Eagles load up in the secondary in last-ditch effort to reclaim NFC East
The Philadelphia Eagles have taken two defensive backs with their first two selections of the 2024 NFL Draft, and it's clear that GM Howie Roseman had a plan in mind. The Eagles took a huge step back in 2023, but their 11-6 record might not show it. Both sides of the ball truly regressed, and the most obvious regression was their secondary.
Their CB duo of Darius Slay and James Bradberry were getting burned left and right. Well, GM Howie Roseman is making sure that does not happen again. With their first-round pick, they took the explosive CB from Toledo in Quinyon Mitchell.
And in the second round, they were somehow able to land Iowa do-it-all-DB Cooper DeJean.
And heck, they even brought back their old friend in free agency, DB CJ Gardner-Johnson. Not only have they made significant personnel changes on defense, but they installed a new defensive coordinator in Vic Fangio, a widely-respected defensive mind.
You have to figure with how poorly 2023 went for the Philadelphia Eagles, Nick Sirianni's seat is pretty warm. Yes, he's got a nice record and helped his team make the Super Bowl in 2022, but the NFL is the "what have you done for me lately" league.
It would not be a shock to see Sirianni get the boot during the 2024 NFL Season if it doesn't start out the way they had hoped. And frankly, there can't be any more excuses. Not only is Howie Roseman fixing the roster holes, but the new DC in Fangio should bring instant change for the better.
Offensively, they had their own issues as well, as QB Jalen Hurts significantly regressed as well. Their offensive is an entirely different story, and I'm firmly in the camp that Jalen Hurts was perhaps more of a product of the system than anything else.