Former Eagles DE explains what will be missing without a team leader

PHILADELPHIA – Former two-time Super Bowl champion Chris Long has always been a very cerebral player during his 11-year NFL career.

A former Walter Payton Man of the Year and two-time winner of the PFWA's Good Guy Award for helping the media do their job, Long's football IQ and understanding of the game are still regularly highlighted on his own 'Green Light Podcast.

Long finished his NFL journey as the second overall pick in 2008 with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017-18, where he was a key rotational presence for the franchise's Super Bowl LII-winning team.

Meanwhile, Long had a front-row view of six-time Pro Bowl selection Fletcher Cox at the height of his career, when Cox was perhaps the best pure football player on a Super Bowl-winning team .

Appearing on “The Favorites” podcast, Long was asked about playing with future Louis Rams Hall of Famer St. Aaron Donald before heading to the end of his career with the Eagles' Cox, who retired this offseason after his stellar 12-year career.

“One of my biggest regrets was not staying healthier at the end of my tenure in St. Louis, because we had such a good line, and Aaron Donald was a big part of that,” said Long. and I was released two years later. Me and Aaron barely crossed the line when it came to doing my best.

“With Aaron on the team, it frees up a lot for the others. You know what they're going to pay attention to.”

Long then turned to Cox, a four-time All-Pro.

“I also had the opportunity to play with Fletcher Cox late in my career, and Fletcher Cox is the perfect type of superstar to play with because he's very team-oriented,” Long said. “There were times when, for Fletcher, it didn't matter who went home [on the pass rush]. He knew what he was creating, and it didn't have to be him making the game, and you could make the game with him.

According to multiple team sources, one of the defensive issues during the Eagles' collapse last season was independent work on the defensive front.

With a defensive backfield both deficient in talent and riddled with injuries, too many of the Eagles' pass rushers went about their business when the wheels started to fall off, which only exacerbated the problem.

Without Cox this season, a host of young players must be ready to step up inside, such as Georgia's duo of Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter, as well as rookie Milton Williams, who will demonstrate discipline in the pass rush . on.

All of these players will be an important key to the Eagles' presumed top rushers in 2024: free agent acquisition Bryce Huff, veterans Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, and another Georgia prospect with linebacker talent year Nolan Smith.

“People always ask, 'What's more beneficial, having a good rusher on the inside or having a great rusher in front of you (on the outside)?' And while it's good to talk about the bookends, I think having a guy on the inside is really transformational for an edge rusher,” Long said.

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