An NFL defense’s responsibilities are well understood, especially when the conversation shifts to a unit like the Philadelphia Eagles. The game plan never changes much. Make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks. Cover receivers. Generate pressure and force turnovers.
Howie Roseman and his staff have their ideas about how they want this to look. Score a ton of points on offense, and protect leads. Defenses collectively have their ideas as well. Get the ball back for the offense. The elite units accomplish all of those tasks while making it look routine.
Last season, Philadelphia checked nearly every box. What began as a season filled with questions eventually became another showcase for Vic Fangio’s defensive brilliance. The Eagles overcame personnel losses, developed young stars, and finished among the NFL’s better units despite entering the year with concerns.
With mandatory minicamp approaching and training camp not far behind, it’s a good time to examine how Philadelphia stacks up against the league’s elite defenses heading into the 2026 campaign. Here’s a look at five units expected to land among the elite. Add the Eagles to the bunch as they have the satisfaction of knowing Vic Fangio isn’t entertaining any early retirement plans.
Some will argue the Eagles belong higher. Others may prefer the New England Patriots in this spot. Others still will state a top-five spot sounds about right for Philadelphia. For now, the Eagle lands fifth. The Eagles lost Nakobe Dean and several other contributors over the past two offseasons, but the foundation remains impressive. Jalen Carter continues to develop into one of the league’s premier interior defenders. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean have star potential. Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt continue ascending. The additions of Jonathan Greenard and Riq Woolen addressed two areas of need while raising the unit’s ceiling.
There are questions at the safety position, but Andrew Mukuba could prove to be better than expected. The same is true for Marcus Epps. Another year in Fangio’s system should only help.
The Broncos recorded a franchise-record 68 sacks last season. Only four teams in 106 years of professional football have enjoyed more. The core responsible for that production remains intact, and the Broncos are just as impressive in other areas.
Patrick Surtain II remains the gold standard at cornerback. Nik Bonitto is one of football’s most disruptive edge defenders. Denver’s biggest concern revolves around depth, but few teams can match its top-end talent.
Adding Myles Garrett changes almost everything. He’s so good that he can make it seem almost understandable to move on from Jared Verse.
The Rams were already dangerous. Now they feature arguably the NFL’s best defensive player alongside an already talented front. Improvements in the secondary could determine whether this group merely ranks among the best or becomes the league’s most dominant defense.
The defending Super Bowl champions were fueled by their defense throughout much of last season. Despite losing Riq Woolen, Boye Mafe, and Coby Bryant, Seattle still boasts Devon Witherspoon, Leonard Williams, and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Mike Macdonald has consistently proven he can maximize defensive talent, and there’s little reason to doubt him now. This is a phenomenal collection of talent, one that was, more often than not, the best unit on the field in the games that they played in
No defense enters the season with a more complete roster. The Texans possess difference-makers at every level. Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter headline a ferocious pass rush. Derek Stingley Jr. and Kamari Lassiter form one of football’s premier cornerback duos.
Houston allowed only 17.4 points per game last season, the best mark in franchise history. If the offense takes a step forward, the Texans may emerge as one of the NFL’s most complete teams.
As for the Eagles, they may rank fifth on this list today, but they possess enough talent, coaching, and upside to climb much higher by season’s end. That’s what happens when one of football’s best defensive minds is still calling the shots. If some of the depth pieces step up, this will be a frustrating unit to deal with.
This article originally appeared on Eagles Wire: Where do the Eagles rank among the NFL’s top defenses?
