Philadelphia has one of the top rosters in the NFL, and it all starts with elite talent at just about every key position.
In a ranking of the “roster cores” for all 32 NFL teams, the Eagles starting five of quarterback Jalen Hurts, wide receiver A.J. Brown, offensive tackle Lane Johnson, SAM linebacker Haason Reddick, and cornerback Darius Slay landed at No. 3 on the ESPN list.
Average core age: 28.8
The Eagles’ elite core checks every positional value box, with high-end players at quarterback, wide receiver, offensive tackle, edge rusher and corner. And in reality, this exercise undersells the strength of the Eagles as a whole, because there are very talented players left off the list, including cornerback James Bradberry, receiver DeVonta Smith and center Jason Kelce. But even just looking at the five above, it’s easy to see why the Eagles are favorites to win the NFC again.
The core has an All-Pro at every position and a bright future with only Lane Johnson and Slay over 30.
With the five players set, we’re ranking the five from top to bottom.
1
Jalen Hurts
The glue that holds the Eagles offense together, Hurts leads the list because things fall apart when he’s not in the lineup. Philadelphia can scheme around the loss of Lane Johnson, but the All-Pro quarterback has shown that he can be elite in the biggest games.
2
Lane Johnson
Johnson is the NFL standard at right tackle and hasn’t allowed a sack in almost three years.
3
A.J. Brown
Brown’s arrival made life easier for DeVonta Smith and quarterback Jalen Hurts. The former Ole Miss star was less than five yards from amassing 1,500 on the season, and he’ll look for another dominant year.
4
Hasson Reddick
The Philadelphia Eagles defense racked up 70 sacks in the 2022 regular season and had four players hit double-digits, with Hasson Reddick leading the way. Reddick had 16 sacks and a 16.8 pass rush win rate.
The former Temple star has logged 10+ sacks with three different teams and his disruption allows Darius Slay to prosper.
5
Darius Slay
Slay has played in 48 out of a possible 50 games over his three seasons in Philadelphia and was named a Pro Bowler in 2021 and 2022.
The five time Pro Bowler will pair with James Bradberry to give the Eagles the top cornerback duo in the NFL.
