Despite narrowly missing out on a Super Bowl last year, the Philadelphia Eagles stayed aggressive during the offseason and added several intriguing players to their already-loaded roster.
They did lose some key contributors from last year as well, however.
Where did they improve, and where did they get worse?
Let’s break it down by position.
Quarterback
Gained: Marcus Mariota, Tanner McKee
Lost: Gardner Minshew
There is no obvious reason to believe Jalen Hurts should fall off to a concerning degree entering his fourth season. Behind him, Marcus Mariota is an experienced player who is a much better fit for the RPO-style offense the Eagles like to run compared to Gardner Minshew.
Tanner McKee is a more worthy “behind the scenes” developmental young quarterback than Ian Book. This might be the strongest collection of quarterbacks in the NFL.
Verdict: Better
Running Back
Gained: Rashaad Penny, D’Andre Swift
Lost: Miles Sanders
Miles Sanders is certainly a good player, but he was never really able to put all of his talents together and become a dominant three-down back, and he was outperformed by Kenny Gainwell during the playoffs. Moving on from him was the right decision, and in his place, the Eagles acquired two running backs who I think are both around the same tier as Sanders as players and whose skill sets complement each other extremely well.
A trio of Rashaad Penny, D’Andre Swift, and Gainwell with Boston Scott as depth is both an extremely strong and cost-effective stable of ball carriers.
Verdict: Better
Wide Receiver
Gained: Olamide Zaccheaus
Lost: Zach Pascal
A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith are among the best wide receiver duos in the league, but it remains a shallow group behind them after an unreliable season from Quez Watkins.
Olamide Zaccheaus offers more as a pass-catcher than Zach Pascal, but his smaller frame prevents him from being able to do the dirty work in the run game that made Pascal so useful. Let’s call it a draw.
Verdict: Even
Tight End
Gained: Dan Arnold
Lost: N/A
The Eagles could still use an imposing pass catcher at tight end behind Dallas Goedert, given their propensity to use multiple tight ends.
I am skeptical that Dan Arnold is that guy (or that he even cracks the roster), so I would say for now that this position remains relatively unchanged.
Verdict: Even
Offensive Line
Gained: Tyler Steen
Lost: Isaac Seumalo, Andre Dillard
Seumalo was a very capable starter at right guard, and while Andre Dillard was a bust given his draft slot, his loss gives the Eagles much less collective depth along the offensive line compared to last year. Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen are both talented and athletic, so maybe one of them fills in at RG smoothly, but the unknown there and the decrease in talent off the bench make this a downgrade, in my view.
That is not to say they are in bad shape by any stretch, though, with four Pro Bowl/All-Pro talents at the remaining starting spots.
Verdict: Worse
Defensive Line/Edge Rusher
Gained: Jalen Carter, Nolan Smith, Moro Ojomo, Kentavius Street
Lost: Javon Hargrave, Robert Quinn, Linval Joseph, Ndamukong Suh
Hargrave was a monster last season, and his loss is certainly going to be felt in 2023, but the Eagles replaced him with the best guy they possibly could have in Jalen Carter. Expecting Carter to replicate Hargrave’s 2022 as a rookie is extremely unrealistic, but he was arguably the most talented player in this draft. If he stays in line off the field, he will fit seamlessly into the Eagles’ defense and develop into one of the best interior defensive linemen in the league. Nolan Smith was an absolute steal at his draft slot and gives the Eagles an extremely dangerous quartet of edge rushers, something they tried to do with Robert Quinn last year.
The Eagles will need Milton Williams and Jordan Davis to both take a step forward if they want to be as imposing on the defensive line as they were last year, but with so much young intriguing talent, it is hard for me to say they definitely got worse here, even with the loss of Hargrave.
Verdict: Even
Off-Ball Linebacker
Gained: Nicholas Morrow
Lost: T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White
Morrow was a serviceable but far from spectacular starter for the Bears last year. Nakobe Dean is really the only remotely intriguing linebacker on this roster, and he has 34 career snaps to his name. If I had to choose one position where the Eagles could really use a guy right now, it would be a linebacker.
Verdict: Worse
Cornerback
Gained: Kelee Ringo, Greedy Williams
Lost: N/A
Slay and Bradberry’s abilities as they age will be interesting to watch, but until I see them fall off for myself, this is one of the better cornerback tandems in the league, and they added an extremely intriguing corner to develop in Kelee Ringo. They retained the same starters, and their depth is slightly improved from last year.
Verdict: Better
Safety
Gained: Justin Evans, Terrell Edmunds, Sydney Brown
Lost: C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps
Sydney Brown should become a pretty solid player for the Eagles, but he and a collection of fringe starters are highly unlikely to be as effective as CGJ was last year. Even though he was only a third-round pick, it would almost be a disappointment if Brown could not win a starting job this year, given his competition.
Verdict: Worse
Special Teams
Gained: Ty Zentner
Lost: N/A
Arryn Siposs was a disaster in the Eagles’ final game for the second consecutive year. Hopefully, the undrafted Ty Zentner can beat him out for the punting job just for a change of pace, but it is too early to determine that either way.
Otherwise, Jake Elliott and Rick Lovato retain their roles.
Verdict: Even
Photo: Andy Lewis/Getty Images
