NFL analysts are coming around, as an overstated theory about the Eagles’ defense is going away

Every professional football team experiences the same thing as one calendar year bleeds into another. There’s a Senior Bowl and an NFL Combine. Free agency comes. Then, we dive further into draft season.

Top 30 Visits and Pro Days eventually led the Philadelphia Eagles and each of the other 31 teams to another NFL Draft. As expected, Philadelphia lost a lot of talent during the free agency frenzy.

Josh Sweat, Darius Slay, Milton Williams, Oren Burks, Avonte Maddox, and Isaiah Rodgers all landed elsewhere. C.J. Gardner-Johnson was traded away, and that’s just what the Birds lost on the defensive side of the ball. It was for that reason that many thought a team that dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 59 would take a step backward months later when another campaign began.

But, that’s par for the course in the National Football League on a year-in and year-out basis. Plus, there’s this to consider. No disrespect is intended, but hasn’t Philadelphia proved they can win and play well on defense without all of those guys?

Few juggle rosters like Howie Roseman. Few organizations navigate roster turnover as well as Philadelphia’s front office. Howie Roseman and company bounced back from losing so many pieces by stocking up through the NFL Draft and by signing low-risk, high-reward players to one-year contracts.

No one knows if Adoree’ Jackson, Azeez Ojulari, Josh Uche, and Ogbo Okoronkwo are better or worse than what Philadelphia lost at each of those players’ respective positions. That remains to be seen, so if we can’t state that, we can’t say Vic Fangio’s defense has definitively taken a massive step in the wrong direction, as many have suggested.

NFL.com’s Editor at Large, Gennaro Filice, understands that. He recently ranked the NFL’s top ten defenses. The Eagles land just short of the top spot, finishing second behind only the Denver Broncos.

The Super Bowl champs suffered substantial defensive attrition this offseason, losing three full-time starters (OLB Josh Sweat, CB Darius Slay and S C.J. Gardner-Johnson), a budding star (DT Milton Williams) and one of the most beloved Eagles of the 21st century (OLB Brandon Graham). And yet, I won’t be the least bit surprised if Vic Fangio fields the NFL’s stingiest defense for a second consecutive season.

He’s right, you know. Despite the losses, the Eagles still have one of the best collections of young talent in all of pro football. Everyone else can expect attrition to cause shockwaves. We’ll bank on Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, Zack Baun, Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and others.

Philadelphia added studs like Jihaad Campbell, Andrew Mukuba, Ty Robinson, Smael Mondon, and Mac McWilliams during the 2025 NFL Draft. There is nothing to fear here. They aren’t rebuilding. They’re reloading. Coach Fangio has plenty of talent to work with. Perhaps Filice puts it best.

“Bottom line: While the Eagles must replace a number of key cogs from last season’s dominant D, Howie Roseman has hoarded enough talent to achieve a smooth transition.”

Again, we agree. Our prediction? Philadelphia’s defense finishes the campaign with a top-five finish overall. That’s our story. We’re sticking to it. This is about to be a massive season for the defending champs (even if they don’t want to be called that).