The Philadelphia Eagles went to work over the offseason to address arguably their biggest problem from last season: Defense.
Outside of offensive additions like Saquon Barkley and recent acquisition Jahan Dotson, general manager Howie Roseman attacked the NFL Draft and free agency to patch holes in Philadelphia’s defensive unit while also bringing in a new coordinator.
The first look at the revamped Eagles defense, now coached by Vic Fangio, will come thousands of miles away from Philadelphia when the squad travels to Brazil for a Friday night matchup against the Green Bay Packers.
Following a major collapse in the second half of the 2023 season, Fangio’s defense will play a significant role in the Eagles’ Super Bowl chances in 2024.
Here’s a look at the updated Eagles’ defensive depth chart and how it's improved since last season.
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Eagles’ 2023 defensive stats
As the Eagles started the 2023 season 10-1, they were allowing an average of 22.4 points per game. Over their final six regular season games, that ballooned to 30.3 points per game.
Philadelphia’s inability to slow down offenses in 2023 proved too much for its own offense to overcome, and the team eventually fell to the Buccaneers 32-9 in the wild-card round.
As names like Fletcher Cox (retired), Haason Reddick (traded to the Jets), and Kevin Byard III (signed with the Bears) departed, Philadelphia has new players across its defensive depth charts for 2024.
Eagles’ 2024 secondary depth chart
| CB | Darius Slay Jr. | Quinyon Mitchell | Zech McPhearson | Josh Jobe |
| CB | Kelee Ringo | Isaiah Rodgers | Eli Ricks | |
| NB | Avonte Maddox | Cooper DeJean | Parry Nickerson | Shon Stephens |
| SS | C.J. Gardner-Johnson | Tristin McCollum | Andre’ Sam | |
| FS | Reed Blankenship | James Bradberry IV | Caden Sterns |
The Eagles’ secondary is once again headlined by their top corner, Slay. Last season, the 12-year veteran had two interceptions and 48 tackles. In 2024 training camp, he snagged Jalen Hurts’ only interception.
At the other starting corner spot, it will be either Ringo, a 2023 fourth-round pick, or Rodgers, who hasn’t played since 2022 with the Colts after a gambling ban.
Maddox is entering his sixth season with Philadelphia, but he appeared in just four games last season due to a torn pec.
The biggest changes at cornerback for the Eagles came from the draft. The Birds spent high draft capital on Mitchell, the 22nd overall pick, and DeJean, a second round pick. The younger legs and depth the pair will provide could be significant, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see either starting at some point.
At safety, Roseman went out and brought back Gardner-Johnson on a three-year deal, which was surprising at the time after the former Lion had negative things to say about his prior time in Philly.
Gardner-Johnson could be a huge piece for the Eagles secondary, as he was in their run to Super Bowl LVII.
Blankenship led the team with 113 tackles last season. Finally, Bradberry made a position change over the offseason. The former cornerback, once one of the league’s best with the Giants and infamous for his holding call against the Chiefs in the Super Bowl, will be at safety in 2024.
After some dreadful defensive performances last season, the Eagles’ secondary looks younger and deeper this season.
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Eagles’ 2024 linebackers depth chart
| LB | Zack Baun | Jeremiah Trotter Jr. | Oren Burks | Brandon Smith |
| LB | Devin White | Nakobe Dean | Ben VanSumeren |
The Eagles’ linebacker unit may be the most changed group compared to 2023 — among the four players most likely to see playing time (White, Baun, Trotter Jr. and Dean), only Dean returns from Philadelphia’s roster last season.
Dean has 31 tackles through 22 games with the Eagles after being drafted in 2022. He managed to play in just five games in 2023 due to injury, but should he stay healthy, his talent could be a difference-maker.
White and Baun were free-agency acquisitions for Philadelphia. White, a sixth-year pro playing his first season away from Tampa Bay, has played in at least 13 games and totaled at least 45 tackles in every year of his career so far.
Trotter Jr. is the son of Eagles Hall of Famer Jeremiah Trotter and was drafted in the fifth round out of Clemson in April.
Sirianni and Fangio will have some new linebackers to work with this season, with White likely playing the most significant role as a veteran who's capable of blowing up plays.
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Eagles’ 2024 defensive line depth chart
| EDGE | Bryce Huff | Brandon Graham | Tarron Jackson | |
| DT | Jordan Davis | Marlon Tuipulotu | PJ Mustipher | |
| DT | Jalen Carter | Thomas Booker IV | Gabe Hall | |
| DT | Milton Williams | Moro Ojomo | ||
| EDGE | Josh Sweat | Nolan Smith Jr. | Jalyx Hunt | Patrick Johnson |
Finishing up with the defensive line, Philadelphia replaced the dominance of Reddick with another talented EDGE in Huff.
With the Jets in 2023, Huff had 10 sacks.
Also providing pressure for the Eagles will be Josh Sweat, who had 6.5 sacks last season, Georgia-product Nolan Smith Jr. and the veteran Graham, who said 2024 will be his final season.
Smith Jr. hyped up Fangio’s style of coaching at training camp, focusing on physicality.
At the tackle positions, the Eagles bring back the young duo of Carter and Davis, who were each named to CBSSports.com’s All-Under-25 Defensive Team.
Philadelphia should boast one of the league’s top defensive tackle units with the two young studs alongside Williams, a fourth-year defensive tackle who's played in 16-plus games in every season so far.
Overall, the Eagles revamped each level of their defense for 2024 — especially at linebacker. Defense was a massive weakness in the second half of 2023 for Philadelphia, so it will once again be pivotal this season.