A major reason why the Eagles reached the Super Bowl last season was the breakout seasons from several young players, most notably quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Hurts was the MVP runner-up, and then in April signed a five-year contract worth as much as $255 million, a record at the time.
But other players like wide receiver DeVonta Smith, defensive end Josh Sweat, linebacker T.J. Edwards and safety Marcus Epps also had breakout seasons. Edwards and Epps parlayed their breakout seasons into lucrative free agent deals elsewhere.
So the Eagles will need breakout seasons from several young players this season to duplicate their 2022 success. As the start of training camp on July 26 nears, here are five young players who could come through for the Eagles:
Quez Watkins, wide receiver
Watkins had the opposite of a breakout year in 2022, with only 33 catches for 354 yards. That culminated with a dropped pass in the Super Bowl that could’ve set the Eagles up for a third-quarter touchdown. The Eagles settled for a field goal instead in their 3-point loss.
Even this season, Watkins is clearly no better than the fourth receiving option, behind A.J. Brown, Smith and tight end Dallas Goedert.
Yet injuries happen. And Watkins’ best stretch last season came during the five games Goedert missed with a shoulder injury. Watkins had 18 catches for 202 yards during those games. He had 15 catches for 152 yards in the other 12 games.
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Watkins has plenty of incentive to break out as he’s entering the final year of his rookie contract. Watkins can get a lucrative free agent contract next season, most likely on another team as a No. 2 receiver. Of course, if Watkins does have a breakout season, it could be because of an injury to one of the top receivers ahead of him.
“He’s hungry and he’s used everything as fuel,” Hurts said. “I’m glad he’s taken that approach, and I’m excited to see the show he puts on this year.”
Jalen Carter, defensive tackle
It’s hard to count on a rookie as a breakout player.
But the indication is that Carter will get every opportunity to play right away at defensive tackle. The Eagles let Javon Hargrave leave in free agency, and Fletcher Cox will turn 33 years old this season. Ideally, the Eagles would like to reduce Cox’s playing time, thus giving Carter, Jordan Davis and Milton Williams plenty of opportunities to become significant parts of the rotation.
Of those players, Carter has the most potential. He was the No. 9 pick in the draft, and was considered one of the top overall talents. Davis, meanwhile, is considered more of a run stopper, while Williams and veteran free agent signee Kentavius Street are more backup rotational players.
If Carter comes into camp in shape, he can make an impact right away, and the Eagles won’t miss Hargrave, who had 11 sacks last season.
Nakobe Dean, linebacker
The Eagles planned their entire offseason around Dean becoming a breakout player. They let both 2022 starters in T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White leave in free agency, only signing veteran Nicholas Morrow. None of the other inside linebackers on the roster, including Shaun Bradley, Christian Elliss, or Davion Taylor, are proven.
Dean isn’t proven either. But both general manager Howie Roseman and Sirianni said Dean, the Eagles’ third-round pick in 2022, was ready to play last season. He didn’t get the chance because Edwards and White played well and stayed healthy.
In other words, if Dean doesn’t break out, the Eagles are in trouble.
Cam Jurgens, right guard
Like Dean, the Eagles are counting on Jurgens stepping in at right guard for Isaac Seumalo, who left in free agency.
Sure, Sirianni has said there will be a competition at right guard heading into training camp among Jurgens, rookie Tyler Steen and veteran Jack Driscoll, among others.
The expectation is that Jurgens will be the guy. Jason Kelce recently said as much, as did right tackle Lane Johnson last month.
“He’s so damn strong,” Johnson said. “The thing about him being 6-foot-3, I feel like he has natural leverage with some of the defenders. He’s got a low center of gravity so he’s able to get under guys. He obviously has that power. So the more reps he gets, the better he’s going to be. As far as explosion and athletic traits, he’s unbelievable.”
It’s hard to gauge a breakout candidate at a mostly stat-less position like right guard. And the Eagles don’t need Jurgens to be a Pro Bowl player with Kelce and Johnson on either side of him. But he can’t be a liability, either.
Kenny Gainwell, running back
It might seem strange for Gainwell to be considered a breakout candidate when he most likely won’t rush for 1,000 yards, especially after the Eagles added both D’Andre Swift and Rashaad Penny. Those two are expected to make up most of Miles Sanders’ 1,269 yards rushing last season.
But look closely at how the Eagles ended last season. Even with Sanders having a career year, it was Gainwell who outgained Sanders in each of the Eagles’ last four games − the regular-season finale and each of the three playoff games.
Sure, you can quantify Gainwell’s success in the two blowout playoff wins over the Giants and 49ers as mostly garbage time in the second half. And neither Gainwell nor Sanders had success in the Super Bowl.
Gainwell is also a threat as a receiver. That’s why he’ll continue to get chances even with Swift and Penny on the roster. And if Gainwell shows improvement as a runner, he’ll get his share of chances.
“I’m expecting a very high role,” Gainwell said. “Just gonna continue to improve my game on top of everything that I have done.”
A breakout year for Gainwell could be surpassing both 500 yards rushing and 500 yards receiving. The Eagles will gladly take that.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
