Let’s look at the 2023 defensive players we lost, their replacements and see if it’s an upgrade or not.
- Lost Dorance Armstrong in FA who was responsible for 19 sacks in his last 3 seasons here. Replaced by Injured and unreliable Sam Williams and rookie Marshawn Kneeland. Upgrade? No…not yet anyway.
- Lost DT Jonathan Hankins who was our best run stopper. Replaced by dumpster dive people like Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips, and 2023 bust Mazi Smith. Upgrade? No.
- Lost LB LVE to injury and retirement. Replaced by 32 year old FA Eric Kendricks. Upgrade? Yes. But at 32 not for long. Will 2024 3rd round pick Marist Liafau develop? Maybe. Second year LB DeMarvion Overshown has shown flashes of being a real find but he’s not a MLB type.
- Lost CB Stephon Gilmore to FA. Replaced by Trevon Diggs who was coming off major knee surgery last year. Upgrade? Not sure. So far it hasn’t been. Gilmore wasn’t that great last year.
- Lost S Jayron Kearse in FA. He has been replaced by Malik Hooker. I would say it’s close to a push but not really an upgrade.
So did I think this was a better defense than last year in training camp this summer? No. But I confess they are even worse than I expected. They have had lots of injuries yes but even at full strength this D cannot stop the run.