Philadelphia Eagles: Javon Hargrave is a different kind of nose tackle

The Philadelphia Eagles signed a nose tackle in name only.

When the Philadelphia Eagles signed Javon Hargrave to the most lucrative contract for a nose tackle in NFL history on the very first day of free agency, it caused quite a few fans across the 215 to scratch their heads.

Okay, adding a pass rusher is always nice, this fan may say, but a nose tackle? Why? The Eagles haven’t played a 3-4 since the dreaded Billy Davis days, why would the team sign some 350-pound run stuffer to clog up holes while lined up over the opposing team’s center?

Well, my friends, you clearly don’t know Hargrave.

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Despite measuring in at 6-foot-2, 305 pounds, the Pittsburgh Steelers routinely lined Hargrave up on the one gap, aka off the shoulder of the other team’s center. Is that a tad unconventional for a player who weighs less than Fletcher Cox? Surely so but when Hargrave can not only clog up space in the run game – routinely taking two offensive linemen to task on any given play – but shoot through the gaps and get into the backfield really isn’t something to squabble over.

Hargrave is also one of the rare modern-day nose tackles in the NFL who actually play in defensive sub-packages, routinely staying on the field in nickel and even dime situations, as evidenced by his defensive playing percentage last season (63 percent).

When only one nose tackle (pro-bowler Kenny Clark) finished out the 2019 season with more sacks (six) than Hargrave’s four, it becomes abundantly clear that getting any sort of pass-rushing production out of a 3-4 defensive tackle is just gravy.

Now I know what you’re (probably) thinking: How does Hargrave’s prowess in a 3-4 scheme translate into the Jim Schwartz’s wide-nine defensive front? Well, I’m glad you asked.

While it may have been a tad unusual to explicitly target and pay fantastically a player with no NFL experience in his future role, the theoretical fit of lining up Hargrave next to Cox is a sound one. Both weigh in at over 300 pounds, both are certified people movers, and both have an innate ability to rush the passer from the interior. By pairing, the duo up the Eagles will not only be able to increase their defensive fortitude against the likes of Saquon Barkley, Ezekiel Elliott, and… Derrius Guice(?) on the interior – traditionally the weakest link of a wide-nine scheme.

Do you remember the crude wide-nine front Juan Castillo/early Sean McDermott ran in the wake of the passing of Jim Johnson, where a quarterback could step up in the pocket and run for seven, eight yards without so much as being touched? Yeah, that’s not going to happen with a rotation of Cox, Hargrave, Malik Jackson, and Hassan Ridgeway clogging up the interior.

But wait, there’s more.

Not only will Cox and Hargrave be able to lock up bodies and disrupt both zone and power run concepts with ease against even the best interior offensive linemen, but their individual abilities to attack relentlessly into the backfield against the pass could help all players involved put up career numbers. Assuming Hargrave continues to line up over the A-gap, opposing centers will be forced to engage with him down-in, down-out instead of immediately shading in Cox’s direction for a double team. This would allow Cox more one-on-one looks against a guard while forcing a tackle to get in the action in double-team situations.

Could you imagine some poor tight end having to take on Brandon Graham one-on-one, especially on a team like the Arizona Cardinals who routinely play four-wide? My goodness, Kliff Kingsbury would have to seriously shake things up in a hurry.

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While many – if not most – of the Philadelphia Eagles’ fan base was hoping the team would sign a big name edge rusher like Jadeveon Clowney over yet another defensive tackle, Javon Hargrave is similarly effective at disrupting opposing game plans while helping to collapse a pocket around an opposing quarterback. Had Hargrave cut his teeth in a 4-3 scheme, he very well may have been in line for a massive deal like the one the Indiana Colts shelled out to DeForest Buckner. However, because he was forced to basically play out of position for the first four years of his NFL career, Howie Roseman was able to identify an underappreciated asset and give him a chance to shine on a discounted contract. Boy, no wonder some other GMs hate Howie.

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