Philadelphia Eagles: Vinny Curry has played himself into an extension
While the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive attack has been underwhelming as a whole in 2019, Vinny Curry is having a renaissance right under our noses.
I’d find have told you Vinny Curry would finish out the 2019 season with more sacks than Fletcher Cox back in August, most Philadelphia Eagles fans would have called me crazy.
I mean why wouldn’t such a statement be considered anything but? Cox was coming off his first 10 sack season as a pro, whereas Curry was unceremoniously released by the hapless Tampa Bay Bucs as they transitioned from an attacking 4-3 scheme to Todd Bowles‘ variable 3-4.
And yet, here we are, with one game left to play in the 2019 regular season and Curry has the second-most sacks on the team at five, whereas Cox sits way back at fifth with 3.5 – less than Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, and… Josh Sweat?
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How could this be? Cox is elite, the second-best defensive tackle in the league behind only Aaron Donald, how has he fallen so far from grace?
Well, technically he hasn’t, there are a ton of reasons why Cox has had a down year ranging from a lingering foot injury to some odd playcalling decisions, but that is a discussion for a different time.
No, we’re here to talk about the revitalization of Vinny Curry and how the 31-year-old has played himself into a new contract.
I mean, why not, right? Besides Curry’s undying fandom for the Eagles, he’s also put together his second-best season as a pro despite only playing about 36 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.
Just for context, Curry has sacked an opposing quarterback once every 70 odd snaps. That doesn’t sound great for a player averaging 22 snaps a game, but when you consider the Birds as a whole only take down quarterbacks at an average of once every 25 snaps, it’s pretty good by comparison to the rest of the team.
Factor in that Curry is splitting his time between defensive tackle and defensive end and you get a pretty impressive player filling a vital role in Jim Schwartz‘s defense.
Maybe passing on Michael Bennett not once but twice wasn’t as horrible as it initially seemed?
But can Curry keep things going into 2020, when he’ll have additional competition from Malik Jackson and whomever the team adds in free agency and the 2020 NFL Draft?
Maybe, maybe not, but Howie Roseman would be crazy to let some other team find out.
Next. Jordan Howard brings back a potent rushing attack. dark
For better or worse, Vinny Curry is a Philadelphia Eagles player through and through, and even if he only records five or more sacks once every five years, who’s to say he can’t buck that trend going into the new decade?