Outlook for Eagles pass defense

By: Jake Rajala

The Philadelphia Eagles have made some changes to their pass defense in this off-season thus far. Darius Slay made the Pro Bowl in three of his past four seasons in Philly. Well, the 34-year-old was released and he proceeded to become a Pittsburgh Steeler. They also released James Bradberry a day after saying good bye to Slay!

It’s safe to say they are rebuilding at their CB spot.

Kelee Ringo and Quinyon Mitchell are their two starting CBs on the outside. Mitchell had a PFF grade of 72.4 – which pegs him as the 33rd best CB. Meanwhile, Ringo only played 113 snaps.

Their nickelback is none other than Cooper DeJean, who had a pick six in the Super Bowl! He also had a PFF grade of 82.7 last season! He is one of the bright spots on their defense. Of course, we can’t forget about Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, who is arguably their best defender. All he did was haul in six interceptions!

Besides their figures in their secondary, they need their front seven to help their pass defense. It has been a bit of a shuffle – as Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham have left within the past two seasons. On the edge, they have Bryce Huff (10 sacks and 21 QB hits in 2023) and Nolan Smith Jr. (6.5 sacks and 11 QB hits) These two faces get a lot of help from their IDL. Jalen Carter brings a lot of pressure and he recorded 4.5 sacks last season.

The Eagles gave up the second-fewest passing yards in the league last season. It won’t be an easy feat to repeat that success given the new faces in their secondary. In their last meeting against the Giants, they only gave up 13 points. It will be more difficult for the Eagles pass defense with Russell Wilson taking the reigns away from Daniel Jones. The Giants also only gave up 7 points against the Cowboys, who didn’t have Dak Prescott.

The Eagles still a few young faces that will grow, despite the veterans that have moved on. Nolan Smith and Cooper DeJean could be Pro Bowlers next season. I expect the Eagles to be a Top-10 defense in sacks and a Top-5 defense in passing yards allowed. They have too much talent and chemistry to be an average pass defense, but it will be more difficult for their pass defense than last season against their divisional foes.