5 Eagles That Are Facing a Make-Or-Break Season This Year
The NFL is a cutthroat league – you need to shine bright and fast to survive. After two or three bad seasons, your roster spot on the team is all but gone.
For these five Eagles, a breakout season is a must, if they wish to continue to play for Philadelphia.
Josh Adams
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Adams showed early success after taking over for Ajayi in the team’s lead rusher, but towards the end of the season, started fading away. He certainly has a heavy upside and could be a great 3rd or 4th option, but he has major room for improvement. One of the major faults in his game is his lack of patience. He’s a strong runner, but his inability to find the gaps are a huge dent to his potential. With a crowded backfield full of potential, Adams must improve vastly.
Wendell Smallwood
Drafted in 2016, Smallwood has not done anything extraordinary that warrants a future roster spot with the team. However, he has done a great job as a pass-catching back. in 2018, he caught 28 passes for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns. If he can continue his success in that role, the Eagles will definitely look to keep him on board. But just like Adams, his 2019 season must be extremely special, as he is apart of a young and talented core with others way ahead of him.
Halapoulivaati Vaitai
Another guy apart of the 2016 draft class, Vaitai had a disappointing 2018 season, as it was a major drop off from his 2017 season. Additionally, he will be transitioning to right guard which should be interesting to watch. With the growing age of guys like Jason Kelce and Jason Peters, spots on the starting line will be opening up in the near future, and Vaitai has heavy competition for those roles. Young players such as Jordan Mailata and Matt Pryor will certainly be considered for those positions, which is why Vaitai needs to work hard this season to put him at the top of that list.
Jalen Mills
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A player that has undergone mass criticism every year he has been here, Jalen Mills needs to do a complete 180 to change his potential future with the Eagles. Mills has been a constant victim to the double route over his entire career and has been known for giving up huge plays down the field. His one consistent positive however has been his tenacity when it comes to red zone defense. If he can fit into a different role such as slot corner or safety, he might be able to keep his job safe. Otherwise, he will not be an Eagle for much longer.
Sidney Jones
Projected to go in the first round in 2017, Sidney Jones fell to the Eagles at 43rd overall due to an Achilles injury he suffered at Washington’s pro day. Missing just about all of 2017, Jones came back in 2018 with disappointing play and even more injuries. He was projected to go in the first round for a reason and obviously has a high ceiling, but he needs to come into 2019 stronger than ever and prove it. There is high competition within the cornerbacks on this team, as we saw players step up big last year, which should put pressure on Jones to live up to his potential.
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