Are They Better?

Last year I thought the Eagles would win between 9 and 11 games, depending on how things went. I did not anticipate Carson Wentz melting down, the OL suffering a historic amount of injuries and the coaching staff being a dysfunctional mess. That’s how you go 4-11-1.

The front office knows the team had to get younger and better. Well, they are certainly younger. Are they better?

QB – We can’t judge this right now. Jalen Hurts is a mystery. He’s got a veteran backup in Joe Flacco who the Eagles think will be better now that he’s fully healthy. It seems absurd that this pair could be an upgrade at QB, but you have to understand just how awful Wentz was last year. Here is a new report from FO on Wentz and interceptions last season. Wentz didn’t just struggle a bit. He was historically bad. Hurts has a low bar to beat to show improved QB play.

RB – I don’t think there is any doubt the Eagles are better here. They signed Jordan Howard, claimed Kerryon Johnson and drafted Kenny Gainwell. Just one of that trio playing well would improve the RBs. If a couple of them can carve out roles, RB could go back to being a strength.

WR – Another no-doubter in my book. Adding an elite talent like DeVonta Smith changes everything. You no longer need guys to overachieve. He is your foundational player to build around. The other pieces can fall into place. The Eagles signed UDFA Trevon Grimes and I think he’s got the potential to push JJAW, John Hightower and Quez Watkins for a roster spot.

TE – This is a mystery spot. The team has yet to trade Zach Ertz. Maybe there just aren’t any offers. He’ll either be cut or traded after June 1. We’ll have to wait and see what the Eagles do. If they replace him with Richard Rodgers, that would make some sense. Ertz really struggled last year (36-335-1) so improving on that performance isn’t a huge challenge. Rodgers was 24-345-2 so he beat Ertz in a couple of categories last season. That really is mind-blowing.

OL – Another spot where I think the Eagles are clearly better. They added Landon Dickerson, giving them better depth on the inside. Andre Dillard, Brandon Brooks and Lane Johnson are all healthy. Jordan Mailata now has a year of real experience under his belt. Nate Herbig and Jack Driscoll played and showed real ability. They can build on that and should both be better this season. This group is the most talented part of the team. Quality and depth.

DL – This is more about youth than definitive improvement. You change out Malik Jackson for a very similar rookie in Milton Williams. You add Marlon Tuipulotu as depth. You lose Vinny Curry off the edge, but add Tarron Jackson. That’s a downgrade, but one that had to happen. Curry is a good veteran backup, but you can’t have him on a rebuilding team. Jackson might earn a spot as part of the rotation or he could get cut. He’s not guaranteed anything.

LB – I know a lot of people are down on this group, but they are better than last year. That is setting the bar low, but I think this group has the potential to be okay. Alex Singleton and Eric Wilson give you a pair of productive starters. T.J. Edwards will probably be the third guy in base looks. He is a solid role player. Now you have young talent behind them in Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley, JaCoby Stevens and Patrick Johnson. Let’s see what the coaching staff can do with this bunch. The previous group didn’t do a good job of developing LBs.

S – Hard to say right now. Rodney McLeod and Jalen Mills were an effective duo last year. This year we have Anthony Harris and ? I’m guessing K’Von Wallace will have a chance to start, but Andrew Adams will try to win that spot as well. Marcus Epps will be in the mix. Harris and Wallace could be a good duo, but no guarantee they’ll be better than last year’s starters.

CB – This was a major weakness last year. It might be better this year, but not nearly enough. Getting Nickell Robey-Coleman out of town will help. He was awful for the first part of last season. Moving Avonte Maddox from the outside to the slot should help him. He really struggled out there. Darius Slay is one starter on the outside. Rookie Zech McPhearson might be the other, but the Eagles could also still be looking for help at this position. Craig James and Michael Jacquet are STers and depth, but you don’t want them playing much.

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Overall I do think the Eagles are a more talented team. If the OL stays healthy and DeVonta Smith lives up to the hype, Jalen Hurts will have a much better chance to succeed. He was dealing with a mess on offense last year. Some of that showed in his play.

The DL will need to carry the defense. I do think the LBs are improved, but there aren’t any legitimate difference-makers in the middle. The secondary could be better if some young players took a step forward, but even then the group would be mediocre. The secondary needs an infusion of talent. That will happen next March and April. For now, the team can see who is worth keeping and who isn’t. It is still possible that a veteran CB could be added. That is the weakest spot on the team and screams for an upgrade. Maybe once Ertz’s salary comes off the books, the Eagles will sign someone.

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You also have to keep in mind that the Eagles will have a pair of extra first round picks next year, an extra fifth round pick and lots of cap space. The team couldn’t make significant free agent moves due to the cap issues. That will change in a big way. Trades from this year netted resources for next year and that will help the team to make key moves next spring.

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