Four stats that define the ineffective 2023 Eagles defense

The Eagles defense underwent a change with Sean Desai being forced to relinquish play-calling duties to Matt Patricia, and the move backfired.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings runs past Eagles cornerback James Bradberry in the fourth quarter on Dec. 3.Read moreDavid Maialetti / Staff Photographer

by Olivia Reiner

Published Jan. 23, 2024, 5:00 a.m. ET

Less than a week after the Eagles’ 32-9 wild-card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the changes to their coaching staff already were underway.

Last Sunday night, another chapter in the story of the Eagles defense officially ended when coach Nick Sirianni fired defensive coordinator Sean Desai. Additionally, senior defensive assistant Matt Patricia, who called defensive plays from Week 15 on, will explore opportunities elsewhere next season, as his contract with the Eagles expired.

The Eagles did not see the improvement they had hoped for in the defense upon making the play-calling change from Desai to Patricia. Let’s take a look at four of the most eyebrow-raising defensive stats from the 2023 season, which just barely scratch the surface of the unit’s shortcomings:

60.8%

One of the biggest unknowns going into 2023 was on how the defense would fare after experiencing plenty of turnover in the offseason. Not only were the Eagles transitioning coordinators from Jonathan Gannon to Desai, but also the defense lost five of 11 Week 1 starters from a group that ranked No. 2 in yards against (301.5 yards per game) and No. 8 in points against (20.2 per game) in 2022.

The Eagles’ starting duo at outside cornerback, however, remained intact. Veterans James Bradberry and Darius Slay, who were going into their second and fourth years, respectively, with the Eagles, were set to give the secondary some consistency. Bradberry, 30, performed so well in his first season with the Eagles that he signed a three-year, $38 million contract extension in March.

But in 2023, the Eagles did not get nearly as much out of their starting outside corners as they did the year before. According to coverage stats from Pro Football Focus, Slay and Bradberry allowed a combined 60.8% completion rate from opposing quarterbacks in the regular season, a substantial increase over last season’s combined 50% completion rate.

On an individual level, Bradberry went from a 46% completion rate in 2022 (40 completions on 87 targets) to a 58.9% completion rate in 2023 (56 completions on 95 targets). The 33-year-old Slay went from 54.7% in 2022 (41 completions on 75 targets) to 63.2% (48 completions on 76 targets). Slay notably missed five games this season, including four at the end of the campaign while recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery, and Bradberry was sidelined for one.

The lapse in Bradberry’s coverage abilities was particularly felt in the box score. Pro Football Focus said Bradberry allowed a team-high nine passing touchdowns in coverage, with safety Reed Blankenship being the next closest with six. Slay had two.

One of the most notable drives that encapsulated Bradberry’s struggles this season came at the end of the game against the Seattle Seahawks game in Week 15, which marked Patricia’s first outing as defensive play-caller. During the Seahawks’ game-winning drive led by backup quarterback Drew Lock, Bradberry conceded 87 of their 92 yards, including the go-ahead touchdown reception from rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Patricia didn’t do Bradberry any favors on the play, leaving him on an island in man coverage against Smith-Njigba.

6.2%

Going into the season, general manager Howie Roseman had invested more salary-cap dollars in the defensive line than in any other defensive position group on the team. In total, Roseman allocated 17.8% of the Eagles’ maximum salary cap to the defensive line, according to contract information from Spotrac, with $41.8 million going to 10 players. The Eagles spend more only on the offensive line ($42.1 million on 10 players, 17.9% of the cap).

The Eagles’ investment up front reflects the expectation that they deliver in return. In 2022, that investment — which was even greater thanks to defensive lineman Javon Hargrave and his $17.8 million cap hit — paid off. According to Pro Football Reference, the Eagles led the league with 70 sacks on 11.2% of their opponents’ passing attempts, which was also the league high.

Edge rusher Haason Reddick led the team with 16 sacks. Hargrave and edge rushers Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham tied for second with 11 sacks each. The defense generated pressure on 25.5% of opposing quarterback dropbacks, ranking second in the league behind the Dallas Cowboys (25.6%).

But Hargrave departed in the offseason and signed with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, leaving a hole up front that the Eagles weren’t able to replace in terms of pass-rush production. The Eagles finished the 2023 season with 43 sacks (No. 20) on 6.2% of their opponents’ passing attempts (No. 24), a substantial drop-off from the year before. They pressured quarterbacks on 22.4% of their dropbacks, which ranked 13th in the league.

Reddick was the only player to reach double-digit sacks, with 11, marking his fourth straight season posting 11 or more. Sweat trailed him with 6½ sacks. He failed to record a sack in the final seven games of the regular season, although he notched one against the Buccaneers in the wild-card loss. Jalen Carter, the Eagles’ No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 draft out of Georgia, ranked third on the team with six sacks.

114.7

The Eagles had a hard time affecting opposing quarterbacks all season long beyond sacks, especially when it came to their blitz. The Eagles under Desai and Patricia weren’t a blitz-heavy team, deploying extra pass rushers against opponents on 22% of their dropbacks (No. 23 in the league). They typically preferred to try to curb explosive plays with off coverages and deep safety help. However, when the Eagles did blitz, it was generally ineffective.

According to Pro Football Reference, opposing quarterbacks completed 69.1% of their passes (103 completions on 149 attempts for 1,268 yards and 10 touchdowns) against the Eagles’ blitz for a passer rating of 114.7. By comparison, when the Eagles deployed a normal rush, quarterbacks performed worse, completing 64% of their passes (322 completions on 503 attempts for 3,283 yards and 31 touchdowns) for a 92.6 passer rating.

That 114.7 composite passer rating against the Eagles blitz was the second worst in the league this season behind the Arizona Cardinals (115.1), according to Stathead. Since the database started tracking blitz stats in 2018, the Eagles’ 114.7 passer rating against is the 14th worst leaguewide through six seasons. Their 69.1% completions allowed when blitzing ranked No. 30 in the league in 2023 and is the 11th-worst performance in that category by a defense since 2018.

The Eagles conceded 8 yards per passing attempt when running a blitz this season, which is tied for the league high with the Detroit Lions. The Eagles generated only 12 sacks on blitzes, ranking No. 26 in the NFL.

25

The Eagles defense finished the season ranked No. 30 in the league in points per game (25.1), which was roughly a five-point increase on average from 2022. They were particularly susceptible to giving up points later in games, allowing a league-high 25 touchdowns in the second half. The Eagles finished in a three-way tie with the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Denver Broncos.

Of those 25 touchdowns in the second half, 18 came in the passing game, which is another league high shared with the Washington Commanders. The 2023 Eagles matched a previous franchise low from 2013 with their 25 second-half touchdowns against, according to Stathead, dating back to 1994, when the database began tracking that information.

Two of the Eagles’ most memorable collapses that included poor performances in the second half came against the 49ers in Week 13 (a 42-19 loss) and the Cardinals in Week 17 (a 35-31 loss). After the Eagles went up 6-0 against the 49ers in the first quarter, the defense allowed touchdowns on six consecutive drives from the second quarter until the end of the game, four of which came in the second half.

Against the Cardinals, the Eagles had a comfortable 21-6 lead by halftime. But in the second half, the Cardinals scored touchdowns on four straight possessions, racking up 29 points to the Eagles’ 10 and pulling off the comeback win.