The 2019 Philadelphia Eagles season has been nothing short of exciting. Despite just a 2-2 record, every game has been decided by one score. Three of them were decided in the final minute. The wins have come via a 17-point comeback and then a 10-point road comeback/goal line stop of future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers on primetime football; meanwhile, the losses have come via a pair of dropped touchdown passes in consecutive weeks, both times with the Eagles decimated by injuries.
In the second part of a two-part article, I took a look at the key defensive players and assigned a letter grade based on performance thus far through four weeks.
Click here for the first part on the offense.
Defensive Line
Brandon Graham
There’s something about Brandon Graham. We’ve seen his progression in Philadelphia – he was a first-round bust who struggled with injuries and the comparisons to Earl Thomas, then he came back strong, sacked Tom Brady to win the Super Bowl, and now he’s on his third contract.
In the first year of a three-year, $40 million deal, you might expect Graham to have a sack. He’s never been a high sack guy, topping out at 9.5 in 2017, but still, he has no sacks and no forced fumbles in four games. Strangely enough, PFF seems to love him like always. They actually chart Graham as leading the entire NFL in quarterback hurries (23), which means he’s always around the quarterback but never tackles him. He’s a good run stopper too and he did recover Derek Barnett’s strip sack of Aaron Rodgers in the Week 4 win. Still, more sacks would from Graham and the whole defensive line would be nice. Grade: C+
Fletcher Cox
There’s two ways to look at Fletcher Cox’s production in 2019. We can commend him for being on the field despite offseason foot surgery that limited him as recently until August, and we can realize he’s still getting back to full form. And then we can also look at the fact that he’s now started all four games, doesn’t have a sack/forced fumble/fumble recovery, and that he hasn’t officially hit the opposing quarterback since it was Case Keenum in Week 1.
However, the Eagles do have a dynamic run defense so far in 2019. They’re third in rushing yards allowed per attempt (3.2), fourth in yards (248), and sixth in rushing touchdowns allowed (2). No individual player has rushed for more than 46 yards against the Eagles, and that was Aaron Rodgers of all people. Much of that credit has to go to Cox & Co. Grade: B-
Malik Jackson/Timmy Jernigan
Injuries happen, but it’s a shame that Malik Jackson suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury to his foot just 32 snaps into his career with the Eagles. This after Jackson had played the previous 96 games without an injury. And Timmy Jernigan missed 13 of 16 games last year and then broke his foot in Week 2 and will be sidelined for a few months. Collectively, that’s a lot of money handed out to two players that won’t really see the field. Grade: Incomplete
Derek Barnett
Perhaps no player on the Eagles entered 2019 with more of a prove-it scenario ahead of him than Derek Barnett. A first-round pick in 2017, Barnett recovered the game-winning fumble in the Eagles’ Super Bowl win as a rookie, then picked up just 2.5 sacks in an injury-plagued 2018. So far in this year, his production has been limited. He did come up with a huge defensive play against Aaron Rodgers in Week 4 and amazingly enough, he’s been credited with eight quarterback hits (only six players in the league have more). But more than one official sack from Barnett would be nice. Grade: C-
Hassan Ridgeway
Hassan Ridgeway is fourth on the Eagles’ defensive line in snaps played in 2019 (123), but don’t feel bad if you haven’t noticed him on the field yet this year. It’s tough to fault Ridgeway too much for not making an impact considering he’s a career backup who was thrust into a starting role given the injuries to both Jackson and Jernigan. Still, he’s picked up three tackles (one solo) in four games with no sacks or impact plays. Grade: D
Akeem Spence
Akeem Spence is a 300-plus pound body in the middle of the defensive line who theoretically should clog the middle and make it tougher for opponents to run against. Like Ridgeway, his stats are limited (three tackles and no sacks/impact plays), but the Eagles do have a top-notch run defense thus far. Grade: C
Vinny Curry
Vinny Curry is going to be compared to Chris Long because Long was the savvy veteran who provided an underrated pass rush off the bench, and that’s what Curry was brought back to do. He was an original Howie Roseman draft pick, taken second overall back in the 2012 NFL draft. Curry lines up primarily on the right side and he’s made some plays via quarterback hurries (six to date), but hasn’t yet registered a sack. Grade: D+
Josh Sweat
The Eagles spent a fourth-round pick on Josh Sweat in 2018 and he played a very limited role as a rookie, seeing action in nine games with no starts. He has every opportunity to seize a bigger role this year, but hasn’t yet done it. Sweat has played 74 snaps (50 in pass-rushing situations) with no sacks. Grade: D
Linebackers
Nigel Bradham
You don’t use three starting linebackers in today’s NFL, which makes Nigel Bradham even more valuable to the Eagles. He’s started all four games and played every defensive snap but one. Bradham has registered 21 tackles, defended three passes, and most importantly, recorded the goal line interception of Aaron Rodgers with the game on the line. He’s been a valuable player for this team. Grade: B+
Zach Brown
Zach Brown has been a pretty solid offseason acquisition for the Eagles. He’s started all four games and played about two-thirds of the defensive snaps, racking up 20 tackles (one for a loss) and a team-high 11 stops. Grade: B
Kamu Grugier-Hill
We can’t properly grade Kamu Grugier-Hill, given the fact that he suffered a preseason Grade 3 MCL sprain that kept him out for the first three games of the season. When he did come back, he played just 13 defensive snaps in Week 4, registering no official statistics. Grade: Incomplete
Nathan Gerry
Nathan Gerry doesn’t start for the Eagles, but he’s been filling in for Kamu Grugier-Hill as the team’s third linebacker. He made a huge play in Week 2, intercepting Matt Ryan, while also recording two tackles and a pass defensed. Grade: B
Cornerbacks
Ronald Darby
The Eagles brought back Ronald Darby on what essentially amounts to a one-year, prove-it deal, and so far, Darby’s play hasn’t made it likely that the team extends an offer to him after the year. Pro Football Focus rates Darby 95th among 107 qualifying corners for the year. He’s allowed two touchdowns and a 110.2 passer rating in coverage, although he did make a big play by picking off Matt Ryan in Week 2. At this point, Darby is rehabbing from a multi-week hamstring injury. Grade: C
Sidney Jones
We may never get to see the standout corner Sidney Jones was supposed to be, because to this point, the story of his NFL career can be told through injuries. It was understood that Jones would miss the majority of his rookie season while recovering from a torn Achilles in college, and the Eagles took a chance on his talent when he slipped to the second round. Jones played in just nine of 16 games in 2018 and has seen action in fewer than half the defensive snaps this year due to injuries. Jones recorded his first career INT in Week 2 and has allowed just an 82.4 passer rating when he’s played – good numbers for today’s passing-inflated era. The problem for him has just been staying on the field. Grade: C+
Avonte Maddox
Avonte Maddox was arguably the Eagles’ most promising rookie in 2018, and the team was hoping he would build upon that this year. So far, it hasn’t yet happened. Maddox is PFF’s 97th-rated corner among 107 qualifiers, and he’s missed five tackles to go with a 108.6 passer rating allowed. He left Week 4 early with a scary-looking injury, although reports say it was just a neck sprain. The Eagles need Maddox to step up and prove he can be a quality starting corner. Grade: C
Rasul Douglas
By all the advanced numbers, Rasul Douglas has been the team’s best cornerback this year. PFF rates him as a top-15 corner by their grades, rating him well as both a cover corner and as a run stopper. Douglas had a horrendous game in Week 1 against Terry McLaurin, where Douglas’ lack of speed made him exposed on one deep ball touchdown and nearly another. Since then though, Douglas has been stout in coverage, allowing just eight receptions for 62 yards and no touchdowns in three games, all the while recording three passes defensed. Grade: B
Craig James
On a per-play basis, Craig James is arguably the greatest player in franchise history. He was inserted into the Thursday Night Football game when Avonte Maddox suffered a neck injury and saw himself facing a future Hall of Fame cornerback in a situation in which everyone knew where the ball was going. James managed to knock the ball up in the air where it was intercepted by Nigel Bradham, securing an improbable Eagles victory. Grade: A+
Safeties
Malcolm Jenkins
Week after week, year after year, Malcom Jenkins is the heart and the soul of the Eagles secondary. He’s staking his claim as the greatest free-agent signing in franchise history and even in his 11th NFL season, he hasn’t missed a beat. Jenkins has started all four games, playing 100 percent of defensive snaps. He officially plays safety, but the Eagles move him everywhere. He spent virtually the entire Green Bay game at nickel cornerback, officially playing 79 snaps at slot corner, where he wasn’t targeted by Aaron Rodgers one time. On a rate of receptions allowed per snap in coverage, PFF charts Jenkins as being the best slot corner in the NFL this year. Not bad for a 31-year-old safety. Jenkins made the play of the day against Detroit when he blocked the field goal that should have led to a win, and he forced a fumble of Luke Stocker in Week 2. Grade: A
Rodney McLeod
Fresh off a season-ending knee injury in 2018, Rodney McLeod has rebounded strong in ’19. The Eagles have cornerback woes, but those problems would be a lot more obvious if the team didn’t have a top-notch safety tandem. McLeod has started all four games, played every defensive snap, and he leads the team in tackles (23). He’s on a one-year, prove-it deal, but it’s safe to say he’s proving his worth right now. Grade: B+
Andrew Sendejo
When it comes to Andrew Sendejo, it’s difficult to think of anything more than his absolutely awful tackle attempt of Vernon Davis in the Week 1 touchdown. Sendejo hasn’t been all bad this year – he does have a sack on a blitz and he’s fourth on the team in tackles (17). Grade: C
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