The Premier Madden League’s new cycle is about to kick off. Coach Burn has been officially hired as the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles are bringing back Burn for another cycle after having him as their coach just a few cycles ago. Coach Burn had this to say about being hired as the new head coach, ” I am excited to be here with this team. The team has changed dramatically since I was head coach and we will be installing a new approach to the team.” I have seen the roster and I will be going over both the offensive and defensive depth charts. We went through the offense in the last article and in this one we will finish with the defense. We will go position by position and have a small breakdown of each player on the starting roster, starting with the Defensive End.
Left Defensive End: Milton Williams 74 OVR
The Eagles have a plethora of pass rushers on the team and Williams will be starting in the base defense but outside of that his spot is unknown. He could be subbed in when others get tired, however, that’s it unless he truly makes a difference.
Right Defensive End: Jalen Carter 82 OVR
Davis is the superstar of the defensive line. He will anchor the right side, while switching to defensive tackle on passing down. His ability to play both positions opens up the rest of the pass rushers to get into the game and create pressure while the defensive double teams him.
Defensive Tackle: Jordan Davis 78 OVR
Davis is a strong and fast player who will anchor the middle of the line for the entire cycle. His downside comes with his pass rushing ability, however, that can be built upon. When built up he will become one of the best defensive tackles in the league, but for the meantime he will be looking to stop the run and hopefully getting to superstar status by season’s end.
Right Outside Linebacker: Josh Sweat 81 OVR
Sweat will start off in his linebacker spot in the base defense but transition to the defensive line in passing downs. He is a pass rushing athlete which seems to be the theme of this Eagles defense. Sweat is a little older but that won’t stop him from showing up the younger guys on the roster.
Left Outside Linebacker: Bryce Huff 79 OVR, Nakobe Dean 73 OVR
This spot will be roasted between both of these linebackers depending on what the defensive play call is. Huff is a pass rusher who will be used as such and would be a liability in coverage. For the coverage related calls, Dean will be subbed in and will be able to use his speed to cover whatever is needed.
Middle Linebacker: Devin White 75 OVR, Nolan Smith 72 OVR
White is the primary middle linebacker who is in the last year of his contract. He will be looking to make a splash for this defense to earn another contract. He has all the tools to become one of the better linebackers in the league.
Smith in a base defense could be used in a multitude of ways, however, with all the other pass rushers on the field, he will be used as a user linebacker. His size, speed, and jumping ability will make it easy to cover most of the field to stuff the run or guard most of the players on the offense.
Cornerback: Darius Slay 89 OVR, Isaiah Rodgers 78 OVR, Quinyon Mitchell 76 OVR
The Eagles have one of the fastest starting cornerback groups in the league and they will look to use this speed in order to create turnovers. It starts with the X Factor of the group in Slay. He will stay with the opponents number one receiver which will force teams to throw at the others. Rodgers and Mitchell are respectable in their own right with decent coverage skills, but possess the speed to match up with most receivers in the league. Mitchell is excited to get the starting spot believing that he possesses what is needed to become defensive rookie of the year.
Free Safety: Cooper Dejean 75 OVR
Although he is a rookie, Dejean beat out the veterans on the team at this spot. His speed, size, jumping, and coverage abilities are equal to or greater than everyone else. He will need to work on his awareness and play recognition, but the upsides outweigh this.
Strong Safety: C.J Gardner-Johnson 84 OVR
Johnson can start at any defensive back position and succeed. His ability to be a plug in and play type of player gives the Eagles an edge if anyone were to get hurt. He and Slay will look to mentor the younger guys to evolve them into superstars.
