Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

The Right Guys

Posted July 5th, 2026 | No Comments »

Yesterday I wrote about Vic Fangio and his scheme. Fangio likes to be creative with his coverages and pass rush plans. That requires the right kind of players. Hybrid players, to be specific.

Think about the team’s DBs.

Cooper DeJean – Can play the slot, outside corner or safety. Excels in the slot, but has the versatility to play anywhere.

Quinyon Mitchell – Outside corner. Has played both sides. Has traveled with receivers when matchups called for it.

Drew Mukuba – Played both the slot and safety in college. Has focused on safety in the NFL, but can handle either role.

Jonathan Jones – Backup CB who has experience playing in the slot and outside.

Michael Carter – Has a lot of experience at slot. Eagles are mixing him in at safety this season.

Mac McWilliams – Practiced in the slot and outside as a rookie.

Cole Wisniewski – Has LB size and safety skills.

Kapena Gushiken – UDFA rookie who played nickel and safety in college.

All of that versatility isn’t an accident. Fangio has told the Personnel Dept what he’s looking for and they go get the right players for him. Different sizes and skill sets allows Fangio to be as creative as he wants on the back end.

The front seven also has versatile players. LBs Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell both have experience playing edge rusher as well as linebacker. They can blitz, cover, play the run or rush the passer.

Edge rushers Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith are gifted athletes who can rush or drop into coverage. Technically anyone can drop back, but Hunt and Smith have the skills to actually do it well. Hunt had 3 INTs last year, showing just how talented he is.

That kind of coverage isn’t normal for an edge rusher. Hunt is a valuable player for Fangio because of that.

Having versatile players allows Fangio to do unusual things. Doing the unexpected can confuse QBs and throw off their reads, at least slowing them down.

That kind of creativity can be invaluable when facing good QBs. Anything you can do to slow them down can make a difference. Those creative coverages make the Eagles a really tough team to throw against.

When you have the right players and the right play-caller, you can create havoc on defense. Fangio has been doing that for years. With all the versatile talent Howie Roseman has given him, it should continue into this season and the future.

*****

I was reading an old football book when I stumbled across an interesting nugget. Back in 1977 the Eagles had traded away a lot of draft picks for veteran players. The team’s first pick was in the fifth round. Howie Roseman’s head would explode if he had to wait that long to make a pick. Crazy.

The Eagles still managed to come up with NT Charlie Johnson and some undersized RB named Wilbert Montgomery. Not bad considering the long wait.

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