{"id":851023,"date":"2026-04-03T08:59:52","date_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:59:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/851023\/"},"modified":"2026-04-03T08:59:52","modified_gmt":"2026-04-03T08:59:52","slug":"eagles-projected-starting-defense-before-otas-and-workouts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/851023\/","title":{"rendered":"Eagles projected starting defense before OTAs and workouts"},"content":{"rendered":"

April 3, 2026, 4:20 a.m. ET<\/p>\n

The Eagles are about two weeks out from starting their off-season workouts, and the offense will look tremendously different after the departure of offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo and offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland. In are Sean Mannion<\/a> as offensive coordinator, Josh Grizzard as passing game coordinator, Jerron Johnson as a senior offensive assistant, Chris Kuper<\/a> as offensive line coach, Ryan Mahaffey<\/a> as run game coordinator\/tight ends coach, and Parks Frazier<\/a> as QB coach.<\/p>\n

On defense, the unit will regroup after the loss of Jaelan Phillips, Nakobe Dean, and Reed Blankenship on the field, while defensive backs coach Christian Parker took his talents to Dallas to become the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n

With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re making an early prediction of the Eagles’ offensive starters.<\/p>\n

Defensive line\"Jordan<\/p>\n

Starter: Jalen CarterStarter: Jordan DavisStarter: Moro OjomoTy RobinsonByron YoungGabe HallTa’Quon Graham<\/p>\n

Expert NFL picks: Exclusive betting insights only at USA TODAY.<\/a><\/p>\n

Philadelphia has an elite trio with Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo, with Byron Young and Ty Robinson as capable backups. Despite two badly injured shoulders, Carter was the Eagles’ lone Pro Bowl starter. In 12 games this season, he had 33 tackles, 41 QB pressures, 11 quarterback hits, and three sacks. Ojomo’s 71.0 PFF grade was the 80th best in the NFL last season, but he’s much improved, and Ojomo saw his snap count increase to 60 percent in his third year. He started nine games for the Eagles this season and played in all 17, finishing second on the team in sacks.<\/p>\n

Ojomo will enter the final year of his deal with a $3,624,446 cap hit. Jordan Davis just signed a three-year, $78 million deal.<\/p>\n

Edge rusher\"Oct<\/p>\n

Starter: Jalyx HuntStarter: Nolan SmithArnold Ebiketie<\/p>\n

Joe Tryon-ShoyinkaJose Ramirez<\/p>\n

Ebiketie joins Nolan Smith, Jalyx Hunt, and athletic, hybrid pass rushers who can get after the opposing quarterbacks. The Eagles could still add Brandon Graham to this group. A solid run defender and explosive pass rusher, Smith missed seven games in 2025, logging 31 tackles, 3 sacks, one forced fumble, 33 QB pressures, 24 QB hurries, and a 67.7 PFF grade in 12 games. The 5th-year option, as it currently stands, is $14 million for 2027. Hunt became the first Eagle to lead the team in both sacks (6.5) and INTs (3) in the same season. He is the second Eagle to have 6.0+ sacks and 3.0+ INTs in a season, joining Seth Joyner (1991-92). Tryon-Shoyinka earned a 72.2 overall PFF defensive grade, and a pass-rush grade of 67.6, with a run-defense grade of 66.2. Tryon-Shoyinka generated 8 total pressures, 0 sacks, 6 hurries, and 2 QB hits. Against the run, he recorded 10 solo tackles.<\/p>\n

Linebacker\"Nov<\/p>\n

Starter: Zack BaunStarter: Jihaad CampbellJeremiah Trotter Jr.Smael Mondon Jr.Chance Campbell<\/p>\n

Last spring, the Eagles traded up a spot in the draft to pick Jihaad Campbell, whose playing time slowed when Dean returned to the lineup. Dean has departed, and Campbell will miss the off-season due to shoulder surgery. Linebacker depth is one of the strengths for the Eagles, and they’ll have Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and Smael Mondon Jr. looking for breakout moments. Chance Campbell is on the roster, and the Eagles could add a player via free agency.<\/p>\n

Cornerback\"Philadelphia<\/p>\n

Starter: Quinyon MitchellStarter: Cooper DeJeanStarter: Riq WoolenKelee RingoJakorian BennettJonathan JonesMac McWilliamsTariq Castro-FieldsAmbry Thomas<\/p>\n

The strength of this defense will be at cornerback. Philadelphia has gone from uncertainty at the position to being absolutely loaded after landing Seahawks cornerback Riq Woolen<\/a> on a one-year deal worth up to $15 million. The move allows Cooper DeJean to remain a versatile weapon. At the same time, Michael Carter II could transition to safety, which allows the Birds to keep Jakorian Bennett and Kelee Ringo in reserve roles.<\/p>\n

The Eagles’ revamped defense will give some of the top passing offenses a run for their money, matching up with outside pass catchers and in the slot. Woolen possesses unmatched measurables for a cornerback as he’s tall, athletic, physical, fast, and has top-flight ball skills. Even more impressive, he produced the second-highest lockdown percentage (65%) in the NFL this past season. According to NBC Sports Philadelphia<\/a> and Sharp Football, the Eagles used man coverage on 24.5% of their snaps last season. That ranked 12th in the NFL, whereas the Seahawks’ man usage (15.2%) ranked 27th.<\/p>\n

Safety\"Andrew<\/p>\n

Starter: Drew MukubaMichael Carter IIStarter: Marcus EppsJ.T. GrayAndre’ SamBrandon Johnson<\/p>\n

Before last Friday, Philadelphia had Mukuba, Sydney Brown, Andre Sam, and Brandon Johnson on the roster. On Friday afternoon, the Eagles traded Brown to Atlanta and quickly re-signed Marcus Epps and added J.T. Gray. Mukuba is a guaranteed starter in Year 2, despite returning from a season-ending injury as a rookie. The second safety spot is up for grabs after Reed Blankenship’s departure. Epps is a solid contributor, but he’s aging and not a dominant game-changer. Gray is a special teams standout, while Sam and Johnson are back after spending 2025 on the practice squad.<\/p>\n

Specialists\"Braden<\/p>\n

Kicker: Jake ElliottPunter: Braden MannLong snapper: TBD<\/p>\n

Mann signed a four-year contract to return to the Eagles, bringing back one of the best punters in the NFL. Elliott reworked his contract, and the team guaranteed his 2026 salary, but he could see competition. The Eagles don’t have a long snapper under contract.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"April 3, 2026, 4:20 a.m. ET The Eagles are about two weeks out from starting their off-season workouts,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":851024,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[95878,7,6,97111,97112,95882,102643,116518,96691,97304,102715,111125,98645,101886,100730,95896,95888,99166,95906,97291,100895,95883,102101,95881],"class_list":{"0":"post-851023","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nfl","8":"tag-accessfree","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-nfl","11":"tag-sstssportsnfleagles","12":"tag-sstsneagles","13":"tag-tagamerican-football","14":"tag-tagbrandon-graham","15":"tag-tagchance-campbell","16":"tag-tagjaelan-phillips","17":"tag-tagjake-elliott","18":"tag-tagjalyx-hunt","19":"tag-tagjoe-tryon-shoyinka","20":"tag-tagjordan-davis","21":"tag-tagmarcus-epps","22":"tag-tagmoro-ojomo","23":"tag-tagnational-sports","24":"tag-tagnfl","25":"tag-tagnolan-smith","26":"tag-tagoverall-positive","27":"tag-tagquinyon-mitchell","28":"tag-tagreed-blankenship","29":"tag-tagsports-news","30":"tag-tagzack-baun","31":"tag-typestory"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116339959835028169","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851023","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=851023"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/851023\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/851024"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=851023"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=851023"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=851023"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}