Examining the NFC East: Linebackers

Veterans Nigel Bradham and Kamu Grugier-Hill are gone, which was not exactly Jeremiah Trotter and Jerry Robinson anyway, but the position is devalued in Philly

Our daily series examining the NFC East from a positional perspective with the help of league personnel sources moves on to the second level of defense, arguably the weakest link in the chain when it comes to the Philadelphia Eagles.

Gone are veterans Nigel Bradham and Kamu Grugier-Hill from a year ago and that was not exactly Jeremiah Trotter and Jerry Robinson to begin with. For now, the plan in Philly is to use Nate Gerry and T.J, Edwards as the two three-down linebackers.

When the Eagles are in a conventional base defense, something that happened just 19 percent of the time last season, raw third-round rookie Davion Taylor and free-agent signing Jatavis Brown will be expected to push Duke Riley for playing time.

The one common denominator in all the options with the exception of Edwards, a 2019 undrafted rookie out of Wisconsin who might be the only traditional LB on the roster, is speed.

“Clearly they see the game going in a certain direction and they are right,” a former AFC personnel executive told SI.com. “You can find two-down guys anywhere. The issue is finding the three-down player who can hold up in (run) support and not embarrass you in coverage.”

No. 4 - Philadelphia Eagles - “I mean they can say what they want. Look at the names. They don’t value the position,” a former NFC scout told SI.com.

The top LB in Philadelphia is pumped-up former Nebraska safety in Gerry, a cerebral player who is solid in coverage but struggles to take on blocks in the running game.

“My concern is January,” the scout said. “This is a team earmarked for the postseason in that division but what happens if the weather turns and a power team shows up with a fullback? They like Edwards but even if he is a player, you need more. That’s where they are going to miss Malcolm (Jenkins). That was a man (in the hybrid S/LB role).”

Whenever Jim Schwartz gets a look at what he has in person, you have to believe another LB is in the Eagles' future at some point.

“I like Gerry. He’s a smart kid and he’s tough. He played through some things last year,” the ex-NFC scout said. “There is just not enough there.”

No. 3 - Washington Redskins - The big move in Washington was reuniting Ron Rivera with 37-year-old Thomas Davis, the three-time Pro Bowl selection who once teamed with Luke Kuechly to give the Carolina Panthers the best LB play in the NFL.

Davis obviously isn’t that same guy any longer but he understands what Rivera wants to accomplish and could serve as an effective QB of the defense.

From there it’s slim pickings, but edge rushers Chase Young, Montez Sweat, and Ryan Kerrigan are so athletic they could play in space and handle the SAM role, although it’s hard to imagine the Redskins wasting Young’s upside with significant coverage responsibilities.

Cole Holcomb was a nice surprise as a fifth-round pick last season and Jon Bostic is still around for a two-down role if Father Time catches up to Davis. Reuben Foster is a talented wild card but is coming off a torn ACL and Washington already declined its fifth-year option so he’s not exactly a building block.

“It’s not great. You figure one of the rushers will have to play in space but at least they have guys who know how to play (Davis and Bostic),” an AFC scout said.

No. 2 - New York Giants - The Giants re-made the group a bit with two former Green Bay Packers in free agency, tacking machine Blake Martinez and edge rusher Kyler Fackrell. Martinez will be the leader of the group and mix in on the inside with David Mayo and Ryan Connelly, who is coming off a torn ACL, while Fackrell takes the place of Markus Golden outside with Lorenzo Carter and Oshane Ximines outside.

“It doesn’t jump off the page at you but they’ve done a nice job giving Joe (Judge) some options. People in Green Bay talk about what Martinez isn’t but he’s a pretty damn effective player,” an AFC personnel executive told SI.com.

No. 1 - Dallas Cowboys - From a trait standpoint Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch are exactly what everyone is looking for in modern LBs - big playmakers who can run.

The injury concerns have now taken a backseat when it comes to Smith, once a potential top-five pick before a catastrophic leg injury during his final game at Notre Dame, but they’ve cropped up with Vander Esch and his neck.

Vander Esch recently appeared on The ‘Boys & Girl Podcast and said that he’s training without restrictions after neck surgery.

“I am doing wonderful,” he said. “I feel as good now as I ever have. ... I mean, I’m ready to roll. I’ve been training full-go for a couple of months now, so it’s not holding me back whatsoever. I feel, like I said, just as good as I ever have. I’m just excited to play football at this point and get back on the field.”

Veteran Sean Lee remains as a failsafe as well even though his own injury issues are well-documented.

Depth is a significant issue, however, and things could go really wrong really quickly if the injuries start to pile up with nondescript options like Joe Thomas, Luke Gifford, and Justin March in reserve.

“No margin for error,” a former AFC scout said. “If the starters are out there it might be the best group in the NFC. If they’re not, it’s a problem.”

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen