After taking a closer look at the offense in yesterday’s report card, it’s time to apply the magnifying glass to the defense in today’s evaluation.
Defensive line:
The injury to Timmy Jernigan was thought to be monumental at the time the team released their statement that sent him to IR, but somehow, the Eagles defensive line has been better than ever, even if the stats don’t show it.
What this comes down to is that offenses are getting the ball out faster because they know that a fraction of a second longer will see their quarterback on the ground. Partner this with off-coverage from the DB’s and what you have is an easy scenario for quarterbacks like Mariota and Newton to just chip away. However, when teams are forced to play from behind (ignoring the two glaring exceptions), the pass rush feasts.
Fletcher Cox, despite losing Ngata as well at times and being partnered by UDFA’s, has 4 sacks this season while Michael Bennett has 3.5 The injury to Derek Barnett was a tough pill to swallow as he too was continuously causing havoc in the trenches, but the line has been exceptional when you factor all of this into the equation.
What’s even more staggering is the run defense. To put it frankly, it’s like a brick wall. The Eagles have allowed 670 yards on the year, which ranks them 5th in the NFL. Stunningly however, Saquon Barkley is the ONLY running back to amass 50+ yards against the Eagles all season and a huge chunk of that came on one play. In fact, quarterbacks have been the opposing team’s leading rusher in four games.
Best run defense in the NFL? It’s arguable. What isn’t is that if this unit was fully healthy, it would be the most intimidating front four in Football.
Grade: B+
Linebacker:
Jordan Hicks is quietly having a huge season. With 71 tackles and 3 sacks to his name, the only accolade missing is the heralded ‘Hicks Six’. The injury plagued linebacker in his contract year is once again proving to be the heartbeat of the defense and a man who is absolutely integral to the run game and blowing up those pesky plays over the middle.
Nigel Bradham has been so consistently great that we have now hit a point where we’re taking it for granted. 2 interceptions go hand in hand with his 41 tackles and his ability to wrap up ball carriers remains horribly underrated. Bradham may be among the best coverage linebackers in the league and he’s proving it again this year.
Then, there’s the emergence of Kamu Grugier-Hill. The former Pats special teamer led the Eagles unit in tackles last year and has exploded onto the scene. An early interception has been followed with some key tackles and excellent sideline-to-sideline speed, although his role has been flexed into the hands of Malcolm Jenkins…but we’ll talk about that later.
The linebackers have been one of the team’s strongest areas heading into the second half of the season and that should continue.
Grade: A
Cornerback:
Let’s talk about the Elephant in the room. Whether you want to put it down to scheme or player error, the corners have been bitterly underwhelming for the most part. From the ‘double move’ problems to a complete lack of turnovers, the defense has struggled to keep wide receivers quiet. Sure, you can make the argument that ‘yards don’t matter’, but if a team is able to get into the red zone 4 times instead of 2, you can say the opposite.
By this point, there has been so much analysis on the corners (in terms of Film Rooms, podcasts and articles) that we don’t want to beat the same Drum again. Darby and Mills have been shocking at times, but flashed in others.
Sidney Jones was having a fantastic first season prior to his injury and his injury stung this defense badly. He wasn’t perfect, but Jones made plenty of big plays and showed an abundance of promise in the opening four weeks of the season.
The decision to bring back Dexter McDougle was just puzzling and the one player who has actually performed really well every time he actually sees the field, Rasul Douglas, is kept on the sidelines for reasons not many understand.
The unit did improve against the Jags, but surprise surprise, it was Rasul Douglas swinging the momentum. The position just hasn’t been good enough
Grade: D
Safety:
Perhaps the most ravaged position on the roster, losing Corey Graham (who struggled anyway in his lone start) and the hard-hitting Rodney McLeod were two thunderous punches to take. The Eagles turned to Avonte Maddox to step up, a rookie corner who had never played the position before. The strides he has taken since being dropped in the deep end are absolutely massive however.
Maddox has been one of the team’s biggest surprises this season and if he can maintain this production moving into the second half of the season, the secondary may have life yet.
The one player we’re yet to mention is the elite Malcolm Jenkins, who has spent most of his time in the box. Instead of moving him to the backline to help Maddox, the team insist on shuffling the outside corners to allow Jenkins to do what he does best. It’s worked.
With 42 tackles to his name, Jenkins has been an absolute monster when it comes to crashing the pocket, attacking the quarterback and blowing up the run. Still able to drop into coverage, he really has become the remote controlled missile that Schwartz hoped he could grow into. One of the best safeties in the league, Jenkins can do it all.
Grade: B
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
