Graham: Eagles 'didn't have all the right coaches' in place last year
Veteran defensive end Brandon Graham is confident that the Philadelphia Eagles have placed the right coaches in the best position to help repair a defense that collapsed toward the end of the 2023 season.
Graham, who's entering his final NFL season, said the Eagles' young defensive line has a good coach in Clint Hurtt leading the group now. Philadelphia found itself in a tailspin, losing five of its final six contests before the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ended its season in the wild-card round.
"We didn't have all the right coaches in the right position, I would say," Graham said Wednesday, including ESPN's Tim McManus. "You could just see the guys just truly believing in what we've got going on (now), and I'm excited for the young guys that just came in, the new rookies coming in. They're really going to get a good shot and good taste of what it really is to be in the NFL."
Graham said individuals "weren't on the same page" during the Eagles' late-season struggles.
Philadelphia's handling of defensive coordinators proved disastrous last year. Sean Desai started the 2023 campaign as the unit's play-caller after Jonathan Gannon's departure. Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni demoted Desai midway through the season, elevating defensive assistant Matt Patricia to the play-calling role. Despite Patricia's experience, the Eagles were unable to solve their issues, especially when it came to pass defense.
The Eagles hired Vic Fangio to be the new defensive coordinator and help improve a defensive unit that surrendered the third-most points per game in 2023 (25.2). He's expected to help propel a defense that will rely more heavily on defensive tackles Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter this season. General manager Howie Roseman spent four of the club's first six selections on defensive players in the 2024 draft.
Following a disappointing end to the season, Graham said the Eagles have made a concerted effort to improve communication both on the field and in the locker room. With an infusion of young pieces to the defensive core and a new-look staff, Graham is optimistic about the team's potential ahead of his 15th season.
"I'm more excited just because we do got Fangio, somebody experienced, real, real good. I'm not saying anything about the past, but you can just tell that everybody's on the same page about stuff," Graham said.