Jacksonville Jaguars: Comparing Nick Foles’ current situation to his Eagles championship team

Defense

The 2019 Jacksonville Jaguars defense is shaping up to compare well to the defense of the 2017 Eagles Super Bowl-winning team.

First, they both have a plethora of effective pass rushers and run stoppers up front. The Eagles had Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Chris Long and Derek Barnett on the outside, along with Fletcher Cox and Timmy Jernigan on the interior of their defensive line. Philly totaled 38 sacks in 2017, and was a top-five defense in most statistical categories, particularly against the run.

The Jaguars have rising star Yannick Ngakoue, who has totaled 29.5 sacks in just three seasons in the league. Calais Campbell has been a sack machine throughout his career, be it in Arizona or Jacksonville. The Jags spent that seventh overall pick in the 2019 draft on versatile linebacker Josh Allen out of Kentucky, who is certainly capable of rushing the passer as well. On the inside, the Jags have former Buffalo Bill Marcell Dareus, 2018 first-round draft pick Taven Bryan and nose tackle Abry Jones.

The Eagles secondary was led by veteran safety Malcolm Jenkins, with safety Rodney McLeod and cornerbacks Ronald Darby and Jalen Mills helping to shut down opposing air raids. The Jaguars may not have the sort of veteran leadership that Jenkins brought to the Eagles defense, but they are very talented and have arguably the best shutdown corner tandem in the league with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye.

The Jacksonville Jaguars also find themselves without their defensive leader from season’s past, with linebacker Telvin Smith announcing that he will not be playing football in 2019. That leaves fourth-year linebacker Myles Jack to take over the reins of the defense.

The Jaguars defense certainly has the talent and potential to perform to the level that the Eagles defense did in 2017, but are an unproven question mark at this point going into the season. There are some contract concerns as well with Ramsey and Ngakoue that could have huge ramifications if it affects their presence on the field at the start of the season.

Foles would certainly benefit from a top-notch defense making plays, giving him short fields to work with, and keeping the score tight enough for Foles to come through and win games.