USA Today: Eagles’ Defensive Line Receives Top 3 Ranking

The Eagles have added a few new faces this offseason to their defensive line, signing Chris Long in free-agency, trading for Tim Jernigan and drafting Derek Barnett in the first-round of the draft.

The three newcomers join holdovers Brandon Graham, Fletcher Cox, and Vinny Curry to form one of the better defensive lines in the NFL per USA Today’s Nate Davis, who ranked all 32 NFL defensive lines and had the Eagles ranked third, largely due to depth with the recent additions.

3. Philadelphia Eagles: Underappreciated DE Brandon Graham's numbers hardly foretell the sleepless nights he causes offensive coordinators. Vets Vinny Curry and Chris Long plus first rounder Derek Barnett flesh out a deep group of pass rushers. Very few defensive tackles rank with Fletcher Cox, whose presence will create endless opportunities for recently acquired Timmy Jernigan.

Jernigan and sixth-round pick Elijah Qualls were both added to help offset the loss of Bennie Logan in free agency. The 2014 second-round pick, Jernigan was acquired this offseason, has 13 sacks and has been stout against the run during his three seasons in Baltimore.

The Eagles drafted Barnett and added Long to the defensive end position, those two in addition to Graham give the Eagles plenty of depth and talent at the position.  Long had just four sacks last season in New England, being used as a situational pass rusher.

Davis ranked the New York Giants’ line as the fourth best in the league, while the Dallas Cowboys came in 27th and the Washington Redskins second to last at 31st.