Welcome to 32 teams in 32 days. To get us through the offseason, we’ll be taking a closer look at every team in the NFL, in order of projected 2024 win totals. Up next: the Eagles.
No team has more puzzling questions to answer in 2024 than the Philadelphia Eagles.
Through the first half of last season, the Eagles looked like a juggernaut, despite defensive concerns and Jalen Hurts being less than 100 percent healthy. Philadelphia was 10–1 and coming off a trio of wins over the Dallas Cowboys, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills.
Then, an inexplicable collapse unfolded.
Philadelphia finished 11–6, slipping to second place in the NFC East. In the wild-card round, the Eagles were demolished by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In the offseason, the Eagles decided to retain coach Nick Sirianni, though he remains on a fairly warm seat. They also shuffled the coaching staff, including the hires of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Going into 2024, the question is simple: Which Eagles team will show up?
Biggest gamble this offseason: Retaining Nick Sirianni
Nobody can reasonably argue that retaining Sirianni is a bad move. Conversely, it can’t be completely defended, either.
In three seasons as coach, Sirianni has made the playoffs each time, once culminating in a Super Bowl appearance. However, last season was a disaster after a promising start, with Philadelphia essentially looking like a team out of answers, out of emotion and in some cases, out of effort to give.
For Philadelphia, the pressure of starting the season off well will be enormous. A bad September, and people will be burning up talk radio lines to scream about Sirianni and the direction of the franchise. A good start, and the masses will be somewhat appeased.
Almost certainly, the choice to retain Sirianni will be the narrative of this season, one way or the other.
Toughest stretch of the season: Weeks 8 to 13
If Philadelphia is going to rebound from a disappointing 2023, handling the middle of this year’s schedule will be crucial.
The Eagles start this six-week jaunt with a road date against the Cincinnati Bengals, before coming home to see former coach Doug Pederson and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
From there, Philadelphia has its first of two meetings with the Cowboys, this one at AT&T Stadium. In Week 11, the Eagles will see Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders at home before two more road games against the Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Ravens.
Breakout player to watch: Edge Nolan Smith
Last year was essentially a redshirt for Smith, despite his being a highly-touted, first-round edge rusher from Georgia’s vaunted defense.
In 17 games, Smith played only 16% of the defensive snaps, totaling three quarterback hits and a sack. Entering 2024, he’ll be relied upon much more with the departure of Haason Reddick, leaving Smith to rotate with newcomer Bryce Huff and holdover Josh Sweat.
Considering Smith’s college tape and the shift in his depth chart standing, he’s the ideal candidate to break out alongside current and collegiate teammate, defensive tackle Jalen Carter.
Best-case scenario: The Eagles correct course and dominate the NFC
As mentioned, no team had a better start and worse ending to their season last year than Philadelphia.
Now, after an offseason to diagnose what happened, the Eagles have a chance to make corrections and become a dominant team once more.
In the NFC, there’s no team more skilled, with the potential exception of the San Francisco 49ers. Philadelphia has at least a half-dozen offensive players capable of All-Pro campaigns, while the defensive front is also littered with talent.
Should the Eagles be able to regain their form of 2022 and the first two-thirds of ’23, Philadelphia could be back in the title hunt.
Worst-case scenario: Sirianni doesn’t last through the season
Again, perhaps not firing Sirianni this offseason will prove to be a horrific choice.
After falling apart late in the season while the defense lacked effort at times, the Eagles decided to stay with Sirianni, giving him a fourth season. However, it’s often true that once a team stops giving maximum output, there’s no coming back.
For Philadelphia, there’s a world where Sirianni can’t regain the confidence of the team, and things quickly spiral in a city not known for its understanding and patience.
If that’s the case, the Eagles could be staring at a lost season followed by sweeping changes, most notably Sirianni being out the door.
Head coach-quarterback tandem ranking
No. 13: Sirianni (16) and Hurts (11)
Few coaches have had more of a roller-coaster ride in the past 16 months than Sirianni. In Super Bowl LVII, he held a 10-point lead at halftime. The Eagles lost to the Chiefs in that game, started 10–1 in the next season, collapsed down the stretch and got blown out against the Buccaneers in the wild-card round. As for Hurts, he will try to rebound from an injury-filled season in which he threw 23 touchdowns against 15 interceptions.
Fantasy stay away: TE Dallas Goedert
Goedert was once a reliable and productive fantasy option, but that has not been the case lately. Over the past two years, he’s missed eight games due to injuries. Goedert is also coming off a 2023 season in which he finished with a points-per-game average of 9.7 … that’s his lowest total since ’19. The good news is that he’s no longer seen as a top-10 fantasy tight end, but I wouldn’t lean on him as a weekly starter in most leagues, even at a discounted price. —Michaael Fabiano
Best bet: Hurts over 9.5 rushing touchdowns (-105) at DraftKings
Until someone can figure out a way to stop the Brotherly Shove, there’s no reason to think the Eagles won’t continue to use it. Hurts has exceeded this total in each of the past three seasons, including tallying a career-high 15 in 2023. RB Saquon Barkley has only exceeded this number in two of six NFL seasons. I’ll bet the Eagles don’t fix what isn’t broken—even without Jason Kelce. —Jennifer Piacenti
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as 32 Teams in 32 Days: Eagles Face Questions After Late-Season Collapse.
