Drew Brees 'Shocked' Eagles Are 5-2 amid Saquon Barkley's Struggles, Offensive Changes

Former New Orleans Saints superstar quarterback and potential first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Famer Drew Brees is "shocked" the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles are 5-2 right now, per an appearance on ESPN's First Take.

"Look, it is about winning, and I'll be honest, I'm shocked that they're 5-2 based on how they've played," Brees began.

"They are a middle-of-the-pack offense and they're a middle-of-the-pack defense right now. And I think shockingly, statistically, they are the 30th-ranked rushing offense in the league. Would you have ever thought that the Philadelphia Eagles, with the best back in football and one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in football, one of the best O-lines in football, would be the 30th-ranked rush offense? And they've got two of the most explosive receivers in the league.

"Here's what I see when I turn on the Philly tape. I see a team who has gone so far from what was their identity. Man, in the past, it was...we are run-first, and we are either handing it off to this guy with a light box because somebody has to account for the quarterback, or Jalen Hurts is gonna pull it and he's gonna run, or he's gonna throw an RPO because we have favorable numbers on the edge, and we're gonna get it in these playmakers' hands, and we are just gonna to sit there and dent the defense, and we're going to control the clock, and then the point totals will reflect that, and then the defense isn't going to be out there as long.

"But it's hard not to turn them on and say, man, they just don't look like what they've done in the past. And maybe they're just shifting their mindset. It looks like they're just trying to put Jalen in the gun, do a lot more drop-back passing, and give him the opportunities just to read the defense and throw the football. If that's what they want to do, that's fine. But I just don't think it's as good as they could be. And I think that's what we need to focus on here is, yeah, you're winning games, but are you as good as you could be when you have the top-10 highest-paid guys on your team on offense? And you are the 30th-ranked rushing offense in the the league, and you're just, like, squeaking out games. Like, to me, that's not the roster that you built."

The Eagles are in an odd position right now. Only two teams in the league (the 6-1 Indianapolis Colts and the 4-1-1 Green Bay Packers) have better records than them. However, given how they've played at times and how respected people have spoken about them, you'd think the sky might be falling. That might be fair given how the team has played at times, especially in an ugly 34-17 loss at the New York Giants a few weeks ago.

This team does look different than last year, in part because the run game simply hasn't gotten going at all. Running back Saquon Barkley, last year's Offensive Player of the Year, has rushed for just 3.3 yards per carry. He has 504 total yards and four touchdowns through seven games after amassing 2,283 total yards and 15 scores in 16 games the year before. Quarterback Jalen Hurts had 630 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns in 15 games last year but only 185 yards and five scores through seven games this season.

Philadelphia also is 14th in scoring overall and 20th in points allowed and has outscored its opponents by just five points. In sum, the Eagles have the profile of a team that looks a lot more average than top-of-the-league.

However, it's still probably a bit too early to panic. For starters, the Eagles do have a good record and a game-and-a-half lead in the NFC East. They also retain much of the core of a team that went 18-3 last year. Philadelphia notably started slow at 2-2 the year before nearly running the table to close the season.

Ultimately, there's time for Philadelphia to fulfill the potential expected of them before this season. For now, the Eagles will host the Giants on Sunday before entering the bye week.