Some of the most common questions about the Philadelphia Eagles have been around the team's identity offensively with new play caller Kevin Patullo or the youth of the defense. There's one other one that needs to be answered soon.
Bleacher Report writer Gary Davenport has posed one question for each NFL team that must be answered during the 2025 preseason. Davenport's question for the Eagles is whether the defensive line can build on where they left off last year.
"When last we saw the Philadelphia Eagles, they were pounding the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. But staying on top is even harder than getting there, and the unit that paved the way to that championship (the defensive line) looks much different this year.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams and edge-rusher Josh Sweat (who had 2.5 sacks in the Super Bowl) are gone. Now, the team is counting on a combination of young players like edge-rusher Nolan Smith Jr. and defensive tackle Jalen Carter and free-agent additions such as edge-rushers Azeez Ojulari and Joshua Uche to pick up the slack.
There isn’t a general manager in the league better at reloading than Howie Roseman. But there’s still tremendous pressure on the Eagles’ retooled defensive line to be every bit as terrifying as the old one."
Can the Eagles' younger new-look defensive line step up and exceed expectations in 2025?
No more Sweat or Brandon Graham is coming off the edge. Those honors go to Smith and Jalyx Hunt with Ojulari and Uche backing them up.
Smith was second on the team in sacks last year in a breakout season for the former 2023 first-round pick. Hunt is aiming for a similar breakout year heading into Year 2. Uche has been impressing at training camp and could find himself more in the rotation when the season begins.
The interior of the defensive line is no where close to being a concern. It's a strength to the defense with Carter and Jordan Davis dominating from the middle. Moro Ojomo will get his first taste at starting, but he has already shown in limited snaps in 2024 that he can be just as dominant as Davis and Carter.
Everyone's concern is that there are too many unknowns with these young players, as more tape is needed to see how they will perform. Eagles fans are exposed to these players daily and know what they can bring to the table to help the team's defense stay at the top, as it did last year.
The preseason will truly be the time for the Philly front seven to silence the critics and consistently get to the quarterback.
