The Eagles Have the NFL's Best Interior Defensive Line — And They Can Keep All Three

The Philadelphia Eagles lost Milton Williams to New England last March for $104 million. At the time, it felt like a gut punch. One of the key pieces of that Super Bowl LIX-winning defensive front, gone to a division rival's division rival for a king's ransom. Twelve months later, it might be the best thing that ever happened to this defense.

Because what Howie Roseman has right now — Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, and Moro Ojomo — isn't just a defensive tackle rotation. It's a weapon system. And with free agency opening on March 11, the most important move the Eagles can make has nothing to do with adding talent from outside. It's about locking down the three interior linemen they already have.

Jalen Carter: The Franchise Cornerstone

Let's start with the obvious. Jalen Carter is a two-time Pro Bowler at 24 years old. He's under contract in 2026, and the Eagles hold his fifth-year option for 2027 at $27.1 million. The price tag to extend him long-term is only going up.

Carter's 2025 season was complicated. He finished with three sacks, 33 tackles, 12 quarterback hits, and 41 pressures in just 11 games — injuries kept him off the field for six contests. That 60.1 PFF grade doesn't scream elite, and anyone throwing that number around as a reason to wait on an extension is missing the forest for the trees.

Here's what that number doesn't tell you: Carter was routinely double-teamed, sometimes triple-teamed, on every passing down. Offensive coordinators game-planned around him the way they used to game-plan around Fletcher Cox. When Carter was on the field, the rest of the defensive line ate. When he was off it, opposing quarterbacks had noticeably more time. The gravity Carter creates for everyone else is impossible to quantify in a box score.

The Athletic's blueprint piece this week suggested three new years at $105 million — $35 million per year — which would make Carter the highest-paid defensive tackle in football, surpassing Chris Jones' $31.75 million AAV in Kansas City. That sounds aggressive. It's not. It's the floor. By the time Carter actually hits free agency, the number will be $40 million-plus. Roseman knows this. That's why the smart money says the extension gets done before training camp.

Jordan Davis: The Breakout Nobody Predicted

For three years, the knock on Jordan Davis was that he was a space-eater. A 340-pound run-stuffer who clogged lanes and occasionally flashed pass-rush ability but never sustained it. The 2025 season obliterated that narrative.

Davis posted career highs across the board: 72 tackles, 4.5 sacks, nine tackles for loss, six quarterback hits, and six pass deflections. He started all 17 regular-season games and every playoff game — extending his streak to 56 consecutive starts. The man hasn't missed a game in three years. For a player his size, that durability alone is worth a premium.

But the play that defined Davis' season — and maybe his career trajectory — was the blocked field goal against the Rams. Final seconds, Eagles clinging to a 27-26 lead, Joshua Karty lining up what would have been the game-winner. Davis didn't just block it. He scooped it and scored, turning a survive-and-advance moment into a statement game. That play wasn't an accident. Carter and Davis had studied the Rams' field goal protection scheme and identified Karty's low kick trajectory. That's preparation meeting athleticism meeting 340 pounds of pure violence.

The Eagles exercised Davis' fifth-year option last April, keeping him under contract through 2026. But with the way he played in 2025, an extension is coming — and it should. The question isn't whether to pay Davis. It's whether the Eagles are disciplined enough to get it done before the market resets again.

Moro Ojomo: The Secret Weapon

If Carter is the franchise and Davis is the breakout, Moro Ojomo is the story nobody outside Philadelphia is paying attention to yet. And that's fine. The Eagles like it that way.

Ojomo, the Nigerian-born defensive tackle out of Texas, went from eight games as a rookie in 2023 to a rotational piece in 2024 to a full-blown starter in 2025. He played all 17 games (nine starts), logged 740 defensive snaps — 66% of the team's defensive total — and posted 38 tackles, six sacks, 12 quarterback hits, six tackles for loss, and 29 pressures. Every single one of those numbers was a career high.

Here's the number that should terrify the rest of the NFC East: Ojomo had more pass-rush production in 2025 than Milton Williams ever had in a single season as an Eagle. Williams got $104 million from New England. Ojomo is still on his rookie deal.

The fact that Ojomo recently changed agents — a classic sign that a player is gearing up for a significant payday — tells you everything about where this is headed. The Eagles need to get ahead of it. Sign Ojomo to an extension now, while the cost is still reasonable, before his 2026 season makes it even more expensive.

The Roseman Playbook: Why This Works

Paying three interior defensive linemen big money sounds reckless on paper. In practice, it's exactly how the modern NFL works. The salary cap is going up. Again. Every year. The teams that win are the ones that lock in elite talent before the market catches up to them.

Look at what's happening with Chris Jones in Kansas City. His $31.75 million AAV — the highest for a defensive tackle when he signed — is now creating a $44.85 million cap hit that's strangling the Chiefs' ability to build around him. The Chiefs waited, paid market rate, and are now stuck. Roseman has the chance to do the opposite: extend Carter, Davis, and Ojomo before the market explodes, structure the deals to spread cap hits across the rising salary cap, and keep the best interior defensive line in football together for the next half-decade.

The timing is perfect. Carter and Davis are under contract. Ojomo is on his rookie deal. None of them are hitting free agency this month. That means the Eagles have leverage — not total leverage, but enough to negotiate from a position of strength rather than desperation. This is exactly the kind of proactive roster management Roseman has built his reputation on.

The Bigger Picture: Vic Fangio's Defense Runs Through the Interior

This isn't just about the money. It's about the scheme. Vic Fangio's defensive philosophy has always prioritized interior pressure. His 3-4 base puts enormous responsibility on the defensive tackles to win one-on-ones, occupy blockers, and create lanes for blitzing linebackers. Without elite play at the position, the entire defense collapses.

Carter, Davis, and Ojomo give Fangio something most defensive coordinators dream about: three legitimate starters who can rotate without a drop-off. Carter is the penetrating three-technique who draws double teams and wrecks game plans. Davis is the mammoth nose tackle who stuffs the run and has evolved into a legitimate pass-rush threat. Ojomo is the Swiss Army knife — equally effective as a rusher and against the run, capable of playing any interior spot on any down.

When you pair that interior with Jaelan Phillips and Nolan Smith Jr. on the edge — with Phillips potentially re-signing after his impressive showing in 2025 — you're looking at a front that can generate pressure without blitzing. That's the holy grail of defensive football. It means Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean can play aggressive coverage without worrying about blown assignments. It means Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell can fly around in space instead of being asked to manufacture pressure.

The Bottom Line

The Eagles don't need to win free agency next week. They don't need to make a splash trade. They need to take care of their own house. Carter's extension should be the top priority — exercise the fifth-year option, then immediately negotiate a long-term deal in the $35 million AAV range. Lock in Davis before his market explodes. Get Ojomo signed before he has another career year and demands Milton Williams money.

Three interior defensive linemen. Three extensions. One dominant defense for the next five years. That's not reckless spending. That's Howie Roseman building a dynasty from the inside out — exactly the way championship defenses are built.