Eagles Must Reinvent Themselves to Remain Title Contenders After Loss of Coordinators

Following a Super Bowl appearance, the Philadelphia Eagles will have to shuffle the deck in their coaching ranks and roster personnel with imminent changes on the horizon. Challenged with the task of putting together the blueprint for a new winning formula, Philadelphia faces a tough obstacle in keeping its title window open next season.

Two days after a 38-35 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVII, the Eagles lost both of their coordinators, Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon, who accepted head-coaching positions with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals, respectively.

Steichen took over offensive play-calling duties in the middle of the 2021 campaign and helped develop quarterback Jalen Hurts into an MVP-caliber player this past season. Under his tutelage, Philadelphia finished third in scoring and total yards with the ninth-ranked passing attack and the fifth-ranked rushing offense in 2022.

Of course, head coach Nick Sirianni, who has a play-calling background, can maintain the offensive formula, but he has to make a decision on whether that responsibility takes away from his CEO-type role.

On the other side of the ball, Gannon fielded a defensive unit that ranked top 10 in yards allowed in both of his years with the Eagles. His group also listed eighth in scoring for the 2022 term.

Though Philadelphia's defense didn't have an answer for Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the second half of Super Bowl LVII, it made notable improvements between 2021 and 2022 with some key acquisitions, which leads us to the status of the roster.

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

ESPN's Dan Graziano expects the Eagles to sign Hurts to a massive extension "early in the offseason" with an estimated price of around $50 million per year. Remember, the Eagles selected him in the second round of the 2020 draft, which means he doesn't have a fifth-year option built into his rookie deal.

Hurts is due $4.8 million for the 2023 term, but with Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert eligible for extensions and the Baltimore Ravens going through negotiations with Lamar Jackson on a new deal, the Eagles should jump in front of the line to pay their quarterback before the market drives up the price.

Before you question if Hurts is worth that amount of money, consider the fact that he's led the Eagles to the playoffs in both of his years as their primary starting quarterback, performed at a high level in his first Super Bowl appearance (374 combined yards in passing and rushing with four total touchdowns) and earned an MVP vote in 2022.

In a short period, Hurts has made an impressive leap from a fill-in starter at the end of his rookie term to a rising star quarterback going into his fourth season. Because of his overall impact on the offense, 6,845 yards, 38 touchdowns and 15 interceptions through the air and 1,544 yards and 23 scores on the ground over the previous two campaigns, he's worth every cent of a $50 million extension.

Assuming the Eagles reward Hurts for elevating their offense after Carson Wentz fizzled out, executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman has to make tough roster decisions that may include notable cuts and allowing key impending free agents to hit the open market.

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Among the biggest names with expiring contracts, Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Javon Hargrave, James Bradberry, Isaac Seumalo, T.J. Edwards, Marcus Epps, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Miles Sanders and Jason Kelce, who's going to contemplate retirement, will require some thought.

With the exception of Graham, they're all starters, but he registered a career-high 11 sacks as part of the Eagles' vaunted defense that led the league in that pass-rushing category (70) this past season. You can toss in the team's second-leading tackler, Kyzir White, as well.

With Hurts due for a pay raise in the near future, the Eagles must reload with players on cheaper contracts to maintain cap-space flexibility. They have four top-100 draft picks to fill holes, but the loss of veteran experience could set the team back a few steps at the beginning of the 2023 term.

This offseason, the Eagles will essentially pay the price for a strong run through the 2022 campaign. Even if Sirianni calls the plays, he has to refill two important positions on his coaching staff, and Roseman has to figure out who stays and who goes as he balances the roster checkbook with a quarterback in line for a megadeal.

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Fortunately for the Eagles, their offensive nucleus will mostly remain intact.

Hurts has a quality pass-catching group that includes A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert, who are all under contract beyond 2023. The young signal-caller should also have a solid offensive line group despite uncertainty around Kelce's future.

Two-time All-Pro right tackle Lane Johnson's contract runs through the 2025 term. Jordan Mailata, a former Rugby player, has been on the ascent since he signed a four-year, $64 million extension in September of 2021. The Eagles selected Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens—two interior linemen—in the second round of the past two drafts.

Roseman and Sirianni need to come up with a plan for the defense, which became an integral part of the Eagles' dominance through the NFC Championship Game. While rookies Jordan Davis and Nakobe Dean can pull more of their weight within the front seven in starting roles, the front office must fill gaps around edge-rushers Haason Reddick and Josh Sweat on the defensive line and cornerback Darius Slay in the secondary.

Without a stingy defense, the Eagles will lose some of the balance that allowed them to make a Super Bowl run. This offseason, they'll add new pieces to a playoff-caliber roster and likely close ranks within the coaching staff in hopes to sustain the championship-level strides made over the past year.

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Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.