The Eagles addressed several areas of perceived weakness following a surprisingly successful 9-8 season in 2021 that resulted in a playoff berth.
But that 31-15 loss to Tampa Bay in the wildcard round last Jan. 16 reinforced the reality that the Eagles were far from Super Bowl contenders.
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Still, for the Eagles to become a championship-caliber team, many of the returning players have to take on significant roles. Here, then, are the rankings for the 9 players most critical to the Eagles’ success this season. They’re not necessarily the best players, but those in position to be the most impactful.
Check back each day with a new entry until we get to No. 1 on July 26, the day the Eagles report to training camp:
No. 9, Marcus Epps, safety
For non-Eagles NFL fans, the mention of Epps might elicit a shoulder shrug, or a collective, “Who?”
But Epps is expected to start at safety this season, even after the Eagles signed veteran Jaquiski Tartt last month to go along with veteran returnee Anthony Harris. At the very least, it’ll be a three-way rotation with Epps playing a significant role. Both Tartt and Harris are 30 years old, and both are signed to low-cost, one-year contracts.
As last season went along, Epps, 26, worked in more and more with Harris and Rodney McLeod. Epps, however, has started only eight games in three seasons, and he set a career high last season by playing 48% of the snaps. Typically, starting defensive backs play at least 90% of the snaps.
“He’s played at a high level the times that he’s played for us, and you have to be able to do that over the long-haul, snap after snap,” defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon said during the spring.
No. 8, Haason Reddick, rush linebacker
Reddick will go a long way towards determining if Gannon’s strategy to play multiple defensive fronts, essentially adjusting to the strengths and weaknesses of the Eagles’ opponent, will pay off.
Reddick has had 23.5 sacks the past two seasons with Carolina (11 last season) and Arizona (12.5 in 2020), but from the linebacking position. The Eagles, who finished 31st in sacks last season with 29, no doubt can use that production. That explains why the Eagles made Reddick, who’s 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, their first free agent signing, giving him a three-year deal worth as much as $45 million.
Reddick will enable the Eagles to use a five-man defensive line in passing situations, something the Eagles were unable to do effectively last season with Genard Avery at that rush linebacker spot. He had 1 sack in 12 starts.
Reddick is a major upgrade.
No. 7, Lane Johnson, right tackle
One might expect the left tackle position to be the Eagles’ most important on the offensive line. And yes, Jordan Mailata’s role is critical towards protecting quarterback Jalen Hurts’ blindside.
But there are several reasons as to why Johnson is more vital than Mailata to the Eagles’ success this season.
For one, the Eagles win with Johnson in the lineup. As Johnson enters his 10th season, the Eagles are 66-46-1 when he plays, 12-20 when he doesn’t. Johnson missed three games last season to deal with a mental health illness. The Eagles went 1-2 without him.
Secondly, the Eagles have a proven backup at left tackle in Andre Dillard, their first-round pick in 2020. There’s a much steeper dropoff if Johnson were to miss games. Finally, Johnson will have a new starter at right guard next to him after Brandon Brooks retired. It’ll either be Isaac Seumalo, who’s moving from left guard, Jack Driscoll, or second-round pick Cam Jurgens.
Johnson has long established himself as one of the top right tackles in the NFL. He’ll have to be again this season.
No. 6, Jordan Davis, defensive tackle
Why are the Eagles counting so much on a rookie who’s playing behind two veteran Pro Bowl players at defensive tackle?
Fletcher Cox was selected to six straight Pro Bowls from 2015-20, and Javon Hargrave was named to his first Pro Bowl last season.
But look beyond Davis’ massive potential as the Eagles’ first-round pick, not to mention his size (6-foot-6, 336 pounds) and speed (4.78 in the 40-yard dash).
Cox is 31 years old, and both he and Hargrave are in the final year of their contracts. Cox has had just 3.5 sacks in two of the last three seasons. Hargrave, 29, could price himself out of returning.
So it’s practically guaranteed that Davis will be a full-time starter next season. That could actually happen sooner. Ideally, the Eagles would want Davis to play a significant amount in the rotation this season order to maximize Cox’s effectiveness. If Davis can’t adapt, then it’s possible Cox could wear down as the season goes along.
No. 5, DeVonta Smith, wide receiver
The Eagles haven’t had a wide receiver surpass 1,000 yards receiving since 2014 when Jeremy Maclin did it. In 2020, the year before Smith was drafted in the first round, Travis Fulgham led Eagles wide receivers with 538 yards.
But it’s not about statistics, even though Smith set an Eagles rookie record with 916 yards receiving in 2021. And that was with tight end Dallas Goedert as the only other real receiving threat. Needless to say, Smith often faced the opponent’s top cornerback last season.
That won’t necessarily be the case this season after the Eagles traded for A.J. Brown on draft night. That makes it imperative for Smith to take advantage.
The Eagles had to switch to a run-based attack last season, but that only goes so far, especially in the playoffs.
Something to watch: The Eagles’ record for receiving yards in a season is 1,409, set by Mike Quick in 1983.
No. 4, Jason Kelce, center
It’s hard to imagine Kelce, who’s 34, getting better with age, but that’s exactly what happened last season. Kelce had arguably his best season in 2021, and that was with the Eagles starting three different left guards and four different right guards on either side of him.
Last season, Kelce was selected to his fifth Pro Bowl and fourth All-Pro first team.
Kelce is a master at calling out defenses, not to mention famous for rushing downfield to block a lineman.
No wonder Eagles coach Nick Sirianni sent Kelce a keg of beer last winter to coax him into returning for a 12th season. Kelce accepted, of course.
Kelce is also durable. He has started 122 straight games, the fifth longest consecutive games streak in Eagles history. It’s the longest streak by an NFL center since Chris Myers had 123 straight starts from 2007-14.
The Eagles drafted Kelce’s replacement in second rounder Cam Jurgens − with Kelce’s blessing. But don’t rule out Kelce putting off retirement for yet another year. Until that happens, Jurgens has a Hall of Fame mentor to learn from.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
