Eagles DC fears help in season

PHILADELPHIA. A day after Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said “I love this team” when asked about the trade deadline, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was even more categorical when discussing help from outside the organization.

“No,” was Fangio’s response when asked if he was pushing for an increase as the Nov. 5 deadline approaches.

“I mean, it’s hard to drastically improve your team this time of year,” suggested the DC veteran. “I think if you look at some of those trades over the years, they really haven’t had the impact that some teams were hoping for.

“If it’s not a trade where you’re getting a guy you’re going to have for a few years, it’s a bigger trade than trading guys, trading sixth for seventh, things like that.”

Fangio also noted that the position could also factor into midseason additions.

“ILB is probably a little more difficult,” Fangio said. “Security is a bit more complicated. Maybe the corner is a little easier depending on how you play. Maybe D-Line is a bit lighter again depending on how you play.

Last season, GM Howie Roseman acquired veteran safety Kevin Byard from Tennessee near the deadline for Terrell Edmunds and a fifth- and sixth-round pick in the 2024 draft. The move looked good on paper, but the two-time All-Pro struggled to fit into the defense this late and left for Chicago in free agency this spring after a disappointing 2023 season.

“Obviously, every case is different,” Fangio said. “Sometimes guys come in with no previous relationship with coaches and everything is completely new. I think if a guy has been with you somewhere down the line, has system knowledge and comfort, that helps.

“Every scenario is a little different. Every position is a little different, too.”

The Eagles defense has really stepped up recently with a slew of young players who have turned the corner a bit, including rookie cornerbacks Kinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, and inexperienced players like defensive ends Nakobe Dean and Zach Bown, along with standout Nolan Smith.

“(Kew Mitchell) has done well since we’ve had him here,” Fangio noted. “We thought he was going to be a good player when we drafted him and he has been since we got him.

“I didn’t really know much about Cooper because he missed all of training camp. I didn’t know what it was going to look like when it got out there. He’s been working well the last couple of weeks… Nolan has been working well and continues to improve.

Philadelphia’s defense currently ranks seventh in the NFL — eighth against the run and 10th against the pass — as well as #7 in points per game and sixth in red zone defense. Pro Football Focus’ film grades made Fangio’s group even better at No. 4 in the NFL.

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