Philadelphia Eagles EVP of personnel Howie Roseman and head coach Doug Pederson have addressed the needs of the Eagles roster from top to bottom this offseason. The team was surprisingly active during the free agency period, and were fortunate enough to go into the NFL draft with very few holes on the roster that needed to be addressed.
In fact, many of the Eagles draft picks were chosen to provide depth to the current roster, and become starters and contributors down the road. Just like last year, it seems like the team will once again rely on the defense to be the catalyst for its success. In particular, the play of the linebackers will have a strong correlation with the success of this defense.
As obvious as any football fan may think this is, it actually isn’t.
Questions and expectations regarding this defense will become louder on the road to training camp. Key questions that need to be answered involve the talent at certain defensive positions and the difficult transition to a new scheme (all of which will affect the second level of the defense more than any other). However, with the team switching its base defense to a 4-3, Jim Schwartz will definitely have the play-makers to be successful.
By all accounts, the Eagles defense seems to project well into the 4-3 defense on every level of the defense. Pass rushers like Connor Barwin, Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, and Fletcher Cox figure to fit perfectly with Schwartz’ attacking scheme.
Newly acquired safety Rodney McLeod should make a formidable duo with Pro Bowler Malcolm Jenkins in the Eagles secondary as well. Linebacker happens to be the level of the defense with the biggest question mark.
Even though, the Eagles’ roster has more 4-3 fit players than it does for the 3-4 base, the team has not run any real 4-3 principles for two years. Former Eagles defensive coordinator Billy Davis installed a hybrid defense in his first season with the team under Chip Kelly, but they made the pure switch to a 3-4 base in his second season. It is mainly the defensive line and pass rushing linebackers that project to make a smooth transition into the new scheme.
The linebacker level will have a completely different set of responsibilities now.
On average, NFL defenses have played in their base defense between 40-45-percent of the time due to the rise of the passing game in recent years. Defenses have been tasked with stopping high-powered passing attacks, and have turned to nickel and dime defenses in order to adequately cover wide receivers and tight ends.
However, the 4-3 base isn’t a strong option against three-receiver sets; it is a guarantee that the Eagles will get caught in their base defense once in a while. Guess who has to pick up those extra receivers in coverage.
Linebackers in today’s game are no longer the 250-pound run stoppers that they used to be. They have morphed into 230+ pound pseudo safeties that are tasked with gap control just as often as they are tasked with lining up on tight ends and half backs and in a division that includes Jason Witten, Jordan Reed, Larry Donnell, and newly drafted rookie Ezekiel Elliott.
The guys we have that project into starting linebacker spots all have big-time talent, but they also have big-time questions attached to them too.
Jordan Hicks figures to fit into Schwartz’ defense as the starting, play-calling middle linebacker as a second year player. Hicks had a great run last season, fitting into the middle of the Eagles 3-4 defense until it all came to an unfortunate end when he tore his pectoral muscle, which ended his season.
As a rookie, Hicks was easily the most effective inside linebacker to play significant snaps last season as Mychal Kendricks, Kiko Alonso, and DeMeco Ryans suffered through injuries, and long stretches of poor play.
Hicks projects well into this defense even though he is a young player, and he is undoubtedly the face of the future for this Eagles’ linebacker group. It is still unknown how he will fair once the league gets enough tape on him to begin scheming against him.
Fans should remain optimistic for his growth and health in the meantime. He has no experience playing in a 4-3 base defense in either the NFL or in college, so the defense will be new to him although his instincts are top-notch. He should rise to the challenge.
Kendricks projects to start on either the strong or the weak side of this defense after a fairly disappointing season last year where he showed almost no improvement from the year before. Kendricks suffered through some nagging injuries last season, which surely halted him from playing at full strength. However, he has underwhelmed Eagles’ fans consistently with his lack of playmaking ability in coverage coupled with his excellent athletic ability.
For years now, Kendricks has struggled in coverage against tight ends and running backs while also proving he has the speed and agility to cover both player types smoothly. Hopefully, Schwartz and Pederson can put him in a position to realize the potential that caused Roseman to extend his stay in Philadelphia through the year 2019. His success as a starter will be crucial because he is likely going to play significant snaps in the base set as well as sub-packages.
Free agent addition Nigel Bradham also projects to start at outside linebacker in this defense, and has already proven he can be successful in a previous year under Schwartz in Buffalo. Still, there is a lot left to the unknown in the minds of fans because he isn’t the household name many wanted the Eagles to invest in.
Bradham seems to be much stronger against the run than he is against the pass, but his experience in Schwartz’ scheme should prove valuable in a year that the whole defense will be changing concepts. Bradham’s experience lining up over tight ends should also be an asset going forward since Kendricks usually picked up those assignments in the past. Being balanced on both sides of the defense is pivotal.
Beyond those three projected starters, the Eagles lack strong depth at all three linebacker positions.
Some names to remember include seventh round draft pick Joe Walker at inside linebacker, fifth-year pro Najee Goode at inside linebacker, and fourth-year pro Ty Powell projected to play outside linebacker. All three look to make the roster primarily through special teams, but will contribute in a backup role on the defense if they make the team this season.
At the end of the day, this group has a tough job waiting for them this season, and that job won’t get any easier in a year where they need to learn a new scheme. Defenses are only as strong as its weakest defensive group. The linebackers currently hold that distinction going forward.
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