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Last year's finish was a disaster for Philly. After starting off 10-1, the Eagles went 1-5 to finish out the regular season. In the postseason, their 2024 campaign finished in the Wild Card Round. For most of us, we know the coaching and play-calling was horrific, which led to their ultimate demise.
With all of the player and coaching turnover this offseason, did this team do enough to redirect themselves back to the Super Bowl? In 2024, my 2nd-ranked team looks to rebound in a big way.
Photo: Derik Hamilton/Associated Press
Strengths
Elite Level Offense
Deep Edge Group
Revitalized Secondary
The Eagles are set up to have a top 5 offense in 2024, and may even finish in the top 3. Jalen Hurts should make noticeable improvements now that he'll be playing in a competent offensive scheme, Saquon Barkley finally gets to run behind a great offensive line, and the receiving weapons are abundant. AJ Brown is cementing himself as a top 5 WR, DeVonta Smith is his perfect running mate, and Dallas Goedert is an uber-reliable target. Oh, did I mention the insanely good OL? Even without Kelce, they still project to be a top 5 unit.
On the other side of the ball, this edge rushing unit looks even better than a year ago. Bryce Huff is one of the most efficient pass rushers in the league, as he's posted a 20.32% pressure rate over the past two seasons, and he finished 15th in total pressures with 67 this past season. He's joined by Josh Sweat - who is one of the most underrated defenders in the league, seasoned vet Brandon Graham, and young stud Nolan Smith Jr.
When this defense fell apart last season, it was mainly due to their poor play at cornerback. To make up for this, the Eagles snagged Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with their first two picks, and they have plenty of versatility with where they can line up. Darius Slay Jr is still locked in as the CB1, Quinyon can play in either the CB2 or nickel role, Cooper DeJean could also play nickel or even move to safety, and that's not even mentioning bringing back CJ Gardner-Johnson, and getting Isaiah Rodgers reinstated from a season long suspension. This secondary looks much better than last year, and most of these defenders fit Vic Fangio's zone-match style.
Weaknesses
Linebacker Core
Interior Defensive Line Group
Vic Fangio
Unless Devin White becomes a non-liability in coverage, and Zack Baun finally puts together a worthwhile season as an off-ball backer, I believe this LB group is in for a rude awakening. This defense requires LBs to be good in coverage, and these two are anything but that. Devin has graded out as one of the worst LBs in the league since being selected 5th overall in 2019, and Zack has played just 180 coverage snaps in his career. Nakobe Dean has yet to be trusted in a starting role, and rookie Jeremiah Trotter Jr doesn't have the athleticism to be anything more than an early down LB. Jalyx Hunt could be an interesting LB candidate, as he has an array of coverage experience from his college days.
I ragged on Jalen Carter during the pre-draft process in 2023, but he proved to me he can play at a high level regardless of snap count. I can't say the same for the rest of this unit though. Jordan Davis hasn't been the true run stuffing nose tackle we all thought he would be, and he struggled heavily in that area in the back half of last season, as he posted a sub-65 run defense grade in 8 of his last 11 games. Milton Williams makes up for that lack of run defense, but he struggles in pass rush with a 7.17% pressure rate from a 3-tech alignment. If Jordan can't be stronger as a run defender, and Milton continues to be a non-factor in pass rush, then this DL is going to get eaten alive.
From a coverage standpoint, the Eagles have a great foundation to work with for Fangio's zone-match scheme. Outside of that, I don't think the Eagles have the right pieces to make this system function at a high level. White is a solid blitzer, and Baun was used a lot more on the LOS last season and did decent as a pass rusher, but Vic consistently has one of the lowest blitz rates in the league. This means he'll rely heavily on his pass rush, and I'm not sold on this group to generate constant pressure outside of Josh Sweat, Bryce Huff, and Jalen Carter. If Nolan Smith Jr and Jordan Davis can put it together as pass rushers, and Brandon Graham has some juice left in the tank, then it's a different story.
Key Additions
Quinyon Mitchell - Cornerback
Cooper DeJean - Defensive Back
Bryce Huff - Edge Defender
Quinyon was my CB1 in this class, and for good reason. He played a lot of off-man coverage during his time at Toldeo, which is a perfect fit for this scheme. He's got dangerous closing speed on short routes, and he has the athleticism to travel with a receiver all along the field. If he improves his tackling, he could be a franchise piece on this defense.
Cooper DeJean was another solid addition based on process. The Eagles needed to improve their secondary, and Cooper has some solid contrasting traits to Quinyon. He's more of a zone savant who can tackle at a high level. He also has instinctual athletic traits when it comes to hip fluidity and change of direction. He's got flexibility to play inside or outside, and could even move to safety.
I talked about the upside Bryce brings as a pass rusher, but he's not a bad run stuffer either. On 134 run stopping snaps in 2023, he added 16 stops and only missed 1 tackle attempt. He's never been asked to play more than 500 snaps in a season, and if asked to start, it's uncertain how good he'll be as a run defender on 600+ snaps a season, but one thing is for certain, he's got a strong chance to lead the league in pressures if he gets that many opportunities.
Dark Horse
Kellen Moore - Offensive Coordinator
Tons of people are counting Kellen out before he's even had a chance to call plays for the Eagles. There's no question the Chargers offense struggled last year, but that was more to inept play from his skill position players and a downright horrible offensive line. Now, he'll work with one of the best offensive lines and skill position groups in the league. The offense should be much improved, and Kellen will play right into this teams' strengths.
Photo: Kiel Leggere/Philadelphia Eagles
Record
11-6
Despite their ranking, I think the Eagles will have an up and down season based on their inconsistent schedule. They open the season against a Packers team coming off a hot streak, but have a good chance to win against the Falcons, Saints, and Buccaneers in the following three contests. Next, they have a rough patch against the Browns, Giants, Bengals, Jaguars, and a road game against the Cowboys in their next five games. They'll wrap up their season taking on the Commanders twice, Rams, Ravens, Panthers, Steelers, Cowboys, and Giants. I think they hit their absolute floor with a surprising loss to the Panthers, but 11 wins is still good enough to win the division.
Final Notes
Anytime you change both coordinators two seasons in a row, you're gonna have a tough time stringing together wins consistently. I think the Eagles will find their footing in the second half of the season, and have a strong playoff run once this team has a true identity.
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