Vic Fangio has a message for Howie Roseman:
Get me some players!
Gone from the No. 1 defense in the NFL are Josh Sweat, Milton Williams, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Darius Slay, Brandon Graham, Isaiah Rodgers, Oren Burks and Avonte Maddox.
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Those seven guys played a combined 3,861 defensive snaps during the Super Bowl championship season, plus another 1,211 in the postseason.
The moves were necessary if the Eagles want to be in position to re-sign guys like Jalen Carter, Reed Blankenship and Cam Jurgens. But it’s a lot to subtract from a defense that allowed just 17 points and 278 yards per game and dominated during the postseason.
NBC Sports Philadelphia’s John Clark caught up with Fangio before the Phillies-Rockies game Wednesday at Citizens Bank Park and asked him about the wholesale changes on defense.
“It's tough, but it’s part of (the business),” he said. “But it gives me an opportunity and a reason to wear out Howie, and he's got to find replacements for these guys now.
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“Yeah, we lost five starters and two of those guys, their backups we lost, too. So we lost a lot of players.”
Roseman did re-sign all-pro Zack Baun and added some mid-level defensive free agents on one-year contracts – edge rushers Azeez Ojulari and Josh Uche and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
But ultimately, Fangio is going to be relying on young players like Kelee Ringo, Sydney Brown, Moro Ojomo and Jalyx Hunt to replace what the Eagles have lost.
And whatever else Roseman can deliver him.
“We'll find a way,” Fangio said. “And we got the draft coming up. Hopefully, we'll get some guys there, and we’ve got some young players that need the opportunity and we'll find a way to get it done.”
Graham retired after 15 years with the Eagles, and his one year under Fangio was a real return to form for the 36-year-old former 1st-round pick. Fangio challenged Graham before the season to not just spend 2024 on a farewell tour but raise his level of play and be a key member of the pass rush rotation, and he definitely did.
After losing Sweat and with Bryce Huff coming off a lost season, Fangio joked that he might try to talk B.G. out of retiring.
“We've been watching cut-ups of our season now, and I just said the other day, maybe we have to talk B.G. into coming back out of retirement,” he said. “Because when he gets on the tape there, he still looks good.
“But he's had a great career, great guy, great ambassador for the Eagles and the city of Philadelphia. He had a great career.”