After breaking down the offense in yesterday’s ultimate OTA preview, we now shift our attention to the defensive side of the ball. Here’s everything you need to know ahead of tomorrow’s first OTA practice.
Defensive tackle
What a whirlwind this position is set to go through. On the eve of Draft weekend, the Eagles announced that they had re-signed Timmy Jernigan, adding a much-needed sense of depth to the position. However, Jernigan didn’t appear too pleased with at least one aspect of the agreement, given his recent Instagram story in which he threatened to ‘pull a Telvin Smith’.
Jernigan’s role may well be marginalized and with Malik Jackson now in the fold on a much longer contract, that may not be subject to change. It will be interesting to see how the Eagles use the former Jaguar in comparison to Jernigan. As things stand, Cox, Jackson, and Jernigan would make up the first 3 defensive tackle roles…but it’s that fourth that’s up for grabs.
Treyvon Hester and Bruce Hector will clash head-to-head in a battle for DT4, with Hestor really turning some heads last year with some flashy plays on both defense and special teams. This is set to be a season-long battle that will kick off this week.
The wildcard to watch here though will be UDFA Anthony Rush out of UAB. An absolute behemoth, this space-eating defensive tackle could be the perfect piece to eat up double teams while the defensive ends feast. Rush ended 2018 with 43 tackles, 11 TFL and a pair of sacks. Another small-school sleeper, Rush has a ridiculously intimidating frame at 6’5, 350 lbs and is one of my big UDFA names to watch.
