Philadelphia Eagles Will Have a top 10 Defense in 2016
By Chuck Booth
The Philadelphia Eagles have made a multitude of moves this offseason and most of them will sure up holes in the defense.
The Philadelphia Eagles added safety Rodney Mcleod, linebacker Nigel Bradham and cornerbacks Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks. The Eagles have also re-signed cornerback Nolan Carrol and safety Malcolm Jenkins while also bringing in Jim Schwartz to coach the defense. Besides the addition of Mcleod all of the new defensive players were added on the cheap and have experience playing with Schwartz.
It’s not possible to talk about a defense without starting with the coordinator Jim Schwartz. Say what you’d like about Schwartz as a head coach but he is an excellent defensive coordinator. In 2014 when Schwartz coached the unit, the Buffalo Bills defense boasted the 4th ranked scoring defense allowing 18.1 points a game. To put this into perspective the Philadelphia Eagles allowed 26.9 points per game good for 28th in the NFL.
With a slight improvement in scoring defense, it isn’t that hard to imagine the Philadelphia Eagles finishing above .500 last season and possibly making the playoffs in the topsy-turvy NFC East. The Philadelphia Eagles were dead last in rushing yards allowed allowing 134.6 yards per game. They weren’t much better in passing defense ranking 28th at 267.9 yards per game (all stats courtesy of NFL.com).
These defensive failures come down to a few key points; high-priced cornerback Byron Maxwell didn’t fit the Philadelphia Eagles scheme and also isn’t as good of a cornerback as the “Legion of Boom” made him seem and Kiko Alonso, who was supposed to add strength do the middle of the defense, proved that he isn’t the middle linebacker that he was pre-injury.
More from Philadelphia Eagles
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
New addition Rodney McLeod will bolster the Philadelphia Eagles defense in 2016. Combining McLeod, who is a strong tackler, with Malcolm Jenkins, who is better in coverage, will give the Eagles an extremely reliable tandem at safety. This will be the strongest tandem that the Eagles have had since Brian Dawkins retired. McLeod has been a solid member of the
Saint Louis
Los Angeles Rams’ secondary for the past few years and will be a welcome addition to the Philadelphia Eagles.
At cornerback, Jim Schwartz won’t be short on options but it begins with them learning Schwartz’s coverage responsibilities. That’s where new additions Leodis McKelvin and Ron Brooks come in. McKelvin is an NFL veteran wit experience in Schwartz’s system which will help him in getting the holdovers in the secondary up to speed. Brooks will be able to help in that role while being a special teams ace for the Eagles.
The addition of Nigel Bradham is a curious one because Schwartz’s specialty is linebackers as he started off as a linebackers coach for the Baltimore Ravens in 1996. This means that even though Bradham was used sparingly by the Bills Schwartz saw starter potential in him which is why he’s been the only addition to the linebacking core after Kiko Alonso was traded.
With the schemes that Schwartz employs, the Philadelphia Eagles will blitz more in 2016 causing an uptick in QB hurries and sacks. The direct product of that is more errant throws for the Eagles to turn into turnovers, something that they had issues with in 2016. The Eagles finally have the personnel to fit the defensive coordinator that they have rather than the Chip Kelly method of sign the most physically imposing guy that they can.
Seeing the difference in free agent signings exemplifies the culture shift within the Philadelphia Eagles organization with Howie Roseman reassuming control of player personnel decisions. It’s apparent that Roseman takes Schwartz’s opinions into account before signing players and it will pay dividends for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2016.
Next: Philadelphia Eagles Sign WR Reuben Randle
Schwartz is a very good defensive coordinator and will make the best of the talent around him. With a good draft and a step forward from cornerback Eric Rowe, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to see the Eagles develop into a top ten defense in the league. Watch out Philly because these birds will be flying again in 2016.