NFL teams
Matt Williamson, ESPN Staff Writer 8y

Keys to Eagles' turnaround on defense

NFL, Philadelphia Eagles

The Eagles are always among the most interesting teams in the NFL to discuss. But usually the narrative revolves around Chip Kelly, his fast-paced scheme and the offense.

These areas have been mostly negative during the 2015 season. And as Matt Bowen wrote last week, there is a very strong argument to be made that Kelly the general manager is more to blame for Philadelphia's offensive struggles than Kelly the head coach and offensive mastermind.

But let's give Kelly the general manager a ton of credit for what he has assembled on defense.

This is a very good and improving defense, and Kelly's offseason personnel moves have a lot to do with that. The Eagles used their first-round pick on WR Nelson Agholor, but then concentrated on the defense with the rest of the draft. Kelly has also gone out of his way, by making moves such as trading LeSean McCoy to Buffalo for Kiko Alonso, to get faster, younger and more athletic on the defensive side of the ball. It has paid off for the Eagles and has kept them in the midst of the NFC East race.

Here are a few key components to Philadelphia's strong play on defense.

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