Eagles roster: Vic Fangio’s No. 1 defense has several holes to fill ahead of the NFL draft

In 2025, the youth movement will continue for the Eagles defense.

This offseason brought the departures of key veterans Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, Milton Williams, Brandon Graham, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson from the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning defense. A slew of starting roles are up for grabs, and the Eagles’ youth could be next in line.

But those roles won’t be awarded without training-camp competition. General manager Howie Roseman has already added some free agents into the fold, and next week’s NFL draft will offer another opportunity to bolster the roster. Here’s a breakdown of the defensive depth chart and an analysis of the Eagles’ needs ahead of the draft in the final installment of a two-part series (Part 1 focused on the offense):

The Eagles have a Williams-sized hole to fill on their defensive front. The 26-year-old defensive tackle excelled as a pass rusher alongside Jalen Carter, posting five sacks (plus three in the playoffs) and earning himself a $100-plus million contract from the New England Patriots.

All eyes are on Jordan Davis to take another step in his development and help make up for the loss of Williams. That would require him to get on the field more frequently. In his third year, Davis played 37% of the snaps in the regular season (second lowest of his career) and just 21% in the postseason. He eats up gaps in the run game, but his effectiveness as a pass rusher is still a work in progress. Can the Eagles get more out of the 2022 13th overall pick in what could be a contract year?

» READ MORE: Eagles roster: How the Eagles line up on offense ahead of the NFL draft

Otherwise, Moro Ojomo could step into a bigger role. A seventh-round pick in 2023 out of Texas, Ojomo, quietly had a stellar season in his second year with the team, especially as a pass rusher. The 23-year-old finished the year ranked second in the league in Pro Football Focus’ pass-rush win rate (18.2%) among interior defensive linemen who took at least 300 pass-rush snaps, trailing only Kansas City’s Chris Jones.

Still, the Eagles could stand to add another defensive tackle. Luckily for Roseman and his staff, the defensive tackle group is one of the deepest in this year’s draft, perhaps only second to ...

... the edge rushers class. Again, the Eagles picked the right year to need another reinforcement at the position. Sweat, the team’s sack leader in 2024, departed for the Arizona Cardinals in free agency, while Graham retired after 15 seasons with the team.

Who will step into Sweat’s starting role opposite Nolan Smith next season? For now, Jalyx Hunt is penciled into the spot if he can take a Smith-esque leap in his second year. Hunt, the team’s 2024 third-round pick out of Houston Christian, flashed potential as the season progressed, taking on more significant defensive snaps due to injuries to Graham and Bryce Huff.

Roseman fortified the position in free agency by signing Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche to one-year deals. While the Eagles bought low on both players, they each have the upside to become situational pass rushers in Vic Fangio’s rotation.

If the Eagles aren’t confident that Hunt is ready for a starting role by Week 1, and if they’ve totally soured on Huff, they ought to add a starting-caliber edge rusher between now and the start of the season. The combination of need and availability could compel the Eagles to use the 32nd pick to address the position.

» READ MORE: Joshua Uche looks to fulfill his potential as an edge rusher with the Eagles

The biggest splash the Eagles made in free agency this offseason was bringing back Zack Baun on a three-year, $51 million deal. But the team might not be totally set at linebacker. Nakobe Dean, the team’s third-round pick in 2022, is recovering from a torn patellar tendon in his knee that he sustained in January during the wild-card round.

Will the former Georgia Bulldog be ready to go Week 1? After the Super Bowl, he said he didn’t have a specific target date for his return, but he aims to be ready for the upcoming season. If he isn’t, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. could potentially step in as the starter on a short-term basis.

As long as the Eagles are confident that Dean can return at some point next season and still be the same player he was in 2024 before the injury, the team is in a decent spot with its linebackers. But Fangio’s defense could stand to add another player through the draft or free agency, regardless.

Slay’s release and subsequent signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers leaves a starting cornerback vacancy opposite Quinyon Mitchell. The Eagles have a number of internal candidates for the role, with Kelee Ringo being the early frontrunner.

Ringo, who was drafted in 2023 but is still just 22 years old, has been inconsistent in limited action, filling a role behind backup Isaiah Rodgers on the depth chart last season. But could the Eagles still trust the 6-foot-2, 207-pound cornerback to rise to the occasion as the starter next season? Whether or not the Eagles use an early draft pick on a corner, or trade for a veteran, will tell us what they think about Ringo and his readiness.

The team could turn to other internal options for the starting role, too. Roseman signed 29-year-old Adoree’ Jackson to a one-year deal as a possible contender to start on the outside. He was a backup (five starts) for the New York Giants last season, which doesn’t exactly inspire confidence in his abilities to start on this Eagles defense, but he has plenty of snaps under his belt that make him an option at the very least. Jackson also has the versatility to line up in the slot.

Cooper DeJean, the 2024 second-rounder from Iowa, thrived as the starting nickel after the bye week. He played outside corner in college, making him a potential candidate to move to the boundary, but the Eagles may prefer to keep him in the slot.

In arguably the most stunning move of the offseason, Roseman sent Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick to the Houston Texans in exchange for guard Kenyon Green and a 2025 fifth-rounder. With Gardner-Johnson out of the picture, the Eagles have an opening alongside Reed Blankenship.

» READ MORE: Eagles draft: With C.J. Gardner-Johnson gone, will the Birds add another safety to their defense?

Is it Sydney Brown’s time to shine? The 2023 third-round pick has mostly served in a core special-teams role to this point in his career, which has been impacted by injury. The former Illinois star tore his ACL in the 2023 season finale, knocking him out of commission until Week 7 last year.

Even when he returned to action, Tristin McCollum was ahead of him on the depth chart, which likely had more to do with him missing time than his ability. Brown only played 12% of the defensive snaps last season, most of which came in the season finale against the New York Giants while the starters rested.

While Brown is an option to start, the Eagles must add outside competition by training camp. Justin Simmons, a free-agent safety who played for Fangio as a member of the Denver Broncos, has already expressed interest in taking his talents to Philadelphia.

Roseman tweaked the Eagles’ trio of specialists this offseason, signing long snapper Charley Hughlett and letting Rick Lovato walk in free agency. Hughlett, who turns 35 next month, spent the last 10 seasons with the Cleveland Browns.

He’ll snap the football for Jake Elliott, who is coming off a flawless Super Bowl performance (4/4 on field goals, 4/4 on extra points) that helped the Eagles maintain their 40-22 lead over the Chiefs. The 30-year-old Elliott had a shaky regular season from longer distances (1/7 from 50+ yards), but there’s been no indication that the veteran kicker has lost his grip on the job.

Meanwhile, Braden Mann continues to be Roseman’s best in-season signing of 2023, which is a low bar to clear. The 27-year-old punter finished above the league averages in yards per attempt (48.8 yards; league average was 47.6 yards) and net yards per attempt (41.9 yards; league average was 41.4 yards) in 2024.