2025 Team Defense & Defense by Committee Thread (7 Viewers)

1) How will the Eagles replace so much defensive talent?
The major question about Philadelphia's hopes for a second consecutive Super Bowl win revolve around a defense that lost some key pieces from last year's championship team. The front seven lost defensive end Milton Williams and edge rushers Brandon Graham (retired) and Josh Sweat. The secondary parted ways with cornerback Darius Slay and safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. So, how will the Eagles retool in the wake of all those departures? They'll do what they always do, which is rely on the shrewd personnel moves of general manager Howie Roseman and smart coaches to make it all work.
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has a valuable chess piece in slot corner Cooper DeJean, who could move to outside corner or safety in base defense looks depending on how the other players at those spots develop. Fangio also has tremendous faith in the maturation of edge rusher Nolan Smith (who had four sacks in the last year's postseason) and the potential of second-year edge rusher Jalyx Hunt (who had a sack in that Super Bowl win over Kansas City). The Eagles are also high on adding first-round pick Jihaad Campbell to a linebacker corps that includes All-Pro Zack Baun. Like Baun, Campbell has the versatility to line up in various spots of the defense and be impactful. In other words, there may be some new faces on defense in Philly. The expectations, however, shouldn't change that much.

4) Will a youth movement make the Ravens defense the most dominant in the NFL again?
Baltimore has high hopes for its first two picks in this year's draft, as safety Malaki Starks and edge rusher Mike Green have the potential to help this defense immediately. The Ravens started slowly on that side of the football last season, as coverage mishaps and explosive passing plays marred the first half of the year until personnel changes and adjustments turned that unit into one of the league's best down the stretch. Defensive coordinator Zach Orr already loves the chemistry that has developed between Starks and veteran safety Kyle Hamilton in offseason workouts. Like Hamilton, Starks is versatile and has a nose for the football, so the expectation is that he'll learn fast. Green was a first-round talent who slipped into the second round because of off-field concerns, and he might end up being one of the steals of the draft. He led the FBS in sacks in 2024, and his athleticism -- he played wide receiver in high school and linebacker at Virginia before finishing at Marshall -- could make him disruptive in Year 1. Orr admitted to local reporters that this defense learned a lot about itself by dealing with those growing pains in his first year on the job. The additions of Starks and Green should make that process much easier this fall.

5) Will the Bengals defense really improve after so much offseason drama?

It's hard to see how Cincinnati becomes better on that side of the ball after the way the last few months have played out. The contract dispute with All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has moved through multiple stages, from the team allowing him to seek a trade to his complaints about the franchise being unwilling to broker a deal and finally his absence from mandatory minicamp this week. This situation has literally turned uglier with each passing month. Add in the fact that Cincinnati lost one defensive leader to retirement (defensive end Sam Hubbard), released another (linebacker Germaine Pratt) and still doesn't know when edge rusher Shemar Stewart, its first-round pick, will sign his rookie contract, and it doesn't feel like this squad is about to change its fortunes with new defensive coordinator Al Golden taking over. What made Cincinnati's defense so good when this team was a true championship contender was chemistry. The players who played for former defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo bought into his creative schemes, and they created problems for various teams, most notably Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Bengals learned a tough lesson on defense when that unit declined after veteran safeties Jessie Bates and Vonn Bell left in free agency following the 2022 season (Bell returned to the team in 2024). Losing more leaders from a much worse defense won't make things any easier around those parts.

Mitchie · Monday at 12:45 PM

@Faust just want to say thanks for keeping this thread going, doesn't get a lot of replies this time of year but it is appreciated.

Faust · Tuesday at 10:07 PM

WR depth among five things we learned from Texans minicamp

Excerpts:

Pass rush dominance
Defensive ends Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. continue to look formidable. Both were giving the offensive tackle trio of Cam Robinson, Aireontae Ersery and Blake Fisher issues at times. On Day 1 of minicamp, Anderson and Hunter had a rep during 11-on-11 when they both met Stroud in a collapsing pocket in the backfield.

Last season, Hunter had 12 sacks and Anderson had 11, so if the duo can repeat or exceed that production, Ryans' defense that ranked fifth in total defense and fourth in sacks could be even better in 2025.

"Coming off last year, I feel like we have great chemistry," Hunter said. "We know how each other rush now. Going out there, I can figure out what he's about to do. He'll figure out what I'm about to do. It's great chemistry, especially with the interior guys."

Stingley Island may become a thing
Throughout minicamp, the quarterbacks did not throw in Derek Stingley Jr.'s direction. That just speaks highly of Stingley's ability, since quarterbacks didn't want to waste reps going at an All-Pro cornerback.

Faust · Wednesday at 9:28 AM

Denver Broncos' defense strives to be even better in 2025

2025 Team Defense & Defense by Committee Thread (7 Viewers)

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Pass rush dominance​

Stingley Island may become a thing​

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