The Eagles and Patriots have a fair bit in common. Both are undefeated and both are playing with quarterbacks they didn't plan to be starting. Both teams have generated abundant national attention for their early-season success.
But the similarities go deeper than that. When you talk to evaluators and personnel executives about the two clubs, talk doesn't center so much on the likes of Carson Wentz and Jimmy Garoppolo. What these men see in the two franchises is a smart and systematic approach to filling out their roster with veterans via free agency and/or trades who perfectly fit with the scheme. For two teams that were a little short on draft picks, finding calculated bargains is essential. The production the Eagles and Pats are receiving from a group of players who have received very little attention shouldn't be overlooked.
"[Eagles general manager] Howie [Roseman] gets all the headlines for Wentz, but look at the defense," said one evaluator who has broken down the Eagles defense several times on tape. "Look at how they put together that unit, and where they came from. Besides [defensive tackle Fletcher] Cox, it's been free agents. When you watch the film, it's [Connor] Barwin, [Nigel] Bradham, [Leodis] McKelvin, [Rodney] McLeod, [Malcolm] Jenkins. New England is doing the same thing. Besides [Jamie] Collins and [Dont'a] Hightower, the front seven is all free agents."
Indeed, the Patriots are continuing to find gems in players that lesser teams continue to discard. Starting ends Chris Long and Jabaal Sheard are playing at a very high level, and were signed after being no longer wanted by the hapless Rams and Browns. Tackle Alan Branch and linebacker Jonathan Freeny came after the struggling 49ers and Dolphins moved on from them. Starting safety Patrick Chung was signed off the street as well.
There are pretty similar compositions for two of what have been the better defenses in the NFL this season. None of the above mentioned free agents is making big money and none is limiting the ability of the team to spend big re-signing its growing group of home-grown defensive stars. The group the Eagles brought in this offseason all have very strong ties to new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, and have helped teach the scheme to the rest of the group and act as extensions of the coaching staff on field.
It appears to be a very strong mix for both teams, and without the performances of these defenses, the novice quarterbacks they are cultivating wouldn't be positioned nearly as well to succeed. It's been a somewhat hidden reason for the fast starts for these two teams, but it isn't being overlooked by their peers who have to study their game film each week.
