Eagles Look Poised to Repeat as NFC Champions, Barring Injuries to Key Players
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PSF) - After a heartbreaking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 57, it appeared the Eagles may be in line for a down year with so many key players considering retirement or entering free agency after a career year. Despite this, the team was able to bring back both Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, cementing the offensive line, while retaining Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox.
The Eagles were unable to keep starters at running back with Miles Sanders, right guard with Isaac Seumola, Javon Hargrave at defensive tackle, both Kyzir White and T.J. Edwards at inside linebacker, as well as C.J. Gardner Johnson and Marcus Epps at safety. However, the team made a slew of bargain bin replacements, and drafted Jalen Carter ninth overall to step in for them.
At running back the team adds De’Andre Swift, a local kid who myself and many others saw dominate while playing for Saint Joe’s Prep in high school, and former Seahawks first round pick Rashad Penny. Swift brings a jack-of-all trades skill set similar to Kenneth Gainwell and appears in line to win the starting position, where he will see bigger running lanes than ever before, moving from a mediocre Detroit offensive line to one of the best groups in the history of the NFL. Penny brings a bruising style to the position and will likely play a similar role to LeGarrette Blount, who many fans will remember dominating in short yardage situations on the road to a Super Bowl win just a few years ago.
The Eagles offense actually looks to be a lot better than a year ago, with young players like Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and DeVonta Smith all in line to improve with upgrades at running back and virtually the same offensive line.
Defensively the team may struggle at inside linebacker and safety with a group of cheap free agents like Nicholas Morrow, Terell Edmunds, and Justin Evans as well as recent draft picks like Nakobe Dean and Sydney Brown set to compete for starting roles. Morrow, Edmunds, and Evans have had up and down careers elsewhere, so it wouldn’t be totally shocking for them to turn in career years behind the dominant Eagles defensive line. It also wouldn’t be shocking to see them struggle. Either way, it appears very likely that these will be the weakest positions on the roster so expect the always active General Manager Howie Roseman to scour the market for affordable players elsewhere.
On the defensive line, it appears last year's 13th overall pick Jordan Davis is set to step in for Javon Hargrave but will have to compete with his former Georgia teammate Jalen Carter for the role. While it's unlikely either young player will make the same impact as the veteran Hargrave, all reports suggest that they have been making great progress in offseason workouts, and the team didn’t move up to draft both players for nothing.
Defensive stars like Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham, Hasson Reddick, Fletcher Cox, James Bradburry, and Darius Slay are all returning, so barring major injury issues the defense appears to be one of the top units in the NFL once again.
Considering just how dominant this team was while going 14-3 last year, it appears likely the Eagles will have a great chance to win a Super Bowl should the key players stay healthy. In fact, Jalen Hurts sat out due to injury during two of the team’s three regular season losses and went 16-2 as a starter including the playoffs, losing to division rival Washington and the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl where he played a near perfect game.
Some regression is to be expected given the more difficult schedule. The floor for this team with a healthy Jalen Hurts looks to be about 11-6, and it seems likely they will finish the season with anywhere between 12-14 wins. The San Francisco 49ers appear to be the only team on par with them, and it appears very possible they will once again meet for the NFC championship game.
