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The offseason is over, the batteries are recharged, and it’s time to get cranking on those 2025 IDP championships. Welcome back for year 31 of the Eyes of the Guru. Continuing with tradition, we’ll be kicking off this year’s series with the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Before we delve into this endeavor, let me remind everyone that Footballguys has adopted the True Position format. The need for positional realignment on the IDP side has been evident for a long time. Many league host sites have joined the swiftly growing trend.
Simply put, True Position improves the IDP game for everyone involved by solving the positional designation dilemma once and for all. The simple adjustment is that all edge defenders will be considered defensive ends. This will include 4-3 defensive ends, 3-4 outside linebackers, and anyone else in the new hybrid schemes of today’s NFL, who makes a living by chasing quarterbacks off the edge. Likewise, the defensive tackle position will include all interior defensive linemen in 4-3 schemes and all down linemen in 3-4 alignments. As a result of this approach, we have eliminated the constant arguments and flip-flopping of positions among these players.
Keep in mind that, based on scoring systems, rankings will vary (sometimes greatly) from league to league. For reference, when mentioning where players rank, the model will be the standard Footballguys scoring system. This is the basic stuff:
- Tackles = 1.5
- Assists = .75
- Sacks = 4
- Forced fumbles = 3
- Fumble recoveries = 3
- Interceptions = 4
- Passes defended = 1.5
- Touchdowns = 6
To ensure we are speaking the same language, the term "total tackles" refers to combined tackles and assists, while a reference to "takeaways" includes interceptions, fumble recoveries, and fumbles forced. The terms "splash plays" or "big plays" will include turnovers and sacks.
From time to time, the rookie corner rule will be referenced. For those new to IDP or the EOTG, the rookie corner rule is a basic fact: in the NFL, starting a rookie at corner is like throwing chum to the sharks. Offensive coordinators will target young and inexperienced players as a weakness; thus, these guys have an accelerated number of opportunities. Often, these players are the cream of the crop at the position (which is why they are starting so soon), and their numbers will begin to drop steadily after their rookie seasons.
Now that we are all speaking the same language, let’s get this thing rolling!
An Overview of the Philadelphia Eagles Defense
In 2022, the defense powered Philadelphia to the Super Bowl, where they collapsed, allowing 38 points to the Chiefs. The 2024 Eagles defense was strong yet a little less dominant through the regular season, but they did not choke in the big game, holding Kansas City to 22 points in the win.
Last year’s unit ranked sixth in takeaways with 13 interceptions and 13 turnovers on fumbles. They were the sixth best versus the pass in terms of completion percentage, second in passing yards allowed, and led the league in yards per attempt. The run defense was solid as well, finishing among the top ten in all important categories, including yards per rush and scoring. The organization would be happy with a repeat performance. If they are going to reach that goal, however, it will have to be done with new faces in some key places.
Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Linemen
The Eagles run an aggressive scheme that relies on pressure from the front line. Their pass rush piled up an impressive 70 sacks in 2022. The total slid to a respectable 43 the following year before dropping a bit further to 41 in 2024. The 2025 Eagles will be without the players who accounted for 24 of last year’s sacks. Josh Sweat will be in Cardinals red this year. Brandon Graham retired, Bryce Huff was traded, and Charles Harris was not brought back. At a glance, the loss of so much production might create some concern. When I take a look at the players replacing those guys, it gives me reason for optimism.
Nolan Smith Jr. was second on the team with six and a half sacks last year. The 2023 first-round pick averaged about 42% of the snaps while working in a four-man rotation over the first nine games. With Graham and Huff banged up, Smith was up around 80% of the action over the final seven. He stepped up statistically, with all of his sacks coming after the team’s week five bye, leading to grand expectations for Smith’s third season.
The increase in playing time made a difference in Smith’s production, but he remained light in the tackle columns with three or fewer combined stops in all but two games. At 238 pounds, he struggles as a point of attack defender and will sometimes be swallowed up by bigger run blockers. While I agree that he is the favorite to lead the team in sacks, I fear that inconsistent production could limit Smith’s fantasy value to that of a third man on most rosters.
Third-round pick Jalyx Hunt made his way into the rotation down the stretch. His numbers were marginal, but the rookie appeared to be a potential future starter. He was arguably the team’s best run defender at the edge position and is all but certain to hold at least a rotational role, possibly on early downs. Hunt qualifies as a deep sleeper and a player to keep an eye on this summer, but he is not roster-worthy at this time.
The player I like here is the Giants’ second-round pick in 2021, Azeez Ojulari. This is a player with a high ceiling that we can steal in the last rounds of drafts. He earned a starting job with New York as a rookie, totaling 49 tackles, 8 sacks, 2 batted passes, and a forced fumble. An injury in the preseason derailed his second season. Ojulari was never fully healthy that year, but still managed five sacks and forced three fumbles on about 250 snaps. The injury lingered, keeping Ojulari off the field for most of 2023 as well. By the time he was healthy last year, the Giants had drafted Kayvon Thibodeaux and signed Brian Burns, leaving Ojulari as the odd man out.
For ten games in 2024, Ojulari served as the Giants’ third man on the edge. He played well, totaling six sacks on 392 snaps. Like Nolan Smith Jr., Ojulari is undersized compared to most three-down edge defenders. That said, he plays bigger and, when healthy, has held up well at the point of attack. Pick him up in the last round as a third or fourth man on your depth chart. If he plays up to potential, you might have to make him a starter at some point.
Ojulari was not the only Giants’ pass rusher poached by the Eagles. Philadelphia also brought back Patrick Johnson, who was a seventh-round pick of the Eagles in 2021. He spent three years buried on their depth chart before having a cup of coffee with New York last year. He will compete with former Patriots’ backup Joshua Uche for whatever playing time there is behind the first three.
There is less change at the interior line positions. The Eagles used a four-man rotation at tackle in 2024. Jalen Carter led the way and was one of the few interior players in the league who consistently logged more than 80% of the playing time. The 2023 first-round pick wasted no time joining the short list of the league’s elite defensive tackles. He has ten sacks over his first two seasons while posting respectable tackle totals that increased substantially in 2024. Carter finished among the top 20 tackles in his second season and, at age 24, has the potential to climb the ranks further in 2025.
Someone will have to step into the role vacated by Milton Williams when he defected to New England. Williams saw the second-most playing time among Philadelphia’s interior linemen last season, though it was well below half of the snaps. Moro Ojomo should pick up some of that playing time with Byron Young and rookie Ty Robinson competing for the rest of the snaps. If the team follows last year’s plan, none of these guys will see enough action to make an IDP impact.
Jordan Davis rounds out the lineup at nose tackle. He is a beast versus the run but lacks the wiggle or extra gear to contribute much to the pass rush. While he is often a factor on the field, Davis saw 30 or more snaps in just two games last year. He is simply not an IDP factor.
- Edge Azeez Ojulari – Sleeper with top 25 upside
- Edge Nolan Smith Jr. – Quality depth with upside
- Edge Jalyx Hunt – Deep sleeper at best
- Edge Patrick Johnson – No impact expected
- DT Jalen Carter – Strong DT2 with top-12 potential
- DT Jordan Davis – No fantasy impact
- DT Ty Robinson – No immediate fantasy impact
- DT Moro Ojomo – No fantasy impact
- DT Byron Young - No fantasy impact
Philadelphia Eagles Linebackers
The Eagles gave us a pair of stud linebackers in 2025. Zack Baun was arguably the biggest surprise of the season on the IDP side. The best of his four seasons with the Saints came in 2023 when Baun recorded 30 combined tackles, a pair of sacks, and a takeaway. The move to Philadelphia completely changed the direction of his career. Baun rode 93 tackles, 58 assists, 3.5 sacks, 4 passes defended, and a whopping 7 takeaways to a top-three finish in most formats. His performance on the field was as good as the numbers suggest, earning him a phat new three-year deal.
When a player explodes out of nowhere five years into his career, there is always some chance it was a fluke. It would be shocking if that were the case here. This was about a player finding his place in a scheme and situation that fit his game. Baun is more likely to land in the top-three at the position in 2025 than fall out of the top-ten.
After missing most of his first two seasons as a pro due to injuries, Nakobe Dean broke out big in year three. Before missing the last two games of the regular season, Dean was right on the heels of Baun statistically. At 80-48-3 with 4 pass breakups and 4 takeaways, Dean ranked seventh in points per game at the position. He is a talented player with big potential, but there is more to the story.
Dean was seen as a first-round talent coming out of college. He fell to the third round, however, due to injury concerns. After sitting virtually all of 2022 and most of 2023, injuries are haunting him again. Dean suffered a torn patellar tendon in the Wild Card game and is expected to open the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. When asked about his recovery, Coach Fangio responded by saying that Dean won’t be on the field anytime soon.
The prospects for Dean became even more unclear when the team used a first-round pick on Jihaad Campbell this spring. There is a lot to unwrap with the selection of Campbell. For starters, he has injury concerns of his own. He had surgery after the 2024 season to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder and is not expected to practice fully before sometime in August at the earliest. There is even some speculation that he could join Dean for a stint on the PUP. Adam Schefter suggested that some teams also had concerns about his right shoulder and the possibility of a degenerative knee condition.
From a talent and production perspective, Campbell is arguably the top linebacker prospect in this rookie class. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, he has the size and range to be an excellent run defender and the cover skills to stay on the field in any situation. As a junior at Alabama last year, Campbell totaled 117 combined stops in 13 games, along with 5 sacks, 3 turnovers, and a pair of batted passes.
The potential for physical issues may not be the only roadblock to fantasy stardom for Campbell. Some believe his best fit at the pro level would be on the edge in a 3-4 scheme. Coach Fangio says Campbell is learning the inside linebacker position for now, but there is no guarantee he will remain there. I fear that Campbell will eventually end up in a role similar to that of Micah Parsons at the start of his career, lining up as an off-ball strong-side backer some of the time while serving as an extra edge defender often. Such a hybrid role has all but ruined the IDP value of some very good players over the years, including Parsons early on.
The guy hiding in the shadows here is Jeremiah Trotter Jr., who is currently working with the starters. Trotted did not get on the field much as a rookie. When he started seeing some action late in the year, it looked like he belonged. If you watched his games at Clemson, you know that Trotter passes the eyeball test. He also checks the box for college production. In two seasons as a starter for the Tigers, he totaled 192 combined stops, including 29 for loss, 13 sacks, 7 turnovers, and 2 scores. If he gets on the field, the numbers will come.
We know that the Eagles can give us two highly productive linebackers, and we know that Baun will be one of them. We will need to keep a close eye on this situation when training camp opens to see who the second one will be.
- ILB Zack Baun – Potential top three LB
- ILB Nakobe Dean – Injuries could sidetrack yet another season
- ILB Jeremiah Trotter Jr. – Sleeper with strong potential
- ILB Jihaad Campbell – Big talent and potential with a lot of questions
Philadelphia Eagles Defensive Backs
The Philadelphia secondary will look different in 2025. Long-time starting corner Darius Slay Jr. is gone, along with Avonte Maddox and Isaiah Rodgers. This trio represents three of the team’s top five corners from last season. Also out is starting free safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. The goal was to get younger and add playmakers, which the team has done, at least on paper.
Last year’s first-round pick Quinyon Mitchell is locked in as one of the starters on the outside with last spring’s second-round selection, Cooper DeJean, already established as the slot corner. Third-year man Kelee Ringo is penciled in as the other outside corner but could be pushed by former Giants’ starter Adoree' Jackson. Slay’s experience and leadership will be missed, but this is a talented group of young players.
One of the interesting statistics from last season is that no Philadelphia corner contributed to the team's 13 interceptions. Mitchell did not have stellar numbers over his three years as a starter for Toledo, but he was somewhat of a ballhawk, totaling six picks over his last two seasons there. The organization remains confident that the year of experience will bring turnovers back to Mitchell’s game in year two.
Cooper DeJean missed a lot of last offseason and the first four games of the regular season with a hamstring injury. He returned after the team’s week five bye and was a major factor the rest of the way. DeJean failed to record an interception but forced a fumble and recovered three. His overall numbers of 38-13-0.5, with 6 pass breakups and 4 turnovers, seem modest. The raw numbers fail to convey DeJean’s impact on the field, consistency in the tackle columns, or big-play upside. This player tallied seven interceptions, returning three for scores, over his final two years at Iowa. He does not hesitate to lower a shoulder in run support and, working from the slot, will have the freedom to take more chances and make more plays in year two. The Eagles' corners provided us with marginal IDP value at best in 2024. The signs indicate that DeJean will change this time around.
Reed Blankenship had a great fantasy season in 2023. His year included 79 tackles, 34 assists, 4 turnovers, and 11 passes defended in 15 games. The raw numbers made Blankenship a top-ten fantasy option while his average of 12.3 points per game ranked fifth among safeties. While he played well again in 2024, Blankenship’s tackle numbers dove to 52-26. He kept up in the splash play columns with four interceptions and a fumble recovery, but the lack of tackle production left him wildly inconsistent. It is not hard to figure out what happened to Blankenship’s tackle production. With Zack Baun and Nakobe Dean soaking up all the stops, the ball simply didn’t get to him as often. Blankenship should rebound a little, but his days as a top 20 safety are in jeopardy.
Second-round pick Andrew Mukuba is expected to be the week one starter at free safety. As a four-year starter in college, he has a lot of experience for a rookie. What Mukuba lacks is a history of strong production. His best numbers came during his senior season, when he transferred to Texas. The modest 69 combined stops he made over 15 games are not going to turn any heads. What the Longhorns did for him, however, was to bring out the playmaker. Mukuba is slightly undersized at 185 pounds and is not known for being a big hitter. On the other hand, he has good speed, solid cover skills, and enough experience to step right in. What the Eagles like most is the five interceptions and a forced fumble he put in the books last season. Philadelphia is counting on Mukuba to replace the team-leading six interceptions put up by C.J. Gardner-Johnson. Considering the quality of the players in front of him and his role as the deep safety, IDP managers should not count on much more than the marginal 59 combined stops Gardner-Johnson totaled.
Sydney Brown provides the depth at safety. The 2023 third-round pick has been somewhat of a disappointment thus far, mostly because he’s struggled to stay healthy.
- SS Reed Blankenship – DB3 or solid depth with a little upside
- FS Andrew Mukuba – No grand expectations
- FS Sydney Brown – No fantasy impact
- FS Tristin McCollum – No impact
- CB Quinyon Mitchell – Marginal fantasy value
- CB Adoree' Jackson – No impact expected
- CB Cooper DeJean – Solid CB2 with upside
- CB Kelee Ringo – No fantasy impact
- CB Mac McWilliams – No impact
That’s a wrap for part one of the pre-season series. Next up, the Dallas Cowboys.
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