Eagles Off-Season Needs on Defense

The Eagles came within two points of winning a playoff game a season removed from going 4-12.  That is an accomplishment in and of itself.  Though the Eagles could have done a little more in the playoffs, they still probably aren’t on the level of some elite teams like the 49ers or Seahawks.

In a recent discussion between Mike Missinelli and Sal Paolantonio on 97.5 the Fanatic, Sal posited the 49ers had at least 7 players on defense that far and away were better than their counterpart on the Eagles.  Mikey Miss couldn’t disagree.

The Eagles D could gain a few new pieces and function a little better.  But wouldn’t it be nice to to have a dominant D?   Having an elite defense is a good way to remain consistent, and unless they have a top 3-5 QB (which the Eagles do not) the way to go is with a  shutdown D.   Look at the teams left in this years playoffs. There are the two teams with the two  best QBs in the league (Brady and Manning) and then there are two teams with great defenses (San Fran and Seattle).

So where do the Eagles need to start the upgrades? It’s pretty clear that nose tackle is the first position of need.  Drew Brees should not be able to turn third and short into a formality with QB sneaks right up the gut.  The Eagles will never get better at defending the run until there is someone up front.

Acquiring premiere pass rushers is extremely important for the Eagles.  Trent Cole ended the season strong, but he is on the back-end of his career.  Trent’s running mate Conner Barwin was never a premiere pass rusher.  Though these two guys aren’t stiffs, it doesn’t change that the name of the game in the NFL- you’ve gotta be able to disrupt the QB.  The Eagles will probably take a flyer on a couple guys in the draft and it would be very wise to consider a first day pick to bolster their outside pass rush.

The safety position has been a sore spot for the Eagles since the departure of Brian Dawkins.  Though Earl Wolff may fit in at free safety, the Eagles could still improve at both safety positions.  The use of the first round pick could go a lot of ways but I predict it is either for a nose tackle, an OLB or a safety.

The last place the Eagles could use an upgrade on D is at the cornerback position.   Chip Kelly will add a corner even though Bill Davis doesn’t use a dime defense as Roc Carmichael did little to prove himself as the first off the bench.  The top three guys for the Eagles were solid, but it is my personal opinion the Cary Williams had an extremely mediocre season.  Boykin had 6 interceptions, good for second in the league, and it will be interesting to see if that earned him a chance to display his talents as a starter but I wouldn’t bet on it.