I don’t feel confident in any defensive group on the team right now. The Eagles could use a play-making defensive end, some solid linebackers, and various help in the secondary. These holes existed when the season ended and it seems like some of these holes have gotten even bigger as the offseason has continued.

There are many who believe the Eagles will draft a defensive end with their first pick, but at this point I’m not sure if that’s their best move. They don’t have a standout to line up across from Cole but I think they have bigger problems at other positions. To make the situation worse, I think they dug themselves a bigger hole by trading Sheldon Brown and Chris Gocong. Brown was the only physical corner they had and that also kills the possibility of moving him to free safety if the “Marlin Jackson Experiment” backfires. Gocong may not have panned out to be exactly what the Eagles were looking for but I think he’s a good depth guy.

The Eagles seem to have lost more than they have gained this offseason and it looks like they are going to rely heavily on the draft. With that being said, you could easily use the term “rebuilding” when referring to this team. I feel like they can have a lot of success offensively, but there are just so many questions surrounding the defense right now.

How would you grade the Eagles offseason so far?

We still have our starters at the corners in Asante Samuel and Sheldon Brown; however, the big question is going to be the depth behind them. Dimitri Patterson has been back practicing again and Macho Harris is now listed on the injury report as a corner (he’s still listed on the depth chart as a safety). Newly acquired Ramzee Robinson is listed as the backup behind Sheldon Brown and Jack Ikegwuonu has been added to the active roster.

Samuel and Brown have both been banged up a little bit so I am hoping they can both stay healthy as I’m weary towards the depth they now have behind them. Patterson has been out for an extended period of time and didn’t see a whole lot of action on defense when he was healthy. I’m sure it’s been quite a long time since Macho has taken snaps at corner, so he’s going to need some time to get reacquainted. I only know two things about Ramzee Robinson: 1.) He was the very last pick of the 2007 draft (Mr. Irrelevant) and 2.) He was cut by the Lions. I’m not impressed by any of this so I’d say the kid has a lot to prove.

The Chargers aren’t the run first team they used to be a few years ago. They have struggled on the ground, but Philip Rivers has really stepped up their attack through the air. I think the Chargers will look to have a lot of three receiver sets to try to exploit the tarnished secondary. Although he is under sized, I could see the Eagles trying to match up Macho Harris with Antonio Gates to prevent him from getting the ball in his hands.

It will be very interesting, to say the least, to see how this secondary plays with all the changes that have happened so quickly.

The Eagles have a pretty decent Pro Bowl resume: Mike Quick, Reggie White, Randall Cunningham, Eric Allen, Keith Jackson, Jerome Brown, Brian Dawkins, Hugh Douglas, Jeremiah Trotter, Troy Vincent, David Akers, Donovan McNabb, Tra Thomas, Brian Westbrook, Trent Cole, Asante Samuel…. And that only partially covers the last 25 years.

Now the question is, who from the Eagles should be voted in this year? While it would be nice to see all Eagles on the ballot get voted in, we know that’s not possible. At this point in the season, the Eagles players that have proved to me they deserve a vote are DeSean Jackson, Asante Samuel, Sheldon Brown, Trent Cole and Broderick Bunkley. Voting will remain open until December 21.

Do you agree with me? Let us know who you plan on voting for and why.

Vote for the Pro Bowl!