Aug 8, 2014; Charlotte, NC, USA; Buffalo Bills defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz stands on the sidelines during the second half against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Buffalo defeated Carolina 20-18. Mandatory Credit: Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

It appears the Philadelphia Eagles hired the right man for the job when head coach Doug Pederson made Jim Schwartz his defensive coordinator; and in doing so, fans may be treated to a defense that could rank among the elite in 2016.

Schwartz brings a pedigree and a fire that Eagles fans haven’t seen since the passing of the late former defensive coordinator Jim Johnson in 2009. In a city where one of the greatest football memories was a game where several Washington Redskins were carted off and a running back had to come in to fill in at quarterback at the end, that may be exactly what Eagles fans wanted to hear.

The defensive line is young and well above average sporting the likes of Fletcher Cox, Bennie Logan and Vinny Curry. Many have placed a lot of hope in the possibility of adding former Ole Miss Rebels defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche to the fray; and though seeing Cox and Nkemdiche line up beside each other for the next few years sounds appetizing, the Eagles have other needs and that may not be a very real possibility any more.

There was some concern that some of the personnel decisions Schwartz made was an attempt to turn this new look Eagles defense into a newer version of the Buffalo Bills defense he helped craft (three former Bills who played under Schwartz have joined the team this off-season), but that’s really not a major reason for concern.

This team has the defensive line, a decent linebacker core with budding stars like Jordan Hicks, and two very good safeties (that hasn’t been the case for a while). Once Cox is given a new deal, this team will be playing together for a long time. Most importantly, they return to the familiar 4-3 defensive alignment. Schwartz has brought both enthusiasm and excitement. We haven’t seen either for quite some time.

Defensive rankings consist primarily of yards gained from scrimmage. That being said, seeing this team in the top five of NFL defenses may be a stretch; but seeing this team in the top five is a very real possibility.