The Eagles' defense was not supposed to be this bad. The team lost Nakobe Dean, Reed Blankenship and Jaelan Phillips, but had a first-round pick ready to replace Dean, a former Super Bowl starter to replace Blankenship and a Pro Bowl free agent to replace Phillips. Everyone else returned from a unit that ranked fifth in the NFL in 2025, and former Pro Bowlers Jonathan Greenard and Riq Woolen were added, with coaching legend Vic Fangio back in charge. In all, they entered 2026 with six defensive players who had made a Pro Bowl at some point in the previous four years.

Seven games into the season, the Eagles rank27th in points allowed, 29th in yards allowed, 28th in passing yards allowed, 28th in rushing yards allowed, last in sacks per pass play and last in takeaways. The only major category where they are not in the bottom 10 is third-down percentage, where they rank 19th. This is one of the worst defenses in the NFL, and the disappointments are not in short supply. Here are the 10 biggest.

1. Jalen Carter: The highest-paid interior defensive lineman in NFL history has shown flashes of his 2024 form, notably against Jacksonville, where he had two sacks, two forced fumbles, three tackles for loss and five tackles. But in six other games he has no sacks, no forced fumbles, two tackles for loss and 13 tackles. He has not been the dominating force expected of a former All-Pro with a massive contract.
2. Jalyx Hunt: After a breakthrough 2025 with 6½ sacks and three interceptions, Hunt looked unstoppable in the summer and in joint practices with the Patriots. It has not carried over: he has three hurries, tied for 31st among edge rushers, and no sacks. His 267 snaps are third-most among all NFL edge rushers without a sack. He also had no sacks through Week 7 last year before recording 6½ in his next nine games, so perhaps he is a slow starter, but the first two months have been awfully disappointing.
3. Cooper DeJean: After making first-team All-Pro and the Pro Bowl last year, DeJean has taken a step backwards. His missed tackle percentage has more than doubled from 10.9 percent to 22.5, which ranks 194th out of 222 defensive backs who have played at least 100 snaps. He already has more missed tackles this year (12) than all last year (11). His defensive passer rating has dropped from 76.5 to 101.4, and he has been targeted 21-for-36 for 258 yards and four touchdowns after allowing only one touchdown last year.
4. Jonathan Greenard: Acquired for a couple of third-round picks and given a four-year $98 million contract, Greenard was expected to make a big impact. But he got hurt before training camp, missed most of camp and has been hobbled since the season began, limiting him to four games and just 90 snaps. When he has played he has no sacks, no hurries and just one tackle, which came back in the Bears game.
5. Jordan Davis: Davis got a three-year, $78 million deal this offseason, eighth-highest among interior defensive linemen, after a breakthrough 2025 with 4½ sacks, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, six batted passes and 34 solo tackles. This year he has half a sack, no tackles for loss, two QB hits, just eight solo tackles and one batted pass. His playing time has dropped from 61 percent of the snaps to 50 percent.
6. Riq Woolen: One of Howie Roseman's big offseason moves, Woolen has been ineffective in coverage and shaky as a tackler. Opposing quarterbacks are 25-for-42 for 376 yards when targeting him, and his defensive passer rating is 112.8, 72nd out of 81 corners targeted at least 20 times. He is one of eight NFL corners who have allowed three touchdowns without an interception.
7. Jihaad Campbell: In his first year as a full-time starter, Campbell has not played well, and it took only a few weeks for Fangio to begin splitting time between Campbell and Jeremiah Trotter. He has allowed 206 passing yards on 28 targets, ninth-most among all linebackers, and is allowing 12.9 yards per completion. His snaps have dropped from 65 per game through Week 5 to 43 per game since Trotter began rotating in.
8. Drew Mukuba: After a slow start Mukuba played very well as a rookie starter last year before a broken ankle ended his season after 11 games. He has been healthy this year but has not played like he did before the injury. Of 91 safeties who have played at least 100 snaps, his 130.6 defensive passer rating is 81st and his seven missed tackles are tied for third-most. He is the only NFL safety with a passer rating over 130 and at least seven missed tackles.
9. Moro Ojomo: Ojomo has not been awful, but after last year expectations were very high. He had 6.0 sacks, 12 QB hits and six tackles for loss last year in his first year as a full-time player. This year, in 40 percent of the season, he has no sacks, two tackles for loss, three QB hits and just six solo tackles.
10. Marcus Epps: After playing solid football in five starts at the end of last year, Epps' stint as a starter lasted only three games before Fangio replaced him first with Michael Carter and then, after Carter got hurt, with Kenny Moore. His missed tackle percentage of 22.2 is second-worst among 91 safeties who have played at least 100 snaps this year. He has an opposing passer rating of 116.7, ranking 72nd of those 91 safeties, and has not played a single defensive snap since returning.