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Philadelphia Eagles: 2018 Midseason report card

By Carl Naimoli

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Zach Ertz of The Eagles celebrates scoring a touch down during the NFL International Series match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 28: Zach Ertz of The Eagles celebrates scoring a touch down during the NFL International Series match between Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium on October 28, 2018 in London, England. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 23: Defensive end Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after sacking quarterback Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts (not pictured) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 23, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – SEPTEMBER 23: Defensive end Fletcher Cox #91 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after sacking quarterback Andrew Luck #12 of the Indianapolis Colts (not pictured) during the second quarter at Lincoln Financial Field on September 23, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Defensive Line: B

Another area of this Eagles roster that has been hit hard by injuries has been the defensive line. Starter Timmy Jernigan had offseason surgery and still hasn’t seen the field yet. His replacement, Haloti Ngata, has only played five games due to a calf injury. That leaves All-Pro Fletcher Cox as the Eagles lone notable defensive tackle in the lineup.

On the end, second-year player Derek Barnett played six games and now is out for the rest of the season with a torn rotator cuff. All those injuries have left the Eagles with some serious depth issues on the defensive line, forcing them to play with only about five guys, when last year they were able to mix and match eight different players to keep everyone fresh.

With all the injuries piling up, they are still holding their own on the field. The Eagles rank fourth in the NFL in rushing yards allowed per game with just 83.8. Also, they are eighth in the league with 22 sacks on the season. If Ngata and Jernigan are able to come back and be healthy, that would just add to this already competent unit.

Linebackers: B

This has been the steadiest and healthiest unit on the entire Eagles roster. Jordan Hicks, Nigel Bradham and Kamu Grugier-Hill have started every game together besides the opener. That is due to Bradham serving a suspension.

Hicks is currently fifth in the NFL with 70 tackles this season. Bradham has been strong going back to his natural position at outside linebacker. Grugier-Hill has been a steady presence in his first season as a starter in the NFL. Overall, if they can stay healthy, which is saying a lot for this team, then the linebacker corps should be able to continue it’s modest success.

Secondary: D-

If Malcolm Jenkins wasn’t in this Eagles secondary, they would be receiving an obvious failing grade. Jenkins has been playing at a Pro-Bowl caliber level, as we have come to expect from him. Although, his play hasn’t rubbed off on anyone else in the secondary.

The Eagles are still trying to find the replacement for injured safety Rodney McLeod. At this point, they are starting a rookie, Avonte Maddox, and just hoping that he is the right fit. Two of the most talked about and criticized players on the Eagles roster all season long have been cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills. Every week, the Eagles corners seem to have trouble limiting their opponents.

The Eagles rank 25th in the NFL at passing yards allowed per game. They are allowing 269.1 yards per game in the air, which is 42 yards more a game than they allowed last season. This defensive unit also has the 6th most penalty yards in the NFL, most of that due to long pass interference calls. If the secondary doesn’t wake up this will turn into a long season for the Eagles.

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