Making the case for a 3-4 in Philly

The Philadelphia Eagles have some run some version of the wide 9 defensive alignment for nearly 2 decades. They clung to the system under Andy Reid scrambling to find a coordinator to run the defense after the death of the Master of the wide 9 defense in 2009. Sean McDermott, and Juan Castillo were looked to as candidates to continue coaching the system this team had thrived on for years. They have incorporated another system for just 3 seasons under Billy Davis and Chip Kelly. When Kelly was fired the Eagles decided if they couldn't rehire Reid they would bring in Doug Pederson, and Jim Schwartz. Pederson spent 8 years under Reid as a player and a coach. Schwartz was a fan of the system, and learned the ins and outs from defensive line coach Jim Washburn who he worked with in Tennessee. However with Schwartz out I think it is time for a change in the scheme this team has been obsessed with for years decades now. In particular I believe a change to a 3-4 defense is in order. 

Obviously most people who watch football regularly understand the differences between a 3-4 and a base 4-3 alignment which is the front a wide 9 incorporates. Obviously you have 3 down linemen and 4 linebackers versus 4 down linemen and 3 linebackers. Typically the type of linemen for each system is very important to their success. In a 4-3 you opt for smaller defensive ends typically 270 lbs and under looking for speed and agility to rush the passer while your interior linemen vary depending on philosophy but typically are in the 280-320 lbs range and are known for their strength. The 3-4 defense however relies on guys often referred to as "tweeners" the players whose skillset, and body type fit in between traditional positional norms. For instance a guy like Terrell Suggs who stands 6'3 255 lbs, he has played OLB in a 3-4 alignment his entire career and became a very prolific pass rusher without ever playing a traditional defensive end position in the NFL. The beauty of a switch to a system like this is the Eagles have several players on the roster that have positional flexibility already. 

As I mentioned above a team that wants to be successful needs a strong defensive line. What better line up for a 3 down linemen scheme than Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, and Malik Jackson? All 3 men have experience playing a 3-4 defense, Cox played end in a 3-4 under Billy Davis early in his career. Jackson played end in Denver under Wade Phillips. Hargrave spent his entire career until 2020 in a 3-4 defense in Pittsburgh playing end and later NT the position he would again play in Philly. Vinny Curry is another versatile guy who has played inside at tackle and outside at end making him a solid candidate to play end in a 3-4. Curry also played in a 3-4 early in his career under Davis, and would serve as the backup to Jackson. Hassan Ridgeway is a free agent and would be replaced with a more prototypical nose tackle. They ask Raequan Williams to slim down about 10 lbs and kick outside to defensive end behind Cox, where he will compete for time with Ty McGill who just signed an extension. Treyvon Hester is a guy who could theoretically play NT or DE and will likely be kept through camp to see where he fits. An outlier is 6'8 280 lb defensive end Matt Leo who might be a perfect developmental candidate at DE. Outside linebacker is where it gets interesting. 

The Eagles have several players that fit the body type of a 3-4 OLB but might be a little less than athletic enough to play in zone coverage when needed. Brandon Graham isn't the athlete he once was when he played OLB under Davis but will undoubtedly still be asked to stand up as a LB even if he is only used situationally as a pass rusher. Derek Barnett lacks the speed of a top flight OLB in a 3-4 alignment but was viewed as a potential OLB coming out of college. I personally think it actually might aid his development as a pass rusher giving him an ability to setup his pass rush moves as he approaches an opposing tackle. Behind these two you have two players who might be the one player who stand to benefit the most from this transition, Josh Sweat and Genard Avery. Avery has the most recent experience as a 3-4 LB and even showed success in that role before his trade to Philly. Sweat is an unbelievable athlete for a 4-3 defensive end, which likely stems from the fact that he was basically born to play in a 3-4. At 6'2 251 lbs he ran a 4.53 40 yard dash, a 4.28 20 yard shuttle,and put up a 39 inch vertical leap displaying his explosiveness. At Florida he played a hybrid LB/DE role but in this new scheme he will play strictly LB. Joe Ostman is another guy who fits the mold of a LB in fact last year he was talked up in a potential hybrid role playing some LB. Avery was actually added after an injury to Ostman. At 6'2 259 lbs Ostman is now a 3rd year veteran who has experience playing LB having played the position prior to moving to end in college. I believe he fits a stand up pass rushing role better than as a 4-3 end anyway. 

The move to a 3-4 benefits the Eagles as a team because it limits the need for more than 2 true linebackers on the field at anytime. Those two guys are your inside linebackers who are actually going to be somewhat protected with the fact that there will be another bigger bodied player attracting the attention of the offensive linemen. This would allow our top two LB's Nathan Gerry, and Tj Edwards to flow to the football and avoid the blockers altogether. Alex Singleton moves into a sort of hybrid role playing inside and outside. He was used to rush the passer quite a bit in his stint in the CFL so he should fit this role well. Davian Taylor, and Shaun Bradley would need to compete for playing time behind those 3 but with Gerry's contract expiring he may have less competition than I am projecting. 

This move does many things for this team. First of all I believe it would make better use of the tremendous depth they have on their defensive front. Use 5 rotating positions for this wealth of talent instead of 4 and each of these guys will likely be happier with more playing time. Suddenly your 3 tackle rotation becomes 3 starters where your rotation at end stays virtually the same except Curry will not be asked to act as a stand up pass rusher allowing for Sweat, Avery, or Ostman to get more snaps. Also the last and most important factor is it minimizes the need for dominant linebackers something the Eagles seem to have no desire in drafting or acquiring anyway. So why not shift to a 3-4 where suddenly you are lining up two pass rushers outside instead of true linebackers, while your inside backers can be comprised of all of the true LB's on your roster competing to fill 4 maybe 5 roster spots which can only aid in weeding out the dead weight. 

Also this move to a 3-4 could give them even more reason to move away from high priced veterans like Brandon Graham and Malik Jackson. Although fans at this point seem to understand we will be watching familiar faces leave this offseason one way or another. We still head into 2021 with 10 draft picks, and but sit roughly $58 million over the cap even after moves to restructure Malik Jackson and Alshon Jeffery's contracts immediately after the season ended. Which creates a large chance for change, may as well embrace the rebuild and find an entirely new identity on defense.