PHILADELPHIA -- The Eagles have gone defense-heavy in the draft over the past several years, an approach that plays directly into their larger strategy for how to build and sustain a star-studded, championship-caliber roster.
Since 2022, 12 of their 15 selections over the first four rounds have been defensive players. The Eagles went defense with their first five picks in this past draft -- taking linebacker Jihaad Campbell, safety Andrew Mukuba, defensive tackle Ty Robinson, cornerback Mac McWilliams and linebacker Smael Mondon Jr. -- just the second time they have done so in the common draft era (1967).
As a result, Philadelphia's defense is young, talented and -- quite critically -- inexpensive.
Consider: the total cash value on defense in 2025 ($75 million) is 40% less than the league average, per Roster Management.
Cash spending on projected starters is where the numbers really pop. Linebacker Zack Baun, fresh off a lucrative three-year deal, is set to earn $17.2 million. The combined cash value of the other 10 forecasted starters lands short of that, at around $16 million.
That's what happens when your unit is made up almost entirely of players on their rookie contracts. The average age of the starting group is 24, with only two players in Baun (28) and safety Reed Blankenship (26) north of 25 years old.
This design offsets an offense that is full of marquee players making serious bank.
With quarterback Jalen Hurts ($42 million), running back Saquon Barkley ($16.75 million), receiver A.J. Brown ($29.75 million) and tackle Lane Johnson ($25 million) leading the way, the Eagles cash spending on offense in 2025 is $205 million, which is 50% higher than the league average and represents 72% of Philly's overall spending this season.
"Offensively, we have a bunch of starters under long-term contracts, starters who are in the prime of their career, so it allows you to really, on the fly, get young on that side of the ball," said general manager Howie Roseman, on selecting so many defensive players early in the draft.
"And we needed it a couple of years ago. I'd say this year's draft, we were open to whatever the board told us at where we were picking. We really felt like we were taking the best guys."
If so, the Eagles were the recipients of some luck, as their first four picks play positions that needed some addressing following the losses of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, defensive tackle Milton Williams, cornerback Darius Slay Jr. and edge rushers Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham this offseason.
The strategy doesn't work, of course, if the picks don't hit. But Roseman and his scouting staff have been on a roll lately. Of the nine defensive selections in the first four rounds between 2022-24, six have established themselves as starters while the other three in edge Jalyx Hunt, safety Sydney Brown and corner Kelee Ringo have a chance to rise to the top of the depth chart this season. All contributed to the No. 1 ranked defense last season, a group that dominated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in a 40-22 Super Bowl LIX rout.
These players won't stay inexpensive forever. Rising star defensive tackle Jalen Carter is eligible for a new contract after this season, as is fellow Georgia Bulldog Nolan Smith Jr. Standout corners Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean won't be far behind.
The financial pendulum will inevitably swing back to the defensive side of the ball soon, meaning some sacrifices will have to be made elsewhere. But that, too, is accounted for in the long-term thinking of the front office.
"We want to win and we want to win big," said Chairman and CEO Jeffrey Lurie. "The way to win consistently and to win big is to plan for the contracts you're going to have to give to your best young players, and we want to retain our best young players as we go forward. It's impossible if you draft well to do that. We want to make sure we're aggressive at being able to sign players early that we think are core players for the future."