The Eagles have completed the offseason workout program.
Five weeks out from training camp, Howie Roseman has amassed a deep and versatile depth chart, and the overall roster is starting to take shape.
Vic Fangio’s revamped defense will look different after Fletcher Cox announced his retirement and Hasson Reddick was traded to the New York Jets. A secondary shredded in 2023 has new faces in Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Jeremiah Trotter Jr. A tone-setter also returned after C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed a three-year deal.
PFF recently released their top 32 rankings for key defensive positions, and the Eagles had every critical offensive star land in the top ten at their respective positions.
Edge rusher
Philadelphia had three players on the top 32 list.
14. BRYCE HUFF, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Huff has been on an absolute tear as a pass rusher over the past two seasons, recording pass-rush grades of 88.0 and 86.8 with pass-rush win rates of 25.6% and 22.9%. His run-defense grades remain poor, but he is very impactful as a pass-rush specialist.
23. BRANDON GRAHAM, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Even at ages 34 and 35, Brandon Graham was still getting it done. He recorded a 90.1 overall grade in 2022 and an 84.0 mark in 2023. His run-defense grades remain steady, and his pass-rush win percentages of 20.2% and 19.8% in each of the past two seasons were two of the higher marks of his 14-year career.
31. JOSH SWEAT, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Sweat didn’t have as strong a 2023 season as in 2022, but his 72.1 pass-rush grade last year was still respectable and his 14.4% pass-rush win rate was a career high. His 53.1 run-defense grade was a career low, though, and so he needs to bounce back to climb this list.
Interior defenders
The former Georgia All-American makes the list and lands in the top ten.
9, JALEN CARTER, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
For the first half of his rookie season, Carter looked like he might rival the best defensive tackles in the game right out of the gate.
Through Week 8, Carter boasted a 91.6 PFF overall grade to trail only Dexter Lawrence. His second half of the season was less consistent, but he was still a wrecking machine when at his best.
Overall, Carter finished with 50 quarterback pressures and an 84.6 PFF pass-rushing grade. If he takes a step forward in his second year, the rest of the league needs to look out
Linebacker
The Eagles have worked to address the position, but again, no players make the list. Former Philadelphia linebacker T.J. Edwards landed in the top ten.
Cornerback
He didn’t rank top ten, but Darius Slay remains on the list entering year 12.
28. DARIUS SLAY, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
We might have seen the cliff for Slay, as his 65.4 coverage grade marked a three-year low while his advanced metrics looked even worse. His career-long play kept him on the list, though, and he’ll have a lot to prove in 2024 as the Eagles look to get back on track.
Safety
Reed Blankenship just signed a new two-year deal, and it’s deserving for the former undrafted safety. He makes the list and lands in the top 20.
17. REED BLANKENSHIP, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
Blankenship built on his promising rookie campaign while playing a more substantial role in his second season, logging nearly 1,000 snaps and also facing injuries. He improved in coverage, forcing nine incomplete passes on top of his three interceptions. That helped him earn a 78.0 PFF coverage grade, which ranked 13th among safeties.
