Grade the Eagles Defense - position by position.

[ManchesterEagle]

DT - A + Probably the best player on the team in Cox is joined by an ascending top tackle brought in through free agency. Malik Jackson if he can return to health is also very good. Ridgeway is no slouch at the 4th DT. Probably the best set of DTs in the league.

DE - B - Couldn't rate any higher than a B - and was tempted to give a C +. Graham is getting older. Barnett has been a good player when healthy, but always seems to be niggled by injuries. I still think he can turn into a very good DE if he can clear up his injuries. That's a big if though. Sweat was okay as a rotation end. The team need more from him or for Miller or Avery to step up. Wouldn't rule out a trade here in the season.

LB - D - Really a lack of talent. Gerry has turned himself into a solid starter. TJ Edwards showed real promise, but was an undrafted rookie who may struggle in courage. He does have upside though. The rookie is pretty raw. The Eagles clearly don't value LB and that reflects in the talent level. Hopefully Edwards can continue his progress which would help.

CB - B  I've always said the key to a Super Bowl winning team is to be 3 deep at nickel corner. Jokes aside, Slay was better than given credit for last year considering he was still covering the number 1 receiver and Detroit had little to no pass rush. We have to hope it wasn't a start of a decline, but he was unhappy at Detroit and I firmly believe he can give us the first true number 1 corner since Samuel. CB2 is an issue though. I've not been convinced by Maddox on the outside. I still hold out hope for Jones, but it's becoming increasingly unlikely he can turn into a viable starter.

S - C - I may be being generous here, as the position could be a problem. McLeod is pretty good, but is getting up in age and has injury issues. Replacing Jenkins is an unknown. Mills is learning a new position, Parks is a limited journeyman. A lot of us have high hopes for Wallace, but he is still a rookie 4th rounder. If he can take the job and play well in his rookie season, that would be huge for the Eagles.

[Utebird]

DT i think most will agree with A+ they probably have the deepest group of DTs in the league and Cox is top 2 DT in the league.

DE C its graham and nothing else. Ive been disappointed with barnett and graham is getting long in tooth. Sweat avery toohill hall ostman are all young guys that dont have much of a pedigree.

LB i agree. The eagles have the least amount of money allocated to LB in the league by quite a bit, they clearly dont value the position and dont have one guy that would be a starter on most teams. Im excited to see what edwards and gerry can do though.

CB C- im not as high on slay as some, hes an atrocious tackler, not just ability wise but effort wise. He should be an upgrade over whatever that was last year at corner but thats not saying much. I dont think maddox is an outside corner and having jones and slay on the field together could be the worst tackling duo of corners in the league. Eagles are about 10 deep at nickel corner though so thats something i guess.

Safety. Is tough to grade, Mcleod is the only returning guy worth mentioning. I thibk Wallace could be the steal of the draft, i think schwartz is really going to like elijah riley from army and i think mills will be a better safety than a CB but there are just so many unknowns other than mcleod and as you say hes getting older as well. Ima give safety an Incomplete

[Devaster]

Why the concern about our corners tackling? Who cares? We pay corners to cover receivers, not tackle. And they couldn't cover anything before Slay arrived.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

Agreed on a lot of it bud. 

DE is a C+ at best though. BG is a really good player but also another year older. Barnett is a talent but is yet to really show it. Sweat flashed at times last year so there's hope he can be a good DE #3. Beyond that though? A lot of question marks. 

LB is a mess, I'd probably grade that as an F right now. I don't rate Gerry at all but he's going to be a starter. I like Edwards so there's hope there I guess. 

And I'm concerned about the secondary. Can Slay bounce back after a slightly disappointing year in Detroit? Can Maddox really be the #2 on the outside? What can Parks bring at safety? And can Mills make the transition? There's hope but also a whole lot of concerns. 

[ManchesterEagle]

4 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

Agreed on a lot of it bud. 

DE is a C+ at best though. BG is a really good player but also another year older. Barnett is a talent but is yet to really show it. Sweat flashed at times last year so there's hope he can be a good DE #3. Beyond that though? A lot of question marks. 

LB is a mess, I'd probably grade that as an F right now. I don't rate Gerry at all but he's going to be a starter. I like Edwards so there's hope there I guess. 

And I'm concerned about the secondary. Can Slay bounce back after a slightly disappointing year in Detroit? Can Maddox really be the #2 on the outside? What can Parks bring at safety? And can Mills make the transition? There's hope but also a whole lot of concerns. 

I hear you and UteBird on DE. I’m perhaps higher on Barnett than most, but I can’t really argue with grading the DEs a C or C +.
 

Corner - I think Slay is very good and will become a fan favourite. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

5 hours ago, ManchesterEagle said:

I hear you and UteBird on DE. I’m perhaps higher on Barnett than most, but I can’t really argue with grading the DEs a C or C +.
 

Corner - I think Slay is very good and will become a fan favourite. 

I think Barnett has potential but he makes too many silly errors and he really hasn't broken out yet has he. 

Slay is really good for sure but will age get him. 

[DeathByEagle]

Coaching- D

LB coach has done a decent job the past few years. With a new Dline and DB coach they are question marks. As for Jim, never liked his scheme and never will. I think he puts the DBs and LBs in positions to fail with having no creativity in his play design or play calling. If the Dline does not get pressure every down in 1-2 secs it breaks down the coverage since the other team knows what is coming. His blitzing is predictable and the QB knows its coming since everyone drops into the box very early. Our defense rating will be mid level like usual UNLESS we have a top 5 offense. A top 5 offense will always make the defense look better rating wise. 

[time2rock]

Again nice analysis ME.  Personally I’d give DT an A- (don’t know what to expect of Hargrave in a 4-3 and hard to count on Malik Jackson).

At DE I’d have a harder time going any higher than a C (more likely a D+) only because in a system in which sack numbers should be elevated, we’ve underperformed relative to expectations by quite a large margin.  At CB we hope Slay can finally be that "shutdown” corner we haven’t had in many years, but he needs to prove himself in this scheme.  After him we don’t have any other outside CB that is a lock to start opposite Slay but we do seem to have a pretty decent stock of nickel backs, so I’d probably go C there.  

And at S, I just think it is a huge question mark (just like WR on offense).  McLeod is really the only proven asset and even then, he hasn’t been healthy lately.  I have a really hard time assigning a grade there.  Hopefully Wallace turns out to be a great pick and Mills can re-channel his experience playing S in college to adequately fill the other spot opposite McLeod.  
 

[kentwo]

LB - Gotta be an F. They don't have much experience or physical talent. None of the guys they have would be starting on other NFL teams. 

[ManchesterEagle]

23 hours ago, time2rock said:

Again nice analysis ME.  Personally I’d give DT an A- (don’t know what to expect of Hargrave in a 4-3 and with other again players, hard to count on Malik Jackson).

At DE I’d have a harder time going any higher than a C (more likely a D+) only because in a system in which sack numbers should be elevated, we’ve underperformed relative to expectations by quite a large margin.  At CB we hope Slay can finally be that "shutdown” corner we haven’t had in many years, but he needs to prove himself in this scheme.  After him we don’t have any other outside CB that is a lock to start opposite Slay but we do seem to have a pretty decent stock of nickel backs, so I’d probably go C there.  

And at S, I just think it is a huge question mark (just like WR on offense).  McLeod is really the only proven asset and even then, he hasn’t been healthy lately.  I have a really hard time assigning a grade there.  Hopefully Wallace turns out to be a great pick and Mills can re-channel his experience playing S in college to adequately fill the other spot opposite McLeod.  
 

I'm really optimistic about Hargrave, I think he will do just fine in a 4-3. Jackson, yeah a bit of a risk, but he's generally been injury free, so again I'm not taking it down too much. 

DE - I hear you on the C, but I think D + is harsh. Graham can still play. Barnett can as well, he just needs to stay healthy. I really think they should have taken AJ Epenesa in the second. That would have been my dream draft with him and Reagor in the first two. But Sweat was okay and Miller and Avery have potential. 

Safety - agreed. Safety and WR were the hardest to grade. I think WR has more upside though. 

[UK_EaglesFan89]

8 hours ago, ManchesterEagle said:

I'm really optimistic about Hargrave, I think he will do just fine in a 4-3. Jackson, yeah a bit of a risk, but he's generally been injury free, so again I'm not taking it down too much. 

Oh I'm really high on Hargrave. I think he's going to be a force, in fact with teams likely to double Cox a lot I'm thinking Hargrave may end the year with better stats.

[NJWolverEagle11]

On 7/1/2020 at 7:08 AM, ManchesterEagle said:

I hear you and UteBird on DE. I’m perhaps higher on Barnett than most, but I can’t really argue with grading the DEs a C or C +.
 

Corner - I think Slay is very good and will become a fan favourite. 

Didn't we get that guy from the chargers at cb too?

Trevor Williams? Isn't he supposed to be pretty good?

[eagle45]

For all of these grades, it depends on your unique style of analysis.  How much are you willing to project for 2020 vs how much are you grading off of what these guys were in 2018/2019?  Obviously, the grade will be some combination of the two, but the ratio is up for debate.  

On offense, if it's all about 2019, then WR is still an F...not even a D.  But if you are willing to project a bit, things could be much better.  Likewise, sorry guys, if it's all about 2018-2019, QB gets a pretty low grade.  A starting QB who consistently doesn't play in the post-season doesn't do you much good.  If you project, well, obviously things are looking a lot better.

On defense, the DTs are A+ if you go off the last 2 years.  If you project...eeh...not exactly an upward trajectory here.  I'm not sure how much of a franchise defensive player Cox will be moving forward, not sure how much of anything Malik Jackson will be.  It's a good thing they got Hargrave.  LB is the opposite, if you are willing to project a bit, this might be a pretty good group.  Great mix of athleticism, coverage ability, sideline to sideline ability, with one thumper mixed in.  

[ManchesterEagle]

5 hours ago, NJWolverEagle11 said:

Didn't we get that guy from the chargers at cb too?

Trevor Williams? Isn't he supposed to be pretty good?

He was really good in 2017, but has been plagued by injuries since. He will get a shot to compete for that CB2 role. If somehow he can get close to returning to his 2017 form it would be great. He's a long shot though.

[ManchesterEagle]

1 hour ago, eagle45 said:

For all of these grades, it depends on your unique style of analysis.  How much are you willing to project for 2020 vs how much are you grading off of what these guys were in 2018/2019?  Obviously, the grade will be some combination of the two, but the ratio is up for debate.  

On offense, if it's all about 2019, then WR is still an F...not even a D.  But if you are willing to project a bit, things could be much better.  Likewise, sorry guys, if it's all about 2018-2019, QB gets a pretty low grade.  A starting QB who consistently doesn't play in the post-season doesn't do you much good.  If you project, well, obviously things are looking a lot better.

On defense, the DTs are A+ if you go off the last 2 years.  If you project...eeh...not exactly an upward trajectory here.  I'm not sure how much of a franchise defensive player Cox will be moving forward, not sure how much of anything Malik Jackson will be.  It's a good thing they got Hargrave.  LB is the opposite, if you are willing to project a bit, this might be a pretty good group.  Great mix of athleticism, coverage ability, sideline to sideline ability, with one thumper mixed in.  

So I've basically tried to grade for how I expect them to perform in 2020 based obviously on their past play and various factors.

Yeah for Wentz, I think people often go too far one way or the other. He did stay healthy last year, but just took a cheap shot at absolutely the wrong time. You definitely have to take into account his injury history and too people got to carried away with how he played in the last 4 regular season games (there was genuine MVP talk in some quarters).

Cox was beat up last year and didn't start playing well until the second half of the year. It will help hugely to have Hargrave and Jackson back healthy. I think we can be optimistic here.

[Penn7980]

Tried to find Taylor the 3rd round pick of the draft on the Eagles roster.  He was not listed there!  What gives?

[EagleVA]

On 6/30/2020 at 9:27 PM, Devaster said:

Why the concern about our corners tackling? Who cares? We pay corners to cover receivers, not tackle. And they couldn't cover anything before Slay arrived.

You know very little about football, missed tackles at the CB position often leads to 20+ yard gains..

[Devaster]

1 hour ago, EagleVA said:

You know very little about football, missed tackles at the CB position often leads to 20+ yard gains..

When corners that can't cover and can't tackle get abused then it matters. When a corner can cover it isn't as big a deal. We haven't had corners that can cover in years. Give me a corner that can cover and take risks to produce turnovers all day over guys that can tackle. As long as your nickle and dime corners can tackle that is what matters.

[Captain F]

Every position but LB gets an I for incomplete. 

LB - D-

[hputenis]

4 hours ago, EagleVA said:

You know very little about football, missed tackles at the CB position often leads to 20+ yard gains..

Deion Sanders might be the worst tackler in the history of football, but he was in his receiver's pocket on every play.  His inability to tackle meant nothing, and his ability to change a game and a game plan meant 10x more than a corner who will stick his head in the pile to make a tackle.  

[Bwestbrook36]

18 minutes ago, hputenis said:

Deion Sanders might be the worst tackler in the history of football, but he was in his receiver's pocket on every play.  His inability to tackle meant nothing, and his ability to change a game and a game plan meant 10x more than a corner who will stick his head in the pile to make a tackle.  

If your defense is relying on corners to stop a big play by making a tackle then your front 7 isn't doing their job. Obviously he is the one that doesn't know football. 

[hputenis]

8 minutes ago, Bwestbrook36 said:

If your defense is relying on corners to stop a big play by making a tackle then your front 7 isn't doing their job. Obviously he is the one that doesn't know football. 

Agreed.  Don't get me wrong - I love a corner that makes a physical tackle every now and then, but I'm not expecting them to take down Zeke in the open field if he gets through the front 7.  Jalen Mills is one of the best, and partly because of it, he now has an opportunity to be a good safety for years to come.  

I think some of the fan base is jaded because of the Ronald Darbys, Cary Williams (I hate him), Bradley Fletchers, Nolan Carrolls of the world.  They all sucked at tackling AND covering.  Nobody will care about tackling from the corner position when Darius Slay goes unmentioned for an entire half because he's glued to Amari Cooper.   

[Bwestbrook36]

10 minutes ago, hputenis said:

Agreed.  Don't get me wrong - I love a corner that makes a physical tackle every now and then, but I'm not expecting them to take down Zeke in the open field if he gets through the front 7.  Jalen Mills is one of the best, and partly because of it, he now has an opportunity to be a good safety for years to come.  

I think some of the fan base is jaded because of the Ronald Darbys, Cary Williams (I hate him), Bradley Fletchers, Nolan Carrolls of the world.  They all sucked at tackling AND covering.  Nobody will care about tackling from the corner position when Darius Slay goes unmentioned for an entire half because he's glued to Amari Cooper.   

I completely agree, we had to many corners lately that were bad at both. I rather they cover first and some corners make up for decenet coverage with being able to tackle really well and we haven't had either or in awhile. 

[EagleVA]

1 hour ago, hputenis said:

His inability to tackle meant nothing, 

Not true.

It meant every time a running play came his way others had to compensate for his inability to tackle leaving the defense vulnerable to play action off that run to the areas vacated by the safety and/or LB.

The solution is to draft corners that can cover and tackle.

[Devaster]

11 hours ago, EagleVA said:

Not true.

It meant every time a running play came his way others had to compensate for his inability to tackle leaving the defense vulnerable to play action off that run to the areas vacated by the safety and/or LB.

The solution is to draft corners that can cover and tackle.

The front 7 and safeties are paid to stop the run, not the corners. Like others have said, if the front 7 isn't stopping the run consistently there are bigger issues than a corner stopping the run. Stretches and tosses to the sideline aren't the sole responsibility of a corner.

A more glaring issue has been the Eagles' decision to invest in the LB position for a couple decades. Not having that sideline-to-sideline LB that can cover and stop the run makes a huge difference and the Eagles don't have one. We have some athletic guys that can stuff the run but can't cover. And some guys that can cover but can't stuff the run. We let Jordan Hicks go.