Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, Darius Slay, Reed Blankenship, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson.
That’s a heck of a secondary.
It’s also a secondary that hasn’t been together all that much.
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Only twice in 13 games have the Eagles had those five guys together for an entire game – the Giants and the Commanders.
And despite the lack of consistency in personnel, the Eagles have the No. 2 pass defense in the NFL, they haven’t allowed a 300-yard passer since Baker Mayfield Week 4 in Tampa, they’ve allowed only two 100-yard receivers since opening day – Puka Nacua and Adam Thielen – and they’ve allowed just 14 passing touchdowns – less than half as many as this time last year and the fewest they’ve given up after 13 games since 2004.
“We trust everybody in this room,” Slay said. “When I went down, Isaiah stepped up. Reed goes down, Tristin (McCollum) stepped up. We’ve got a strong group that's got a lot of talent in that room and we've got guys that's very versatile that can switch positions and play anywhere so that's a good thing about our group and that's what makes it special.
“Coach C.P. (Christian Parker), he does a great job preparing everyone to be ready. Everybody knows this game is always next-man-up, and guys are always ready for the opportunity, and everybody has been capitalizing on the opportunity.
NFL
The Eagles are allowing only 179 passing yards per game, their fewest since 1998, which wasn’t a very good year overall – the Eagles went 3-13 – but the pass defense, led by Brian Dawkins, Troy Vincent, Michael Zordich and Bobby Taylor, was No. 1 in the NFL at 170 yards per game.
What makes all of this so impressive is that of the eight Eagles defensive backs who’ve played at least 150 snaps, five either weren’t even on the team last year or didn’t play – Mitchell, DeJean, Gardner-Johnson, Isaiah Rodgers and McCollum.
Talk about moving pieces.
Defensive backs who played 2,972 snaps last year aren’t even on the team this year – James Bradberry, Kevin Byard, Terrell Edmunds, Justin Evans, Josh Jobe, Bradley Roby, Mario Goodrich, Mekhi Garner and Josiah Scott. Three others – Sydney Brown, Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks – played 835 snaps last year but only 75 this year.
So it’s been an almost complete turnover, with change continuing throughout this year. DeJean didn’t play until Week 6, Slay has missed two games and significant portions of five others and Blankenship missed parts of two games and all of Sunday’s win over the Panthers.
“I think it starts with the higher ups getting the right people and putting all of us in one room,” Rodgers said. “ I think it starts there and then we all know what we're capable of putting out there on the field.
“So throughout the week, a lot of people get a lot of walk-through reps, a lot of mental reps, a lot of physical reps during the 7-on-7 and team period so it's not like just only the starters get all the reps so when you get out there on Sundays or whatever day we play it's not all new to you so I think we just all come prepared. When that opportunity comes, we’re all ready.”
Rodgers has actually played more snaps than Slay over the last six weeks, and he’s allowed just 4.7 yards per target this year – tied for 2nd-best among cornerbacks who’ve been targeted at least 20 times. McCollum, who made his first start Sunday, has an opposing passer rating of 47.9 against the Panthers, 5th-highest in Week 14 among 44 safeties who were targeted more than once.
All five starters have been very good this year, and the good news is all five should be good to go Sunday for the Steelers and for the stretch run. But if somebody gets banged up? The Eagles have proven this secondary can continue operating at a high level no matter who’s out there.
“I think the maturity level we have is the key,” Blankenship said. “We might be a young group, but we carry ourselves very, very well. That goes back to the older guys, Slay and Avante (Maddox). You learn how guys learn, how they ask questions. I think a lot goes into that. The younger guys pick up on what we ask and it helps them a lot. It helps them communicate a lot more.
“Our thing is if you go in there, there shouldn't be a drop-off. You made the team. You're on the team for a reason. Whoever it is, we trust them fully and have confidence in everything they do. They go out and execute.
“And we have each other’s back. I told Tristin before the (Panthers) game, ‘You've got this. Don't overthink it. You've been playing this game for years now. It’s still a 100-yard field. It's nothing different. Go do what you know how to do,’ and he did that.”
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