Roster Holes Eagles Must Fill Before Training Camp

The Philadelphia Eagles will spend the majority of training camp figuring out their defensive depth chart.

The Eagles defense will be under more scrutiny than most units to begin 2024 because of how everything fell apart in the second half of 2023.

Nick Sirianni and his staff addressed the roster needs in the secondary by drafting Quinyon Mitchell and bringing back C.J. Gardiner-Johnson in free agency.

However, there is not much depth behind the projected starters in the secondary.

The same could be said about linebacker, where the starting unit is one gigantic question mark at the moment given Nakobe Dean's injury history and Devin White's drop off over the last few seasons.

Cornerback

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ARLINGTON, TX - DECEMBER 10: Darius Slay #2 of the Philadelphia Eagles reacts after a penalty during the first quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium on December 10, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

Darius Slay and James Bradberry's simultaneous drop off in production in 2023 forced the Eagles to use their first-round pick on Quinyon Mitchell.

The rookie out of Toledo is expected to provide some stability to a unit that was torched throughout last season.

Mitchell's performance alone will not be good enough for the Eagles to improve their defensive efforts.

There is hope that Slay and Bradberry can both return to All-Pro levels, but if they do not, the Eagles will be in a difficult position.

Avonte Maddox could slide from his nickel role to the starting spot, but after him, there is unproven depth with Kelee Ringo and Isaiah Rodgers.

The Eagles will most likely let Slay and Bradberry prove their worth before making a move, but their every move will be scrutinized because of how 2023 ended.

Safety

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EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY - JANUARY 07: Reed Blankenship #32 of the Philadelphia Eagles celebrates an interception with Eli Ricks #39 during the second quarter in the game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on January 07, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)

The Eagles brought back C.J. Gardiner-Johnson in an attempt to re-discover the secondary play that brought them success in 2022.

Gardiner-Johnson, Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown are all locks to make the roster, but there is not much depth behind them.

Blankenship played well in a starting role in 2023 and Brown impressed in his rookie season, so there's at least some positivity about the safety position going into 2024.

However, the Eagles are one injury away from being remarkably thin at safety, which is why they either need to develop a fringe roster player this summer, or dip into the free-agent market to add a bit more depth.

Linebacker

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PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - NOVEMBER 05: Nakobe Dean #17 of the Philadelphia Eagles react after a sack during the second quarter in the game against the Dallas Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field on November 05, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)

The Eagles are taking a massive risk on their linebacker situation.

Nakobe Dean was a star at Georgia, but he's dealt with a few injuries since he arrived in Philadelphia.

Devin White was one of the best linebackers in the NFL a few years ago, but he is coming off his first sub-100-tackle season since his rookie campaign of 2019.

Nolan Smith, Dean's former Georgia teammate, will be asked to take his game to another level alongside Dean as a starter.

But there is a scenario where one or more of the projected starting linebackers do not live up to expectations.

If that happens, the Eagles are stuck with rookies and veteran depth pieces to fill starting roles.

Just like at cornerback, the Eagles probably will not make any moves until they are certain Dean, White or Smith are not going to work in starting roles.

But they should at least have eyes on the free-agent linebacker market in case the worst-case scenario pops up.