By Harvey Hoffman
One of the brightest sports in Eagles training camp has been the defensive line.
And, as the clock ticks to the nine days when the Birds open at the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 12, on thing is obvious:
The 2021 Eagles will only go as far as their D-line takes them.
And The Athletic’s Sheil Kapadia agrees:
Eagles: Their defense leads the league in sacks.
The Eagles have veterans in Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox. But if their young players can take a step forward from last year, this pass rush has a chance to be among the league’s best.
Javon Hargrave played injured in 2020 but has had an excellent summer and looks like a good fit for defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon’s scheme.
Josh Sweat, 24, is looking to build off of last year’s six-sack season and offers big upside.
The Eagles have depth with Derek Barnett, Ryan Kerrigan and rookie Milton Williams.
This group finished third league-wide last year with 49 sacks, so it’s not like this prediction requires a massive leap.
