Vic Fangio’s defense hasn’t lived up to expectations through two weeks of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ 2026 NFL season.
The pass rush has come in clutch, but hasn’t been consistent. The outside corners have been fantastic, but the safeties have struggled to the point where a practice squad signing this week has many optimistic that some major help is on the way.
The biggest surprise? As ESPN notes: zero takeaways.
Should the Eagles Be Very Worried?
ESPN’s Tim McManus isn’t buying into the shockingly underwhelming start.
The NFL insider described it as a “mirage.”
“The Eagles ranked sixth in opponent turnovers (47) over the past two seasons under defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and they should see their fortunes turn in the near future,” McManus wrote.
“They’ll get a boost in the pass-rushing department when their splash offseason acquisition, Jonathan Greenard, returns from his pec injury.”
The personnel hasn’t changed too much from last year’s Super Bowl-caliber defense to this season’s group. That should give the Eagles plenty of confidence moving forward.
When Will Jonathan Greenard Return?
The veteran edge rusher has missed every training camp session, preseason game, and regular-season game so far. He returned to practice leading up to Week 1, but he has yet to be promoted to a full participant.
On one hand, Greenard has proven to be a Pro Bowl-caliber talent, which should have the Eagles feeling good about his ability to come in and contribute right away.
On the other hand, rust will have to be knocked off, and it’s difficult to assume he’ll just be totally fine and healthy for the remainder of the season when he does return to action. Greenard appeared in just 12 games last season.
Although he played in a career-high 17 games during his first season with the Minnesota Vikings, he missed chunks of games during his four-year run with the Houston Texans.
Hopefully, Week 3 offers more optimism on the Greenard front.
Help Is On The Way?
The Eagles aren’t sitting around and doing nothing while watching their safety duo struggle.
On Tuesday, September 22, the team added former Pro Bowler Kenny Moore to the mix. He is unlikely to take a safety position, but Cooper DeJean has a strong shot at moving back, now that Moore can fill in on the inside.
There is too much talent to call it a down year for the defense. Consider it an underwhelming start, with so much room to grow.