5 Eagles heading into 2024 poised for Pro Bowl jump

There’s a hallway in the NovaCare Complex with images of every Eagles player who has ever made a Pro Bowl.

There’s a chance a few more could be added in 2024 if things go well.

The Eagles had eight Pro Bowlers last season: Jalen Hurts, D’Andre Swift, A.J. Brown, Lane Johnson, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Haason Reddick, Darius Slay.

Here are some candidates to become first-time Pro Bowlers in 2024:

1. Jordan Mailata

Not only did Mailata start every game for the Eagles at left tackle last season but he played every single offensive snap. And he has proven himself to be one of the top offensive tackles in the NFL. If he keeps it up, it’s just a matter of time before he starts getting some accolades.

The former seventh-round pick has made great strides for a newcomer to football and this offseason signed another extension. This time, he got a three-year, $66 million extension that will keep him under contract through the 2028 season. If all goes to plan, he’ll pick up at least a couple of Pro Bowl nods in those five seasons.

Entering the 2024 season, ProFootballFocus ranked Mailata as the No. 5 overall offensive tackle in the NFL. The problem is that the four players ahead of him — Trent Williams, Tristan Wirfs, Penei Sewell and Christian Darrisaw — are all also in the NFC.

Last year, the NFC Pro Bowl offensive tackles were Williams, Sewell, *Wirfs and Mailata’s teammate Lane Johnson. Wirfs replaced Williams, who played in the Super Bowl. It won’t be easy for any of them to be overtaken this year, although both Williams and Johnson are well into their 30s now.

Sometimes it takes offensive linemen some extra years to earn accolades but Mailata has been good for long enough to be in that territory. If he has another season in 2024 like he did in 2023, he’ll have a chance.

2. Jalen Carter

The 2023 first-round pick was well on his way to a Rookie of the Year award and a Pro Bowl nod in the first half of last season. But Carter (and the rest of the Eagles’ defense) fell off in the second half of the year.

But after a six-sack season as a rookie, there’s no doubt that the future seems extremely bright for Carter — and four of those sacks came in the first eight games of the season.

The NFC Pro Bowl defensive tackles last season were Aaron Donald, Dexter Lawrence, Javon Hargrave and Kenny Clark, who replaced Hargrave as he prepared for the Super Bowl.

Here’s a look at their stats from 2023 compared to Carter’s stats:

Aaron Donald: 8 sacks, 23 QB hits, 16 TFLs, 53 tackles
Dexter Lawrence: 4 1/2 sacks, 21 QB hits, 7 TFLs, 53 tackles
Javon Hargrave: 7 sacks, 14 QB hits, 8 TFLs, 44 tackles
*Kenny Clark: 7 1/2 sacks, 16 QB hits, 9 TFLs, 44 tackles

Jalen Carter: 6 sacks, 9 QB hits, 8 TFLs, 33 tackles

Carter was on the kind of pace that would have made him a Pro Bowler and if he can be more consistent, he can get there. The good news for Carter is that perennial Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer Aaron Donald retired this offseason, so there’s one guy not standing in his way.

3. Dallas Goedert

This is Goedert’s annual inclusion on this list. Because while Goedert has been one of the better tight ends in the NFL for several years now, that first Pro Bowl has still eluded him. A big reason is the time he’s missed with injuries. Goedert was well on his way to Pro Bowl status in 2022 before getting hurt.

In his six-year career, Goedert has played a full season just once and that came as a rookie in 2018, when he was still playing behind Zach Ertz. In the seasons since his rookie year, Goedert has played 15, 11, 15, 12 and 14 games.

Last season, the NFC Pro Bowl tight ends were George Kittle, Sam LaPorta and Jake Ferguson, who replaced Kittle. Here’s a look at their stats from 2023:

George Kittle: 65 catches, 1,020 yards, 6 touchdowns
Sam LaPorta: 86 catches, 889 yards, 10 touchdowns
*Jake Ferguson: 71 catches, 761 yards, 5 touchdowns

Dallas Goedert: 59 catches, 592 yards, 3 touchdowns

Not only did Goedert miss time but his yards-per-game average of 42.3 came in lower than those other three. So it’s about more than availability.

But the Eagles have a new offensive scheme in 2023 and perhaps Kellen Moore’s offense will help Goedert earn some of those accolades he’s been missing. But, then again, there are a lot of mouths to feed in this offense and there’s a chance Goedert’s numbers won’t rise.

4. DeVonta Smith

If Smith wasn’t playing on a team with A.J. Brown, there’s a chance he’d already be a Pro Bowler. There’s no questioning Smith’s talent and there’s a reason the Eagles jumped at the first opportunity to extend him this offseason.

While Brown has undoubtedly put up better numbers than Smith over the last two years, Smith has still had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons as the No. 2 option in the offense. And there could be a year where his stats see a major bump, especially if defenses begin to work overtime to take Brown out of the action.

The NFC ended up with six Pro Bowl receivers last season because of two replacements:

CeeDee Lamb: 135 catches, 1,749 yards, 12 touchdowns
A.J. Brown: 106 catches, 1,456 yards, 7 touchdowns
Mike Evans: 79 catches, 1,255 yards, 13 touchdowns
Puka Nacua: 105 catches, 1,486 yards, 6 touchdowns
*Amon-Ra St. Brown: 119 catches, 1,515 yards, 10 touchdowns
*DK Metcalf: 66 catches, 1,114 yards, 8 touchdowns

DeVonta Smith: 81 catches, 1,066 yards, 7 touchdowns

Those are some impressive stats from the receivers who were named Pro Bowlers in the NFC last season. Smith would need a big boost to get to that level but the change at offensive coordinator could help Smith as much as anyone in the Eagles’ offense. Based on Smith’s career at Alabama, the Eagles have just scratched the surface with the Heisman Trophy winner. A huge breakout season wouldn’t be a shocker.

5. Bryce Huff

The Eagles this offseason brought in Huff on a three-year, $51.1 million contract because they believe he’s an ascending edge rusher who is ready to enter the prime of his career.

In his first four seasons with the Jets, Huff was productive as a rotational player and he broke out with 10 sacks in 2023. Even though he had just 7 1/2 in his three previous seasons, the advanced analytics suggested that Huff has been one of the most efficient edge rushers in the NFL for a while.

With the Eagles, Huff will be a starter and will have a chance to maximize his production with way more playing time. But it still won’t be easy to crack the Pro Bowl roster, which had four players in the NFC last year:

Nick Bosa: 10 1/2 sacks, 35 QB hits, 16 TFLs, 2 FF
Montez Sweat: 12 1/2 sacks, 25 QB hits, 14 TFLs, 3 FF
Aidan Hutchinson: 11 1/2 sacks, 33 QB hits, 14 TFLs, 3 FF
*DeMarcus Lawrence: 4 sacks, 8 QB hits, 10 TFLs, 1 FF

Bryce Huff (with Jets): 10 sacks, 21 QB hits, 10 TFLs, 0 FF

There are some obvious questions about how prepared Huff is to play almost double his career-high in snaps from the 2023 season but if he’s able to do it, he could be very productive. The Pro Bowl is a realistic possibility.

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