Last year’s collapse exposed glaring holes that most of us saw in training camp at certain positional groups on the roster. The Eagles’ pass defense was abysmal, and it was easy to see coming with their substandard linebacker and safety depth charts. They seemed fine at cornerback until James Bradberry’s production level fell off a cliff and Avonte Maddox and Zech McPhearson both got hurt, but overall, you had to wear a sweater thanks to all the holes in their defensive roster. This offseason, Howie Roseman addressed some of those concerns, but departures in some areas that were strengths last year have created uncertainty. And with multiple position groups having some good ‘ol fashioned roster battles, things are a bit in flux. As the Eagles get ready to have their first padded practice on Tuesday, here’s my annual ranking of their 10 positional groups.
1) RECEIVERS (WRs & TEs)
Last year I had the receiving room at No. 4, but with some of the groups that were ahead of them facing a bit more uncertainty right now, the Eagles’ collection of wide receivers and tight ends makes this the strongest unit on the team, albeit a bit top-heavy. There are two superstar wide receivers in A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Barring injury, both will top 1,000 yards receiving, and both will likely finish well over that number. It is perhaps the best wideout duo in the NFL, and certainly top-three. Parris Campbell, Johnny Wilson and Ainias Smith appear to be competing for the slot receiver position vacated by Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus and Julio Jones (remember him?). Roseman will likely be keeping an eye on the waiver wire but, for now, that’s your wideout room. Tight end Dallas Goedert was underutilized last year. He’s one of the five best receiving tight ends in the game, but only hauled in 42.3 yards per game, his lowest total since his sophomore season in 2019. Hopefully Kellen Moore will find a way to get him more involved in the passing attack this season. Again, the Eagles are a bit top-heavy here, with Grant Calcaterra and C.J. Uzomah the back-ups at this point. The superstars get this unit at the top of the list, but depth is a big concern. I would love one more real pass catcher in this group.
2) OFFENSIVE LINE
Last year, the O-line was easily the best positional group on the team, but with future Hall of Famer Jason Kelce now retired, things are in flux. They still have Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata holding down the tackle spots, and that’s a good thing. Landon Dickerson is one of the best guards in the game as well. There’s reason to believe Cam Jurgens will do a good job replacing Kelce at center, but it’s not a guarantee. The right guard job pits Tyler Steen and Mekhi Becton against one another, with Matt Hennessy serving as a back-up at center and either of the guard spots and rookie Trevor Keegan developing in there, too. I still believe Jeff Stoutland can make this new combination of players work, but there will likely be some growing pains with Kelce gone. It also remains to be seen whether this group can do a better job opening up holes in the run game and, most importantly, do a better job in blitz pickups.
3) QUARTERBACKS
I don’t love Kenny Pickett, but I do think he’s the slightest of upgrades over Marcus Mariota. Tanner McKee is a super interesting prospect and, if Hurts were to go down for a long period of time, I’d love to see more of McKee. That being said, this team revolves around Jalen Hurts and, by all accounts from training camp, he looks outstanding. He had a full off-season to prepare himself physically this time around, and he seems rejuvenated by Moore’s offense, which will hopefully provide him with easier answers thanks to some pre-snap motion and a tweaking of the overall scheme. When Hurts is playing his best, he’s a top-five QB. It’s that simple. That’s why this group is No. 2.
4) CORNERBACKS
Roseman did so much work on this unit, and by the time the regular season is over this could be the best positional group on the team. Darius Slay continues to play excellent football. Free agent pickup Isaiah Rodgers looks really good playing with the first team, as does second-year man Kelee Ringo, who has been turning heads this summer after seeing more and more playing time at the end of last year. He was one of the few bright spots on the defense in 2023. First round pick Quinyon Mitchell is in the mix to start as well, although it’s more likely he begins the season as a back-up outside and slot corner, with Avonte Maddox returning to anchor down slot as the starter. Cooper DeJean might have had the inside track on that gig before getting hurt just before training camp, and while he’s not expected to miss a lot of time, he’s falling behind in the battle for that job. McPhearson is still around, too, although he may be trade bait at some point before the trade deadline. There is so much more talent here now than there was a year ago, and depending on how quickly the rookies Mitchell and DeJean develop, this could easily be the best positional group on the roster by the end of the season.
5) SAFETIES
Roseman screwed up last year with safety and he knew it. He thought another C.J. Gardner-Johnson would fall out of the sky late in training camp, but instead Justin Evans and Terrell Edmunds was the best he could do. It didn’t go well. Roseman corrected that mistake in free agency this time by bringing back CJGJ, solidifying one safety spot. The Eagles desperately missed his brashness and playmaking ability. While Blankenship didn’t turn out to be a Pro Bowl safety, he’s a serviceable starter who knows where to be on the field most of the time and can make plays. Sydney Brown’s late season injury has him on the PUP list to start training camp, but he appears to be a true starter in the NFL and should be back in time for the start of the season. Mekhi Garner, Tristin McCollum and Andre Sam are fighting for spots on the roster as well. For once, Roseman won’t be hunting the waiver wire for safeties in early September.
6) RUNNING BACKS
D’Andre Swift started the season red hot last year but cooled off as the weeks ticked by. Kenny Gainwell did not take a step forward and Rashaad Penny made somebody mad last year and couldn’t see the field. Boston Scott was Boston Scott. Roseman’s most surprising move of the off-season was to sign Saquon Barkley to a big free agent contract, seemingly giving the team something they’ve never had under Nick Sirianni — a bell cow running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield, too. By all accounts, Barkley has looked outstanding in training camp, and the hope is there are still one or two more highly productive and healthy seasons from the former Giants star. Gainwell is still around and will still get around 5-7 carries a game, most likely, all of them probably inside the 10-yard line just to drive us all to drink. Rookie Will Shipley will get a shot as the third running back, and it’s possible Roseman will add another running back to the mix as players get cut. It’s a better group than last year with Barkley alone.
7) DEFENSIVE TACKLES
Everyone is raving about Jalen Carter’s practice performances and that’s good. The former first round pick could be in the conversation of Defensive Player of the Year if he meets his potential, and all indications are he’s on track to do just that. He’s easily the team’s best defensive lineman, and he’s only in his second year. He wore down last season as he played more than he ever had before, so one must hope he learned from that and will be better prepared for the rigors of a full 17-game, 18-week schedule. Jordan Davis is an enigma on the defensive line. He has tremendous athleticism for a man his size and should be one of the…
