The Eagles, poorly managed for much of the past 4 seasons, gave their fans a jolt of enthusiasm when they announced, during their Week 1 game, that the team had been sold to former Chiefs owner Mike Majesty. While under Majesty's tutelage, the Chiefs made it to the Super Bowl in 2016. While "officially" the Chiefs won the Super Bowl, the game was controversial and left many scratching their head as to who to call the true champs. Majesty later sold the team and then disappeared from the NFL scene. He returns with a renewed enthusiasm and a commitment to turn the Eagles around and back into a consistent winner.
OFFENSE
Daniel Adams enters his fourth season and has improved in each of his first three years. Adams' QB Rating has gone from 65.9 as a rookie in 2016 to 88.8 in 2017 to 92.3 a year ago. The Eagles look to have long-term answer at QB and a player with which to build their offense around for the foreseeable future.
At running back, the team and its fans were excited for a second season with Jamaal Charles and DeMarco Murray in the backfield. However, Charles suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener. Now it will be back to Murray to carry the load. Murray has averaged nearly six yards per carry in three-of-the-last-four seasons so he has proven capable. It will be imperative that Murray stays healthy as the only other running back on the roster is the undersized, yet explosive, Duke Johnson.
Zach Ertz has been a solid and reliable target for the Eagles in his four season with the team. Ertz has nabbed between 51-55 receptions each year and has been one of the few consistent performers in the passing game. However, the Eagles, and their fans, have expected more form the 6-5 250 Stanford product in the red zone. Ertz hauled in six TD passes a year ago and seven in 2016 yet had only one in each of the 2015 and 2017 seasons, respectively. Expect to see Ertz become more of a focal point in Majesty's offense as he's well versed in getting quality tight ends involved as he did with Travis Kelce in Kansas City.
Ertz will have to have a big season as the wide receiver corps in Philly leaves a lot to be desired. There is some potential to be sure. Cedric Jones, a second-round pick a year ago, and Jaron Hanna, a third-round pick in 2016, have speed and athleticism. Neither has been able to crack the lineup and garner significant playing time though. Therefore, the Eagles went out and brought in former Lion Golden Tate to anchor the unit. Tate is 31 and entering his 10th season so it is a bit of a gamble. The Eagles hope he can be a reliable #1 target and help in grooming the two younger guys. This was not supposed to be a focal point of the offense with Charles and Murray, but with Charles' injury, at least one of these young receivers is going to have to step up and fill some of that lost explosiveness.
While questions linger at wide receiver and running back, the offensive line is the one unit on offense that has very few questions surrounding it. Lane Johnson returns for his seventh season as possibly the best tackle in football. Johnson's supporting cast of Lamar Riley, Parker Adams, Jason Kelce and John Urschel is very solid and helps form one of the best offensive lines in the league. There are questions about the depth behind the starters so an injury could become an issue. The Eagles will just have to hope and pray that does not happen or hope a serviceable replacement is lingering on the waiver wire if it does.
DEFENSE
The one thing the Eagles have done a pretty good job of over the past few season is solidifying the play in the trenches. While not nearly as strong as the offensive line, the defensive line also has an All-Pro, Fletcher Cox, and several solid starters in Bennie Logan and Cedric Thornton. All three of these guys are able to get off of blocks and make plays in the running game. That frees up an athletic linebacking corps to flow to the ball and make plays.
Middle linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonzo are perhaps the best 1-2 linebacker combo in the league. Kendricks has amazing speed for a linebacker and is a punishing hitter who can rush the passer and is solid in coverage. Alonzo, meanwhile, is a sideline-to-sideline defender who can make plays against the run and against the pass. Alonzo's six interceptions over the past two seasons is among the league leaders for linebackers and gives the Eagles a deadly combo in the middle of the field.
On the outside, the Eagles brought back Connor Barwin after a season in San Francisco. He is slowing down a little at age 32 but still has enough speed to chase down ball carries and get after the QB. He will not spark fear in the hearts of opposing offensive lineman but he is solid enough to complement the guys in the middle well. On the opposite side is third-year player Jerron Knight who is similar to Barwin in many ways. Again, another solid complement to Kendricks and Alonzo which will make the Eagles an incredibly tough team to run on. However, Majesty will need to figure out a way to create pressure on the QB or the dilapidated secondary could be in trouble.
Byron Maxwell returns for his fifth season in Philly and has been a solid contributor after a breakout seven interception season in 2015. He will be paired with another 31-year-old corner in Tramaine Brock. Brock was only average a year (zero interceptions) and was not resigned by the previous regime. Majesty brought him back to bring experience to a youthful group of corners. Eventually one of the young guys like Rodriguez Gray or B.J. Griffin will have to step up. Until then, Maxwell, Brock and nickel corner Ross Cockrell will have to do their best at containing the opposing receivers and giving the linebackers time to get after the QB
Malcolm Jenkins returns for his 11th season as yet another 31-year-old starter in the secondary. While Jenkins has lost a step since his rookie year, he still tied for the team lead with three interceptions last year and can help the cornerbacks over the top. Marcus Gilchrist comes over from the Jets as another 30+ starter. Gilchrist will move from free safety where he played with New York to strong safety this season. Gilchrist has picked off 14 passes over the past four seasons so he will be a welcomed addition to the secondary. However, the age of this unit brings up injury risks and eventually the team will needs to find younger, more dynamic players if they want to compete with some of the better passing teams in the conference.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Graham Gano returns as one of the league's elite kickers. Gano converted 18-of-22 field goals in his first season with the Eagles after netting a league-best 26-of-26 the year before. Gano has a big leg and hasn't missed a PAT since the new PAT rule went into effect. Some will question his $4M per year salary, but if the team needs to make a kick late, you can usually count on Graham to hit it. Rookie A.J. Benson takes over the punting duties this year after several years of instability at the position. Benson does not have the biggest leg around but is accurate with his kicks and can be counted on to frequently pin the opponents inside the 20.
Kick and punt return duties will be handled by wideout Jaron Hanna and he will be backed up by Cedric Jones. Hanna averaged 26.9 yards per kick return last year and returned one for a touchdown. Hannah also returned a punt for a touchdown in 2017 so he is perfectly capable of changing the tide in a game at any time.
OFFENSE
Daniel Adams enters his fourth season and has improved in each of his first three years. Adams' QB Rating has gone from 65.9 as a rookie in 2016 to 88.8 in 2017 to 92.3 a year ago. The Eagles look to have long-term answer at QB and a player with which to build their offense around for the foreseeable future.
At running back, the team and its fans were excited for a second season with Jamaal Charles and DeMarco Murray in the backfield. However, Charles suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener. Now it will be back to Murray to carry the load. Murray has averaged nearly six yards per carry in three-of-the-last-four seasons so he has proven capable. It will be imperative that Murray stays healthy as the only other running back on the roster is the undersized, yet explosive, Duke Johnson.
Zach Ertz has been a solid and reliable target for the Eagles in his four season with the team. Ertz has nabbed between 51-55 receptions each year and has been one of the few consistent performers in the passing game. However, the Eagles, and their fans, have expected more form the 6-5 250 Stanford product in the red zone. Ertz hauled in six TD passes a year ago and seven in 2016 yet had only one in each of the 2015 and 2017 seasons, respectively. Expect to see Ertz become more of a focal point in Majesty's offense as he's well versed in getting quality tight ends involved as he did with Travis Kelce in Kansas City.
Ertz will have to have a big season as the wide receiver corps in Philly leaves a lot to be desired. There is some potential to be sure. Cedric Jones, a second-round pick a year ago, and Jaron Hanna, a third-round pick in 2016, have speed and athleticism. Neither has been able to crack the lineup and garner significant playing time though. Therefore, the Eagles went out and brought in former Lion Golden Tate to anchor the unit. Tate is 31 and entering his 10th season so it is a bit of a gamble. The Eagles hope he can be a reliable #1 target and help in grooming the two younger guys. This was not supposed to be a focal point of the offense with Charles and Murray, but with Charles' injury, at least one of these young receivers is going to have to step up and fill some of that lost explosiveness.
While questions linger at wide receiver and running back, the offensive line is the one unit on offense that has very few questions surrounding it. Lane Johnson returns for his seventh season as possibly the best tackle in football. Johnson's supporting cast of Lamar Riley, Parker Adams, Jason Kelce and John Urschel is very solid and helps form one of the best offensive lines in the league. There are questions about the depth behind the starters so an injury could become an issue. The Eagles will just have to hope and pray that does not happen or hope a serviceable replacement is lingering on the waiver wire if it does.
DEFENSE
The one thing the Eagles have done a pretty good job of over the past few season is solidifying the play in the trenches. While not nearly as strong as the offensive line, the defensive line also has an All-Pro, Fletcher Cox, and several solid starters in Bennie Logan and Cedric Thornton. All three of these guys are able to get off of blocks and make plays in the running game. That frees up an athletic linebacking corps to flow to the ball and make plays.
Middle linebackers Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonzo are perhaps the best 1-2 linebacker combo in the league. Kendricks has amazing speed for a linebacker and is a punishing hitter who can rush the passer and is solid in coverage. Alonzo, meanwhile, is a sideline-to-sideline defender who can make plays against the run and against the pass. Alonzo's six interceptions over the past two seasons is among the league leaders for linebackers and gives the Eagles a deadly combo in the middle of the field.
On the outside, the Eagles brought back Connor Barwin after a season in San Francisco. He is slowing down a little at age 32 but still has enough speed to chase down ball carries and get after the QB. He will not spark fear in the hearts of opposing offensive lineman but he is solid enough to complement the guys in the middle well. On the opposite side is third-year player Jerron Knight who is similar to Barwin in many ways. Again, another solid complement to Kendricks and Alonzo which will make the Eagles an incredibly tough team to run on. However, Majesty will need to figure out a way to create pressure on the QB or the dilapidated secondary could be in trouble.
Byron Maxwell returns for his fifth season in Philly and has been a solid contributor after a breakout seven interception season in 2015. He will be paired with another 31-year-old corner in Tramaine Brock. Brock was only average a year (zero interceptions) and was not resigned by the previous regime. Majesty brought him back to bring experience to a youthful group of corners. Eventually one of the young guys like Rodriguez Gray or B.J. Griffin will have to step up. Until then, Maxwell, Brock and nickel corner Ross Cockrell will have to do their best at containing the opposing receivers and giving the linebackers time to get after the QB
Malcolm Jenkins returns for his 11th season as yet another 31-year-old starter in the secondary. While Jenkins has lost a step since his rookie year, he still tied for the team lead with three interceptions last year and can help the cornerbacks over the top. Marcus Gilchrist comes over from the Jets as another 30+ starter. Gilchrist will move from free safety where he played with New York to strong safety this season. Gilchrist has picked off 14 passes over the past four seasons so he will be a welcomed addition to the secondary. However, the age of this unit brings up injury risks and eventually the team will needs to find younger, more dynamic players if they want to compete with some of the better passing teams in the conference.
SPECIAL TEAMS
Graham Gano returns as one of the league's elite kickers. Gano converted 18-of-22 field goals in his first season with the Eagles after netting a league-best 26-of-26 the year before. Gano has a big leg and hasn't missed a PAT since the new PAT rule went into effect. Some will question his $4M per year salary, but if the team needs to make a kick late, you can usually count on Graham to hit it. Rookie A.J. Benson takes over the punting duties this year after several years of instability at the position. Benson does not have the biggest leg around but is accurate with his kicks and can be counted on to frequently pin the opponents inside the 20.
Kick and punt return duties will be handled by wideout Jaron Hanna and he will be backed up by Cedric Jones. Hanna averaged 26.9 yards per kick return last year and returned one for a touchdown. Hannah also returned a punt for a touchdown in 2017 so he is perfectly capable of changing the tide in a game at any time.