The Philadelphia Eagles made sweeping changes to their coaching staff this offseason, bringing in Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio as the new offensive and defensive coordinators.
Fangio is taking over for Sean Desai as he has the tall task of getting an Eagles’ defense that struggled against the pass and fell apart in the second half of the season back on track.
The idea of accomplishing this feat isn’t hard, given what Fangio was able to do in Miami last season. However, it will take the young players on the defensive line to step up and live up to their draft status.
Milton Williams is one of those players who could have a big role on the Eagles’ defensive line this season. The 25-year-old defensive tackle has seen his role increase each season with the Eagles and is one of the vets on the defensive line.
Fangio told reporters on Monday that he’s a big fan of Williams and mentioned how he tried to trade for the young defensive lineman last season in Miami, per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark. However, Eagles GM Howie Roseman wouldn’t do a trade involving Williams.
Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio says he is a big fan of Milton Williams. He says he tried to trade for Milton when he was in Miami last year and Howie Roseman wouldn’t do it. So expect Milton to have a big role this year. pic.twitter.com/ZDU642Z80W
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) August 5, 2024
Williams is entering the last year of his rookie contract, so this is a huge season for him. Philly will look for him to lead its defensive line in 2024 and be that veteran presence for Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, etc.
Last season, Williams saw his sack production dip from four to 0.5, but he posted 42 combined tackles, seven quarterback hits, three tackles for loss, and started in 10 games.
With Fletcher Cox surprisingly retiring this offseason, Williams will become a full-time starter in Fangio’s scheme and hopefully take that leap Christian Wilkins had with the Dolphins in 2023.
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