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.
Eagles general manager Howie Roseman addressed many of the most glaring needs during the offseason through trades, free agency and the draft.
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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.
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.
No. 3, A.J. Brown, wide receiver
The Eagles don’t just give away first-round picks or hand out nine-figure contracts. That they did both with Brown shows how important he is to the Eagles’ offense.
The Eagles got Brown by trading their first-round pick, 18th overall, to the Tennessee Titans the night of the draft, then signed him to a four-year extension worth as much as $100 million. Only two other Eagles players have gotten contracts worth potentially more − Carson Wentz ($128 million) and Fletcher Cox ($103 million).
The Eagles haven’t had a wide receiver with 1,000 yards or more since Jeremy Maclin in 2014. In three seasons, Brown has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving twice.
But it’s not just the yards that Brown will get.
He’ll also help open up the field for DeVonta Smith. And his effectiveness in the middle of the field, where at 6-foot-1, 226 pounds, he can outmuscle defenders for the ball. He can also serve as a safety valve for quarterback Jalen Hurts, who happens to be his best friend.
No. 2, Darius Slay, cornerback
Slay has never been afraid to talk a little trash, admit to some lofty goals, or crack a joke. It’s what endears him to his Eagles teammates, especially wide receiver DeVonta Smith, with whom Slay has a running competition during practices.
Slay’s play is typically good enough to back up his talk.
So Slay was not about to rest on his accomplishments when he was asked about his goals for 2022 after the Eagles signed former Pro Bowl cornerback James Bradberry to play opposite of him. Last season, Slay led the NFL with 3 defensive touchdowns (2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovery), and he led the Eagles with 5 takeaways. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the fourth time in his career.
“I just hope, and I ain’t going to lie, I hope (Bradberry) gets 20 picks and I get 20 picks,” Slay said. “I hope the whole defense gets 30 picks. We’re ready for whatever. I ain’t scared of no competition. He ain’t scared of competition.”
The Eagles’ success on defense depends on Slay. Last season, the Eagles’ defense ranked 11th against the pass, despite having the second fewest sacks in the NFL.
Slay might not get those 20 interceptions this season, but he’ll certainly influence the Eagles’ success.
No. 1, Jalen Hurts, quarterback
As if it could be anyone else.
But Hurts is the Eagles’ most important player not only because of what he means to their success this season after they spent lavishly on wide receiver A.J. Brown to upgrade at wide receiver, not to mention the expected improvement for DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert and Miles Sanders.
But Hurts is also the most important player because of how his success, or lack thereof, will affect the Eagles in the future.
That’s a lot to ask for a quarterback who won’t turn 24 until Aug. 7, who completed just 61.3% of his passes last season, yet who led all NFL quarterbacks − and the Eagles − in rushing yards last season.
But that’s where the Eagles are as they hope to improve on their 9-8 season in 2021.
If Hurts can improve as a passer enough to take advantage of his offensive weapons, then the Eagles can contend for a Super Bowl, and Hurts can thus become the quarterback of the future with the contract to go with that.
If he can’t, the Eagles won’t have a good season in the present, and they’ll likely have to upgrade at QB for the future.
If they do it via trade, that will add significantly to their salary cap, and thus prevent the Eagles from addressing other areas of need. If they’re drafting a QB, it could mean starting over with a rookie quarterback on a team that’s built to win in the next few years.
Either way, the Eagles plans to be a championship contender will be delayed for at least a few years, especially taking into consideration older veterans who likely won’t be around, such as Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham and Darius Slay.
No pressure.
Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.
