‘The Sooner, The Better’

PHILADELPHIA – When it comes to assessing the performance of the Eagles’ defense Sunday in Minnesota, resilient might qualify as the most apt description.

Vic Fangio’s unit, eyeing a rebound following the Thursday night loss to the Giants that feels like a lifetime ago at this point, ably navigated some resistance from the Vikings’ offense. As Fangio will tell you, some luck was involved – like, the ball getting snapped over the head of quarterback Carson Wentz – but a young unit buckled down in critical moments.

Wentz appeared rattled early after being planted by defensive tackle Jalen Carter, a hit that resulted in a Jalyx Hunt pick-six. He also lofted a gift to Eagles rookie safety Drew Mukuba on his next pass attempt.

The run defense was swarming and stout, limiting Jordan Mason to 57 yards on 15 carries. The pressure revved up. The red zone defense, once again, was stingy, holding Minnesota to five field goals.

Sure, Vikings wide receiver Jordan Addison rolled up 128 receiving yards – which could have been more – on nine catches, but the group responded in a big spot.

With that, here are my takeaways from Fangio’s Tuesday availability.

GETTY IMAGES: Vic Fangio won’t hesitate to use Brandon Graham when the veteran Eagles pass rusher is ready.

The return of Brandon Graham

In case you missed it, the Eagles and Brandon Graham agreed""> to terms on a reunion, bringing the 37-year-old pass-rusher out of his brief retirement in hopes of bolstering a thin position group. Graham, who doesn’t yet count against the 53-man roster, was granted a two-game exemption that expires Monday, Nov. 3. The Eagles can lift the exemption at any point over that span.

Based on Fangio’s answer Tuesday, it seems unlikely the Eagles will have Azeez Ojulari (hamstring) available for Sunday, leaving just Hunt, Josh Uche and Patrick Johnson to absorb the bulk of the snaps. Rookie Jihaad Campbell (more on him in a moment) will presumably moonlight there for at least another week. But how can Graham ultimately help the defense?

“We’ll see,” Fangio said. “You see what kind of shape he’s in, what kind of retention he has from last year. Shape comes in two forms. One, just your conditioning, but in football shape to contact shape. So hopefully, the sooner the better.”

While it’s probably unrealistic to expect Graham to suddenly shoulder 25-30 snaps upon returning, the veteran provides energy, effort and strong run defense. As Fangio alluded to, conditioning and retention will factor into how soon Graham can contribute. Now entering his 16th season, the charismatic Graham also provides veteran leadership and a positive locker room presence.

The flirtation on both sides was evident, and Fangio made it clear he put the bug in Graham’s ear early, in an attempt stoke the fire.

“Well, all the way from the start I was teasing him not to retire all the way back to last February or March,” he said. “So yeah, I mean I’ve run into him, we’ve talked when he’s come by. I always tease him about it to try and light the fire.”

Livin’ on the edge

Due to a shortage at the position, Fangio — who’d previously been reluctant to do this – deployed Campbell off the edge in an expanded role. But in order to have that optionality, Nakobe Dean needed to log his first defensive snaps of the season. Dean – who registered 31 snaps – aligned alongside Zack Baun when the Eagles were in their base defense and returned to form as a force against the run.

Campbell, who had made tangible strides in his previous six games at off-ball linebacker, moonlighted as a pass-rusher, a skill set that added to his appeal when the Eagles selected him in the first round. While the job requirements differed from his typical role, Campbell’s showing was on-par with Fangio’s expectations.

“I think he performed basically like I thought he would,” he said. “It’s new out there. Particularly, the packages he was going up there earlier were different than this week, this past game. So there’s a lot to learn. There’s a lot to get comfortable with. The more he’s up there, the better he’ll get at it.”

It’s worth noting that help is on the way in the pass-rush department, perhaps complicating how Fangio will deploy Campbell and Dean in the not-so-distant future. In addition to Graham’s arrival, Nolan Smith is eligible to have his 21-day practice window opened this week. The third-year pro is expected to return to action sometime next month.

But for now, the Eagles are positioned to reap the pass-rush benefits of their Swiss army knife in Campbell. The dwindling numbers at the position set the stage for Campbell to accumulate more snaps off the edge, for at least another week.

Help on the way?

Smith isn’t the only player eligible to have his 21-day practice window opened this week. That also applies to wide receiver Darius Cooper and cornerback Jakorian Bennett, the latter of whom is especially needed. In a scary sequence, the Eagles lost cornerback Adoree’ Jackson on Sunday to a concussion, likely leaving the Eagles light at the position this week.

Third-year cornerback Kelee Ringo, rookie Mac McWilliams and veteran Parry Nickerson round out the rest of the group behind Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.

What would it take for Bennett, who suffered an injury to his pec in the thrilling win over the Rams, to elbow his way into the mix?

“That will be determined by practice,” Fangio said. “He hadn’t practiced. You can’t practice when you’re on IR, so once we open up his window and get him on the practice field, see where he is at, I can answer that better. But obviously, he’s a guy we’ll take a hard look at.”

Acquired in an August trade that sent defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV to the Raiders, Bennett was brought in to challenge Jackson and Ringo for the starting job opposite Mitchell. That never materialized to start the season, with Bennett accounting for just 24 defensive snaps over three games. Bennett, 25, has made 11 career starts and exhibited promise in Las Vegas, but the short time Fangio has worked with Bennett hasn’t afforded him enough of a sample size to provide a definitive evaluation.

“Incomplete,” he said. “I just never felt like I had a good handle on what he is and what he isn’t. I just don’t think he played enough to answer that with definitive conviction.”

— Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com