. The 2024-25 Eagles are stacked. They may not be deep at every position, but they're stacked. Howie Roseman has certainly done his job. So, with that being said, we leave you with one more cliche.
The tale of Philadelphia's season and how the defense will perform will come down to how well they are coached. We know... That aspect of the Eagles experience has let us down in big moments recently, but Vic Fangio is credited as being a genius. We're about to find out how good he really is.