By Paul Macrie, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 
Preseason football can often be misleading. The Eagles had a memorable Week 3 of the preseason last August, and it led to overreaction in regard to the potential of the offense.
As this season draws near, the hype has been about the defense because of the pedigree of defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Putting everything aside that is now on tape this preseason, what is the defensive unit’s upside? Has it been overrated for months now?
The Eagles defensive stats in 2015 were underwhelming to say the least. A change had to be made on that side of the football, regardless if Chip Kelly was let go or not. Though Billy Davis shouldn’t take the entire blame for the struggles of the unit last season, his exit was inevitable after three seasons of below average productivity.
In 2015, the Eagles were 28th in points allowed per game (26.9), 30th in total yards allowed, 28th in total pass yards allowed and dead last in rushing defense. The regression was alarming, and a new coordinator was a must. A positive from Davis’ unit was takeaways, as they were tied for ninth in that category with 26, though the minus-5 turnover differential diminished that stat.
Schwartz has had more success as a defensive coordinator than a head coach in his NFL coaching career. He got the most out of his unit in Buffalo in 2014, and guided his Titans defenses to at least modest success, though there were some dreadful years mixed in.
When he was the head coach of the Lions from 2009 to 2013, his defense had a mean streak, even if it crossed the line at times and players were known to be a little dirty, see Ndamukong Suh.
Now, Schwartz takes over an Eagles defense that has lacked a physical edge in recent years. Frankly, the defense hasn’t been the same since the Jim Johnson era. There is talent on this side of the football, but will it be enough for Schwartz to maximize what he likes to do?
In Schwartz’s recent stint as a defense coordinator in 2014, the Bills had a league-leading 54 sacks. His units haven’t always had success getting to the quarterback, but in Buffalo he had elite pass rushers such as Jerry Hughes and Mario Williams. He was able to maximize his aggressive 4-3 scheme that season, and it ranked fourth in total defense.
The Eagles have the potential to be in the Top 5 in the league in sacks this season. Fletcher Cox in a 4-3 scheme can be downright scary. He was a menace in the 3-4 with a career year last season, and the sky is the limit for the former first-round pick, who was drafted in 2012 when the Eagles were running the "wide nine" defensive scheme under defensive line coach Jim Washburn.
Though the term "wide nine" will cause pause with fans because of the horrific memories from the latter seasons of the Andy Reid era, this scheme can get the best out of the pass rushers.
In addition to Cox, Vinny Curry, Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin all have great opportunities to get to double-digit sacks in 2016. It is doubtful all four get to the number, but the Eagles should, if healthy on the defensive side of the football, get to 50 sacks total. The defensive line is the strength of the unit, and it will have to pressure the quarterback with regularity to mask some of the flaws at corner and the thin linebacker depth.
The team’s safety depth is rather impressive right now too. Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins are the starters, and can be one of the top duos in the league. Jaylen Watkins had a solid offseason and preseason, and has earned the right to be the backup as he has successfully made the transition from corner to safety. The Eagles claimed former Ravens safety Terrence Brooks off waivers on Sunday, and at the moment is on the 53-man roster, but there’s a good chance he won’t be dressing on game days right now.
The concern with the linebackers isn’t quality, but depth. Nigel Bradham, Jordan Hicks and Mychal Kendricks are the starters, but Stephen Tulloch and Kamu Grugier-Hill, claimed on Sunday from the Patriots, are the backups. If an injury occurs to the starters, the depth will be greatly tested and the play of the position could take a significant step back.
Entering Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, the starting corners are Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin. Ron Brooks will likely be playing nickel in definite passing situations, while it is unknown how much playing time rookie Jalen Mills receives.
Carroll is the best corner on the roster, and it isn’t close at this point. The other corners named have had inconsistent preseasons. It isn’t a stretch to say — though keeping in mind he played against second and third unit offenses — that C.J. Smith was the second-best corner in August. Smith was added to the practice squad on Monday after being released on Sunday.
The Eagles defense is currently overrated, but shouldn’t be perceived as a negative. The early returns in the preseason are encouraging about the unit’s potential, but the preseason normally doesn’t translate to similar regular season results because of the opposing offenses' vanilla schemes and small sample sizes from the first units in general.
There are aspects from the unit to be upbeat about and other parts that should force many to pump the brakes. The most important key will be the defensive line play. If the strength of the defense can cause havoc to opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks, it will make the rest of the unit better. Schwartz knows to utilize the unit’s strengths. He did that with Buffalo two years ago, and can take a similar blueprint with him in the games this season.
The defense won’t likely be able to carry the roster, though it will have to for the rebuilding team to have any success in 2016. The defense will surely be leaned on more, especially with rookie quarterback Carson Wentz starting now and the likelihood he will make his fair share of mistakes — at least in the short term. The defense will be asked to put the offense in shorter field situations.
Schwartz is the right coordinator for the defense, but the Eagles won’t be setting any records like last year’s Broncos team, 2013 Seahawks, 2000 Ravens or 1985 Bears. They have nowhere near the talent these historic defense units had. That statement wasn’t going out on a limb by any means, but it will be intriguing to see how the defense grows as the season progresses with a lot of veterans in the mix.
