The downfall of the Philadelphia Eagles during the 2023 season can be traced to their defense. One of the most dominant units in 2022 turned into one of the most porous in 2023 as they struggled to stop any opponents.
Their fearsome pass rush, which racked up 70 sacks in 2022, totaled only 43 in 2023. Opposing offenses found a ton of success against them through the air, allowing 252.7 passing yards per game and couldn’t get stops when it mattered most in the red zone or on third down.
Looking to shake things up, the Eagles brought in Vic Fangio from the Miami Dolphins to be their new defensive coordinator. Philadelphia hopes he can be a steadying influence for a unit that was bad under Sean Desai and got worse when Matt Patricia replaced him as playcaller.
Not only is the coaching staff different, but the personnel could be as well. Fletcher Cox is reportedly considering retirement and star edge rusher Haasan Reddick has been granted permission to seek a trade as he wants an extension.
Losing those two players would hurt as the Eagles have enough holes to fill on their defense already. With a new coaching staff, it will be important to identify players who will not only upgrade the team but fit into the scheme Fangio wants to run.
Finding some new players in the secondary would be a good place to start. Over at ESPN, Tim McManus put together a list of some potential targets the team could have in free agency. Two of them are safeties. The first player named was veteran Eddie Jackson, who was released by the Chicago Bears.
“Chicago released Jackson last week in a cost-cutting move. A fourth-round pick in 2017, he played seven seasons with the Bears, posting 15 interceptions and 44 passes defensed. Fangio was the defensive coordinator when Chicago drafted Jackson. He coached him for two seasons and helped him to his first of two Pro Bowl appearances in 2018.
The Eagles had little consistency at safety last season and could use a stabilizing presence opposite Reed Blankenship. Given his age and recent injury history — a foot injury shortened each of the safety’s past three seasons — signing Jackson likely won’t break the bank,” wrote McManus.
Philadelphia suffered a major loss last offseason when versatile safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson opted to leave in free agency, signing with the Detroit Lions. The Eagles were never quite able to fill that void, but have to be happy with what Reed Blankenship showed.
As McManus notes, Blankenship is likely locked into one of the safety spots, meaning they need to find someone to pair with him. If they want to go with a younger option, someone such as Kamren Curl could pique their interest.
“Curl doesn’t have a ton of on-ball production — he has three interceptions and 14 passes defensed over four seasons — but has shown to be a consistent, versatile presence for Washington. He started 16 games for the Commanders in 2023 and posted 115 tackles (3 for loss) with three QB hits, a sack and five passes defensed.
Per ESPN NFL analyst Matt Bowen, Curl fits best in a split-safety scheme, which fits how Fangio typically deploys his safeties,” wrote McManus.
Curl burst onto the scene in 2020 as a seventh-round pick out of Arkansas. He quickly became an integral part of the Washington Commanders’ defense and would be a great fit for the new scheme in Philadelphia.
Not only would Curl be an upgrade for the Eagles, but it would also weaken one of their NFC East division riles. Washington has the cap space to retain Curl, but with a new regime in place, overhauling the roster is a possibility.
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