In 2022, the Philadelphia Eagles became a legitimate powerhouse. That season, they finished with a 14-3 record and reached the Super Bowl, where they came to the brink of winning the Vince Lombardi Trophy. They did so largely on the strength of a defense that was second in total yards given up and surrendered 10 or fewer points five times, including playoff games.
But last season, after a 10-1 start, Philly fell apart at the seams, losing five of its last six regular season games and getting routed in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A big reason for that meltdown was the fact that its defense collapsed and ranked near the bottom of the NFL in several key categories.
There is reason to believe the team will improve greatly on defense in 2024, but it could still use some help.
Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report feels one man who could help the Eagles is edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah.
“The Philadelphia Eagles would be a logical fit for Ogbah, largely because they now employ his 2023 defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, in the same role,” Knox wrote. “After replacing Haason Reddick with Bryce Huff, the Eagles don’t lack pass-rushers, but their rotation could still use a boost. They recorded only 43 sacks as a team last year after racking up a league-high 70 in 2022.”
Huff was acquired via free agency this offseason, and he blossomed with the New York Jets in 2023. He posted 10.0 sacks, 21 quarterback hits and 10 tackles for loss, more than doubling his totals in those categories from the previous season.
At age 26, perhaps he can raise his game a little more, but Ogbah is someone who could provide some extra support to an Eagles team that was woefully bad on defense.
The Eagles could use Emmanuel Ogbah for depth
While he’s never been a big-time pass rusher (his career-high in sacks was 9.0, which he reached in back-to-back seasons), his production improved last season after a dismal 2022 campaign with the Miami Dolphins, as Dave Holcomb of Heavy pointed out.
“As Knox mentioned, Ogbah played in new Philadelphia defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s defense with Miami last season,” Holcomb wrote. “Under Fangio, Ogbah experienced a bounce back season.
“Ogbah posted 5.5 sacks last season after a career low mark in that category the year prior. In 2022, the veteran defensive end had just 1 sack in nine games. He missed the second half of 2022 after suffering a season-ending triceps injury.
“Furthermore, Ogbah reached his sack total in 2023 with fewer defensive snaps than he had during 2022. In fact, Ogbah recorded a 2.2% sack percentage last season.
“That was roughly double what his sack percentage was in either of his 9-sack campaigns in 2020 and 2021.”
The rest of the NFC has gotten a little more competitive, and if the Eagles don’t finish first in the NFC East, they will have to contend with improving teams such as the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams for a Wild Card playoff spot.
Perhaps Fangio will work his magic and revitalize Philly’s defense, but he could use some better personnel on his front seven to help him make that happen.
