December 30, 2015
One of Chip Kelly's shortcomings as a head coach was that players were forced to adjust to his scheme and ideas of "the way it should be," and not the other way around. A prime example of this was Kelly's insistence on having a 3-4 defense, despite defensive personnel that did not fit a 3-4. For example, players like Brandon Graham, Trent Cole and Vinny Curry, who were clearly best as 4-3 defensive ends, were forced to play far outside their comfort zone, either as outside linebackers or as 3-4 defensive ends.
The assumption here is that defensive coordinator Bill Davis will likely no longer be with the team, whether he is fired after the Eagles-Giants game this Sunday, or replaced when the Eagles hire a new head coach.
The new coaching staff will have defensive personnel that can fit either a 3-4 or a 4-3. For those of you pining for a return to a 4-3, here's what that may look like:
The Eagles' defensive line would throw a party if the Eagles moved to a 4-3 alignment. It would allow them to attack up the field rather than engage with offensive linemen in a stat-killing two-gap system.
| LDE | DT | DT | RDE |
| Connor Barwin | Fletcher Cox | Bennie Logan | Brandon Graham |
| Taylor Hart | Cedric Thornton (FA) | Beau Allen | Vinny Curry (FA) |
Taylor Hart and Brandon Bair would no longer be fits, and potentially not Allen. I just left Bair and Marcus Smith off completely.
The starters look like a disruptive bunch. To note, I'm not sure that Vinny Curry is a three-down player, but he would certainly play far more in a 4-3, so think of Barwin, Graham, and Curry as a starting rotation rather than Curry simply serving as a backup or pass rush specialist only. Obviously with a 4-3, it would also increase Curry's chances of staying with the team, as he will be a free agent this offseason.
Somehow Fletcher Cox had 9.5 sacks this season playing as a two-gapping 3-4 DE. The sky is the limit on what he could be as a three-tech DT in a 4-3. Pairing him with Bennie Logan on the inside would give the Eagles a very strong defensive tackle duo.
I believe this would also be an easy transition for the players already in place.
| SAM | MIKE | WILL |
| Kiko Alonso | Jordan Hicks | Mychal Kendricks |
| Connor Barwin | DeMeco Ryans | Najee Goode |
I think that Connor Barwin could also be an intriguing fit as a SAM, so I inserted him as the backup there, although clearly, if that were to become his full-time position, he'd be ahead of Kiko Alonso on the depth chart.
What say you?
Follow Jimmy on Twitter: @JimmyKempski
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