The Eagles collapsed last season, losing six of their final seven games, including a 32-9 loss to the Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round. Changes were made as both coordinators departed, with Kellen Moore (Chargers) and Vic Fangio (Dolphins) inserted as more seasoned and experienced upgrades to Nick Sirianni’s staff.
Fletcher Cox and Haason Reddick departed on defense, while serious upgrades were made in the secondary. Howie Roseman spent draft capital on Quinyon Mitchell (round 1) and Cooper DeJean (Round 2). C.J. Gardner-Johnson returned to the team in free agency, while Isaiah Rodgers joined the franchise officially after serving a one-year suspension for gambling. Tyler Hall signed a one-year deal, while Avone Maddox was re-signed in free agency.
Pro Football Focus recently examined the reasons for optimism for all 32 NFL teams and found that Philadelphia’s retooled secondary is the biggest reason for happiness.
They threw resources at the secondary
The Eagles have elite talent at quarterback, wide receiver, offensive line and defensive line. The one glaring weakness was a 28th-ranked coverage unit. They reunited with safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and two extremely talented cornerbacks in the draft in Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. DeJean, in particular, should be an asset in the slot after Philadelphia ranked dead last in the NFL in slot coverage grade last year.
Philadelphia has an extremely strong roster, and their offseason work to fix the secondary should keep them in Super Bowl contention.
The Eagles focused on rebuilding the secondary, and Philadelphia selected multiple defensive backs within the first two rounds for the first time since 2002. That year the Eagles took three DBs, cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown and safety Michael Lewis, despite already having big named stars on the roster players like Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor and Brian Dawkins at key spots in the secondary.
With Slay, 33, and Bradberry, 30, entering the final stages of their careers, Philadelphia will develop a core that includes Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Kelee Ringo, Isaiah Rodgers, and Eli Ricks, just to name a few.
At the safety position, the Eagles have Reed Blankenship Gardner-Johnson and a talented, injured Sydney Brown.