Eagles biggest remaining roster hole revealed by ESPN as they trade for Kansas City Chiefs Ace
The Philadelphia Eagles did a great job of filling holes in the roster via free agency and the draft so far this offseason, but there could still be a couple of areas that could use some added depth. ESPN recently listed the biggest remaining roster hole for every team in the NFL, and the choice for the Eagles was interior defensive line depth.
The biggest concern mentioned was a potential lack of depth on the D-line as the team switches from a 4-3 to a 3-4 base defense under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
From ESPN:
“For a long time, the strength of the Eagles’ 4-3 defense was the ability to constantly rotate defensive linemen to keep the defense fresh. Now Philadelphia will play a 3-4 defense, and the depth suggests there will be a lot less rotation. Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Milton Williams are a good set of starters, and it’s certainly possible the Eagles will play a lot of 2-4-5 nickel and need only two of those players at a time.
“Behind them are some question marks. Marlon Tuipulotu has proved himself to be a useful player in three NFL seasons. He had two sacks and 22 combined tackles last season. However, Moro Ojomo had just three tackles as a seventh-round rookie, and PJ Mustipher had just four tackles playing for the Saints.”
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The Eagles have spent a couple of high draft picks to sure up the defensive line in recent years. The team selected Jordan Davis in the first round (13th overall) in 2022 and Jalen Carter in the first round (9th overall) last year. The success of Philadelphia’s D-line will depend largely on the continued development of those two guys, in addition to Milton Williams, who the Eagles selected in the third round in 2021.
If those three guys are all able to stay healthy and play well, then defensive line won’t be much of an issue for Philadelphia. But injuries or poor play from any of those three could spell trouble for the Eagles.
Something tells us we have driven a wedge in what is sometimes a revolving door. Ahead of the most recent NFL Draft, Philadelphia Eagles fans were dealing with a dilemma we seemingly agonize over every offseason. ‘What are the Birds going to do about their secondary?’ Once upon a time, we were spoiled by the knowledge we would swap Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor out for Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown. Boy…. If only we had a time machine!
Playing in a league where there’s parity, free agency, and a salary cap, some things seem inevitable. There will be times when every NFL team needs more talent than it has, especially at specific positions, and recently, every time we arrive at March, we’re constantly asking ourselves if Philly’s defensive backfield is good enough.
