Philadelphia Eagles: 3 thoughts on the Eric Wilson signing
By David Esser
Entering this year’s free agency period, everyone though the Philadelphia Eagles would be targeting ex-Colts when it came to bolstering up the defense. New defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was Indy’s defensive backs coach from 2018 to 2020, so the relationships were there to be had.
Instead, Gannon and the Eagles front office have gone out of their way to target former Minnesota Vikings this spring, likely due to the fact that Gannon was the assistant DBs coach in Minnesota from 2014 to 2017. Gannon is set to run a scheme similar to what Mike Zimmer runs with the Vikings, so targeting players familiar with that style of defense does make sense.
Just how good was the Philadelphia Eagles’ addition of Eric Wilson?
Following the addition of safety Anthony Harris, the Eagles went out and snagged linebacker Eric Wilson on a one-year deal. Here are some thoughts on the signing:
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Eric Wilson is an upgrade, but nothing crazy.
True across all sports, offseason additions are rarely criticized. Al Horford was labeled a good signing in 2019 for the Sixers, Jake Arrieta was going to be the Phillies’ “Ace” when he signed, and Nickell Robey-Coleman was brought in by the Eagles last year to be a “top five slot corner.”
Very rarely do free agent additions go according to plan, especially when it comes to guys that the rest of the league seemingly passed over.
The Philadelphia Eagles had the worst linebackers in the NFL last year, so the addition of Eric Wilson to the roster is definitely an inherent upgrade. Wilson did have a pretty good season in 2020 – he finished the year with 122 tackles, 8 TFLs, 8 passes defensed, 3.0 sacks, and 3 interceptions.
With that said, Wilson isn’t some sort of Pro Bowl caliber linebacker. The ex-Viking missed 20 tackles last season, and finished the year with a run defense grade of 38.3 – the lowest grade given out to a LB who played at least 80% of the snaps (Pro Football Focus).
While Wilson’s ability to cover tight ends and make splash plays over the middle of the field will be welcomed, the idea that Wilson should be viewed as a significant upgrade to the Eagles’ LB room isn’t backed by any real data. Wilson is one of the worst tackling linebackers in the league at the moment, not something you typically want out of your “LB1.”