Eagles' GM: Defensive Turnaround Was A Three-Year Process

PHILADELPHIA - For many the extraordinary turnaround for the Eagles' defense from arguably the worst in the NFL during a 1-6 collapse to end the 2023-24 season to the No. 1 stop unit in the league that arrived in New Orleans for Super Bowl LIX is about the last 12 months.

For the architect of the star-studded Philadelphia roster, it was a three-year process that started after the 38-35 loss to Kansas City in Super Bowl LVII after the 2022 season.

"I don't think it really started this offseason,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman said to a small group of reporters before the 17-3 Eagles left for New Orleans and a SB rematch with the 17-2 Chiefs. “It really started in 2022 with that draft and reshaping it and getting [nose tackle] Jordan [Davis] and [Mike linebacker] Nakobe [Dean]."

Full season adjusted EPA/play rank on defense, per @FieldVisionMi. Wild just how far in the upper right-hand corner that @Eagles defense is.

They led the league in EPA/play against the pass AND rush this year 👀👀

This is why most people have them winning next Sunday pic.twitter.com/6cGKGUGgrJ
— Scott Bouska (@sbouska2) February 1, 2025

Life moves quickly in the NFL and Roseman understood that the Eagles had to get younger on that side of the ball and more cost-effective considering how many stars have been assembled in Philadelphia.

“We knew that we had to transition from an older defense and play younger guys,” Roseman explained. “I think last year after the season I said we gotta start playing younger guys and that's not on the coaches. That starts with me.”

It’s always a delicate balance and Roseman often explains that no one is on scholarship. Players have to earn their playing time and the two-time Executive of the Year understands the job of the coaches is more in the moment.

“Whenever I look at our depth chart and I see maybe an unknown possibility versus a known possibility I wanna go with the known possibility,” Roseman explained.

Then comes the financial part of the equation.

“As the cap gets tighter and all of our expensive players started getting expensive you have to go with young players,” said Roseman.

Three consecutive drafts of getting impactful defensive contributors at cost-effective rates – Davis and Dean in 2022, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith in 2023, and cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean this year – have helped turn the defense into a success.

“I think it really started with the 2022 draft and then the 2023 draft and then obviously we continued to build on that in the offseason last year,” Roseman said. “So I would say it was really a three-year process and obviously got fortunate in how the drafts fell in those years to get some of these guys that are playing at a high level.:

“Didn't go into thinking they were all gonna be Georgia players," he smiled. "Just kinda worked out that way."

The final piece of the puzzle was the well-regarded Vic Fangio at defensive coordinator. The veteran coach has a game-day feel for calling defenses like few others and his belief in stymieing the big play has choked out nearly every offense the Eagles have faces this season.

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