It’s no secret how much the Philadelphia Eagles value stellar defensive line play. They are constantly exhausting valuable resources in the trenches, particularly at edge rusher and defensive tackle. It’s arguably the NFL’s gold standard to borrow a familiar phrase.
The Eagles rode their pass-rushing happy philosophy into a franchise-record 70 sacks in 2022, which was 15 more sacks than the second-place finishing Kansas City Chiefs. Yes, their never-ending ability to keep rotating bullets worked wonders. And players on rival teams took notice of the aggressive commitment to loading up in the trenches, including Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns.
The All-Pro defensive end saw it first-hand last year during joint training camp practices between the Browns and Eagles in 2022, and now he’s lobbying the Cleveland front office to follow the same blueprint.
“I feel like the Eagles have kind of the recipe,” Garrett said, via Cleveland Plain-Dealer. “They have their guys who are mainstays and who’ve been there for a long time and they got some new additions here and there, but you have guys that you know, ‘Well damn, we’re facing the Eagles defensive line, we got to buckle up, we got to get ready.’ I’m hoping that we can put that same fear into people.”
Lane Johnson, Jordan Mailata, Myles Garrett and Wyatt Teller enjoying quality time after #Eagles-Browns joint practices
Garrett reeled off several names as examples: Fletcher Cox, Timmy Jernigan, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham, and Josh Sweat. Jernigan left the Eagles in 2020, but those other four guys combined for 40 of the 70 sacks in 2022. The Browns are hoping to find similar results this year after naming Jim Schwartz as their new defensive coordinator. He spent five seasons calling Philly’s defense, including the Super Bowl championship year in 2017.
Jonathan Gannon Calls Out Philadelphia Media
Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon had some interesting things to say about his time in Philly. The former Eagles defensive coordinator took aim at the local media for criticizing his scheme and calling for him to be fired in 2022. Gannon, who watched his defense give up 340 yards and 38 points in Super Bowl LVII, doesn’t appear to have warm and fuzzy memories from his Eagles days.
Here’s how Gannon reflected on his relationship with the Philly media:
I’m very comfortable talking to the media. Philly is a very hard media market. We were 9-0 and I did my presser and they said, ‘Coach, we want you fired.’ And I said, ‘We’re the number one defense in the NFL right now, in every statistical category, why do you want me fired?’ ‘You don’t blitz enough.’ I said, ‘Well we lead the league in sacks by thirty-plus sacks, so if you want to come call the defense, then you can have at it.’ But it’s cool. They have a job to do, and I understand that…
Let’s clear up a few misconceptions: first, the Eagles were never 9-0 last season; 8-1 would have been the tipping point. Second, the team never led the league in sacks by 30-plus sacks; the numbers don’t add up. Lastly, there is no transcript of Gannon asking a reporter to call the defense; it never happened because the team sends out copies of all transcripts and it doesn’t exist.
2. after 9 games, the Eagles were not leading the NFL in sacks
3. they trailed multiple other teams in sacks
4. at no point in the season did they lead the NFL by 30+ sacks or anything close to that margin
5. this presser “exchange” never happened
Eagles, Browns Set for Summer Scrimmages in 2023
The Eagles and Browns will battle in summer scrimmages for a second straight year in 2023. Cleveland head coach Kevin Stefanski dropped the news (h/t Bleeding Green Nation) prior to the NFL Scouting Combine, telling reporters that the Browns will hold joint training camp practices against the Eagles in Philadelphia ahead of their preseason game at Lincoln Financial Field. Dates and times remain TBD.
AFC Joint Practice Rival Sounds Off on Eagles Defense: ‘Buckle Up’