Before we start, I do want to mention that I think the Eagles are going to have a good year. I’ll be surprised if they don’t win at least 11 games, and I think 12 is a reasonable expectation.
I’ve got them winning the NFC East, and I believe that along with the 49ers and Lions, they’re one of the three-best teams in the conference.
That said, there are questions. There are concerns. There are players and position groups that will have to come up big if they are going to win 11 or 12 games.
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So as we sit here just six days before opening day, here’s a look at 10 areas of concern for me.
Stopping the blitz: This might have been the single biggest issue with the Eagles at the end of last year. By the time they got to Tampa for the wild-card game, everyone knew they couldn’t stop the blitz, and they didn’t even seem to be trying. It was a disaster and rendered the offense useless. Some of it was on Brian Johnson, who’s gone, and some of it was on Nick Sirianni, who’s no longer running the offense. Some of it was on Jalen Hurts, but for the most part he just didn’t have answers when teams brought an extra rusher. There were no adjustments. There was no plan. This year there will be a plan – it’s been a big focus of the preseason – but it’s up to Hurts and the offensive line to carry out the plan because you know teams are going to attack with pressure until the Eagles prove they can not only stop it but make big plays against it.
The Jordan Davis question: We’ve spoken all summer about Davis’s drop off last year after a hot start. Davis has said all the right things about fitness and consistency, but with Fletcher Cox and his 46 snaps per game gone, Davis has to be a major factor all year. Not for a month or two. All year. He played 30 snaps per game last year, but when you’re the 13th pick in the draft and your Hall of Fame teammate just retired, you better be ready to bump that number up significantly. Last year, Davis had 2 ½ sacks, five QB hits, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble after seven games. He had no sacks, no QB hits, no TFL and no forced fumbles in the next 11 games. That has to change.
Are the linebackers good enough: They’re better than last year, that goes without saying. But are they good enough? Devin White didn’t have much of a training camp, Zach Baun is playing a new position, Nakobe Dean had the best camp out of the group but we don’t even know if he’s going to be starting and then there’s Oren Burks, who missed almost all of camp but looked good when he finally got back. I’m not sure exactly what the Eagles have here, but it’s a typical group of Eagles linebackers because there are no big contracts and question marks across the board. Baun wasn’t bad during camp, but Dean has to play. We’ll see how that goes. No team is going to be elite across the board. If the Eagles’ linebackers are mediocre it’ll be a major upgrade.
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Can they get pressure: Josh Sweat disappeared the second half of last year; Bryce Huff had 10 sacks with the Jets but has never been a full-time starter and is now being paid like one; Nolan Smith is still in the project category; and Brandon Graham is 36. That’s your group of edge rushers, and there’s certainly potential here. Sweat was a double-digit sack guy two years ago, Huff has a ton of potential, and Smith was a 1st-round pick last year for a reason. Jalen Carter is going to be a force rushing the passer, but when it comes to outside pressure, there are question marks all over the place. The Eagles were 4th in the NFL with 24 sacks through seven games, then 29th the rest of the year with just 19 over the last 10 games. They have to get back on that first seven games pace to make life difficult for opposing QBs. Who’s going to lead this group?
Will Jalen Hurts bounce back: Hurts was so pedestrian late last season it was shocking to watch. There was so much dysfunction going on all over the place it was just a very difficult atmosphere to succeed in. Things certainly seem to be in a better place now. Hurts appears to have a strong relationship with Kellen Moore and it looks like he’s got a comfort level in Moore’s offense. But he didn’t play in the preseason and all we really have to go on is a very good training camp. If Hurts isn’t elite, the Eagles won’t be elite. He's got weapons all over the place, a talented new play caller and there’s no reason he can’t recapture the form that saw him go 27-2 from December 2021 to November 2023. I expect he will. But the way last year ended definitely planted some seeds of doubt.
Interior o-line: Cam Jurgens had a good camp, has a great attitude and seems wired the right way to be able to replace a Hall of Famer. But he’s still got to go out and do it, and he’s replacing one of the greatest to ever play the game. A big concern with Jurgens is whether he can stay healthy. He missed six games playing right guard last year – that’s more than Kelce missed over the last 11 years. And with Jurgens moving to center, it also creates questions at right guard, where Mekhi Becton will be the largest starting guard in NFL history. It’s a new position for him, and he’s a work in progress. The potential is there for this to be an exceptional o-line, even without Kelce. When you start with Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson, you’re on the way to greatness. But when your center and right guard are both playing their position for the first time in the NFL, it’s a concern.
Can Saquon stay healthy: It’s exciting to think of the possibilities that Saquon Barkley brings the offense. But injuries have been an issue for Barkley, and over the last four years he’s averaged a pedestrian 4.0 yards per carry – 23rd-best out of 29 running backs with at least 500 carries since 2020. But Barkley has also always been the focus of opposing defenses, and that won’t be the case this year, and with this o-line – which is far better than any o-line he played behind with the Giants – he should be much more than a 4.0-yards-per-carry back. The eight-longest TDs of Barkley’s career were all from 2018 through 2020, and he’s got to prove he’s still got that explosive big-play potential to take pressure off the passing game.
How will new defensive pieces come together: On paper, the Eagles have upgraded at linebacker (Devin White, Zach Baun, Oren Burks, Jeremiah Trotter Jr. and an improved Nakobe Dean), at cornerback (Quinyon Mitchell, Isaiah Rodgers, Cooper DeJean, improved Kelee Ringo) and at safety (Chauncey Gardner-Johnson for Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds), but with all these new players – potentially eight new starters, including the slot – as well as a new coordinator and five new position coaches all operating a new scheme, growing pains are a concern. There is so much newness on the defensive side of the ball, and it may take a while before it all comes together. There’s no question the Eagles are more talented this year than last on defense, but communication, chemistry and cohesion are different than talent, and there’s a chance the offense may have to carry the team until the defense can get on the proverbial same page.
Life without Fletch: Fletcher Cox was still playing at a very high level when he retired, and as much as the Eagles have tried to prepare for life after Fletch with Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams, Cox was still one of the best interior lineman in the league, and the Eagles are going to have to replace his leadership, his experience, his pass rush, his run defense and his 46 snaps per game. And until this group proves it’s up for the task – and for 17 games of consistent production – the interior d-line is going to come under a lot of scrutiny.
Can young d-backs hold up: This is a really impressive group of young defensive backs – Cooper DeJean is 21, Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks 22, Quinyon Mitchell 23, Reed Blankenship and Tristin McCollum 25 and Isaiah Rodgers and C.J. Gardner-Johnson 26. DeJean and Mitchell are rookies, Ringo will be in a larger role than last year, Rodgers wasn’t in any role last year, and Vic Fangio is going to ask a lot out of these young guys. He has no choice because they’re not just the future of the Eagles’ secondary, they’re the present. They’ve all been impressive throughout the summer, but the regular season is a different animal. They’re going to face some elite receivers and tight ends, they’re going to be challenged by some world-class quarterbacks, and they’re going to get beat and they’re going to have to rebound. After last year, when the Eagles ranked 31st in the NFL in pass defense, they needed an injection of youth and speed. They got it, and the future looks bright, but there could be some speed bumps along the way.
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