There is an allegory about an old weaver who set out to create a tapestry that would last a thousand winters. He had the finest material to make the cloth, but halfway through weaving it, a single thread frayed.
He noticed the defect, but rather than undo three days of work, he continued. When the fabric was finished, the pattern was beautiful, but when the weaver hung it up, the weight of the air caused it to tear the seam and collapse.
» LEARN MORE: The Eagles fall for the fifth time in a row; porous defense struggles to get off the field in 38-21 loss to Cowboys
The Eagles defensive line’s performance against the Cowboys on Monday night wasn’t a sudden failure. The unit has been unraveling for some time. Howie Roseman built his core in the first round of the draft and has since given massive extensions to defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
Both have played significant roles in the Eagles’ recent success and could end up justifying Roseman’s confidence in their future. But early returns on the contracts that Carter ($152 million) and Davis ($78 million) signed this offseason suggest hubris might have kept the general manager from realizing his mistake.
The 38-21 loss to Dallas in which the defense allowed 204 rushing yards and didn’t lay a single hand on quarterback Dak Prescott was just the most obvious manifestation of the Eagles’ D-line’s underperformance. But the pass rush has been anemic since last season, and the run defense isn’t close to what it was just two seasons ago.
Carter and Davis may be the spokespeople for a defense that isn’t living up to expectations. But the ineptitude of coordinator Vic Fangio’s group extends beyond the two biggest pieces.
“I think you saw those guys disruptive and you saw those guys make quite a few plays,” coach Nick Sirianni said of Carter and Davis. “Obviously, we’re all going to want throwbacks from tonight and throwback moments from tonight.”
Where to start? From the first plays from scrimmage, it was clear that the Cowboys were going to try to establish their ground game. Two blocks sealed off Davis and Carter and running back Javonte Williams ran through a gaping hole up the middle for 15 yards.
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The Eagles forced Dallas to settle for a field goal. But after Sean Mannion’s offense finally got going with two imaginative drives and scored touchdowns, Fangio’s defense allowed the Cowboys to tie the Eagles.
And coach Brian Schottenheimer did it by relying primarily on the strength of his offensive line: guards Tyler Smith and Tyler Booker. It’s shocking that it took him seven games to figure it out. Schottenheimer had neglected his running game and the Cowboys led 2-4 in part because of that.
He saw an opportunity against an Eagles defense that had been relatively solid on the ground despite Fangio’s penchant for having the lightest box rate in the NFL. Carter and Davis normally keep him from having to steal the final seven.
But Smith, Booker and Co. beat them at the point of attack and the interior linemen became haphazard in their gap assignments.
“We knew it was going to be that game,” Davis said. “Their coach challenged them and they took it to heart and they ran with the ball. Unfortunately, it’s not a game we wanted to play, but you know we have to answer the call when we know it’s coming.
“And it starts with me and it starts with everyone in the room.”
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To stop the race, you need all 11 players. There were missed tackles throughout the lineup. But Williams (25 carries for 155 yards) and Tyler Goodson (10 carries for 38 yards) continued to chip away until the former exploded for a 34-yard run in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles defense had generally waited until the final frame to fold, weighed down by a historically miserable offense. But they were beaten from the first bell. Could these be all previous snaps played by the unit in the first six weeks?
“I’m not a sports scientist. I can’t say that,” Davis said. “I just know that when we go out, we have to answer the call.”
Even in previous games in which the defense kept the Eagles within striking distance, there were signs that Roseman’s roster construction was flawed. Turnovers and sacks were few and far between, while missed tackles and broken coverages were plentiful.
The most damning accusation was the lackluster pass rush. The Eagles entered second-to-last in pressure rate and last in rushing pressure rate, which is primarily a D-line metric. This confirms what became evident on film: They don’t have passers who can win consistently with their explosiveness or physicality.
Carter has shown he can do it. He did it just two weeks ago against the Jaguars. But when a bully is bullied, as Carter did against Booker and Smith, he often becomes unruly. Carter finished with just two assisted tackles and no pressures.
“Have a good night and go home safe,” Carter said after declining to speak to reporters in the locker room at Lincoln Financial Field.
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Carter giving the media the Heisman postgame — and often in the weeks leading up to it — has become a regular occurrence. That’s far down the list of concerns regarding the fourth-year D tackle, but franchise cornerstones can only shirk their responsibilities for so long.
He wasn’t the only player to avoid answering questions. Jonathan Greenard, among others, has bowed out. Greenard played (although a blank stat line suggests otherwise) through a nagging ankle injury that has limited his playing time since returning from a pectoral injury.
Greenard was another of Roseman’s expensive signings this offseason. He sent two third-round picks to the Vikings at outside linebacker, then signed him to a contract worth $98 million. He has just one tackle and one quarterback hit in three games.
Greenard, 29, was supposed to be the linchpin ahead of youngsters Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr. on the edges. But he’s starting to fall into the category of another failed recent acquisition to improve the pass rush (see: Huff, Bryce).
The Eagles had no sacks or hits on Prescott. Fangio dialed up some fake pressures and blitzes to compensate for his weakened pass rush. Smith was out with a concussion and Hunt, like Greenard, was in questionable status after missing one game with knee and ankle injuries.
But the Cowboys, who had struggled against the blitz this season, had answers to Fangio’s early pressures. And when the coordinator only rushed four — which is often his preferred method — Prescott had time and picked the Eagles apart in the secondary.
“When you’re not under pressure, you have to try to fake it in some way,” Sirianni said. “It’s always some version of: How do we execute, how do we put them in a position to succeed? »
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This may be as close as Sirianni has ever come to calling out Fangio, as tame as he may have been. But he followed in the longtime defensive coach’s footsteps for most of their two-plus years together. Fangio may now regret delaying his retirement.
Roseman moved away from the Eagles’ long-standing philosophy of building from the trenches to craft a defense tailored to Fangio’s needs. He let defensive tackle Milton Williams and defensive end Josh Sweat enter free agency after Super Bowl LIX, and re-signed and drafted off-ball linebackers Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell, respectively.
In a vacuum, these weren’t extremely bad decisions. But Williams, a former local third-rounder, would have been much cheaper if Roseman had the foresight to sign him sooner. And even as a free agent, he would have been more affordable than what Carter ended up costing.
There had been reports that Carter, who requires additional maintenance, was on the trade market. Roseman denied the reports, but that instinct might have been right in this case. Roseman may have felt committed to the pot, but Carter only had one great season (out of three) that delivered on his promise.
Shoulder injuries certainly played a role in last year’s regression. Some of the best recruits are good players coming off bad seasons, although Carter has yet to realize his potential as the highest-paid defensive tackle in the NFL.
Davis only had one good season out of his first four. He is still a dominant stopper, despite Monday night. But he’s not close to a true passing factor despite the expected future value that an extension often represents.
Carter and Davis are far from finished products, however. Roseman may have put together a roster that is falling apart due to a mass of injuries combined with some of his questionable decisions. He can throw a fire sale, but the two middle pillars probably won’t go anywhere.
“Right now it’s just about refocusing,” Davis said. “I know it seems redundant, but right now it’s just about refocusing.”
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The Eagles appear reluctant to address the handling of the Jalen Hurts blood clot saga, but the key questions involved in the story aren’t going anywhere. Throughout the week, with no remarks from general manager Howie Roseman or the team’s medical staff, head coach Nick Sirianni was mobbed by reporters. He offered a few details in return. After speaking with high-ranking medical officials currently or formerly employed by NFL teams, The Inquirer’s Jeff McLane outlines four central questions that remain unanswered, while also examining what this situation means for Hurts’ future in Philadelphia. Listen here.
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