They still have their all-pro linebacker and their Pro Bowl defensive tackle. They still have their two Defensive Rookie of the Year finalists and their playmaking safety. They still have the 24-year-old pass rusher who led the NFL in postseason sacks and 24-year-old linebacker who played at a Pro Bowl level during the regular season.
Despite a mass exodus of defensive free agents, the cupboard is hardly bare.
Seven of the Eagles’ opening-day starters on defense are still under contract, and nine of the 13 players who played the most defensive snaps are still here. And while the defense will certainly look different without Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay, Isaiah Rodgers and Oren Burks, there’s no reason the Eagles shouldn’t still have one of the NFL’s best defenses in 2025.
They’ll be relying on some young unproven players and draft picks to help replace the 4,390 defensive snaps that Sweat, Williams, CJGJ, Slay, Rodgers and Burks played for the NFL’s No.1 defense in 2024.. But this was Howie Roseman’s plan all along. And they still have elite players at every position. Just not as many.
And they still have Vic Fangio and an outstanding staff that guided the NFL's No. 1 defense and won a Super Bowl.
So with that said, let’s take a look at what the Eagles’ defensive depth chart looks like four days into free agency and six weeks before the draft.
