Philadelphia Eagles: 5 underrated positions of need this offseason

Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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Philadelphia Eagles
Oct 18, 2020; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Eagles nose tackle Javon Hargrave (93) and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (91) lineup against the Baltimore Ravens at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports /

Defensive tackle

The Philadelphia Eagles have poured a goofy amount of money into the defensive tackle position compared to the rest of the NFL, and yet it’s still an area of need. Fletcher Cox is set to make roughly $24 million in 2021, and Javon Hargrave is set to make $15.2 million.

Malik Jackson is another DT who’s set to account for a couple million towards the cap next season, but he’ll likely be released heading into the new league year.

So outside of Cox and Hargrave, the Eagles just really don’t have much at the position. Considering the fact that Philly is likely to remain in a 4-3 defensive scheme, the importance of a reliable third defensive tackle is significant. Throw in the reality that both Cox and Hargrave struggled with injury last season, and the need for a legitimate backup DT is doubled.

Like the backup quarterback positon, the Eagles aren’t going to be in a position financially where they can go out and sign an above average veteran in free agency. Instead, they’ll have to look internally at some of their practice squad players from last season (Raequan Williams, for example), or they’ll have to hunt for a space-eating lineman in the later rounds of the draft.