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The Future of the Eagles: Defense Edition

On Wednesday, I broke down possible successors at every position on the Eagles' offense. Today we'll look at the defense--a conversation which I think will cause even more discussion and debate. Let's get started.

DL

The defensive line is the heart of the Eagles' defense and the engine that makes Jim Scwartz's scheme work. In 2017, the Eagles had the deepest and most talented defensive line in the NFL, and they sent pass rushers after QB's in waves. They appear to have good depth again this year, possibly even better when you consider the addition of Michael Bennett. But after this season things get a bit dicier.

Brandon Graham is a free agent, and it's unclear how much he'll earn on the open market. Chris Long will turn 34 in March, and even though he has one more year on his contract, is a risk to retire. He could also be a potential cap casualty, as could Michael Bennett, who will have 2 years left on his deal, but will be 33 and could be cut for a savings of $7 million. Haloti Ngata is a free agent as well, and with Tim Jernigan's injury and subsequently restructured contract, it's unclear if he'll be back with the team in 2019 either. Destiny Vaeao will be a restricted free agent, and I think the team is likely to offer him a tender.

That leaves Derek Barnett, Josh Sweat, Fletcher Cox, and Bruce Hector as the only current members of the defensive line group who are locks to be back next year. If Barnett takes the leap we all hope this year, he could very well take over as the team's most lethal edge rusher next season, and Sweat could step into a larger role in his sophomore season as well. Perhaps current practice squad player Joe Ostman could join the rotation, also.

Given the team's preference for rotating rushers, I expect that at least two of Graham, Long, and Bennett will be back. The team would love for Graham to retire an Eagle, but if his contract demands prove to be too rich for their cap situation, it's possible they roll with the less-expensive group of Barnett, Bennett, Long & Sweat in 2019 and continue to draft and develop rushers to add to that group.

At defensive tackle, there appears to be a more dire need to invest through the draft, especially with Jernigan's health an uncertainty. The team will hope that rookie UDFA Bruce Hector can develop into a contributor, and look to add to the DT position through the draft and free agency.

LB

Nigel Bradham is locked up through 2023, but Jordan Hicks will be a free agent after this season. Hicks' health has been an obstacle, but he's such a difference maker on the field that it would be a big blow to see him sign elsewhere. The hope here is that he is willing to take a team-friendly deal with built in safeguards for injury. If he leaves, the team has Nate Gerry & Kamu Grugier-Hill waiting in the wings. Both looked impressive against the Falcons, but it's unclear if either converted safety could hold up as an every-down linebacker over the course of a full season.

CB

This position is likely to spark the most debate among Eagles fans. It's been discussed ad nauseum, but my take is that the team likes Jalen Mills too much for their own good. I think they will let Ronald Darby leave in free agency in 2019, in order to save money to sign Mills in 2020. That'll leave them with Mills & Sidney Jones as their outside CB's with Avonte Maddox in the slot, and Rasul Douglas as the first guy off the bench.

My personal preference would be to keep Darby and let Mills leave. I think Darby and Jones could become one of the best CB tandems in the entire NFL... but unfortunately I don't think we'll ever get to see that happen. At the very least, this is a position where the team is young and deep, and it shouldn't be hard to find successors for any player who departs.

S

Malcolm Jenkins is signed through 2021, but at age 31, it's fair to wonder if we'll see him start decline between now and then. Jenkins is the undisputed leader of the Eagles' defense, and I think we could see him transition to playing more and more linebacker if he starts to lose speed as he ages. There's no clear successor at the moment, as we don't know what the team thinks of Deiondre' Hall and Tre Sullivan. A good step for either player would be taking over Corey Graham's role as the 3rd safety in 2019.

Rodney McLeod is under contract through 2021, also, but is oft mentioned as a possible cap casualty. It's hard for me to see the team moving on without a clear successor in place, and it's worth noting that cutting him in 2019 would result in just as much dead cap as open cap space. I think it's more likely the team spends a draft pick or two on this position sometime in the next two years and develops a successor at both positions. Perhaps Malcolm could move into that Corey Graham role as he ages.

That's it. Succession plans at every position on the Eagles' roster. What do you think about this team's future?