The Eagles’ defense has had a rough opening stretch, and the box score backs that up. Through two weeks, they still haven’t forced a turnover, they’ve managed only three sacks, and the run defense has been one of the league’s weakest. They’ve also struggled on third down, in the red zone and in the fourth quarter.
Still, there’s plenty in the early numbers to suggest this group isn’t anywhere near its ceiling.
This is a Vic Fangio defense, and the expectation is that it will be much better by the time the season settles in. In fact, there are plenty of signs that the foundation is already there.
Start with the pass defense, which has been the clear bright spot. The Eagles have allowed just 166 passing yards per game, fourth-fewest in the NFL, while holding opposing quarterbacks to a 57.4 percent completion rate, also fourth-lowest.
They’ve given up only two passing touchdowns, tied for sixth-fewest, and just six plays of 20 yards or more, 10th-fewest in the league through two games. In a league built around the pass, that matters.
The overall efficiency numbers point in the same direction. Philadelphia is allowing 4.97 yards per play, ninth-best in the NFL and its second-best mark after two games in the last 14 years. That’s the kind of number that usually travels.
Tariq Woolen has been a big part of that early success. The Eagles’ new outside cornerback has been exceptional so far after wearing out his welcome in Seattle.
Opposing quarterbacks are 4-for-10 when targeting Woolen, and that 40 percent completion rate is ninth-lowest among 78 corners targeted at least five times. He’s allowing 4.7 yards per target, 14th-best among that group, and his 73.2 Pro Football Focus grade ranks 11th among 54 corners who’ve played at least 100 snaps.
Right now, he looks a lot like the Pro Bowler he was in 2022.
The pass rush numbers are encouraging too, even if the sacks haven’t shown up yet. The Eagles have only three sacks, tied for 25th in the league, but ESPN analytics has them at a 45.2 percent pressure rate, fourth-highest in the NFL.
Only the Raiders, Vikings and Packers are ahead of them. If that pressure keeps coming, the sacks should follow.
They’ve also done a strong job limiting damage after the catch. The Eagles rank ninth in the league with just 175 yards allowed after the catch, which has kept short throws from turning into bigger problems. Outside of a couple of plays, the tackling has been sound and the receivers haven’t been allowed to keep running.
That ties into another positive: big plays have been relatively scarce. Philadelphia has allowed six plays of 20 yards, 11th-fewest in the league, and only two plays of 30 yards. Seven teams have given up fewer.
There’s also reason to trust the broader Fangio arc. In his first two seasons as defensive coordinator, the Eagles improved as the year went on.
In the first four games of 2024 and 2025, they allowed 22 points and 350 yards per game. Over their last 13 games, those numbers dropped to 18 points and 289 yards per game.
That kind of late-season jump is part of the case for patience here.
Individual growth matters too, and Jihaad Campbell is part of that story. One of the bigger preseason questions was how the second-year pro would handle a full-time starting role at linebacker after the loss of Nakobe Dean.
It hasn’t been perfect, but Campbell has started well, especially in Week 2 in Nashville. Among 50 linebackers with at least 100 snaps, his 16th-ranked PFF grade is a promising sign.
Cooper DeJean is on the other side of that coin. He has not played well yet and is one of the lowest-rated defensive backs in the NFL by PFF, with a 48.2 grade that ranks 91st out of 111 defensive backs who have played at least 100 snaps.
That said, the Eagles know what he is capable of. He was a Super Bowl hero as a rookie and then became a Pro Bowler and first-team all-pro last year.
He is not going to stay at this level all season.
And then there’s Jonathan Greenard, the centerpiece of the Eagles’ offseason who still hasn’t played a snap. He missed all of training camp and at least the first two weeks of the season, but when he gets back on the field, he should change the pass rush.
From 2023 through 2025, Greenard ranked 15th in the NFL with 27 1/2 sacks, seventh with 43 tackles for loss and fifth with 39 hurries. The timing of his return is still unclear, but the impact should be real once he’s ready.
In Other News...
Jalen Hurts' Mom Said What Eagles Fans Already Believe
Jalen Hurts has spent the first two weeks of the season giving Eagles fans plenty of reasons to feel good about the quarterback spot, and his mother just added a little social-media fuel to the conversation. In a TikTok video using a face filter, she jokingly made the case that her son is more clutch than other quarterbacks, a playful bit of family pride that lands especially well when the on-field evidence is already trending in his favor.
Hurts has been effective in late-game, one-score situations, exactly the kind of moments Philadelphia leans on its quarterback to handle. The comparison cases around the league include names like Tyler Shough and Josh Allen, but the bigger point for the Eagles is simpler: Hurts has started this season with the kind of fourth-quarter composure that turns a lighthearted TikTok into a talking point. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles May Have Found A Cheap Answer At WR2
The Eagles did not have to pay a premium to add Dontayvion Wicks, but the early returns have looked anything but ordinary. After coming over from Green Bay in a trade for future draft picks and landing an extension, Wicks has made an immediate case for a bigger role in Philadelphias offense, giving the team a cost-effective option alongside its established passing game.
Through the first two games, Wicks has caught seven passes for 147 yards and a touchdown, production that has already helped him earn Jalen Hurts trust. For a team always balancing star power with roster value, the appeal is obvious: if Wicks keeps this up, Philadelphia may have found a much cheaper answer than most teams get at wide receiver two. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Suddenly Have A Mekhi Becton Decision To Make
The Eagles offensive line depth has gone from a strength to a concern in a hurry, with Landon Dickerson now on injured reserve and the interior of the unit looking shaky in recent games. Cam Jurgens and Drew Kendall have not settled things down, and for a team built around protecting the quarterback and keeping the run game on schedule, that kind of uncertainty is hard to ignore.
Mekhi Becton suddenly sits in the middle of that conversation. He played a useful role for Philadelphia during its 2024 Super Bowl run before leaving for the Los Angeles Chargers, but his season since then has been marked by injuries and uneven play. Even so, the idea of a second chance is hard to dismiss when the Eagles are searching for answers up front and know exactly what Becton looked like when things were working here. [Read more 🡒]