Power Ranking 10 Most Valuable Players on 2014 Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles have certainly had an interesting season thus far. Amid injuries to the offensive line, shaky quarterback play and an even worse performance from All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy, the Eagles are still 7-2 and in first place in the NFC East.

Chip Kelly deserves a whole lot of credit for holding this team together, as do defensive coordinator Billy Davis and special teams coach Dave Fipp for coaxing an inordinate amount of touchdowns out of their respective groups.

There’s no one most valuable player on this team. It’s been a team effort, week in and week out.

Until the 27-0 blowout against the New York Giants, four of the first five contests were decided by one score or less, and the Eagles went 3-1 in those close matchups. Even the 17-point win against Jacksonville in Week 1 wasn’t an easy victory, considering the Eagles had to score 34 unanswered points in that game. And the Eagles’ two losses have come by just five and four points, respectively, missing wins by a yard (San Francisco) and several inches (Arizona).

The Eagles have really been getting outstanding efforts from a slew of players. The following 10 players have contributed the most to the wins, though. Take any one of them away, and Philadelphia might be just 6-3 or 5-4 instead of 7-2, so here’s an attempt at naming the most valuable contributors to the Eagles’ 2014 season. To define what makes a player valuable, it’s what the Eagles would be without that player.

If Player X wasn’t available and the team had to go with Player X, what would be the result? How has Player X’s contributions made a positive impact on Philadelphia? In all fairness, a case could be made for once-injured linemen Jason Kelce or Evan Mathis as the most valuable players, much the way Peyton Manning was for the 2011 Indianapolis Colts.

But MVP awards are given to those that actually are able to suit up for the games, so consider those players ineligible for this. Here’s a backwards count of the 10 Eagles that have positively contributed to wins the most.

10. Todd Herremans

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

Offensive linemen are fairly boring players but don’t underestimate their value. Todd Herremans’ 2014 season has been much like his career—he’s flown under the radar but he’s contributed well at multiple positions.

He’s now on season-ending injured reserve and won’t return, but he’s technically missed just one game so far. Obviously re-evaluating this list at the end of the season would reveal an entirely different ranking for Herremans.

The Philadelphia Eagles got a steal when they drafted Herremans in the fourth round of the 2005 draft, and he’s now the longest-tenured offensive player on the team. Herremans has contributed at every offensive line position except center, and he’s been an above-average right guard now for several seasons.

With the injuries (and suspension) to the Eagles’ offensive line, Herremans got shuffled around. After playing his usual right guard spot for three games (all wins), Herremans moved to right tackle for the San Francisco 49ers’ game. That’s because Lane Johnson was still suspended, Allen Barbre was on season-ending injured reserve and Andrew Gardner had struggled badly against the Washington Redskins the previous week.

Herremans’ season ended when he tore his right biceps and tried to play through it against J.J. Watt and the Houston Texans. Don’t underestimate the value of having Herremans try to play through that game so the team wasn’t without both starting guards (Evan Mathis was still injured for that game).

"

In showing his toughness and commitment to the team, #Eagles RG Todd Herremans delayed surgery 1 week until LG Evan Mathis returned.

— Adam Caplan (@caplannfl) November 5, 2014"

9. Nick Foles

Patric Schneider/Associated Press

A lot can be said about Nick Foles’ play this season, and it could be easy to make a case for the Philadelphia Eagles’ third-year quarterback as one of the least-valuable players on this team.

At this point, he’s now injured and probably would have been benched had he been healthy. He’s been inaccurate far too often. His accuracy has been shoddy and the well-placed deep ball that made him so good a year ago has been virtually nonexistent.

Still, several factors put Foles on the list.

By virtue of being the quarterback of a 6-2 team at the time of his injury, Foles gets on. At the time of his injury, he was 10th in the NFL in passing yards and 14th in touchdowns; nothing to brag about but still on pace for 4,334 passing yards and 26 touchdowns.

That’s playing behind an offensive line that has missed three starters (Evan Mathis, Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson) for the majority of the contests, leading Foles to get hit an NFL-high eight times while throwing.

Foles has also been clutch in the fourth quarter, and that’s a big reason he’s on this list. He led the Eagles on game-winning drives in each of the season’s first three games, becoming the first NFL quarterback to pull off that feat since Boomer Esiason in 1988. In all three of those contests, the Eagles trailed by at least 10 points at one time. Against the San Francisco 49ers, Foles came within one yard of making it four-of-four.

Per Advanced Football Analytics, Foles is 19th among quarterbacks with 1.07 wins added this season, and his performance against Washington in Week 3 was a thing for the ages.

Seven-touchdown game aside, this may have been Foles’ finest outing. Foles hung in despite a battered offensive line and despite taking a hit that would have sidelined most quarterbacks. He still completed 67 percent of his passes for 325 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions, and his 24-yarder to Jeremy Maclin sealed the win. It was an All-Pro performance from Foles, who had every excuse in the world to come out due to injury.

There’s no question the offense could be much more productive with a quarterback like Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck or even the ’13 Foles.

It may not even be much worse with Mark Sanchez at the helm, especially considering Sanchez played well in his season debut. But due to the extreme importance of the quarterback position, Foles’ positive plays from this year are enough to warrant him a top-10 spot.

8. Brandon Graham

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Five years into his career, it can be very easy to criticize Brandon Graham for what he isn’t. Graham (picked 13th overall in the 2010 NFL draft) isn’t Earl Thomas (14th) or Jason Pierre-Paul. Each of those players has made multiple Pro Bowls and helped deliver a Super Bowl championship to their city.

But Graham is a pretty effective pass-rusher, and he’s proven he can play as both a 4-3 end and 3-4 outside linebacker. In 2012, Graham was Pro Football Focus’s most dynamic pass-rusher in terms of percentage of hurries compared to overall snaps played. The reality is that defensive coordinator Billy Davis should probably be playing Graham more than he is.

This year, Graham is backing up veterans Trent Cole and Connor Barwin, but he still provides an explosive pass rush off the edge. Graham is PFF’s eighth-rated 3-4 outside linebacker among 46 qualifiers, and his 22 quarterback hurries leads the Eagles. This, despite Graham seeing action in just over a third of his team’s defensive snaps.

Graham had a sack of Colin Kaepernick in Week 4. He was relentless against Austin Davis in Week 5, finishing with six pressures and forcing a fumble. He had another sack of Eli Manning in Week 6. He had four tackles, a quarterback hit and a pressure (on just 27 snaps) in Week 1. He’s now recorded 4.5 sacks in the last six games, and defensive coordinator Billy Davis likes Graham as much as he likes both Barwin and Cole.

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Bill Davis says he views Brandon Graham as a complete outside linebacker. Says Trent Cole, Graham and Connor Barwin are interchangeable.

— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardo975) November 12, 2014"

7. Trent Cole

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Last year was a big test for Trent Cole. After spending eight seasons as a 4-3 defensive end, the Philadelphia Eagles transitioned to a 3-4 defense, asking Cole to switch to a stand-up outside linebacker position.

Cole struggled to pick up sacks for the first half of the season, but the Eagles’ second-half winning streak correlated with his figuring out the positon. Cole had all eight of his sacks after Week 10, and he’s at 4.5 so far in 2014. That means Cole has 12.5 sacks in his last 16 games, which means he’s still as dominant as ever at age 32.

Cole has always rated extremely well, per Pro Football Focus’s advanced metrics, and this year is no exception. He grades out as the sixth-best 3-4 outside linebacker. He’s tied for third at his position with 10 quarterback hits.

His sack of Chad Henne (and subsequent forced fumble) in Week 1 led to Fletcher Cox’s fumble recovery touchdown. He celebrated his 32nd birthday in a big way, getting Austin Davis to fumble near the end zone, this one which was picked up by Cedric Thornton for a touchdown. And he picked up another sack against Carolina, helping to assault Cam Newton all game.

6. Fletcher Cox

Elsa/Getty Images

Watching Fletcher Cox, a 2012 first-round pick, take that next step has been a beautiful thing. Cox played well as a 4-3 defensive tackle as a rookie and followed that up with a strong, although under-the-radar, season as a 3-4 defensive end in year two.

This year, Cox is playing at a Pro Bowl level, and he’s a big reason the Philadelphia Eagles are winning football games.

"

Chip: I think Fletcher Cox has done a really good job of buying in. He's been a real force for us on the inside. Huge pressure generator.

— Eagles Insider (@EaglesInsider) November 11, 2014"

Cox began the season with a bang, scoring a 17-yard fumble recovery touchdown to fuel a Week 1 comeback win over Jacksonville. He recovered another fumble in the Week 5 win over St. Louis. He forced a fumble in the Week 2 win over Indianapolis.

In 2014, Cox has recorded 23 tackles—not only is that sixth among all 3-4 defensive ends (per PFF), but Cox has done all this without missing a single tackle.

Cox is probably at his best as a pass-rusher, though, where he’s now racked up multiple quarterback pressures in three consecutive games. He’s also been incredibly durable—at his position, four players have appeared in more defensive snaps than Cox.

5. Connor Barwin

Elsa/Getty Images

Connor Barwin’s breakthrough 2014 season has put him on the radar as a player opposing offensive coordinators have to always be watching.

Barwin has 10.5 sacks this year. He has all of those since Week 4. Unbelievably, he has more sacks in the past six games than he did in the previous two seasons, of which he played 32-of-32 games.

Barwin is as complete a linebacker as there is in this league. He’s able to rush the quarterback, defend against the run and bat down passes. Look at this tweet from Sports Illustrated's Aaron Nagler last week that encompasses just how badly Barwin harassed the Carolina Panthers’ offensive line.

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Good god. https://t.co/zmqwgcrpdf

— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) November 11, 2014

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Barwin won’t win the Defensive Player of the Year award because of J.J. Watt, but he’s extremely valuable to the Eagles.

"

“It’s just as important, if you can’t get there, to get your hands up and get in the way.” – Connor Barwin, Eagles pic.twitter.com/BWiPbYQnqj

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 11, 2014"

4. Malcolm Jenkins

USA TODAY Sports

In terms of impact made on opposing offenses, Connor Barwin has been a better player than Malcolm Jenkins. But Jenkins is more valuable and thus rates higher. Take Barwin away and the Philadelphia Eagles can still start Brandon Graham opposite Trent Cole. Take Jenkins away, and this secondary is in big trouble.

After all, Nate Allen is allowing a 138.9 passer rating, per PFF. Earl Wolff is at 124.2. Chris Maragos is strictly a special teams player.

The decision of Philadelphia Eagles’ general manager Howie Roseman to sign Malcolm Jenkins over Jairus Byrd or T.J. Ward is looking better by the day.

Byrd is on season-ending injured reserve with a torn meniscus. Ward rates by Pro Football Focus as a -5.1 for the season, and he’s already surrendered five passing touchdowns.

Meanwhile, Jenkins has come up big for the Eagles week after week. He recorded the game-saving interception against the Indianapolis Colts, a play that may go down as the play of the season. He followed that up with a sensational diving interception in the Eagles’ win over the Washington Redskins. Both of those turnovers came in the fourth quarter.

Jenkins recorded his third interception in as many games when he picked off Colin Kaepernick in Week 4 and took it 53 yards to the house.

For the year, PFF rates Jenkins as the fifth-best safety in the league, this after he rated 65th last year. Jenkins has been a godsend for the secondary and, without him, the Eagles would probably rank dead-last in most major passing statistics.

3. Darren Sproles

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Four weeks into the Philadelphia Eagles’ 2014 season, I named Darren Sproles as the team’s MVP. He’s still a top-three most valuable player for this franchise, and he represents another extremely underrated offseason acquisition from general manager, Howie Roseman.

Sproles may be 31 years old, at an age when most running backs are two years removed from playing but don’t tell him that.

Sproles is averaging 6.6 yards per carry and he’s already set a career high with four rushing touchdowns. He’s caught 21 passes for 257 yards out of the backfield. But he’s done his best work as a punt returner, where he’s averaged a league-best 17.0 yards per return and taken two back to the house.

"

Darren Sproles is the 2nd @nfl player EVER to win 2 Special Teams Player of the Week and 1 Offensive Player of the Week in same season.

— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) November 12, 2014"

Sproles has seemed all season to have a knack for making plays when the Eagles need them the most. He all but saved the Week 1 game with his 50-yard burst up the middle on 4th-and-1. The following week, he rushed for a 19-yard score against the Indianapolis Colts and then caught seven passes for 152 yards as a receiver, including two plays that went over 50 yards.

He took a punt all the way against Washington. He did it again vs. the Carolina Panthers. He scored a touchdown on a run against the New York Giants. He also scored on his only rushing attempt against Carolina.

Per Advanced Football Analytics, Sproles ranks fifth among all running backs with 0.62 wins added, this despite him playing a part-time role in an offense that runs through LeSean McCoy. Sproles’ value is enhanced by the contributions he’s put up despite McCoy’s struggles running the football. Without Sproles, the Eagles would definitely not be 7-2. In fact, the Eagles lost the only game this year that Sproles missed, and there’s a good chance they would have won that had he played.

2. Jeremy Maclin

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You could make a case for Jeremy Maclin as the team’s most valuable player, and there would be no problem with that. But the only reason he’s not first on the list is because Chip Kelly’s system is so receiver-friendly that every receiver to play for him has had his best numbers.

Still, Maclin is having a Pro Bowl season. He’s caught 47 passes for 828 yards and eight touchdowns, which puts him on pace to easily best DeSean Jackson’s numbers from 2013. Maclin is first among wide receivers in wins added (1.91), per Advanced Football Analytics. And he’s doing all this in the first season back from a torn ACL that sidelined him for all of ’13.

"

Jeremy Maclin's 2014 season. I think the ACL's doing okay. pic.twitter.com/2L0KWKHMKf

— Eagles Fan Problems (@EagleFanProbs) November 3, 2014

"

When Nick Foles was playing quarterback, he relied on Maclin so heavily that there’s no telling what this offense would have looked like without him. Maclin was targeted at least 10 times in seven of the first eight games. Take away the San Francisco game (when Foles’ accuracy was clearly off), and the Foles-to-Maclin connection was good for a 121.4 passer rating (targets courtesy of PFF, passer rating by my calculation).

Jordan Matthews has emerged recently, especially under Mark Sanchez, but the Eagles can’t possibly afford to let Maclin walk this coming free agency.

1. Jason Peters

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Last year, the Philadelphia Eagles pulled off a truly remarkable achievement, as each of the five offensive linemen started all 16 regular-season games (plus the playoff game).

This year, it hasn’t been quite the same. Evan Mathis and Jason Kelce both missed extended time and right tackle Lane Johnson missed the first four contests serving a four-game suspension. Top backup Allen Barbre is also out for the season due to an ankle injury.

Fortunately, the offense has had Jason Peters all year, and he’s been talented and reliable enough that he’s deserving of the team MVP, even if he plays on the line.

Peters is a six-time Pro Bowler who is still playing tremendous football, even at age 32. He’s a dynamic run-blocker and an equally effective pass-blocker. Per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Peters is the NFL’s second-rated offensive tackle this season, trailing just Joe Thomas, this generation’s best lineman by far.

Peters is athletic enough to get to the second level before even the running backs. He’s near-flawless in pass protection. He held off Robert Quinn in Week 5 and then did the same to Jason Pierre-Paul in Week 6.

"

Jason Peters has been matched up with Robert Quinn & Jason Pierre-Paul the last 2 wks. Didn't see him allow a QB hit or sack in either game.

— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) October 13, 2014"

It doesn’t seem to matter who Peters plays; he’s going to win his matchup, and he’s going to win it in dominating fashion.