The Eagles secondary ranked 14th in the league, letting up an average of 237.4 yards/game. They finished the season at 4-11-1, and the secondary struggled throughout the year. They constantly gave up big plays and easy first downs. The Eagles secondary only had 8 interceptions last year, the 4th lowest in the NFL. The secondary was always leaving us hoping for more.
This season we hope the Eagles secondary can improve. They upgraded at safety and cornerback. Key additions in Anthony Harris and Steven Nelson can help turn this secondary around. A healthy Rodney McLeod should help this defense too. If healthy, I think McLeod will come out with a chip on his shoulder and play well for this Eagles defense. Jalen Mills only lasted one year at the safety position for the Eagles. He is now a New England Patriot. Harris should be an upgrade here for the Eagles, and make the safety unit significantly stronger than it was last year. Marcus Epps is currently winning the battle for the second starting safety position, beating out K'Von Wallace. Epps is the more experienced of the two, but I could see Wallace earning a starting spot at some point during the year. I am rooting for him simply because another great Eagles safety came out of Clemson and I am hoping he can replicate the success. Also with the addition of Nelson, Maddox will be moved inside and start at the nickel corner for the Birds.
The main upgrades have come by acquiring Steven Nelson and Anthony Harris. Steven Nelson will be replacing Avonte Maddox as the second corner for this team. Let's show some stats from last year.
Avonte Maddox 2020 season:
- Games: 10
- Interceptions: 0
- Total Tackles: 40 (36 solo, 1 TFL)
- Completions/Targets: 33/49 (61.3%)
- Passing yards: 429
- Touchdowns: 2Steven Nelson 2020 Season:
- Games: 15
- Interceptions: 2
- Fumble Recovery: 1
- Total Tackles: 48 (43 solo, 2 TFL)
- Completions/Targets: 57/98 (58.2%)
- Passing yards: 732
- Touchdowns: 7
First thing to note here is that Nelson played in 15 games compared to the 10 Maddox played in; this is huge because the Eagles have struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. They had a similar number of tackles even though Nelson played and was targeted more. Nelson had a much lower completion percentage, but also let up more yards and more touchdowns. Overall this is an upgrade for the Eagles. Nelson is a stronger corner than Maddox and Maddox gets to play where he is a better fit on the inside. Let's not forget Maddox will still start for the Eagles and the addition of Nelson makes it a stronger, deeper secondary.
Next the safety position got an upgrade. Last year Jalen Mills was supposed to follow in the shoes of Malcolm Jenkins, but this only lasted one year. Many were left wanting more out of Mills during his time with the Eagles, but I always thought he competed and I loved the swagger he brought to the defense. It was time to make a move at safety and the Eagles brought in Anthony Harris on a one year deal. Here is their comparison.
Jalen Mills 2020 Season:
- Games: 15
- Interceptions: 1
- Total Tackles: 74 (56 solo, 4 TFL)
- Completions/Targets: 34/59 (57.6%)
- Passing Yards: 391
- Touchdowns: 2
Anthony Harris 2020 Season:
- Games: 16
- Interceptions: 0
- Total Tackles:104 (58 solo, 2 TFL)
- Completions/Targets: 21/36 (58.3%)
- Passing yards: 262
- Touchdowns: 4
Mills was targeted much more than Harris and they allowed about the same completion percentage. Harris gave up fewer yards, but also didn't have an interception. Overall Harris is an upgrade over Mills. Harris is the higher rated safety and makes this a better secondary. Harris brings experience back to the Eagles safety position which they lacked last year especially with the departure of Jenkins and injury to McLeod. I am interested to see the impact Harris has coming over from a strong defense in Minnesota.
There are a few other factors that will affect this secondary. One is the improvement and growth of the defensive line. Any time a defensive line can get pressure on a QB it makes the job of the secondary easier. Also if they get into the backfield quickly it makes it easier on the secondary. With the combo of Hargrave and Cox in the middle and Brandon Graham coming off a pro bowl season, the Eagles veteran D-line should still have an impact. The young guns in Sweat and Barnett complete what can be a dynamic defensive line. The depth of the D-line is a strong point in the team and being able to wear out an offensive line can help the secondary later in games.
The Eagles also added a new defensive coordinator. Philly hired Johnathan Gannon as their defensive coordinator. A brief look at Gannon shows he attended Saint Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio where he was a three sport athlete in high school. Winning the State Championship in basketball as a starting point guard, a district championship in hurdling, and he was a standout wide receiver and defensive back. He went on to play football at the University of Louisville, but suffered a career ending injury. From there Gannon was a volunteer assistant with the Cardinals program for three years and then a graduate assistant for one year.
After his stint as a graduate assistant in 2007, Gannon was hired as a defensive quality control coach by Atlanta. He would then bounce around as a scout and a quality control coach for years before the Minnesota Vikings hired him as their assistant defensive backs coach. After Minnesota, the Colts hired Gannon as their defensive backs and cornerbacks coach. Now he sits in Philadelphia as the defensive coordinator.
Gannon was the coach of a backfield that forced 15 interceptions last year, including four of those returned for a touchdown. Hopefully this translates to the Eagles being more aggressive and forcing more turnovers this season, something the team desperately needs. The Colts secondary let up 10 more yards per game than the Eagles did last year, but they were a much better team than the Eagles. Lastly, Pro Football Focus (which I realize is not always the best or most accurate source to use) has the Eagles listed as the 25th best secondary coming into the season, whereas they have the Colts listed at the 13th best secondary coming into the season. Neither are elite units, but Gannon led a better secondary last year than the Eagles had. In his first season as a defensive coordinator I hope Gannon can lean on his veteran defensive line, while he coaches up the secondary and strongly improves that unit.
We are all hoping for a better Eagles team this year. The strategy in the past of a good defensive line making up for a weak secondary has hurt the Eagles defense. With a still strong defensive line and an improved secondary, hopefully the Eagles have a more formidable defense this year. I believe the secondary is a unit to look out for and could help this Eagles team improve on last season. As always, Go Birds!
Photo: John Jones/ICON Sportswire/via GettyImages
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