Emerging Eagles' Defensive Concern Needs an Answer to End Losing Streak in Week 8

The Eagles have plenty of leadership on offense, but there doesn't seem to be anybody who has stepped into that void on the defensive side of the ball.

It's becoming increasingly clear what needs to change for the Eagles to end their losing streak this weekend. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — Head coach Nick Sirianni found nothing wrong with the Eagles' effort in Monday night’s loss to the Cowboys. Nothing. Nada. Zip.

He stated it unequivocally, too, during the week: “I did not see an effort issue on Monday night. … There were other things. But effort in no way, shape [or] form was an issue here.”

Two days later, Jordan Davis contradicted his coach.

A mixed message

“It was poor from everybody, and that's just simple and plain about it,” the Eagles defensive tackle said. “It was poor.”

Linebacker Zack Baun pulled no punches when asked if the effort level was up to par. “I do not, no,” he said succinctly.

Sirianni is a player's coach, so hopefully he is just saying publicly that there was no issue with effort, and behind the scenes he is harping on it. It was apparent to those who watched the Cowboys dust the Eagles by 17 points that effort was an issue.

Fans and players saw it.

The turnaround has to start on Sunday night when the Eagles visit the Commanders in another primetime game.

Is that even possible at this point?

While key offensive players have been injured at historic levels, the Eagles defense has remained mostly healthy—save for Jonathan Greenard, who can’t seem to shake an ankle injury that has dogged him the last few weeks.

Eagles need defense to step up, but who leads by example?

There is talent on the defense. It simply didn’t go away overnight.

“When I first got in the league, they let me know the NFL's not easy to win in,” Jalen Carter said. “It's gonna be hard, day in and day out. And this year's proven that it's hard to win in the NFL and that we just gotta change things now, change things around.”

It should start with effort, and the way to turn that around is through leadership. Who in the Eagles’ locker room has stood up to demand that effort on defense?

There’s no issue on the offensive side, where Jordan Mailata stood in the middle of the Lincoln Financial Field locker room shortly after it opened after a loss to the Panthers, telling reporters he would take their questions right then and there. He was still dressed in full pads and was beginning to unlatch his shoulder pads as he took questions.

Saquon Barkley spoke for more than 15 minutes after the loss to Dallas. Landon Dickerson was on the verge of tears after losing to the Cowboys, saying he played horribly.

Meanwhile, the only players on defense who spoke after losing to Dallas were Cooper DeJean and Jihaad Campbell.

Although it's good to see Cooper DeJean speaking to the media, the Eagles need more of their defenders to lead by example. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Davis said he thinks players aren’t having fun, that they are approaching things as a “job,” and not enjoying themselves.

“You ask anybody in this locker room, you're not having fun playing the game; it kinda seems like a... That's when it really seems like a job,” Davis said. “When you're having fun, it doesn't seem like a job. It feels like something that you get to do; you have to enjoy this game. It's gonna be wins and losses and everything, and that's in life. You have to find those little moments to enjoy, and right now we're trying to find those little moments, those little wins.”

Nakobe Dean was the player who held everyone accountable. The linebacker made sure his teammates were having fun, whether he was on the sidelines, in practice, in the locker room, or in a game.

This isn’t to relitigate the decision to let Dean walk in free agency to Las Vegas on a three-year, $36 million contract. It's simply to ask: who is the leader of the defense? That is to be determined. Maybe it will be Davis.

“We know what we're capable of,” he said. “We've reached the highest of highs. We've seen the lowest of lows now. We have to do something to fix it, and that's one of the things that we've been a part of in practice this week: fixing the effort. We have to give effort.”

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