Normally, when you think of a team defending its Super Bowl championship, you think of the glamorous positions. How will the quarterback impact a return to the top? What about a superstar pass rusher?
But for the Philadelphia Eagles, it may be a man in the middle, who the rest of the NFL hasn't really heard of, that makes an outsized difference.
The man named as the Eagles' X-factor for the season by ESPN's Ben Solak is defensive tackle Moro Ojomo.
The basic premise is that Philadelphia's defense has lost a lot from the group that helped hoist the Lombardi Trophy. Whether the new Eagles defenders step up will go a long way toward this season's outcome.
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Ojomo was already around in 2024, but he'll be in a bigger spot this time around.
"Many next-guy-up options were available here," Solak said. "Edge rushers Nolan Smith Jr. and Jalyx Hunt must replace the lost snaps of Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham, while guard Tyler Steen must step into Mekhi Becton's shoes. But I chose Ojomo, who has to replace the outgoing Milton Williams at defensive tackle, because Ojomo has the best chance to become a sudden star."
The 2023 seventh-round pick out of Texas graded out very well in a lot of ways last season.
"Ojomo is fresh off his best NFL season, which went underreported behind the career year from Williams," Solak writes. "Ojomo's game is better against the run, and while he had solid pressure production (9.3% pressure rate on 248 pass rushes as compared with Williams' 12.9% on 271 rushes), Ojomo did not bring down the quarterback (zero sacks as compared with Williams' five)."
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It appears the Eagles noticed, because they didn't try to find a replacement for Williams from outside the organization.
"Ojomo's film was enough that the Eagles made almost no additions behind him on the depth chart, only bringing in fourth-round rookie Ty Robinson," Solak writes. "That implies Ojomo will get all of Williams' third-and-long opportunities beside Jalen Carter. If Ojomo can turn his pressures into sacks at a league-average rate, expect him to start getting the same hype Williams did last season."
It's really hard to go back-to-back as Super Bowl champs. It won't be easy for the Eagles, that's for sure, especially with so much of the defense gone.
But Ojomo has a chance to make a huge impact in potentially returning to the big game.
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