The Eagles finished with the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season and amped that up in the postseason, culminating with a dominating performance in Super Bowl LIX when Vic Fangio’s unit bewildered one of the great coach-quarterback tandems in NFL history in Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes.
The attrition in the shadow of success was significant, with four starters lost and three more significant role players now elsewhere
Although GM Howie Roseman will often point out that talent-acquisition season can run to the in-season trade deadline, the heavy lifting was completed with the draft, so this seems to be the right time to check in with the succession plans.
Edge Josh Sweat (Replaced by Jalyx Hunt, Azeez Ojulari, Josh Uche or Bryce Huff)
The Eagles have not put themselves in a position to replace a very good, three-down edge defender in Sweat, who signed with Arizona to reunite with Jonathan Gannon for big money. On paper, the best option is the one few want to hear, rebooting with Huff, a $51 million free-agent signing in 2024 who Fangio never seemed to click with.
Roseman mentioned being stubborn with Huff before the Eagles went to New Orleans for the Super Bowl, where Huff was a "healthy" scratch. If Fangio wants to play hardball and continue to freeze Huff out, you need to count on a big second-year leap from Hunt or more consistency from two clearance-aisle signings who’ve shown anything but that to date.
VERDICT: On paper, this is a significant downgrade for the Eagles' defense and a position they may ultimately have to go outside the organization for even a stop-gap answer.
DT Milton Williams (Replaced by Moro Ojomo and more snaps by Jordan Davis)
Williams had a brilliant season in his walk year and got the biggest contract in New England Patriots history as the reward.
Ojomo showed some real signs as a pass rusher in his second season and looks like he’s going to be a fine player. The Eagles would also like Davis to be more representative in pass-rushing situations moving forward, and the big man showed some signs of that in the postseason, dropping both Jayden Daniels and Patrick Mahomes.
VERDICT: Pro Football Focus graded out Williams as the best interior pass rusher in the NFL last season, and the odds of an Ojomo/Davis tandem having that same efficacy are minimal, so this is a clear downgrade. That said, Davis is a good player, and Ojomo is on his way, so this is better than the edge situation.
CB Darius Slay (Replaced by Kelee Ringo or Adoree’ Jackson)
At some point, Father Time is going to flash the recovery speed to catch up to the 34-year-old Slay, and maybe that comes in Pittsburgh this season.
However, the presumption that either third-year pro Kelee Ringo, or veteran insurance policy Adoree’ Jackson are going to play with the savvy and effectiveness that Slay provided in 2024-25 is pie in the sky.
VERDICT: The Eagles went with the idea that it’s better to give up on a player a year early than a year late with Slay, and the best-case scenario is that Ringo gets some of the start-up costs out of the way this season before turning into a Slay-level corner down the road. Another downgrade.
S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Replaced by Andrew Mukuba or Sydney Brown)
A high-maintenance playmaker, the trade of Gardner-Johnson was an addition by subtraction situation, buoyed by the need to replenish the cash reserves with big-money extensions looming.
From a pure football perspective, the idea that the No. 64 overall pick or still unrefined Brown are going to generate six interceptions next season seems optimistic.
VERDICT: Coverage is what the Eagles want, and that means Mukuba has a real opportunity to be a Day 1 starter, and the organization might enjoy fewer headaches, but it’s hard to imagine a rookie learning on the job will provide the energy-generating plays CJGJ became known for in Philadelphia. This is another clear downgrade.
CB3 Isaiah Rodgers (Replaced by the loser of the Ringo/Jackson battle with Eli Ricks being a darkhorse candidate)
Rodgers ended up playing 328 defensive snaps last season due to various injuries and played well, earning himself an opportunity to be on the first team in Minnesota.
VERDICT: The veteran Jackson should be able to handle the role at a satisfactory level, making this only a slight downgrade.
LB3 Oren Burks (Replaced by Jeremiah Trotter Jr. or Smael Mondon)
Burks was spectacular in the playoffs, tagging in for an injured Nakobe Dean en route to the Super Bowl win. The larger sample size of Burks’ career doesn’t point to that kind of effectiveness long-term, so this is a tough evaluation.
We are not including first-round pick Jihaad Campbell in this because March labrum surgery will make it hard for the rookie to be ready by Week 1. In a longer-range perspective, Campbell makes this an upgrade.
VERDICT: Trotter Jr. is certainly the way you want to go here. However, if forced to enter into a similar situation, it’s hard to imagine reaching Burks’ playoff level of effectiveness. But that’s why you don’t scout limited sample sizes. This is a small upgrade.
Dime back - Avonte Maddox (Replaced by Mac McWilliams or a cast of thousands)
The Eagles will miss Maddox’s versatility, but he is a declining player, and adding youth and speed in a limited role isn’t a bad thing.
VERDICT: McWilliams has some inside/outside versatility, and Fangio and Christian Parker should get him up to speed enough to offer something in what will amount to a few plays here and there. This should be a slight upgrade.
A note that we didn’t include Brandon Graham in this as a rotational edge because he was expected to retire. If you want to put Hunt into the rotational edge role, he could offer more reps but likely less efficiency than the always-consistent Graham.
