Vic Fangio is good for the Eagles defense, but could a trade help?

No Vic Fangio is not advocating for the Eagles to consider any specific position at this year’s trade deadline, the team’s defensive coordinator said Tuesday.

The trade deadline is Nov. 5 this season, a week later than in years past, thanks to a vote by NFL owners in the spring. Howie Roseman was active at the deadline in six of the last seven seasons, making at least one move. Last year, the Eagles general manager acquired Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans in an attempt to give a thin, ragged safety corps a starter.

But after holding opposing offenses to just two touchdowns over the last three weeks, the defense is in a different place this time around, both in terms of efficiency and health. Asked if he felt good about the state of the roster heading into Week 9, Fangio said yes. He also discussed the wasteful nature of most of the moves happening around the league at this point in the season.

“It’s hard to drastically improve your team this time of year,” Fangio said. “I think if you look at some of those trades over the years, they really haven’t had the impact some teams were hoping for. Unless it’s a trade where you’re getting a guy that you’re going to have for a few years, where it’s a bigger trade than trading guys, trading a sixth (draft pick) for a seventh, those types of things.”

While every scenario for every trade is different, Fangio acknowledged that it can be especially difficult for a player to make an impact without having a past relationship with a coach. It can help if the player has been with the coach at one of his past stops and has some familiarity and comfort with the system.

An acquired player’s ability to make an immediate impact can also vary by position. Fangio said it might be harder for inside linebackers and linebackers to contribute right away, while it might be easier for cornerbacks and linebackers.

Heading into the bye week, one position group that may have had a higher priority for an upgrade was the shooting guards. Through the first four games of the season, the Eagles’ linebackers and outside linebackers combined for just two sacks: one by Josh Sweet and one by Brandon Graham. But in the last three games, the group has beaten lesser opponents, combining for seven sacks in that span.

“They take pride in their performance both individually and as a unit,” Fangio said. “And I think (position coach Jeremiah Washburn) does a good job with them, especially rotating them during the game. I think overall the device works well.”

To be an enforcer of “balance”

After Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals, Jalen Hurts stressed the importance of being an “implanter” on offense rather than depending on what the defense does, a mentality he said he’s been trying to push the team to adopt. He explained that there are several ways to impose, be it a run or a pass.

Hurts specifically said his recent increase in snaps under center “does a lot” to help the offense be multiple in his abilities, thus keeping defenses guessing. Hitting under center as opposed to in the shotgun can hinder a defense’s ability to anticipate a run or pass. Against the Bengals, Hurts had 21 throws under center, 350% more than the offense averaged under center over the first five games of the season (six per game).

The vast majority of those plays under center were in the run game (10 carries for Barkley, four for Kenneth Gainwell and five Tush Push attempts for Hurts). Barkley was especially effective on those runs, hauling in three passes for 10-plus yards (including a 19-yarder, his longest of the game) when Hurts gave the ball away under center.

Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore said there has been talk among the group about taking more snaps under center, admitting there have been some “positives” from the increase over the past two weeks (13 snaps under center in Week 7 against the New York Giants , including three Tush Push attempts). Still, Moore called the attacker’s desire to impose his will “balancing,” regardless of where the defender makes the shot.

“Every week you have a lot of respect for your opponent and what they can do and you have to consider all the possibilities and prepare properly while continuing to do what you do and what you put a lot of time into,” Moore said. “So you’re balancing those two elements, week in and week out, and so we’re constantly in a tightrope.

“I think that’s how most teams plan the game. You have things that you’re really comfortable with, you can blindly go out there and just run, but also understand that they have a presentation that’s going to challenge you in different ways, and you’re trying to find the best balance when you’re creating a game plan “.