Eagles defense depth chart projection: How will the new pieces fit going into OTAs?

After an offseason of acquisitions, the Eagles’ rebuilt defense is rounding into shape in time for the team’s first spring practices.

The majority of general manager Howie Roseman’s biggest offseason additions, both in the draft and free agency, addressed the side of the ball that struggled mightily during the team’s late-season collapse last year. Building a group around new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s system, the Eagles signed edge rusher Bryce Huff and selected defensive backs Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with their first two picks in the NFL draft.

How will the new pieces fit when the Eagles take the field starting with Monday’s opening offseason practice? Here’s a look at a possible depth chart and how the defense’s first three teams will line up:

Fangio has a reputation of using light boxes with two deep safeties, which puts added responsibility on the interior line, particularly the nose tackle, to play multiple gaps to compensate for the lack of bodies in the box. This should set the table for Jordan Davis, who is entering his third season still facing questions about whether he can be a three-down impact player. He showed flashes last season but still played just 45% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps and was limited as a pass rusher for most of the year. Marlon Tuipulotu figures to remain the backup nose tackle. The 2021 sixth-round pick has been solid against the run in his career, although he seldom gets the chance to rush the passer.

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Fangio also deploys odd fronts frequently, meaning there’s potential for Jalen Carter and Milton Williams to share the field at times. Moro Ojomo, a 2023 seventh-round pick, showed some promise in his rookie season as well and could see an uptick in playing time with a strong summer.

After signing a three-year, $51 million contract with the Eagles in March, Huff is set to become a full-time player for the first time in his career. Whether he transitions smoothly from a designated pass-rushing role with the Jets to being a featured member of the Eagles’ rotation will go a long way toward determining how the edge group fares without Haason Reddick. Huff figures to line up opposite Josh Sweat and give Fangio an edge player capable of dropping into coverage with credibility.

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Nolan Smith is another projection after a quiet rookie year in which he didn’t see much of the field. He’s similar to Huff stylistically and figures to get a good amount of playing time in his sophomore season.

Zack Baun will be an interesting player to watch this summer. He didn’t play many defensive snaps in the first four years of his career with the New Orleans Saints, but Baun intrigued the Eagles in part because of his positional versatility as an edge player capable of wearing multiple hats. Roseman compared him to Andrew Van Ginkel, who was a Swiss Army knife for Fangio in Miami last season, dropping into coverage from the edge a good amount while also making an impact when asked to rush the passer. For what it’s worth, Fangio said Baun can play off-ball linebacker in his scheme as well during his introductory news conference.

Devin White and Nakobe Dean figure to get the first stab at the first-team defense, assuming Dean is cleared from the foot injury that cut short his 2023 season in time for spring practices. White has the physical traits to be an impact player, but inconsistent play during his five-year tenure with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is why the former fifth overall pick ended up in free agency. Perhaps Fangio can get the best out of him, but it’s worth remembering that Bucs coach Todd Bowles is no slouch when it comes to coaching up a defense, either.

Jeremiah Trotter Jr. makes sense as the second-team guy behind Dean because of the similarities between the two players in stature and in playing style. The Eagles’ linebacker depth is better than it was this time last year, but the possibility of veteran linebacker Zach Cunningham returning looms. At the end of the 2023 season, Roseman commended Cunningham for his play with the Eagles, starting 10 games and finishing with 85 tackles. He’s still a free agent, perhaps waiting to sign with a team during training camp like he did last offseason.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding James Bradberry and the sheer volume the Eagles have at the position group, this is the hardest part of the depth chart to sort out. If Bradberry isn’t part of the Eagles’ plans — the team’s decision to draft two cornerback prospects in the top 50 may be instructive here — releasing him after June 1 would allow the salary-cap ramifications to be spread into future seasons.

The Eagles have a tendency to make rookies earn their spot on the first team, which means Mitchell might spend a few series behind Bradberry in the pecking order, but that shouldn’t last long regardless of what happens.

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The same applies to DeJean, possibly the most difficult player to pin down on the defensive depth chart. Fangio said his typical approach with a versatile player like DeJean is to start him out at one position and then see if he can handle more. If the eventual goal is to make him a chess-piece defensive back, starting him out in the nickel seems like a good foundation because of the overlap with the safety and corner spots. He might need to overtake Avonte Maddox first, though.

Beyond that, Kelee Ringo showed enough promise last year to hold down a second-team spot going into this offseason. Zech McPhearson was the No. 2 nickel cornerback last training camp before suffering a season-ending Achilles injury in the preseason. He figures to be in the mix on the inside again this year, although he does have the versatility to play outside if necessary. Isaiah Rodgers is another wild card; he’s coming off a yearlong suspension for gambling but was a productive player for the Indianapolis Colts. At the very least, he figures to be quality depth.

The Eagles are pretty thin at safety beyond the starters of Reed Blankenship and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, especially in comparison with their numbers at cornerback. Sydney Brown will eventually return to his role as the No. 3 safety once he recovers from a torn ACL he suffered in January, but until then they will have to borrow from the cornerback room and cross-train some guys. Mekhi Garner played some safety last season, which makes him a noteworthy candidate for the second team alongside Tristin McCollum.

DeJean is somebody to watch here, too, if the Eagles feel he has upside playing in a hybrid safety role and has the bandwidth to handle learning multiple spots. If DeJean does end up playing some safety, Fangio could potentially deploy him and Gardner-Johnson on opposite sides of the formation with mirrored roles to help disguise coverages.