Eagles depth chart following the 2024 NFL Draft: Defense edition

Eagles depth chart following the 2024 NFL Draft: Defense edition

Now that free agency and the NFL Draft are behind us, it’s a good time to take a look at how the 2024 Philadelphia Eagles depth chart is coming together. We first examined the offense’s depth chart and we’ll continue today with the defense before moving on to special teams. After that, we’ll post our first 53-man roster projection ahead of the upcoming season.

DEFENSIVE END / EDGE RUSHER

1 – Bryce Huff

2 – Josh Sweat

3 – Nolan Smith

4 – Brandon Graham

5 – Zack Baun

6 – Patrick Johnson

7 – Julian Okwara

8 – Jalyx Hunt

9 – Tarron Jackson

10 – Terrell Lewis

The Eagles paid Huff to be more than just the part-time pass rusher he was for the New York Jets. We’ll see if he can keep up his production with a bigger workload being put on his plate. The Eagles really need him to step up after trading away Haason Reddick. Sweat was in jeopardy of being released but he ultimately agreed to take a pay cut. The Eagles need the Sweat they got earlier in 2023 before he totally fell off in the second half of the season. Smith, the No. 30 overall pick from last year’s NFL Draft, also MUST step up now that Reddick is gone. The coaching staff clearly didn’t trust him to play much as a rookie but now it’s time to let him sink or swim. BG said this will be his last season with the Eagles. He should still be able to contribute in a limited rotational capacity. The Eagles agreed to terms with Baun on the first day of the legal tampering window, so, they seemingly have a plan for him. He could see some snaps in the Andrew Van Ginkel role (time split between off-ball linebacker and edge rusher) that Vic Fangio employed last year. Johnson showed some pass rushing juice in camp last year but really only ever played special teams. Okwara, who has nine sacks over the past three seasons, is a dark horse candidate to make the roster if he can stay healthy and flash this summer. Hunt is likely limited to a special teams role at best as a rookie; the Eagles have talked about being patient with his development. Jackson is likely entering his last offseason with the team that drafted him in 2021. Lewis carries more intrigue than the typical long shot as a former third-round pick (No. 84 overall) but it’s an up-hill battle for him.

DEFENSIVE TACKLE

1 – Jalen Carter

2 – Jordan Davis

3 – Milton Williams

4 – Marlon Tuipulotu

5 – Moro Ojomo

6 – Thomas Booker IV

7 – PJ Mustipher

8 – Gabe Hall

Carter has potential to be a superstar if he can build on his rookie season. The Eagles really need Davis to step up after losing Fletcher Cox to retirement. Davis got off to an encouraging start in 2023 but ultimately faded. Williams, who is entering a contract year, could potentially make another leap this year and end up playing the second most DT snaps behind Carter. Mr. T quietly had his best season last year; he’s a good rotational DT option behind the top trio. Ojomo also has the potential to make a jump, especially after upgrading his jersey number from No. 73 to No. 97. Booker spent time on the practice squad last year. Mustipher is the heaviest-listed DT behind Davis. Hall has a chance to make the roster as an undrafted rookie free agent if he stands out; the Eagles typically like to go heavy at DT.

OFF-BALL LINEBACKER

1 – Nakobe Dean

2 – Devin White

3 – Ben VanSumeren

4 – Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

5 – Oren Burks

6 – Brandon Smith

Dean hasn’t come close to justifying the faith the Eagles have placed in him thus faith. It’ll be disappointing if he looks relatively invisible in training camp for the third straight offseason. White should be motivated to re-prove himself after essentially being benched by the end of last season. I wonder if VanSumeren could end up being this year’s Reed Blankenship in terms of unexpectedly running away with a starting job in camp. The Eagles seem to like him … he’ll at least be a depth player on this team. If Trot Jr. makes plays in camp/preseason, it’ll be more than Dean has ever done to this point. He might be able to make the case for snaps as a rookie. Burks profiles as a special teams player at most. Smith had some nice special teams moments last year; we’ll see if he can do anything on defense. The Eagles might look to reunite with Zach Cunningham if the young guys aren’t showing promise in camp.

CORNERBACK

1 – Darius Slay

2 – James Bradberry

3 – Avonte Maddox

4 – Quinyon Mitchell

5 – Cooper DeJean

6 – Kelee Ringo

7 – Eli Ricks

8 – Isaiah Rodgers

9 – Zech McPhearson

10 – Josh Jobe

11 – Mekhi Garner

12 – Tyler Hall

13 – Mario Goodrich

There sure are a lot of players at this position! Much to be settled. The only stone cold lock right now is Slay as CB1. I’m currently giving Bradberry the nod as a veteran but there’s an expectation he’ll be cut as soon as June 2. Maddox has previously been the Eagles’ nickel cornerback, and they like him, but he’s struggled to stay healthy and he wasn’t very good even when he was on the field last year (113.4 passer rating allowed when targeted). Mitchell is the strongest contender to start across from Slay, assuming Bradberry is gone. But I don’t think the Eagles are merely going to hand him the job. DeJean will compete for playing time on the outside in addition to the slot. Ringo showed potential late last year and will also try to make his case to be a starter. Ricks was probably miscast as a nickel option; he might be able to show more while focusing on the outside. Rodgers has previously played well as a starter so he’s another contender to start or at least provide good depth. McPhearson was the top backup nickel option last year before he went down with a season-ending injury in the preseason. Jobe was the top backup option on the outside but he fell out of favor after struggling. Garner flashed at times in camp last year and the Eagles used him as an emergency safety option. Might the Eagles move him to the back end of the defense? Hall could compete to be the backup nickel. Goodrich made the original 53-man roster last year but the Eagles never really trusted him to play so he figures to be a long shot.

SAFETY

1 – Reed Blankenship

2 – C.J. Gardner-Johnson

3 – Sydney Brown

4 – Tristin McCollum

5 – Andre’ Sam

The Eagles are not among those who may have soured on Blankenship. He was negatively impacted by playing through multiple injuries last year. If he can stay healthy (a fair concern given his past), he could get back to being a play-maker as a high IQ talent. CJGJ is obviously also capable of getting his hands on the ball and he figures to bring an attitude edge back to the defense. Like Blankenship, he needs to prove he can stay healthy. Brown said he’s on track to be back for Week 1 but we need to see if that timeline holds up. Even if it’s the case, he could still miss some valuable training camp reps. It might be best to ease him back in from injury with a rotational role. McCollum mostly contributed as a special teams player last year. Turning 25.5 years old before training camp begins, perhaps Sam might be more ready to contribute than a typical rookie? And it’s not like he has to jump a ton of players on the depth chart, though I’m sure the Eagles could/will get some of their listed cornerbacks involved at safety. The aforementioned Garner is a name to watch in that regard. The Eagles could also still look to sign a veteran safety given the available talent there … see: Justin Simmons, Eddie Jackson, Quandre Diggs, etc.