ProFootballFocus.com, the website which grades every player in the NFL on every play of the season, has reviewed the 2011 season and focused on those players who provided a surprise performance based on their past play. For the Eagles, the most pleasant surprise, according to ProFootballFocus, was defensive tackle Derek Landri, who spent training camp with the Eagles and then re-signed with the team early in the season after Antonio Dixon was placed on injured reserve.
Landri proved to be a good fit in Jim Washburn's attack-heavy defensive line scheme and was able to generate consistent pressure.
"What was so impressive was how the former Jaguar was able to make plays rushing the passer and defending the run, showing the kind of discipline that the scheme relies on," wrote Khaled Elsayed. "Great find."
Landri is a free agent to be, so it remains to be seen whether he'll be back in midnight green next season. Either way, the Eagles more than got their money's worth from Landri in 2011, as he notched 43 tackles and 2.0 sacks in 12 games.
On the flip side, cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha checked in with the biggest grade dropoff from 2010 to 2011, though that has more to do with his astronomically impressive 2010 grade than anything else. Most of Asomugha's negative grades came early in the season when he and the defense were still getting their feet wet in the new scheme.
Finally, ProFootballFocus determined one player who should be in for a bigger role in the future - defensive end Phillip Hunt. The former Canadian Football League sack champion whom the Eagles plucked from obscurity early last offseason, Hunt forced his way onto the opening day roster after a strong preseason performance. Hunt got his most significant chance to impress at the end of the season, when he recorded 2.0 sacks in the final four games and provided an impressive pass rush.
"His rate of generating pressure reminds me of the impact another former CFL player had; Cameron Wake," wrote Elsayed. "There's good reason to think Hunt can succeed, but the question becomes who do you take off the field for him?"
Finding snaps for Hunt among the Eagles' crop of defensive ends that includes Pro Bowlers Jason Babin and Trent Cole, along with 2010 first-round pick Brandon Graham, Darryl Tapp and Juqua Parker is one of those problems you like to have. And with Washburn's constant rotation, there should be plenty of opportunity for Hunt to increase his impact in 2012.
