Eagles Training Camp Preview: The Defensive Line

The Eagles have had one of the strongest defensive lines in the NFL for a number of years

The Eagles have had one of the strongest defensive lines in the NFL for a number of years and the secret to that is simple -- the organization values the front on both sides of the football and married its vision to a highly-regarded defensive coordinator who calls the line “the engine” of his defense.

The Philadelphia front four features three homegrown first-round picks who were all taken at No. 14 or above -- Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Derek Barnett -- and found the final piece in the offseason when they pried the talented Javon Hargrave away from Pittsburgh for a boatload of money, potentially up to $39 million over three years.

The Eagles have been searching for a high-level complement to Cox for years now (they had it for the first half of the 2017 season before the injuries took hold on Tim Jernigan) and the plan last season was derailed by Malik Jackson’s Lisfranc injury in Week 1.

Jackson will return as a potential swing player to be Schwartz’s No. 5, in theory, a player able to take some reps of the plates of both interior starters and Graham at left end. Jackson is not necessarily comfortable playing outside but he’s at least indicated a willingness to do what he’s asked.

"I'll do what they tell me," said Jackson. "My job is to come in here and play the game at a high level. If you're asking (me), I'd rather have a three-man rotation (inside) where I have been the last eight years."

Josh Sweat, meanwhile, is a rangy pass rusher who continues to progress and is expected to take on a larger role after notching an impressive 27 pressures in only 274 pass-rushing opportunities last season, per ProFootballFocus.com.

If you want some hand-wringing, however, start with Graham’s age (32) and Barnett not quite living up to the billing as the 14th overall pick in 2017.

DEPTH CHART:

LDE: Brandon Graham; Josh Sweat; Shareef Miller; Daeshon Hall; Matt Leo (International Player Pathway)

3T: Fletcher Cox; Malik Jackson; Bruce Hector; Albert Huggins

NT: Javon Hargrave; Hassan Ridgeway; Anthony Rush; Raequan Williams

RDE: Derek Barnett; Genard Avery; Joe Ostman; Casey Toohill

WHAT’S CHANGED: A couple of key rotational players are gone in Vinny Curry and Jernigan but the Eagles have done enough to turn the page seamlessly although the options to replace Curry, while plentiful, are largely unproven. Sweat will bump up but then you need someone to fill in those reps be it Genard Avery, Shareef Miller, athletic rookie Casey Toohill, or two players coming off torn ACLs in Joe Ostman and Daeshon Hall.

Inside, the signing of Hargrave and the return of Jackson from injury is more than enough to weather the Jernigan loss.

HIGHLIGHT REEL: While Aaron Donald is universally regarded as the best DT in football, Fletcher Cox has been in the conversation as the runner-up for a number of years now.

The big man from Yazoo City has developed into one of the best defensive linemen in franchise history after being selected No. 12 overall out of Southern Mississippi in the 2012 draft.

Over the ensuing eight seasons, Cox has been a Pro Bowl selection five times and more importantly either a first- or second-team All-Pro selection on four occasions. He was perhaps the best pure football player on the only Super Bowl-winning team in Eagles history and was honored by the league as a member of the 2010s All-Decade Team. The next step might be Canton with a few more All Pro-level seasons.

Cox is supposedly coming off a bit of a “down season” stemming from a foot injury in the playoff against New Orleans in January of 2019. Ensuing surgery robbed Cox of an offseason and he basically showed up Week 1 and slowly ramped things up from there become his dominant self by late in the campaign.

In the first virtual offseason, Cox invited his linemates to work out together at his Texas home, From a Zoom-filtered distance, Cox looks in the best shape of his life and his presence, along with Hargrave and the Jackson, give Schwartz and new DL coach Matt Burke one of the most talented interiors in the NFL.

“I’m excited about (the entire defense),” Cox said. “Obviously you have to trust what those guys are doing upstairs, trust they’re bringing in the best players for us to win, put us in position to win, anyway. We just have to work together.”

CAMP BATTLES

The most interesting competition figures to be the rotational end spots behind Graham and Barnett. Schwartz and Burke will have plenty of options to choose from.

You could simply bump up the talented Sweat to Curry’s role and allow Avery, Miller, Ostman, and Toohill to battle over the remaining reps or you could give additional reps to Jackson outside. The good news is there are too many avenues to assume all will of them will be shut down.

Inside things are far more concrete but don’t sleep on Anthony Rush, who proved himself late last season as a 350-pound run stuffer. Rush’s ceiling is a two-down player but he possesses a valuable trait anyone would like to have in the toolbox if the Eagles can find a way yo keep him around.

"I’m excited about all the new additions, excited to see everybody get out there and run around again and have some fun,” Cox said.

ROCKY: THE LONGSHOT

Ostman was going to make the team last season until a torn ACL suffered in an open practice at Lincoln Financial Field derailed things. Schwartz was even working on a Joker package where Ostman would serve as an inside, stand-up rusher in obvious passing situations.

Before the ACL tear, Ostman was an undersized, speed demon with rare quickness and a blur for a first step. It will be interesting to see if he can regain the same explosiveness.

WHO STAYS ON THE 53?

The Eagles will keep nine or 10 with the starters and top reserves pretty clear cut. Graham, Cox, Hargrave, and Barnett along with Jackson and Sweat are certainties. If you’re a betting man you should also feel very comfortable about Ridgeway, who re-signed on a one-year deal, and Avery because Howie Roseman gave up a fourth-round pick to get him at the trade deadline last season.

Miller and Rush should be the final two to make the grade, the former based on pedigree.

WHO GOES?

Ostman loses out to the impressive depth as do Hall and Toohill, a seventh-round pick back in April. Inside Bruce Hector, Albert Huggins and undrafted rookie Raequan Williams are in trouble.

The depth here is really absurd and one of the reasons PFF rated as the Eagles as having the second-best DL heading into the season behind Pittsburgh which was No. 1 despite losing Hargrave to the Eagles.

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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