The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the most talented teams in the NFL and two of the most talented players sit on the defensive side of the ball.
Pro Football Focus recently revealed their top-50 players heading into the 2020 NFL season and 3 Philadelphia Eagles landed on the list with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Brooks, and Brandon Graham making the cut.
15. DI Fletcher Cox, Philadelphia Eagles. Aaron Donald exists in a world of his own, but there are a number of other interior defensive linemen who are vying for the title of the best in the league not named Donald. Fletcher Cox is the best power pass-rusher in the NFL. His ability to overwhelm physically dominant offensive linemen is unique, and it has led him to some truly spectacular seasons. Over the past three seasons, Cox has 202 total pressures — the second-most in the league among interior pass rushers — and the sixth most in the league among all players. He is a wrecking machine inside for the Eagles. […]
34. G Brandon Brooks, Philadelphia Eagles. Just a season ago — in his first year back from a torn Achilles — Brandon Brooks won PFF’s Bruce Matthews Award, which is given to the best single offensive lineman in football. It was a career year for a player who has always been quietly one of the best offensive linemen in the league. He has never had a season that graded lower than average, and he has now surrendered just four sacks in four seasons. Last year, he had eight games in which he surrendered no pressure at all, and if anything, he was a better run-blocker than he was a pass-protector. […]
49. EDGE Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles. Brandon Graham has been one of the best edge rushers of the entire decade, but at 32, we may have seen the last of his best years. Last season, his overall PFF grade slipped below 85.0 for the first time since 2015, and he posted the lowest pass-rushing grade of his career since he became a full-time starter. Sixty-seven total pressures is still an impressive number, but the decisive wins weren’t there as often as they had been in previous seasons. Even a declining Brandon Graham is still a problem for an offense, however, and that’s how he makes this list.
The Eagles definitely have a notable snub, but with only 50 players named to the list, it’s hard to argue where Lane Johnson should have landed and Darius Slay as well.
LA Rams star Aaron Donald finished at No. 1 ahead of Patrick Mahomes.
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