Could the Eagles Be the NFL’s Next Dynasty?
The Eagles have had a very busy offseason in terms of roster shakeup so far, adding several crucial depth pieces and even a couple of probable starters. The goal is clear: win now .
As the team looks to reach the playoffs for the third year in a row and to win a ring for the second time in three years, but do the Eagles have enough talent to sustain their winning ways in the long term?
Talent-wise, this is one of the five or six best teams in the NFL. With three different players earning first-team All-Pro nods over the last two years (and also Malcolm Jenkins, who keeps being snubbed for some unknown reason), this team has more than enough star power to compete, as well as enough depth to play in relief of the top players when needed. Of the All-Pros, Jason Kelce and Jenkins are on the wrong side of 30. The safety is also potentially getting into a contract dispute with the team, while Kelce has been reportedly flirting with retirement for some time. It’s fair to assume, then, that both of them will need capable replacements for when the time comes, in order to make this franchise go for multiple playoff runs in the early 2020s.
It’s all the potentially long-standing talent and depth that should excite Eagles fans the most, though. The team has a very bright future in the five premier positions in football. At QB, one of the top young passers in the league in Carson Wentz, who’s entering his fourth year and has already had an MVP caliber season that showcased all of his amazing potentials.
At OT, the Eagles have a very good chance to have back-to-back-to-back great blindside protectors in Tra Thomas, Jason Peters and hopefully Andre Dillard. On the opposite side sits one of the very best RTs in the game, Lane Johnson. At the WR position, the team should be able to seamlessly transition from Alshon Jeffery to JJ Arcega-Whiteside once the former starts declining in production, assuming the rookie develops as intended. DeSean Jackson looked last year like he hasn’t lost a step, even at age 32, and should continue to be a productive speed specialist for this offense entering the next decade. The only low-ish point here is former first-rounder Nelson Agholor, who has not played up to his draft pedigree on a regular basis.
On the defensive side of the ball, Derek Barnett represents the future on the edge. Even though he has been inconsistent, the flashes of dominance are there and we just have to hope they start appearing more often. Josh Sweat has considerable potential to at least strengthen the rotation, and Shareef Miller is an intriguing developmental piece for the next couple of years. Cornerback is the most interesting out of the five positions, considering that the Eagles have a stable of decent-to-good players, but no true lockdown corner just yet. Not one player here is over 26 years old, though, so there is a chance someone develops as a standout. As a group, this unit has the potential to be productive, but they look like a very boom or bust experiment.
Outside of the premier spots, the Eagles also have good long term talent. Brandon Brooks is a beast at guard when healthy and also only 29; the entire DT rotation, which is one of the best in the league, is young enough to have at least 3-5 more years of top-level production; the stable of running backs is really talented, diverse and young, and the tight end duo of Zach Ertz and Dallas Goedert should produce fireworks for this offense for a long time. The only spots that truly need an influx of young talent are linebacker and safety, but neither of them is very high on the priority list of today’s NFL.
Overall, the front office has done an amazing job at setting up this franchise to win both now and in the future. Of course, not all players develop to their full capabilities, but the team has the players in place to be great now and the means to constantly inject talent to replace or upgrade underwhelming position groups, due to great pro and college scouting as well as magician-like roster management skills by the team brass.
Barring serious injury to their core, the Eagles have as good a shot as anyone to succeed the Patriots as football’s premier contender for the next decade.
Photo: Mark Humphrey/Associated Press
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Categorized:Eagles