The Philadelphia Eagles have made a number of moves to improve the defense during free agency.
With the additions of Leodis McKelvin, Rodney McLeod, and Nigel Bradham along with the re-signing of Nolan Carroll, the Birds have injected a good deal of talent into their system for new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to work with.
However, there are still areas of need on the defensive side of the ball that the team has yet to address.
One of the most notable areas of concern is the defensive tackle position.
The starting combination of Fletcher Cox and Bennie Logan is certainly strong enough, but the Eagles are completely lacking on the depth chart behind them. At the moment, they don't so much as have a viable option to rotate in with the two top options, let alone replace them if one were to go down with an injury.
Beau Allen is the only other tackle on the roster with notable experience, but he himself may no longer factor into the team's plans due to the change back to a 4-3 scheme. Allen has been a somewhat serviceable option over the last two years, filling in at the nose tackle position to give Logan an occasional breather. However, he's never flashed any kind of exceptional ability.
The Eagles are aware of the need at the position, and have already tried to address it through free agency. The team brought in former Detroit Lion Nick Fairley for a visit, and reportedly offered him a contract. The former top pick opted to sign with the New Orleans Saints, leaving the team without the veteran presence they were seeking.
Right now, even a short-term injury to either Cox or Logan would be devastating to this defense, and leave a gaping hole in the middle of the defensive line that opposing offenses could exploit.
Keep in mind that both Cox and Logan are entering contract years. The Eagles have publicly stated on several occasions that they want to lock up Cox, but Logan's future isn't clear. The former third-round pick was drafted specifically to play nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme, and it's possible that the team might want to wait and see how he fits in to Schwartz's system before making a similar commitment to him.
The reality is that it may be difficult to keep both young tackles after this season, and the Eagles may need to give some serious consideration to using one of their higher draft picks on a young defensive tackle to join in the rotation this season, as well as provide the club with insurance in the event that they're unable to retain either Cox or Logan next year.
The team has larger and more immediate needs at other positions, and there's virtually no chance that the tackle spots will be addressed in the first round. However, I believe there's a decent possibility that the team could use one of their picks in the third or fourth round to sure-up this area of the defense.
Denny Basens is a contributing writer for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @DennyBasens.
