Grading the Philadelphia Eagles Season – Things Looking Up?
After quite the rollercoaster of a season, the Eagles fell off the rails and came crashing down in Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts’ first playoff game, losing 31-15 to the Buccaneers in a game that really was never competitive at any point. Hurts ended his “tryout” season on a bad note, going 23/43 for 258 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, and that statline honestly still makes him look better than he truly was. While it ended on a sour note, the Eagles still accomplished quite a lot this year and are arguably the most intriguing team in the league this offseason given their quarterback uncertainty and draft capital. Let’s look back at the good and bad of this season and grade the turnout.
The Good Parts
DeVonta Smith is really good – The Eagles have used a lot of resources on the wide receiver position over the past decade, and have whiffed almost every time. The one exception is DeVonta Smith, who is already the best Eagles receiver since at least Jeremy Maclin, and arguably even further back than that. Smith has a knack for the highlight-reel sideline catch and is really just a reliable, do-it-all receiver with high character who is a threat at all three levels of the field, something the Eagles have not had in ages. The Eagles picked up an extra first round pick from the Dolphins to “settle” for Smith instead of Jaylen Waddle. While Waddle is also really good, I am sure Miami wishes they had a mulligan on that trade.
Their draft haul is unprecedented – Speaking of extra first round picks, the Eagles have three firsts this year thanks to the aforementioned Dolphins trade and the trade that sent Carson Wentz to the Colts. Wentz’s polarizing season in Indianapolis can fill up an article on its own, but from the Eagles’ perspective, the trade was unquestionably a resounding success. All three picks landed in the top 20, and you can bet Howie Roseman is going to maneuver around with those picks as per usual. Whether the Eagles want to build around Hurts or package those picks to get his replacement, they have plenty of ammunition to do either option.
Nick Sirianni looks the part – After a rough introductory press conference and disgusting start to the season, Sirianni did a full 180 with his coaching approach and at least showed that he is capable of the job and deserving of a second season. The run-first mentality worked wonders for the team and the players play hard for him. Having to replace him after one year likely would have prolonged this rebuild even further, and would have required yet another offense to be implemented, so having an answer at head coach is a huge win for both Hurts and the team in general.
The Eagles actually have good corners – I never thought I would see the day where the Eagles had a solid group of cornerbacks, but here we are. Darius Slay was robbed of an All-Pro spot because Trevon Diggs had 11 interceptions and played for the Cowboys, but he was a legitimately great player this year and earned the “Big Play Slay” nickname with his two defensive touchdowns. Avonte Maddox had his best season in the slot and was rewarded with a nice three year contract extension. Steven Nelson was also solid and is hopefully open to re-signing this offseason after coming to Philadelphia on a prove-it deal. This was the best group of corners the Eagles have had in a really long time, and it was nice on the eyes.
The concerns
Jalen Hurts did not answer the most important question of the season – As strange as it sounds, Hurts’ season was probably the worst case scenario. He was not good enough to definitively commit to him as the long-term answer, but he also was not horrendous enough where they should definitely move on from him. What the Eagles should do at quarterback is a discussion for another time, but Roseman has a tough decision to make this offseason. He can publicly commit to Hurts all he wants, but we already know that that means nothing. It would almost have been better if Hurts was so bad that they knew for sure it was time for a change, but if we are being objective he really wasn’t. If there is one good thing coming out of this, it is going to make for quite the cinematic offseason.
They have very few long-term pieces on both sides of the line – The Eagles offensive line and defensive line are both really good, but there are long-term concerns with both units. On one side, Brandon Brooks appears to be calling it quits, Jason Kelce has always supposedly had one foot out the door, and Lane Johnson missed some time this year once again (albeit for more personal reasons this time). On the other side, Fletcher Cox has frankly lost a step, is 31 years old and is expensive. Brandon Graham is about to be 34 and coming off a major injury, and Derek Barnett is a free agent who, if we are being honest, just has not been very effective for a first round pick. The Eagles need to heavily invest draft resources on both offensive linemen and pass-rushers more than anywhere else, in my opinion.
Jalen Reagor – I mean goodness gracious where do we even start with this guy. The man who will forever be known as the receiver selected one pick before Justin Jefferson just can not catch a break (or a football). He really should not have been playing at all in the playoff game, let alone have a significant role in the offense and be returning punts. Roseman would kill for Reagor to justify this pick for him even in the slightest, but if you are a first-round pick and at the end of your second season you have to be force-fed handfuls of screens and lateral sweeps just to be involved (and he really isn’t very good at those either!), you are probably a lost cause. Fans are going to be calling for his head all offseason (and the team probably should move on from him), but you are lying to yourselves if you think he won’t be on the team next year, and until he is either gone or makes an improbable turnaround, he is going to be the elephant in the room.
Grade
It was not the prettiest season for the Eagles, but in my view it was unquestionably a successful one. They finished the season 7-3 and in a matter of days transitioned from the most unwatchable product in the NFL to the most dangerous rushing offense in the league. That is a huge testament to Sirianni, especially as a rookie head coach. No one reasonably expected them to even make the playoffs this season, and with three first round picks and an offseason where they actually have some money to spend, this organization took a massive stride in the right direction considering the state they were in a year ago. If they nail the draft and make some signings, and Hurts takes a big step forward, I could honestly see this team as somewhat of a title contender next season. Obviously, those are a lot of if’s, and we do not even know if Hurts will be the quarterback next year, but for this grade what matters most is that they have set themselves up for success down the line if they pull the right strings. If Hurts had looked really promising all year, this grade would be at least an A-, but the second consecutive offseason of quarterback uncertainty forces me to drop this grade a little bit. Still, all in all this was a good season for the Eagles, and I think the future is bright.
Eagles 2021-22 Season Grade: B
Photo: Geoff Burke/USA Today Sports
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