Eagles Camp D-Line Preview: Jalen Carter - Rookie Splash Inside?
PHILADELPHIA - The Philadelphia Eagles' defensive front is one of the deepest groups in the NFL built on the Vic Fangio-inspired foundation of variable fronts.
The two groupings of interior and edge players have different positional coaches with the idea of maximizing specific fundamentals and techniques to accomplish the task at hand.
The ‘50 front’ is generally a nose/shade tackle with two interior players in 4i techniques plus two overhang players while the more traditional “40 front’ has a three-technique, a shade-tech, and edge rushers who could be lined up in aggressive wide-9 looks in obvious situations.
The first group we will be taking a look at is Tracy Rocker’s interior group, which includes the nose/shade-technique players as well as that 4i group that can roam as far out as the 5-technique and then settle into a 3-tech in known-pass situations.
Second-year player Jordan Davis, 23, is expected to take a big step forward in his second pro season as the nose in the 50 fronts, an important but esoteric role in the system. To boil things down, it’s Davis’ job to tie up blockers so others can flow to the football and make plays or the pass-rushers see one-on-one blocks on the way to the quarterback.
Veteran Fletcher Cox, 32, is back on a one-year, $10 million deal for his 12th NFL season and will handle a lot of the 4i work with either ascending third-year player Milton Williams, 24, or uber-talented rookie Jalen Carter, 22, who will reunite with Davis as former Georgia teammates on the Eagles’ interior.
The depth is impressive from a talent and numbers perspective but the Eagled did lose significant experience and savviness when San Francisco lured away Javon Hargrave with a massive $21 million AAV deal, and the team left veteran ring-chasers Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh unsigned.
The big men behind Davis will be players coming off injury: Marlon Tuipulotu (knee), and Noah Elliss (Achilles). The movement-based DTs in support of Cox, Williams, and Carter are veteran free-agent signing Kentavius Street and rookie seventh-round pick Moro Ojomo.
Veteran defensive end Brandon Graham is also very comfortable moving inside on occasion in pass-rushing situations.
Depth Chart:
NT/Shade - Jordan Davis; Marlon Tuipuloto; Noah Elliss
4i- Fletcher Cox; Kentavius Street; Mauro Ojomo
4i - Jalen Carter; Milton Williams;
3-tech - Fletcher Cox; Jalen Carter; Milton Williams
WHAT’S CHANGED: There has been plenty of churn with Hargrave, Joseph, and Suh out and Carter, Street, and Ojomo in plus Tuipuloto and Elliss returning from injury. The Eagles got much younger and arguably more talented if Carter lives up to his skill set as a player.
COACHING: The Eagles have a new defensive coordinator in Sean Desai, who is a direct disciple of Fangio so the philosophy of what the Eagles do on defense isn’t going to change much.
The position coach is Rocker, regarded as one of the best college defensive linemen of his era in the late 1980s at Auburn, a two-time All-American, as well as a Lombardi Trophy and Outland Trophy winner who was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004.
Rocker got into coaching in 1994 at West Alabama and spent most of his career at high-level SEC schools like Arkansas, Ole Miss, his alma mater Auburn, Georgia, Tennessee, and South Carolina. The Tennessee Titans was his first foray into the pros from 2011-13 and he didn’t return until Nick Sirianni tabbed him for his coaching staff with the Eagles in 2021.
Last season the Eagles had the second-ranked defense overall and tied for the third-most sacks (70) in NFL history, behind the 1984 Chicago Bears (72) and 1989 Minnesota Vikings (71). In addition, Philadelphia became the first team to have four different players with double-digit sacks in the same season. Among that group was Hargrave from the interior with a career-high 11.0 sacks.
THE CEILING: If Davis can stay healthy and improve his conditioning, and Carter hits the ground running to the point his talent overcomes the typical rookie start-up costs, the Eagles have a chance to be even better than last season on the interior even if its pie in the sky to expect another 70-sack campaign.
THE LONGSHOT: Elliss, the brother of special-teams stalwart and linebacker hopeful Christian Elliss, has the size (6-foot-4, 346 pounds) to somewhat replicate what Davis brings to the table in 50 fronts. If Elliss is healthy he could push for the backup role because Tuipulotu (6-2, 307) has to rely on technique as a run-stuffer.
WHO STAYS/GOES: Cox, Davis, Carter, and Williams are all locks for the initial 53 if healthy and then Howie Roseman will have a decision to make with Street and Tuipulotu both deserving to be NFL players, and Ojomo and Elliss both having NFL traits. That's a nice problem to have, however.
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-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
