Defense,

Jalen Hurts

declared Tuesday, wins championships. He wasn’t the first to make that observation, but he is the most recent NFL quarterback to benefit from the work performed by his teammates as he watched from the sidelines.

Over an astonishing period of one year,

the Eagles’ defense

moved up from 30th in points allowed to second and from 26th in yards allowed to first. Several factors contributed to this improvement, beginning with the signing of a free agent

Zack Baun

, the selected choices from the draft

Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean

and the tactical genius of the defensive coordinator

Vic Fangio.


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There were multiple draft classes that played a role. In addition to Mitchell and DeJean, third-round pick

Jalyx Hunt

also represented the class of 2024 by becoming an integral part of the pass-rushing rotation following

Brandon Graham suffered a shoulder injury in Week 12

against the Rams.

From the class of 2022,

Nakobe Dean

stepped up and remained healthy through the regular season, playing linebacker at the same high level as Baun.

Jordan Davis

The first-round pick from the 2022 draft saw a reduction in repetitions during his third year as a defensive tackle, yet he performed exceptionally well during the playoffs.


Milton Williams

Was an excellent member of the class of 2021, but has since moved to New England where he secured a life-changing contract with the Patriots. The valedictorian for the class of 2018 was Josh Sweat; however, he also received a significant offer and joined former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon out west.

Nevertheless, one might contend that the graduating class of 2023 played an indispensable role in transforming the Eagles’ defense into a formidable unit during the previous season.

Start with the fact that

Jalen Carter

, the ninth overall pick in 2023, was the team’s best defensive player, a second-team All Pro and a first-time Pro Bowler. Yes, Baun was a first-team All Pro and finished fifth in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, but he’d be the first to tell you that what Carter does up front frees him to make plays.

The cohort of 2023 has also presented us with

Nolan Smith

, who increased his average from 27.2 plays per game during the initial 11 matches when Graham was fit to 45.2 plays per game in the Eagles’ last nine contests. This figure climbed even higher to 53.5 plays in the eight games prior to the Super Bowl; however, similar to the rest of the starting defense, he had the chance to cheer on the side due to how decisively they won the game.

In the latter part of the season when he spent more time on the field, he added seven sacks and eight tackles for loss, compared to his initial tally of only four sacks and five tackles for loss over his first 28 appearances.

Add in defensive tackle

Moro Ojomo’s work

As part of the rotating defensive tackles and as members of the Class of 2023, they truly have earned the right to say they were the primary factor behind the team’s dominant defensive performance last year.

This point can at least be debated. However, this one cannot: The secret to keeping the Eagles’ defense dominant in 2025 lies with the recruits from 2023.

Carter, who is 24 years old, should develop into an even stronger presence in the interior, which appears quite achievable. At 24, Smith transitioned from serving as the fourth option in the team’s pass rush at the beginning of last season to becoming the lead disruptor for 2025.

Ojomo, selected in the seventh round and not turning 24 until August, matched Davis with 388 defensive snap plays last season. He also added a sack and two tackles for a loss during the playoffs. Ojomo’s 39 pressures placed him fifth on the team. In 2025, Fangio expects increased performance from him.

Safety

Sydney Brown

a selection from the third round in 2023, and corner back

Kelee Ringo

A player selected in the fourth round that year participated in just a total of 191 plays during the 2024 season; however, both players made significant impacts on special teams. Ringo topped the charts for the team with 340 snaps dedicated to special teams, whereas Brown was among nine Philadelphia Eagles who saw action in at least 200 special-teams plays.

Now, those two have an opportunity to compete for starting jobs in training camp for the first time in their careers.

The Eagles will open up practice to the media for the first time this offseason next week and it will be interesting to see who is lining up with the first-team defense. Nothing will be etched in stone and competitions can last into the season.


Bryce Huff

, for example, started five of the first seven games a year ago and wasn’t even active for the Super Bowl.

But it was at the OTAs last year that we first saw Baun run with the first-team defense. He ran so well with that opportunity that he became a first-team All Pro selection and a Super Bowl champion.

Brown will likely have to fight with rookie second-round pick

Drew Mukuba

(and others) for the starting safety job and Ringo could be competing with rookie fifth-round pick

Mac McWilliams

for a starting cornerback job opposite Mitchell.

If Brown and Ringo secure those positions, the Eagles will frequently feature five defensive players on the field from the 2023 draft class, matching the same number of players from Georgia present in any given play.


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Bob Brookover can be contacted at



rbrookover@njadvancemedia.com


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