After signing Bryce Huff in free agency, the Philadelphia Eagles have arguably the most talented group of edge rushers in the NFL. Huff joins a highly accomplished room that already includes Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and 2023 first-round pick Nolan Smith.
Despite how talented Philadelphia’s pass-rushing group was over the last two seasons, Eagles general manager Howie Roseman quickly added more talent at the position in free agency this offseason. Now it will be up to newly hired defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to put all of these talented edge rushers in a position to succeed in 2024.
Vic Fangio’s Surprising History of Using Edge Defenders in Coverage
As Eagles fans watched their best edge rushers drop into coverage last season, many voiced how frustrated they were by the choice. Those fans won’t be happy to know that Fangio has a history of dropping his edge rushers into coverage at a significantly higher rate than any of Philadelphia’s last three defensive coordinators.
Over the last three seasons, the Eagles have had three different play-callers for their defense. Jonathan Gannon was the defensive coordinator in 2021 and 2022, while Sean Desai and Matt Patricia controversially split those duties last season.
Philadelphia attempted to introduce principles and philosophies of Fangio’s defensive scheme during that time. In those three seasons, Philadelphia dropped its top three edge defenders into coverage on an average of just 5.4% of its snaps against the pass, according to Pro Football Focus.
That percentage is drastically lower than Fangio’s rate in his last five seasons as a defensive play-caller. Fangio’s defenses have dropped their top three edge defenders into coverage on an average of 13.7% of their snaps against the pass. It’s clear that Fangio will use Philadelphia’s edge defenders in roles they aren’t necessarily accustomed to in 2024.
How Will Philadelphia’s Top Edge Defenders Fit in Fangio’s Scheme?
Given Fangio’s history of using his edge defenders in coverage, it’ll be interesting to see how the workload gets handled in Philadelphia. As of now, Reddick is the most proven edge defender on the Eagles’ roster, but he might not be in Philadelphia for much longer.
Reddick is reportedly seeking a new contract, and the Eagles are shopping him in trade talks. Ironically enough, Reddick actually fits what Fangio wants in his edge defenders more than Josh Sweat, who recently restructured his contract to remain in Philadelphia next season.
MORE: Haason Reddick Trade Rumors: Potential Landing Spots Include Rams, Ravens, and Falcons
Since becoming a full-time edge defender in 2021, Reddick has dropped into coverage on 10.8% of his snaps against the pass, a surprisingly close percentage to Fangio’s average over the last five seasons.
Meanwhile, Sweat has dropped into coverage on just 3.1% of his snaps against the pass since Philadelphia attempted to introduce Fangio’s defensive philosophies in 2021.
Similar to Sweat, Huff has never dropped into coverage much in the NFL. In four seasons with the New York Jets, Huff dropped into coverage on just 47 total snaps.
While many are worried about Philadelphia projecting Huff into a full-time starter role, they forget that he will likely be asked to do something he hasn’t had to do in the NFL. Although, it’s worth noting that Huff played 255 coverage snaps in his college career.
Considering Reddick might be traded this offseason, Smith could be the most natural fit in Fangio’s scheme. Smith is an elite athlete who dropped into coverage on 19.3% of his snaps against the pass last season. Given his athletic traits and experience dropping into coverage, Smith is likely due for a huge uptick in both snaps and production in 2024.
While Brandon Graham is returning to the Eagles for one more season, it will be interesting to see how Fangio uses him. Graham surprisingly dropped into coverage on 8.1% of his snaps against the pass last season. However, given Philadelphia’s infusion of young talent along the edge, Graham could spend more time at defensive tackle next season.
Philadelphia’s Surprise Candidates To Watch at Edge Defender in 2024
While the previously named edge defenders will receive all of the attention, there are a few sleepers to watch for in Philadelphia. One of Roseman’s first moves this offseason was signing Terrell Lewis to a futures contract after their season.
Lewis was a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. While the 25-year-old has bounced around the NFL since 2022, he offers a unique blend of size and athleticism on the edge. Lewis was also used in coverage at times with the Rams, where he played 83 total coverage snaps in three seasons in Los Angeles.
Roseman and the Eagles also signed Julian Okwara early in the offseason. Ironically enough, Okwara is another former third-round pick from the 2020 NFL Draft. Okwara spent four seasons with the Detroit Lions, dropping into coverage on 136 total snaps. While he wasn’t flawless in coverage, Okwara allowed a passer rating of just 73.7 in Detroit.
While Huff, Saquon Barkley, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson got all the headlines, Philadelphia quickly signed Zack Baun at the start of free agency. In what seems to be a trend, Baun was also a third-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
He spent four seasons with the New Orleans Saints, dropping into coverage on 182 coverage snaps. Given his versatility and experience, Baun appears to be the likeliest candidate of this group to earn a role in Fangio’s defense next season.
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Although the Eagles might potentially trade Reddick in the coming weeks, Philadelphia has positioned itself nicely at edge defender. Roseman has assembled a mix of proven veterans with young reclamation projects. It will surely be interesting to see how Fangio deploys all of this promising talent in Philadelphia next season.
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