Iggles Blitz

by Tommy Lawlor

Year 3 for the D

Posted July 22nd, 2026 | No Comments »

We have spent a lot of the offseason fixated on the Eagles offense. There is a new scheme, new coordinator, new OL coach and some new faces. It makes sense that we focused on the offense. Still, the defense will be the real key for this team. They won the Super Bowl in 2024 when the defense finished #1. If the defense can have another great season, the Eagles have a good chance to go far.

We know the Eagles have the right scheme.

We know Vic Fangio is a great defensive coordinator. The big question is whether the Eagles have the right players. There is no disputing they are very talented, but you still need the right combination of skill sets and personalities. I think the real key is Jalen Carter. He can be a true difference-maker up front. If he’s healthy and locked in, I think the defense will be great. Carter wasn’t in top form or completely healthy last season and the defense was erratic at times. When he’s right, the D is on a different level.

The secondary should be one of the best in the league with Riq Woolen as CB2. Quinyon Mitchell might be the best CB in the league and is critical to how Fangio plans his looks and coverages.

This is Year 3 with Fangio running the scheme. He’s got a handful of key players who have been with him since he got here.

DL Jordan Davis
DL Jalen Carter
DL Moro Ojomo
ED Nolan Smith
ED Jalyx Hunt
LB Zack Baun
NB Cooper DeJean
CB Quinyon Mitchell

Marcus Epps, Jihaad Campbell, Drew Mukuba and Byron Young are all in Year 2 playing for Fangio. That kind of continuity is important when you want to run coverages with a lot of disguises and different looks. Defense is more team oriented than offense. You need all 11 guys on the same page. They have to see the same thing and execute their assignments correctly. One mistake can lead to a big play or TD.

Jonny Page did a good write-up of Mukuba for BGN.

I’m excited to see what Mukuba does this season. He was playing his best football by midseason last year when he got hurt. Fangio really likes him, which inspires confidence in the young player.

The Eagles did lose Christian Parker, a key coach for them. Joe Kasper is replacing him and could prove to be a good promotion. The Athletic listed him as the young Eagles coach to keep an eye on.

If a young assistant coach can stick around — and even thrive — under top defensive mind Vic Fangio, he is often destined for bigger things. Kasper has worked for Fangio in both Miami and Philadelphia, and is poised for a bigger role now that former colleague Christian Parker (another Fangio disciple) is in Dallas. Nguyen, our senior writer, noted that the “two-high trend will continue to grow and it seems like coaches that can successfully implement some of Fangio’s ideas into their systems take it to another level.”

High expectations also surround first-year offensive coordinator Sean Mannion, who is expected to bring elements of Matt LaFleur’s Green Bay/Shanahan-derived system to Philadelphia.

One of the most important additions will be veteran pass rusher Jonathan Greenard. He seems genuinely excited about joining a team with SB potential. PE.com has a good piece on him.

While Greenard hasn’t been able to participate in team drills, the former Florida Gator has been practicing with the team throughout the offseason in OTAs and minicamp. Already, he is impressed with the team culture.

“We work as a championship team,” Greenard said. “Attention to detail is there, we are working our tails off. Even after practice, we’re doing extra drills just to make sure we’re all on the same page.”

Many things stand out to Greenard, like the relentless nature of his teammates and the continuous work they are putting in to get back to the Super Bowl.

“They’re not going to settle for nothing less. It’s infectious, so you either get with the program or you get left. That’s not hard for me. I just get out there and work my tail off with the boys,” Greenard said.

With this kind of buy in from a veteran addition, it feels like the defense is in very good shape heading into 2026. Greenard feels worlds different than Bryce Huff. He wanted to do his thing. Greenard wants to win.

This could end up being a special unit.

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