The Eagles are one of the toughest teams to assess in 2024.
Despite losing six of their last seven games in 2023, including an embarrassing playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Eagles will enter training camp with big expectations.
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Eagles coach Nick Sirianni and some of the players have talked about the impact new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio made during offseason workouts and how they think new coaching will help them be better.
A bunch of Philadelphia’s core players are under contract for the foreseeable future. General manager Howie Roseman also improved the roster through free agency and the draft. Roseman signed former New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and gave edge rusher Bryce Huff a big deal, among other moves. With his top two picks, he drafted two cornerbacks: Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Even though the Eagles have enough talent to compete for a Super Bowl, there are a few reasons why they could finish as one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season.
Here are five potential issues that could prevent the Eagles from having success in 2024
Nick Sirianni struggles with the pressure
Sirianni finds himself in a weird position.
Even though he has the most regular-season wins (34) by an Eagles coach during his first three seasons, made the playoffs each year and took them to the Super Bowl in 2022, he is on the hot seat.
Most coaches with his resume wouldn’t have to stress about their job security. But he needs to worry because the Eagles are not afraid to fire coaches who have had success in the past.
The Eagles fired Doug Pederson three years after he won a Super Bowl because they didn’t have confidence in him anymore. In 2012, Andy Reid, the longest-tenured (14 years) coach in franchise history, was fired after two bad seasons.
Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie will be disappointed if his team is not competing for a Super Bowl this year.
Sirianni might have to win a playoff game to save his job — getting there won’t be enough.
Even though Sirianni received public support from most of his players after last season, it doesn’t mean that some aren’t skeptical of him. And the ones who do believe in him could change their minds if they start with a bad record.
Sirianni will be under more pressure knowing that he needs to win a lot of games and make a playoff run to save his job, which could lead to him making bad decisions and losing control of his team.
Jalen Hurts continues to regress
The 2023 version of Hurts was nowhere as good as the 2022 version.
In 2022, he finished second in the MVP vote and took his team to a Super Bowl. So the Eagles gave him a five-year, $255 million contract extension. Now, he needs to prove that he was worth the money and prove that his performance in 2022 was not a fluke.
Hurts finished last year with 19 turnovers, third-most among all NFL quarterbacks.
The turnovers were not his only problem. Hurts has been one of the league’s most explosive dual-threat quarterbacks since his rookie season (2020), but defenses didn’t have to worry about him running last season because he wasn’t as explosive. His struggles can be blamed on the knee injury he played through last fall and poor play calling.
No matter what happened, he needs to be more effective as a runner this season.
The most impressive part about Hurts’ breakout season in 2022 was the improvements he made as a passer.
Last season, he was not as accurate and didn’t make as many impressive throws. Hurts was an MVP candidate through the first 11 weeks because he led the Eagles to a 10-1 record, but he struggled with consistency. He made up for bad plays by making great plays at the end of games. Those late-game heroics ended during the collapse.
The Eagles’ offense could underperform again if Hurts doesn’t play better this fall.
Pass rush doesn’t thrive without Haason Reddick
Roseman’s decision to trade Reddick this offseason to the New York Jets was a risky move. The Eagles are confident Huff, one of their big free agent additions, can be their top pass rusher.
While only playing 42% of the defensive snaps in 2023, Huff finished with a career-high 10 sacks. Even though he’s been one of the league’s most efficient pass rushers on a per snap basis, he never developed into a full-time starter with the Jets.
Huff could wear down by the end of the 2024 season as he adjusts to playing more snaps in Philadelphia.
The best pass rushers get better at the end of the season. No matter how many snaps they play, they seem to get better. Reddick was a dominant force the last two seasons, especially during their Super Bowl run. He finished with eight sacks that December and finished with 3.5 sacks during the playoffs.
The Eagles will need Huff to take over games like Reddick did. If he’s not capable of doing that, the Eagles’ pass rush won’t be elite.
Interior OL gets pushed around
For a majority of the last 13 years, the Eagles’ interior offensive line has been strong because of center Jason Kelce, who made six All-Pro teams and seven Pro Bowls before retiring this offseason. Without him, the Eagles’ offensive line might struggle against good defensive lines.
Kelce handpicked center Cam Jurgens to be his replacement during the 2022 draft. Now, Jurgens will finally get the opportunity to play center after starting at guard last year.
Jurgens has struggled in pass protection at times. At center, he will have help pass protecting on both sides, but some defensive tackles might dominate him still. Next to Jurgens, right guard Tyler Steen will be an unproven starter. He didn’t make a great impression is his only start last season against the Dallas Cowboys.
Nobody emerges in the linebacker room
The Eagles aren’t willing to spend big money or premium picks on linebackers. That’s why certain teams have been able to attack the middle of their defense. Linebackers Devin White, Nakobe Dean and Zack Baun haven’t been reliable during their careers.
White has always struggled with consistency even though he’s an impressive athlete. Dean, an undersized linebacker (5-11, 231 pounds), dealt with two significant foot injuries last season. Baun never made a significant impact with the New Orleans Saints, either.
Fangio might struggle turning them into high-caliber starters.
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