Eagles Defensive Line unit ranked 2nd in PFF rankings

The Philadelphia Eagles defensive line has been a big park of the team’s identity over the years, but they will be without two key players for the upcoming 2024 season.

Fletcher Cox retired and the team traded away Haason Reddick, giving the team a new look up front this season.

According to Pro Football Focus‘ defensive line unit rankings, they still should be a force to be reckon with. PFF ranked the Eagles’ defensive line group for 2024 as the No. 3 collective in the 32-team league.

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During the 2022 regular season, the Eagles racked up 70 sacks with 63 of them coming from their defensive line.  Last year, that number dropped to 43 sacks with 36.5 of them coming from the defensive line.

Over the past two seasons, Cox and Reddick accounted for 39 of the 113 sacks.

So who will step up and replace those numbers?

The team is hoping Jalen Carter and free agent addition Bryce Huff will be able to supply that production.

For the first time in a while, the Eagles have some questions along their defensive line. Their depth is still outstanding, but it isn’t as proven as it has been in the past. Jalen Carter was a dominant force out of the gate as a rookie before cooling off in the second half of the season on his way to an 87.4 overall PFF grade.

Bryce Huff is a significant addition but may not be an upgrade over Haason Reddick on the edge, while young players like Jordan Davis and Nolan Smith need to establish themselves as the dominant forces the players they are replacing did in the past.

In four seasons with the Jets, Huff has posted 17.5 sacks in 54 games, racking up 10 in 2023. He also notched a career-high 29 tackles, ten for loss and will be a key player on the Eagles defensive line this season.

Carter, who flashed at the start of his Eagles career, leading the team in pressures (23), hurries (17), and sacks (3.5) through his first six games of the season. However, he slowed down during the second half of the year, ending with just 2.5 sacks over the last 11 weeks of the season.

Philadelphia’s defensive line returns third-year pro Jordan Davis and veterans Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, that trio combined for 12 sacks in 2023 after totaling 22 in 2022.

Which teams ranked ahead of the Eagles?

Rounding out the top five in PFF’s defensive line rankings are the New York Jets at No. 1, followed by the San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns

In the NFC East, the Dallas Cowboys are No. 6, New York Giants at No. 18 and the Washington Commanders at No. 19.