Philadelphia Eagles: Best defensive line in the NFL?

They’ll have to prove it on the field, but the Philadelphia Eagles could have the best defensive line in the NFL.

The old saying, “it all starts up front” in football couldn’t be truer for the Philadelphia Eagles defense in 2017. Philly had a huge hole at cornerback this offseason and filled it with third round pick Rasul Douglas and free agent Patrick Robinson. Yes, they did take former Washington Huskies cornerback Sidney Jones in the second round. But Jones will likely miss the entire 2017 season with an Achilles injury.

With no disrespect to Douglas and Robinson, the hole is still leaking on the Eagles defense. Douglas could be a surprise this season, but expecting the third-round pick to thrive in the NFL right away does not make sense. I believe Douglas will end up becoming a solid No. 2 cornerback in the NFL, but not in his rookie season.

Robinson, a former first-round pick, will be playing on his third team since entering the NFL in 2010. Obviously, it hasn’t worked out the way many expected for him, so the Eagles will need to help the cornerbacks a lot, again, this season.

That is why the defensive line is so important for the Eagles. They need the big guys up front to get pressure on the quarterback to help them in coverage. It brings up the big question: do the Eagles have the best defensive line in the NFL? My initial reaction to that question is no, mainly because they struggled to sack the quarterback in 2016.

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However, when you look at the Eagle new and improved defensive line on paper or use Pro Football Focus, you can see that they deserve to be in the conversation. It all starts with All-Pro and Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Fletcher Cox. The 26-year old is one of the best defensive tackles in the game. Last season Cox ended the year with six and a half sacks and was dominant in the run game. Pro Football Focus ranked Cox as the No. 5 interior defender in the NFL last season and the fifth best pass rushing interior defender. There is no question that Cox is an elite player and will impact a game.

Philadelphia lost Bennie Logan in free agency, but I feel trading for former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan filled that hole and then some. Jernigan was No. 1 against the run for all 3-4 defensive ends in 2016 (via Pro Football Focus) and had 20 run stops. He will slide inside for the Eagles, but he should still be a dominant run defender with sneaky pass rushing skills (five sacks last year).

Then you look at the defensive end position, and it makes the Eagles defensive line look even better. Brandon Graham must know someone at Pro Football Focus or maybe an employee likes him because they give him a ton of love. In reality, Pro Football Focus puts a lot of weight on hurries (a stat I think is worthless in the NFL), so that is why he ended the year as the No. 2 edge defender in the NFL. He was also the No. 2 pass rusher, even though he only finished the year with a measly five and a half sacks.

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The second defensive end spot is where it gets interesting for the Eagles. They have Vinny Curry, who needs to show he deserved the money he got last offseason. He struggled to get on the field, and it led to the Eagles signing former New England Patriots defensive end Chris Long. Curry’s struggles also resulted in the Eagles using their first round pick, 14th overall, on former Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett.

If you asked me today, my guess would be that Barnett will get the majority of the snaps, opposite of Graham. The rookie enters the NFL with a lot of hype, especially from the stat sheet and Pro Football Focus. Barnett had 34 sacks in three seasons and also had a ridiculous 187 pressures in those three years. The pressures don’t hold any weight for me, but Barnett’s 34 sacks were three more than No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett. He was also ranked as the No. 3 edge defender in college football last season, all according to Pro Football Focus. That just shows he can play and he will be a great addition to the Eagles defensive line.

Having Curry and Long as depth on the defensive line doesn’t hurt either. Curry ended they year, even with his minimal snaps, as the 34 best pass-rushing edge defender in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He has potential but hasn’t seemed to reach it fully and time is running out for the soon to be 29-year-old. Long is coming off of a Super Bowl victory with the Patriots and is a great veteran to have in the locker room.

Like I said, my initial reaction to the question, do the Eagles have the best defensive line in the NFL? was no.

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After looking at what the Eagles have on paper, though, you can easily make an argument saying that entering 2017, they do have the best defensive line in the league. Especially having defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, who is no fool when it comes to his defenses getting to the quarterback. Luckily, instead of arguing, we will find out on the field. However, the Eagles certainly have a chance to take the crown this season as the best defensive line in the NFL.

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