With the regular season just over two months away, the Eagles' front seven is primed to be one of the strongest units in the NFL.
While the defensive line, with the likes of Fletcher Cox, Vinny Curry, Bennie Logan, and Beau Allen should wreak havoc upon opposing offensive lines, it's the crowded linebacking crew that really stands out.
The outside linebacking jobs are set, with Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham manning the left and right outside spots, respectively. Barwin is coming off a career year in which he set a career-high in sacks (14.5), and assists (17). His 14.5 sacks led the NFC, and the 28-year-old came within one tackle shy of matching his career high with 47. His production on the field led to a contract extension, which the Eagles and Barwin consummated last March.
Graham also earned himself a new contract this offseason, signing a four-year deal worth $26 million back in March. The 27-year-old former first round draft pick has yet to hit his stride with the birds, but showed promise in limited time last season, recording 5.5 sacks while setting a career high in tackles (35).
The inside linebacking situation is still a bit murky, with the Eagles currently sporting three proven starters on their roster in Mychal Kendricks, DeMeco Ryans, and newcomer Kiko Alonso. There are three players, but only two starting spots. This is nowhere near a bad thing for the Eagles, however.
Seeing the influx of linebacking talent for a 30-year-old veteran like Ryans, should allow him, and his healed achilles, to breathe a sigh of relief. Ryans is coming off his second career achilles injury, which he suffered last November.
With the extra linebacker, Ryans will likely be apart of a rotation between himself, Kendricks, and Alonso. The rotation should help diminish the stress on Ryans' achilles, and his aging body. Despite the injury and his age, Chip Kelly elected to bring Ryans back with a two-year deal worth $7.5 million. In eight games last season, Ryans recorded 36 tackles, and zero sacks.
Alonso was acquired in the blockbuster trade between the Eagles and Buffalo Bills that sent the Eagles' all-time leading Rusher LeSean McCoy to the Bills in exchange for the 24-year-old Oregon alumni.
Like Ryans, Alonso is coming off a season-ending injury; a torn ACL suffered before training camp last summer. His knee should also be a major beneficiary of the linebacker rotation, although he will likely see more playing time than the veteran Ryans. Alonso was a young, rising star for the Bills before his injury, and the Eagles hope he can continue to progress for them this season.
Kendricks' status on the team was in question early on this offseason, with his name being thrown around in possible trade talks. Those talks have blown over, and it looks like he will be on the roster come training camp.
Kendricks is another player who struggled with the injury bug last season. A calf injury sidelined the 24-year-old for five games in 2014. When healthy, Kendricks was one of the Eagles' best defenders, recording 62 tackles, four sacks, and three forced fumbles.
While there are certainly problems and question marks in other areas of the Eagles' roster, the linebacking core is not one of them, despite each player's injury history. The inevitable rotation between the three linebackers will help to keep each player fresh, and help diminish the likelihood of injury.
The Eagles' front seven should be one of the best units in the NFL, in large part due to their crowded linebacking core. Having too much talent is never a bad thing in sports. For the Eagles, carrying three starting-caliber linebackers is entirely a blessing, and not a curse.
Ryan Gerstel is a contributing writer for Eagledelphia. Follow him on Twitter @TheRyanGerstel.
