Vic Fangio says its hard to play defense without good linebackers – a look at the Eagles current depth chart to see if that’s possible

The Eagles returned to practice on Monday to prepare for their first preseason game on Friday night in Baltimore against the Ravens.

The Eagles new defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio spoke with the media about his plan for handling preseason games while providing updates and insight to the development of his current linebacker group.

Eagles News: Vic Fangio making strong impression in Philadelphia >>

As he awaits orders from Nick Sirianni, Fangio remained uncertain on how much his starters will play during the preseason. Honestly, I expect that Fangio’s defense gets a significant amount of playing time during the preseason.

Will it happen in the first game? Maybe not but as we inch closer to Week 1 in Brazil, having a new coordinator and a ton of new guys on that side of the football warrants as much game preparation as possible.

One thing that caught my attention is Fangio talking about his linebackers – which I believe is the biggest question mark on the entire Eagles depth chart.

“I think every defense in the NFL relies on a high level of production from the ILBs, especially with the way the game is being played now. It used to be a position where you could somewhat overachieve and be a tough guy, but when the fullback disappeared and he’s been replaced by a third wideout or a second tight end that’s a good receiver — the game is played in space more, but yet they still run the ball a good deal. So the ILB position has become a more demanding position in the last decade or so and it’s hard not to play good defense without good ILB play.” – Vic Fangio

Right now, the Eagles depth chart at the linebacker position is certainly a question mark. Vic Fangio hit the nail on the head in saying that it’s hard to play good defense without good linebackers – and it’s something fans here in Philly know all too well.

The Eagles made changes to their linebackers group by signing Devin White and Oren Burks in free agency, and drafting Jeremiah Trotter Jr. in the fifth round this year. It’s unclear how well they will perform in Fangio’s scheme.

So yes, when you have Devin White, Nolan Smith Jr, and Zack Baun listed as your starting unit, backed up by injury-prone and borderline bust Nakobe Dean, rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr, and the pride of the Cornell Big Red and Houston Christian Huskies, rookie Jalyx Hunt – there’s definitely reason to be concerned. 

Here’s how the Eagles are shaping up at the position, along with a few notes about each below.

Philadelphia Eagles Current Depth Chart:

Devin White

The Eagles surprised a lot of people by actually signing a linebacker this offseason, inking former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Devin White to a one-year, $7.5 million deal. White started 13 games for Tampa last year, racking up 83 combine tackles, five tackles for loss, and two interceptions.

Although his numbers last year aren’t anything amazing, White has been a good-to-great LB for the majority of his career. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 and was second team All-Pro the year prior. The Eagles are in desperate need of a solid linebacker, and while it’s not guarantee White will solve all of their issues, it’s certainly a step in the right direction.

Eagles sign veteran LB Devin White to 1-year deal >>

Jeremiah Trotter Jr

The Eagles drafted the son of the “Axe Man”, Jereimiah Trotter Jr with the the No. 155 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. He had a decorated career at Clemson University and is considered a defensive playmaker, recording 202 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 13 pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and four interceptions (including two returned for touchdowns).

Eagles draft LB Jeremiah Trotter Jr., continuing his father’s legacy in Philadelphia >>

Zack Baun

Zack Baun was a third-round pick in the 2020 draft and played the entirety of his rookie contract with New Orleans. Predominantly listed as an edge-rusher, Baun tallied 30 tackles, 15 pressures, 11 hurries, and two sacks in 303 defensive snaps last season. He was a stout contributor on special teams, playing in 79% of the snaps in each of the last three seasons.

The Saints experimented with different roles for Baun over the years, lining him up in different areas to see what fit him best. Per PFF, he played 466 of his career snaps along the D-line and 170 snaps inside the box. Baun seems to thrive best as a situational pass-rusher, which is what he was in college at Wisconsin.

Eagles sign Zack Baun >>

Nakobe Dean

Now entering his third season, the clock is ticking on Nakobe Dean. He barely received playing time during his rookie season and last year, spent 12 games on the sidelines due to injury. 

Through training camp this year, Dean has been a rollercoaster – something that Vic Fangio himself pointed out during yesterday’s presser. 

“I thought Nakobe had — the first few days of practice — I thought he played really, really good. And (he) took a step back a little bit in the stadium practice,” 

At the very least, it appears that Dean is open to the criticism, right? Here’s what he had to say back on July 29th about his new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, via Pro Football Network’s Anthony DiBona. 

He’s old school. I feel like everybody loves him,. Everybody loves his straightforward attitude. How he just tells you straight up if he liked that or he didn’t like it. There’s not too much gray area with him, if you ask him a question.”

Given the past two seasons and overall inconsistencies from Nakobe Dean being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, I have zero faith in him actually carving out a roll for himself in Vic Fangio’s defense but I think we’re all in agreement it would be a massive upgrade to an otherwise uninspiring unit.

Nolan Smith Jr

The Eagles lost Fletcher Cox to retirement and traded Haason Reddick to the New York Jets, meaning that they will rely heavily on 2023 first-round draft pick Nolan Smith Jr to have a breakout Year 2 this season.

Smith had a promising training camp heading into the 2023 season but basically disappeared when it matters. He never played more than nine snaps in the first 10 games of the season and averaged just 6.1 snaps per game through the Chiefs game.

At one point in the middle of the season, he played just 11 snaps in a three-game stretch.

Smith did see an uptick numbers but even with 41 snaps in the season finale against the Giants – his most all year – he finished averaging just 11 snaps per game.

Jalyx Hunt

Howie Roseman and the Eagles drafted Jalyx Hunt out of Houston Christian – a small, private Baptist school in Texas who is widely considered to be a high-ceiling edge rusher.

Hunt is still a very raw pass rusher when it comes to utilizing leverage or getting off blocks smoothly, but six-foot-four, 250 pounds, he has the frame and overall athleticism to become a two-gap 5-tech defensive end or even a standing 9-tech in passing situations.

During his last two seasons at Houston Christian, he tallied 30 pressures and 15 sacks in 21 games played. While the technical aspect to his game might not be polished to warrant a ton of snaps, Jalyx Hunt is an elite athlete who will need to develop into his role with the Eagles.

Eagles use their 3rd Round pick to select edge rusher Jalyx Hunt out of Houston Christian >>

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