Philadelphia’s season was once again derailed by a Carson Wentz injury. He was hurt on a late hit by Jadeveon Clowney in the wild card round against Seattle. Philadelphia’s receiving core was shredded with injuries at the end of the year and Wentz was throwing to receivers that might not have made another team’s rosters.
Philadelphia is hoping the additions of Nickell Robey-Coleman and Darius Slay in the secondary fix another weak spot on the roster. The Eagles also added a plethora of receivers during the offseason and have two impactful running backs. All of the needs have seemingly been addressed and Philadelphia is poised for another deep playoff run.
Make sure to check out all of our in-depth power rankings here.
- Overall – 83.888 (6th)
- Offense – 84.87 (6th)
- Defense – 80.79 (15th)
- Coach and Culture – 82.25, (T-12th)
- Home Field Advantage – 83, 12th (4% Defense, 2% Overall)
Quarterbacks – 88.5, 6th (36% Offense, 27% Overall)
Wentz played in all 16 games for the first time since his rookie year. The Eagles weren’t as good as many expected them to be due to the awful secondary and most of Wentz’s weapons going down with injuries. Despite those issues, he still threw for over 4,000 yards and 27 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. With a much improved supporting cast, Wentz should once again put up MVP numbers. Despite having Wentz though, the Eagles made quite the peculiar move in the second round of the draft.
Jalen Hurts was the selection in the second round. Hurts will likely be the third option on the quarterback chart. It was a bit of a headscratcher when they made this move. Especially with how the offseason has gone, Hurts might not even see the field this year other than in a wildcat role. I for one had Hurts as a day-three prospect and Philadelphia could’ve easily used that second-round selection elsewhere.
Nate Sudfeld is the backup once again this year. Doug Pederson has shown a ton of faith in him and once again did so after the Hurts selection by saying Sudfeld is the backup. Kyle Lauletta was once a third-round selection who never got a chance at the starting role as a developmental project that many analysts had a ton of faith in.
Running Backs – 82.5, T-15th (4% Offense, 3% Overall)
Miles Sanders had an excellent rookie season despite splitting time with Jordan Howard. Sanders averaged over 14 attempts in after week nine and continuously showed progression. He is great in pass work and can also block when needed. Sanders caught 50 passes for 509 yards and three touchdowns to go along with his 818 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns. He will once again be in a bit of a timeshare as Boston Scott was an absolute animal in the final weeks of the regular season last year. Scott had 459 total yards and seven touchdowns during his time where fans got to know his name.
Corey Clement was one of the key players during the Super Bowl run a few years ago and is now relegated to the third option. Elijah Holyfield is on the roster but will likely be cut in favor of two young rookies as he hasn’t shown the flashes he did during his time in college. Michael Warren and Adrian Killins were two great additions as undrafted free agents. Warren gives the Eagles the power back they don’t have while Killins is similar to Scott. One or even both could make the roster.
Pass Catchers – 81.5, 15th (17% Offense, 8% Overall)
The Eagles put an emphasis on adding to their depleted receiver room by adding three players in the draft and trading for another. Alshon Jeffery could very well be on his way out with the new additions and he also has had trouble staying healthy since coming to Philadelphia. DeSean Jackson returns this year and while he only played three games, appeared to be right at home again in Philadelphia.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside had a horrendous rookie season. The moves the Eagles made in the offseason show that they aren’t that confident in him following his rookie season where he caught ten passes for 169 yards and a touchdown. Shelton Gibson and Deontay Burnett remain on the roster as young players but they have failed to find a role and were beat out by Greg Ward. He had 28 catches for 254 yards and a touchdown despite only playing in seven games.
Philadelphia added four receivers during the draft. Jalen Reagor was their first-round selection and could take over for Jackson once he retires. He is a deep threat who could line up in the slot this year and be on the field at the same time as Jackson and Marquise Goodwin, who the team traded for during the draft.
The element of speed was what the front office focused on during the offseason. With the receiving core and Goodwin is one, if not the fastest player in the league. He broke out in 2017 but hasn’t been the same since due to injuries and an improved San Francisco receiving core. John Hightower could very well be Jeffery’s replacement and is similar to Robby Anderson in terms of his skill set. Quez Watkins was the third and final receiver the Eagles selected during the draft and has elite speed as well.
Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert were the two leading receivers for the Eagles last year. The two combined for over 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns and return again this year. Ertz is one of the best tight ends in the league and Goedert would be a starter for just about every other team in the league. Josh Perkins also factored in last year catching nine passes and a touchdown.
Offensive Line – 82.5, T-9th (24% Offense, 12% Overall)
Philadelphia finished 1st in the league for their offensive line according to PFF. With Jason Peters gone, Andre Dillard will now take over the left tackle spot. Dillard will likely go through some growing pains but the potential is there for him to have a great career for the Eagles. Brandon Brooks was poised to start at right guard again this year before suffering a season-ending injury.
Matt Pryor and Jack Driscoll will likely be the ones competing for that starting spot. My money is on Driscoll winning that battle as he was one of my favorite tackles in the draft. Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce return again this year as two of the best linemen in the league while Isaac Seumalo will once again slot in as the left guard.
Prince Tega Wanogho had a ton of day-two talk but slipped to day three and was a steal of a pick by the Eagles. Jordan Mailata is the other backup tackle and is still developing as a football player. Nate Herbig offers some good depth as well.
Run Defense – 88.5, 2nd (6% Defense, 2% Overall)
Philadelphia finished third in run defense last year but decided to still add another interior presence. Fletcher Cox is now teamed up with Javon Hargrave, and that duo rivals the duo of Ndamukong Suh and Vita Vea in Tampa Bay. And the depth is deep as well.
Malik Jackson wasn’t the player many expected him to be after he left Denver and flamed out in Jacksonville but will play a role in the rotation this year. Anthony Rush, Haason Ridgeway, and Albert Huggins will all factor into the rotation on the interior. The linebacking core brings this grade down a lot and is a liability on the defense.
Pass Rush – 86.5, 3rd (21% Defense, 10% Overall)
The Eagles finished with 43 sacks last year. Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett are a great duo on the edge and combined for 15 sacks last year. Josh Sweat had four sacks in a rotational role and will find himself with more snaps due to the departure of Vinny Curry during the offseason. Genard Avery was acquired in a trade early in the season last year but couldn’t find the field.
With Curry leaving, hopefully, Avery can find a role and show why he was acquired. Daeshon Hall had an excellent preseason last year and will have to fight for a roster spot once again. Shareef Miller was a fourth-round selection last year and played two snaps on special teams, that’s it. Joe Ostman rounds out the depth on the edge. There is a ton of depth here. All of them need to put it together and produce more than last year.
Cox and Hargrave will terrorize opponents from the interior and combined for 7.5 sacks last year. Nate Gerry is one of the starters at linebacker and had 2.5 sacks last year.
Linebackers – 68.5, 31st (15% Defense, 4% Overall)
This is where things get bad. T.J. Edwards was a phenomenal undrafted free agent signee but besides him, the linebacking core is abysmal. Gerry is good in coverage but will get overpowered in run defense, while Duke Riley isn’t a starter in the league. Jatavis Brown was added late in the offseason and couldn’t find the field as a starter last year for the Chargers. Davion Taylor has a ton of developmental opportunity, but he doesn’t really have anyone to key on for the experience.
Secondary – 82, 13th (26% Defense, 17% Overall)
Philadelphia made the move to bring in Darius Slay before the draft. Slay had the worst year of his career last year while trying to force himself out of the organization. If he can prove that he’s his old self, the Eagles got a steal. Avonte Maddox will line up opposite of Slay and had ten pass deflections last year. Sidney Jones needs to show he can stay healthy and showed some improvement and showed some flashbacks back to his college days last year. Rasul Douglas will fight with Jones for snaps. Nickell Robey-Colman will immediately start in the nickel and the addition of him and Slay makes the Eagles secondary look a whole lot better on paper.
Rodney McLeod ranked third in tackles and had six pass deflections and two interceptions last year. Jalen Mills will finally make the move from cornerback to safety and will battle with Will Parks for the starting role. K’Von Wallace was a great pick on day three of the draft as well and could also push for that starting spot. The depth is now there and there is a ton of star power in the secondary.
Coach & Culture – 82.25, T-12th (19% Offense, 28% Defense, 15% Overall)
Pederson has made a ton of moves to give Wentz weapons on offense. He now has two great running backs, a plethora of speedy receivers, and two-star tight ends to go along with a top-ten offensive line. The loss of Peters impacts the culture as he was one of the leaders in the locker room. The Eagles rank tied for 11th in offensive coach and culture.
Eagle fans have been calling for Jim Schwartz to be fired for years and he hasn’t. The defensive line is one of the best in the league. The secondary is improving but the linebacking core is abysmal. The front office has given Schwartz more weapons on defense and if he fails again this year, he most certainly has to be on his way out. Philadelphia comes in 18th for defensive coach and culture.
The Eagles match up appropriately against the Cowboys finally. It will once again be the Eagles and Cowboys vying for the division title. It will once again likely come down to the wire unless injuries occur to bite Philadelphia once again. The Eagles have a ton of depth at the positions that need the most depth and will try to make it back to the Super Bowl this year.
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