Eagles' Defensive Additions Have Added Talent and Versatility

Malcolm Jenkins' retirement earlier this week brought back memories of versatility when it comes to the Eagles' defense.

Jim Schwartz noted that the three-time Pro Bowl selection may have been a safety by trade but played seven different positions for the former defensive coordinator at times and could line up anywhere in the back seven in a pinch.

While few are ever expected to be as malleable as Jenkins, Philadelphia's two biggest forays on defense in free agency involved hybrid players in edge rusher Haason Reddick and off-ball linebacker Kyzir White.

Reddick, of course, was the big splash from a financial perspective with a three-year, $45 million deal after consecutive seasons in different cities in which the South Jersey native piled up 23.5 sacks.

At just 6-foot-1 and 238 pounds, however, Reddick will need to be used correctly to flourish and the plan in Philadelphia seems to be a SAM linebacker turning into an edge rusher on obvious passing downs.

A positive sign was Nick Sirianni verbalizing the understanding of what Reddick was brought in for and what he needs to do because the first three years of the former Temple star's career in Arizona were disappointing as an off-ball LB.

Reddick certainly had the requisite athletic skills as a one-time No. 13 overall pick in the draft but perhaps not the top-tier instincts to key and diagnose on a consistent basis.

Only when Reddick was cut loose and asked to go after the QB in his final season with the Cardinals did his career take off. Last season, that continued in Carolina under his former Temple coach Matt Rhule.

“We obviously have many plans — obviously you wouldn’t sign a guy to that kind of contract unless we had major plans for him — but I think at this particular time, that’s to our advantage of (knowing) how we’re going to use him,” Sirianni said before coming clean on one part of the expectation. "Obviously, you pay a guy like that to rush the passer.

"That will definitely be a big part of our plan for him. That’s what he gets paid to do and that’s a need that we have, that we want him to help fill that role with the rest of the defensive ends that we have on our football team.”

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White, meanwhile, played in a stacked 3-3-5 look in college at West Virginia where he served in a bit of a hybrid safety/LB role.

Most NFL scouts graded White as a safety in the 2018 draft when he was taken in the fourth round by the Los Angeles Chargers, who quickly announced their intent to move him to LB during their first rookie camp after the draft.

By 2021 White had developed into a starter and was top-10 in the NFL with 144 tackles to go along with two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

His small stature for the position (6-1 and 218 pounds) enabled the Eagles to get White at a bargain rate on the market considering his production level.

Publicized as a one-year, $5 million outlay for the former Chargers' tackling machine, the Eagles were actually able to bring the Lehigh County native back home for $3M fully guaranteed with the opportunity to make $5M with certain incentives.

White is set to earn a $1.035M base salary (the veteran minimum for his experience level) and received a signing bonus of $1.465M. The contract also included per-game roster bonuses that total $500,000 and a very palatable salary-cap hit of only $1.828M thanks to voidable years that spread his signing bonus out over five years ($293K per year through 2026).

White, like Reddick, needs to be used correctly to thrive, though.

His strengths remain in coverage where he can run with backs and tight ends as well as any NFL linebacker.

Where White is a little bit different than Nate Gerry, who the Eagles tried to develop at LB after playing safety at Nebraska, or even 2021 sixth-round pick JaCoby Stevens, who is trying to make the transition from his LSU safety days, is White's ability to stick his nose into run support in a serviceable way.

The most exciting part for Jonathan Gannon, however, is the fact that his new defensive additions not only increase the talent level at his disposal, they also give him more options to confuse opposing quarterbacks by toggling to different positions.

Pre-snap disguise is one of the most important tools any defensive coordinator has at his disposal in the modern NFL and Gannon didn't feel comfortable enough to do some of the things he would have liked in 2021.

Reddick and White should help change that mindset.

-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 "Extending the Play" on AM1490 in South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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