Nick Sirianni explains how Eagles' run defense got so dominant

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Nick Sirianni explains how Eagles' run defense got so dominant

The Eagles' run defense has been dominant through seven games this season. How have they done it?

By Dave Zangaro • Published October 24, 2023

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The Eagles run defense isn’t just good. Through seven games, it has been dominant. It has been historic.

And head coach Nick Sirianni has a pretty good idea why.

"I just think the physicality of that group has been outstanding,” Sirianni said.

Through seven games, the Eagles have given up a grand total of just 440 rushing yards. Their average of 62.9 yards per game allowed on the ground ranks first in the NFL by a significant margin. The next closest team is the Lions, who have given up 76.3 yards per game.

And those 440 yards rank as the seventh fewest allowed through seven games since the merger in 1970. It’s the third fewest allowed through seven games this century behind just the 2000 Ravens (405) and the 2010 Steelers (412).

The first guy Sirianni mentioned by name? Big Jordan Davis.

Sirianni brought up Lane Johnson’s comments about Davis after Sunday’s 31-17 win over the Dolphins. Here’s part of what Johnson said, via Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice: "Well, uh, I don't know if you've seen how big Jordan Davis is, but he takes up about f—ing three gaps."

Yes, Davis is a large human. The 6-foot-6, 336-pound Davis was a rookie last season and he has taken a huge leap forward in Year 2 as a pass rusher but also as a run-stuffer. It all starts with Davis.

"He's a big man, and, man, he's fun to be around,” Sirianni said. "What a great pro. He [Jordan Davis] works hard every day to be where he needs to be physically, and great person to be around, connecting with his teammates.

Knows how much fun football is and enjoys being around football and I love that. And then how big time of a player he is.

"I start by saying Jordan because he's such a big guy and what Lane said the other day, but you look at all those guys.”

And it really is a team effort.

It was a team effort on Sunday Night Football when the Eagles held the NFL’s top rushing offense to a paltry 45 yards on the ground. The Dolphins entered that game averaging 181.8 rushing yards per game.

"You look at Milton (Williams), you look at Fletch and Fletcher (Cox) is playing at such a high level,” said Sirianni, who was just getting started. "Jalen Carter is playing at a high level. And, oh, we have Marlon (Tuipulotu) and (Kentavius) Street coming off the bench.

"That's a wave of guys that stay fresh throughout the game because of the rotation we're able to have. Coach (Tracy) Rocker has done an unbelievable job.”

That rotation of defensive tackles is one of the best in the NFL. They lost Javon Hargrave in free agency but replaced him with the No. 9 overall pick in Carter and just kept on humming. Carter has been a dynamic pass rusher early in his NFL career but that has probably left his ability to stuff the run a little underrated. He’s violent at the line of scrimmage in the run game.

The crazy thing is that the Eagles had most of these players in 2022 and they weren’t nearly as successful. The Eagles last season ended up with the No. 16 run defense in the NFL, giving up 121.6 yards per game.

But as Sirianni brought up, stuffing the run starts with the interior linemen but it doesn’t stop there. We saw that on Sunday night when the Dolphins tried to get wide in their running game. There’s total buy-in from everyone.

"Then we have the guys on the edge that can set the edge,” Sirianni continued. "Haason Reddick, when you watched him set the edge yesterday against a team that's been doing a really good job getting the ball to the edge, that was really noticeable. Josh Sweat, he was our player the game on defense. We thought he played such an outstanding game. He was player of the game for defense yesterday.

"Then [Brandon Graham] and Derek Barnett. Watch a couple of the plays, how [Barnett] sets the edge on the guy slice blocking him from one side to the other on the split zone. I mean, he's as tough as they come.”

After after those guys, the Eagles have gotten solid rotational play out of their linebackers Nakobe Dean, Zach Cunningham and Nicholas Morrow. And their secondary is able to clean up too. 

But it really all starts with that high-profile and well-paid defensive line.

"I mean, you want to know why we play the run well?” Sirianni said. "Because we have those guys right there that I'm talking about. Defensive coaches have done a good job putting them in position to make plays, and we have been getting knock-back and being highly physical and violent at the point of attack, and it's been really noticeable.

"It's been awesome to watch just how physical we have been and that's what's stopping the run right now.”

https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/nfl/philadelphia-eagles/nick-sirianni-explains-how-eagles-run-defense-got-so-dominant/542291/