Peeking Ahead

The 2024 season turned out to be pretty special for the Eagles. Next season has the potential to be special as well. The Eagles have a lot of talented players coming back so the future could be a lot of fun.

If the team didn’t make a move this offseason the roster would be in a good place.

OFFENSE

DEFENSE

There are holes to fill and depth is needed, but that is still a very good starting point. 31 other teams would love to be in this position.

The good news is that the Eagles have cap room so they can make some signings and they have 7 draft picks to work with. Plus, trades are also a possibility. Howie Roseman is always looking for ways to boost the roster.

Before you look at adding talent, you should always focus on the current players. Is there still room for them to improve? The Eagles have a lot of young guys so there is still room for growth. Player development is crucial for sustaining success. Think about the progress we saw from Nolan Smith. He was a at one level in September and at a very different place in January. Jalyx Hunt made tremendous strides as a rookie. He was a key contributor in the Super Bowl. Both players should be even better in 2025.

Vic Fangio likes to point out that players improve with reps, in both practice and games. The more you do something, the better you do it. The rookies from last year should take a big step forward. Even standouts like Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean should improve. I’m still interested to see what happens with Bryce Huff. He was an outstanding pass rusher back in 2023. Watch this to remember why the Eagles wanted him.

Bryce Huff was 5th overall in HQ pressures per snap and 8th in HQ sacks per snap among all rushers. Runs under a table using the ghost technique for a HQ sack here. 2024 free agent too! pic.twitter.com/ikLtGbN8D0

— Brandon Thorn (@BrandonThornNFL) January 12, 2024

That talent is still there. If Fangio and Clint Hurtt can get Huff to adjust to this scheme and style of play, he could be a key player in 2025.

It will be interesting to see how Howie approaches the offseason. Does he aggressively pursue Myles Garrett? Or does Howie see the recent success in the draft and decide to keep adding young talent to the core? There isn’t a right answer. Both paths can lead to success. Without adding talent, the Eagles probably still have the best overall roster. The key is understanding how to best enhance the spot the Eagles are in.

I’m curious to see if other players look at Philly as a preferred destination. Call this the Baun-Barkley Effect. Role players saw Zack Baun go from a dude to The Dude. You know there are going to be a lot of guys thinking they have the same potential. Some star players will see how Saquon went from Pro Bowl player to all-time special and wonder if the Eagles can do that for them. This is something to keep an eye on.

Howie and Nick Sirianni did a great job at adding the right kind of people a year ago. Baun and Barkley were great teammates and leaders. They came to Philly to be part of the Eagles. They bought into the culture and it helped bring out the best in them. As much as the front office wants to add talent, they also need to be the right kind of people.

Some people are wondering if the Eagles could be beginning a dynasty of their own. The core pieces are in place for something like that, but sustaining success at the highest level isn’t easy. I do think the Eagles are in a better place than the 2018 team. Josh Adams led that team in rushing and they finished 28th in the league with their ground game. Yikes. The defense struggled to force turnovers. There wasn’t enough young talent in place. That won’t be the case this time around.

2025 should be a fun season. With the right moves, the Eagles could have another great roster set to make a run at another Super Bowl.

*****

I hadn’t seen this angle before. Pretty cool.

Still not over this moment.

Will never be over this moment.pic.twitter.com/picIbLOiE5

— Eagles Fan Central (@PhilaFanCentral) February 22, 2025

Something struck me as I watched that. The Eagles never trailed in the playoffs by more than 3 points. They trailed the Rams 7-6 in the first quarter and then led or were tied the rest of the game. The Eagles trailed the Commanders 3-0 early on and then led the rest of the way.

That truly was a dominant playoff run.

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