Eagles’ Moves Catapult Philly, Daniel Jones’ Camp Should Worry Giants

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Eagles’ Moves Catapult Philly, Daniel Jones’ Camp Should Worry Giants

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• By Matt Lombardo

• Updated Aug 10, 2022 at 12:20am

 Getty

Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox.

Heavy’s 2022 NFL training camp tour is in full swing, having already made a pair of stops at the camps of NFC East division rivals seemingly headed in opposite directions.

In Philadelphia, the Eagles have one of the most balanced rosters of Howie Roseman’s tenure as general manager, despite abundant questions surrounding whether Jalen Hurts is the quarterback to maximize it.

Meanwhile, across the river and an hour up the Jersey Turnpike, the New York Giants are in the infancy of a rebuild with even less certainty at quarterback than their NFC East foes.

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Checking In From Eagles Training Camp

Not to be overshadowed by dynamic offense, Philly’s defense ready to take flight

PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania — Roseman stood on the sidelines, joking with Brandon Graham following Saturday’s, August 6 training camp practice and there was something poetic about the moment.

Graham was the first player Roseman ever drafted as general manager, with the No. 13 overall pick in 2010, who went on to make one of the franchise-defining plays of the Eagles’ first Super Bowl victory in 2018. The 13-year veteran may be surrounded by more talent than ever, thanks to Roseman’s efforts the past two offseasons.

"This is the most talented defense I’ve ever been part of,” Graham told Heavy. "It just comes down to us taking advantage of it.”

There’s a palpable sense of optimism surrounding this team, in large part because of Roseman’s heist of acquiring dynamic wide receiver A.J. Brown, while preserving the Eagles’ optionality that comes with two first-round picks in 2023.

But, perhaps what should have the Philly faithful even more excited is that as defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon enters his second season, he now has his players in place to run his system, thanks to Roseman’s bold moves.

Five new faces could lift the Eagles’ defense to new heights this fall.

Haason Reddick returns to his hometown, after signing a three-year deal worth up to $45 million, as the centerpiece of a pass rush that produced just 29.0 sacks in 2021.

After the former Panther finished the 2021 campaign with ESPN’s eighth-best pass-rush win rate, Gannon now has a Swiss-Army Knife of a weapon to deploy from the strong-side, with his hand in the dirt, or off the weak-side to create havoc in opposing backfields.

Few things matter more to a successful defense than relentlessly pressuring the passer, and Roseman wasn’t done bolstering a group that produced the second-fewest sacks in the league last year.

Roseman took Jordan Davis No. 13 overall, the same pick as Graham, and the rookie looks equally capable of planting the likes of Jack Davis deep in the South Philly soil during one-on-one drills, as driving him into the quarterback’s midsection, with ease.

Davis, 6-foot-3 and 341 pounds, is a brick house of a human who has the acceleration of a Ferrari when the ball is snapped.

 

Jordan Davis made this look too easy 😳

Warning: Strong Language

(via @Rich_Bussey) pic.twitter.com/qDzSLlONHr

— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) August 8, 2022

After producing 11.5 tackles for loss and 7.0 sacks, the Eagles have a stonewall of a run-stuffer on their hands for their annual matchups against the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott and the Giants’ Saquon Barkley, but at least from what he’s shown in practice against the starting offense, Davis may also prove to be a potent interior pass-rusher alongside Fletcher Cox.

Inside linebacker Kyzir White arrives as a steady veteran with a nose for the football, who has flashed tremendous instincts in coverage from the middle linebacker spot so far this camp.

White finished last season with 145 total tackles, 1.0 sack, and 53 run stops as the heart and soul of the Chargers’ defense. Now, at age 26, he’s the elder statesman in a young linebacking corps brimming with confidence and playmakers, such as T.J. Edwards, and Davis’ former Georgia teammate, Nakobe Dean.

During Saturday’s practice, White showed strong instincts in coverage, jumping a route in seven-on-sevens to bat away a pass from Jalen Hurts that was intended for running back Miles Sanders. The Eagles are hoping White makes that kind of impact when the games count for real.

As multiple teams around the league were scared off by a possible torn pectoral and torn meniscus, Roseman adeptly and boldly paired need with value, stopping Dean’s slide in the third round, after he entered the draft as a potential top-10 prospect.

Special teams coach Michael Clay called Dean "a hardhat worker,” and didn’t rule out the possibility that he would play on special teams this fall, in addition to pushing for meaningful snaps in the Eagles’ linebacker rotation.

Dean produced 8.0 sacks in 2021 as one of the most dominant players on a defense that produced five first-round picks.

It isn’t difficult to close your eyes and envision Reddick and Dean racing off the edges towards the quarterback with Davis collapsing the pocket up the middle.

Just the way Gannon drew it up.

Meanwhile, on the back-end, the Eagles’ quietly might have one of the more difficult secondaries to throw on in the NFL. Especially after scooping James Bradberry off the scrap heap after he was released by the Giants.

Having the chance to face his former team twice per season, Bradberry said, was a motivating factor for his decision.

Bradberry is just one year removed from a brilliant 2020 campaign, where he was among the NFL’s stingiest cornerbacks, intercepting 3 passes, and holding opposing quarterbacks to a meager 70.1 passer rating when throwing his direction.

That direction will be the right side of the field, opposite four-time Pro Bowler Darius Slay in the Eagles’ secondary.

"That’s a huge benefit when you have a lot of experience around you,” Eagles safety Anthony Harris said, following practice on August 6. "Those are guys who know different schemes, they can look at each other and understand they’re on the same page. It’s a great addition when you have two guys who are so talented with so much experience.”

It’s one thing for a defensive coordinator to find his footing with a roster of holdovers from the prior regime. But, these are now Gannon’s players, signed and chosen by Roseman to fit the vision of what this team aims to be on defense.

That’s the kind of synergy that can help a defense make major strides.

The Eagles will go as far as Hurts and a potentially electrifying offense that features Brown, smooth route-runner DeVonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert, and arguably the NFL’s premier offensive line will take them in 2022.

But, the defense Roseman has built Gannon gives Philadelphia the chance to take some of the pressure off the young quarterback, and perhaps could hold the key to this team reaching its now sky-high expectations.

If they reach their potential, maybe Roseman and Graham will have the opportunity to share another conversation in six months, this time joined by a seven-pound piece of Tiffany silver.

https://heavy.com/sports/philadelphia-eagles/eagles-defense-rising-giants-daniel-jones-worry/

NOTE:  I only posted the portion of the article that relates to the Eagles - click on link to article above if you wish to read about the Giants (specifically concerns over Daniel Jones), predicting the NFC North, etc.