2019 IDP Projections: Philadelphia Eagles
As per last year, I’ll be sharing projections for every team in the NFL. I use past production in specific roles for each team’s scheme to work out realistic production profiles. You can see how accurate I was in 2018 in my IDP Projection Marking series.
The Eagles suffered a disappointing end to the 2018 season, crashing out of the playoffs to the Saints as Nick Foles couldn’t quite repeat his Super Bowl-winning heroics.
Nevertheless, they are one of the deepest and best-run teams in the NFL and surely go into 2019 as serious title contenders. In particular, their defense remains one of the more ferocious – built around a pretty special defensive line.
Defensive tackle
Fletcher Cox is one of the very best defensive players in the NFL. If it wasn’t for Aaron Donald, he’d have been a strong Defensive Player of the Year candidate. Expect him to continue as an every-week IDP starter.
Malik Jackson is a really interesting addition here. He’s also a fine pass rusher and it might have a negative effect on Cox’s playing time. Given they’re both natural pass rushers, there’s a likely cap on each of their playing time.
Defensive end
Even with a couple of departures, this remains an elite group. Brandon Graham records low sack totals but he is consistently disruptive. Derek Barnett is set to step up in his third year as a pro whilst Josh Sweat and Vinny Curry provide depth.
The only problem is that with such a deep group, we can expect rotation to continue.
Linebacker
The obvious move here is to upgrade Nigel Bradham after the departure of Jordan Hicks. Unfortunately, we know that Bradham plays a dedicated Sam role when the defense is in base, which hurts his efficiency. Unless that changes, Bradham has limited upside above his existing production.
Some people will tell you Zach Brown will play on the strong side because he’s aging, and a bit heavy. That’s unlikely to be the case and shows how misleading Sam/Mike/Will designations can be. Brown does not have the experience or pass rush to play on the strong side. And Bradham is already in place there.
This does mean that there is a spot open – which is the Will role on sub-packages. Kamu Grugier-Hill will again battle Nate Gerry for this but it doesn’t really matter. As things stand it’s not a full-time role, so whoever wins is unlikely to be useful.
Cornerback
As we enter camp, Avonte Maddox has received some hype. He played well last season when forced into the line-up but hopefully, the Eagles suffer fewer injuries at the position than they have in recent years.
In terms of starters, we should see Ronald Darby as one outside corner. Jalen Mills has the inside track over Maddox on the other side with Sidney Jones playing more in the slot. Don’t be surprised if those four players swap rankings a fair bit though.
Safety
Malcolm Jenkins has had some stud years but goes into his age-32 season with questions. In three years with Doug Pederson in charge, he’s averaged 70 solos a year. That’s okay but not top-12 value (aside from 2018). The main reason is he’s averaged about 1,000 snaps a year under Pederson compared to a scarcely believable 1,184 under Chip Kelly. Don’t let memories of those golden years convince you Jenkins is still an elite option.
Rodney McLeod will be battling for his job with Andrew Sendejo. Either could have some good weeks but neither is likely to be a full-time player all season long.
Stud – Fletcher Cox, DT
Cox is one of the finest players in the league. He created more pressures last season than any edge defender which is incredible for an interior player. Just to state it more plainly: Fletcher Cox created more pressure than any of J.J. Watt, Danielle Hunter, Dee Ford and all the rest. Wow.
Disappointment – Nigel Bradham, LB
Bradham is almost guaranteed a three-down role but given a chunk of those snaps are spent grappling blockers on the line of scrimmage, he’s a pretty inefficient option.
Darkhorse – Zach Brown, LB
Brown is no spring chicken, that’s true. But there’s a lead LB job going begging here and Brown does have a recent history of both excellent play and excellent IDP production. He’s being undervalued right now.
Summary
Everything the Eagles do stems from excellent play from the linemen, and they’re so good it all tends to work. There are some gems to be snapped up here.
Thanks for reading.
- Ten IDP Fantasy Football Stats You Need to Know after Week 16 - December 29, 2023
- Ten IDP Fantasy Football Stats You Need to Know after Week 15 - December 22, 2023
- Ten IDP Fantasy Football Stats You Need to Know after Week 14 - December 14, 2023
