After resolving a retirement scare involving 2018 Assistant Coach of the Year and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman is doing everything in his power to keep this strong defensive unit together.
Last year, the Eagles' defense allowed the fourth-lowest EPA per pass play despite being 13th in pressure rate. This was a testament to the secondary's play. Now with veteran boundary corner Adoree' Jackson, fourth-year free safety Reed Blankenship, and Marcus Epps, who started in the latter part of the season at strong safety, hitting free agency, Roseman had to regroup and retool.
The clearest upgrade in free agency was at the boundary corner. Adding Riq Woolen to replace Jackson will be a night-and-day difference. Last season, Jackson allowed 43 receptions for 516 yards on 567 snaps.
Woolen, on the other hand, allowed just 33 receptions for 339 yards on 778 snaps.
Woolen is one of the most athletic corners in the league right now. His foot speed allows him to stay in any receiver's pocket. In a defense that plays a lot of match coverage, where a defender's responsibility can go from a zone flat to following a receiver down the sideline in an instant, a corner with Woolen's type of speed is a game-changer.
Eagles' Secondary Is Looking More Flexible Than Ever
Woolen and Mitchell locking down the outside allows Fangio to feel much more comfortable keeping Cooper DeJean in the slot.
A coordinator can feel guilty when they're losing on the boundary, but one of their top two corners is manning down the nickel spot. Mitchell and Woolen aren't going to get beaten often, which allows Fangio to use DeJean as a Swiss Army knife while not worrying about the boundary. Suddenly, the Eagles have one of, if not the, NFL's top corner trios to play with.
Woolen's addition was the big one, but the Eagles also added depth on the outside with Jonathan Jones. The 10-year veteran is a two-time Super Bowl winner who adds much-needed experience to their secondary. Jones had his share of struggles last year with Washington, but in a depth role with the Eagles, he can be a solid piece.
Safety Has Also Undergone Some Changes
The corner room definitely got better, but that's just one part of the secondary.
Without Blankenship, the team now had to explore its options at safety. The Eagles always stay ahead of their contracts with the draft; however, their home-grown replacement for Blankenship at the free safety spot is Sydney Brown, a third-year safety from the University of Illinois.
What Brown lacks in size, he makes up for with range.
In zone coverage, he mixes instincts, foot speed, and football IQ, making him a valuable safety net in the back of this defense. In a Fangio defense that lives in a two-high shell, a safety like Brown who can be reliable in coverage up top but also run down into the box and get involved against the run can have a monumental impact.
Replacing Marcus Epps at the strong safety spot is another rookie contract player the team developed internally: Andrew Mukuba.
A strong safety needs to consistently step up against the run and get involved in the box without hesitation. Even though Mukuba weighs just 186 pounds, he loves coming down into the box and hitting ballcarriers. In fact, Fangio has even shown a willingness to send Mukuba on blitzes.
Mukuba doesn't play scared. He has very high-caliber instincts and a love for physicality. In a defense that asks safeties to cover a lot of ground, Mukuba's physical profile and tenacious style will allow him to fill Epps' role very nicely.
Replacing Players Isn't New
This is why the Eagles have been so good for so long. Whenever they lose a player, there's usually a talented young player they've been developing on the bench. Even when they don't, they find one of the best players available in free agency on a low-risk one-year deal.
Roseman started planning to lose his two safeties years ago. That's why Mukuba and Brown will fill in perfectly. When you can get that value out of rookie contract players, you have the money to make a splash in free agency with an addition like Woolen. If the Eagles want to keep Fangio from retiring, they have to convince him to stick around with strong team-building moves.
Time will tell if Roseman & Co. have any other defensive-related moves in store this offseason to further convince Fangio to stick around Philly for a little bit longer.