Philadelphia Eagles Training Camp Position Breakdowns: Defensive Tackle
The interior pass rush is what sealed the Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory last February. It was Brandon Graham rushing from the inside that stripped the ball from Tom Brady. In a wide-9 scheme, it’s the tackles that really open up that pass rush. Less disruption on the inside allows for the quarterback to step up against the wide, outside rush. With a strong push, the quarterback often gets forced to the outside and the play gets blown up in a hurry.
Fletcher Cox is the heart of this position, or at least he better be at $17.9 mil this season. He’s the highest paid player on the roster(only because their franchise quarterback is on a rookie contract), but he has more than earned that high price tag.
With Tim Jernigan out until possibly November, this is a very wide open position right now. They have two healthy, proven veterans and a lot of inexperience behind them. For a team that regularly rotates four defensive tackles on defense, this is a huge opportunity for a couple young players.
Fletcher Cox-
He doesn’t put up the number that Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt have in the past, but he’s just as talented and valuable to his defensive front. He does have 21.5 sacks over the last 3 seasons and has become one of the most difficult linemen to block in the league. He’s long, powerful and really athletic for his size. He’s the player that really makes this wide-9 scheme work. Without his push up front, any quarterback can step up into the pocket against that wide angle rush. He also makes life so simple for the tackle lined up next to him. You can’t double team both interior rushers and you certainly aren’t letting Cox rush one-on-one, I don’t care who you have as interior blockers.
Tim Jernigan-
Like I said above, Jernigan’s injury really changes things up front. He could come back as early as September, but will likely start the season on the PUP list and be forced to sit out the first 6 weeks of the season(Physical Unable to Perform list). He’s also been absent during training camp while he rehabs his injury.
Jernigan’s contract was re-worked to prevent him from being released, due to his injury occuring away from the team. He needs to recover quickly and get back to form, otherwise the Eagles can release him next season without penalty.
Haloti Ngata-
I keep forgetting he’s on the Eagles roster, and thank goodness he is with the Jernigan injury. He’s going to be a very important base defensive tackle next to Fletcher Cox. Those two are going to set the tone on early downs and keep the quicker tackles fresh for third down. Who do you double team up front, the 340 pounder or Fletcher Cox?
Destiny Vaeao-
It’s now or never for this kid. He recorded 2 sacks in 16 games in 2016, but played sparingly in 2017 and failed to record a single sack. This year he should be the top defensive tackle in sub-packages behind Cox. If he doesn’t set himself apart, I could see the Eagles moving on altogether, especially with Michael Bennett expected to see plenty of time inside on third down.
Elijah Qualls-
Another depth player at tackle with a huge opportunity in front of him. He was a nose tackle in college that was moved all over the defense because of his athleticism and versatility for his size. He has the power and quick feet to be a really good rotational player, but never really established himself last season, dressing for just 6 games in 2017.
Preseason is going to be critical for him. He will primarily be facing backup offensive linemen. The expectation for him will be to be disruptive and productive. If not, it wouldn’t shock me to see him get cut.
Aziz Shittu-
He’s been off and on the Eagles roster since 2016, but has yet to make it past preseason. He was a part of final cuts in 2016 and was placed on IR before the summer in 2017. This should be his last chance to make it in this league, which will be something worth watching for a player with nothing to lose in preseason. He’s a bit undersized at around 285, but he’s quick and relentless. He’s sort of like a Joe Ostman on the interior.
With Ngata on the tail end of his career, Cox being so vital and Jernigan out until possibly November, Shittu will get plenty of reps to showcase what he can do.
Winston Craig-
He made a real strong push to make the Eagles roster last season, but ultimately came up short with so much depth ahead of him. This time around he’s battling with two other undrafted free agents and a third late round pick for the final two defensive tackle spots.
Preseason is going to be everything for Vaeao, Shittu, Qualls and Craig. I believe these four players are fighting for two roster spots. Everyone ahead of them is a lock or injured and everyone behind them is probably just a camp body. Craig has as good of a chance as either of those other 3 players, and in fact, he might be the quickest out of that group. Don’t sleep on him during preseason.
Bruce Hector-
I don’t know a ton about this kid, but what I do know is pretty promising. He had 7.5 sacks last year rushing from the inside and he ran a sub 5 40 yard dash at his pro day(good 3-cone time too). I think he’ll need a little seasoning before he can challenge for a roster spot, but I’d love to see him land on the practice squad for a year.
