The Eagles do not need a linebacker.
Forget what you have read online or what a look at the depth chart might be telling you. The reality is that as the Eagles prepare for the 2019 NFL Draft, there are many positions ahead of linebacker on their list of needs.
This isn't to say the team definitely won't take one. If Devin Bush of LSU or Devin White of Michigan somehow fall to them at No. 25, and the Eagles feel they are the best player available, it could happen.
Targeting a linebacker because of need, however, is different.
And for this roster, it is unnecessary.
To start, Nigel Bradham is their middle linebacker. The Eagles might not want to yet admit it, but as the team plans for the 2019 season, it is safe to say they have Bradham in as their middle linebacker. Bradham played middle linebacker last season once Jordan Hicks went down and played it well. He played it so well that he even held onto the job for the majority of the time once Hicks was healthy and back on the field.
In addition to being their middle linebacker, Bradham is also their most important linebacker, and the only one that will play a big role on their defense next season.
Last season the Eagles had a whopping 500 different combinations of 11 players on defense during the regular season. That will happen when there are plenty of injuries in the secondary and you shuffle your defensive linemen in-and-out of the game. Of their top 10 combinations, six included two linebackers. None included three. In fact, you have to go all the way down to their 25th most common used lineup to find a group that included three linebackers.
So going forward, it is safe to assume that the Eagles won't be playing three linebackers very often. They won't be playing two much more than 50% of the time if they have their way.
The postseason gives an even better look at how the Eagles view the linebacker position.
Heading into the postseason all three of the team's linebackers — Bradham, Hicks and Kamu Grugier-Hill— were healthy. In the postseason the Eagles' defense used 63 unique combination of 11 players on the field on defense. The top three combinations had just one linebacker. Of the top 10, only two had three linebackers and five had two linebackers.
Against the Chicago Bears, Bradham played 100% of the snaps. Hicks was second amongst linebackers at just 36% and Grugier-Hill was third at 9%. The snaps went up against the the New Orleans Saints, with Hicks playing 62% of the snaps, Grugier-Hill playing 19% and Bradham once again on the field for essentially the whole game. The majority of game was spent with five-or-six defensive backs on the field.
The message was clear — the Eagles' ideal main defense is going to feature one linebacker and six defensive backs, with a second linebacker seeing the field around 50% of the time when the opposing offenses's personnel dictates it.
The good news is the Eagles already have a linebacker they can trust to come in next to Bradham in pass coverage when needed.
Per Pro Football Focus, Grugier-Hill allowed only 15 catches last season and picked off more passes (one) than touchdowns he allowed. He was better in coverage than the recently departed Hicks was, and his background at safety is a main reason why. He is without question good enough to hold down the second linebacker spot, and by no means does he need to be replaced by a high-round draft pick.
There will be times when the Eagles need a heavy package in the game for short-yardage situations, but finding run-stopping linebackers in free agency is fairly easy, and those situations are few-and-far between.
Adding elite talent is always the best move in the draft. As mentioned above, if the best player on the Eagles' board is a linebacker when they go on the clock at No. 25, or even in the second round, they could take him.
Linebacker, however, is arguably the least important position on the Eagles' defense — and if they do take one early on, he won't be playing much unless they plan on cutting Bradham.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
