Analyzing Philadelphia Eagles' 5 Most Improved Positional Units

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the 2017 offseason with clearly identifiable weaknesses on both sides of the ball, and they have addressed almost all of them despite salary-cap restrictions.

In the first year under head coach Doug Pederson, the Eagles came out flying en route to a 4-0 start behind rookie quarterback Carson Wentz's amazing debut and a suffocating defense. But a roster full of holes eventually got exposed and forced Philly to sputter to a 7-9 season.

Every Eagles fan knew where improvements needed to be made, and general manager Howie Roseman and his front office left no stone unturned in their pursuit of those improvements.

From savvy free-agency moves and clever drafting to an offseason trade, the Eagles have made the most of the offseason.

Let's target each position that the team revitalized over the offseason and analyze how they got there.

Cornerback

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The Eagles' Band-Aid approach to fixing issues at the cornerback position has blown up in the team's face in recent seasons. 

Philly left no doubt that the draft would provide the new lifeblood at corner when it released Leodis McKelvin and let Nolan Carroll walk without signing any replacements. It then hit a proverbial home run with the drafting of Washington's Sidney Jones in the second round and West Virginia's Rasul Douglas in the third.

Jones would have surely been a mid first-rounder had he not needed offseason Achilles surgery, and he figures to be the shut-down guy as soon as he's healthy. Douglas isn't as surefire a prospect, but he has elite size at 6'2", 209 pounds to battle with the talented NFC East receivers.

It may not be pretty early on as Jones rehabs and the unit's depth is tested, but the Eagles finally have a long-term plan in place on the perimeter.

Defensive End

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The Eagles solved their cornerback issue without taking a first-rounder, which proved to be essential because another unit on defense beckoned for a star-caliber reinforcement.

Philly got just that when Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett fell into its lap at No. 14 overall, an elite pass-rusher in the mold of Reggie White and not just because Barnett broke his UT school record.

Just like the Eagles legend, Barnett's unrivaled motor and arsenal of skills allow him to get more pressure on the quarterback than almost any of his peers.

The 20-year-old joins an Eagles defensive end unit that, outside of Brandon Graham, got no consistent pressure on quarterbacks in the 2016 season.

Amid Vinny Curry's unexpected decline and Connor Barwin's departure, Barnett signifies a considerable step up in overall ability.

The Eagles also helped the position's depth this offseason by adding veteran Chris Long fresh off his title with the Patriots.

Wide Receiver

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The only positional need of similar importance to cornerback this offseason came on the perimeter of the other side of the ball, and the Eagles addressed it in an impressive fashion.

Figured to be long shots in the Alshon Jeffery sweepstakes due to their strained cap, the Eagles landed the offseason's best free-agent wideout on a one-year deal chock-full of incentives.

Jeffery gets the chance to prove he's worth a big-money contract from a contender, and the Eagles get the chance to fill the incredible void at No. 1 receiver.

The Eagles weren't done there and added a fantastic complementary piece in veteran Torrey Smith, who can stretch the defense with deep shots. And although they addressed the position in free agency, they still landed North Carolina's Mack Hollins and WVU speedster Shelton Gibson.

A young Eagles core of wideouts, namely Nelson Agholor and Dorial Green-Beckham, have been put on notice and will now have to fight for their roster spots in training camp.

Running Back

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The Eagles' backfield simply didn't supply the production and threat that any rookie quarterback needs to be supported in 2016. The running back unit still isn't a considerable threat, but it's definitely on the upswing entering 2017.

Leaning on an injury-prone workhorse in Ryan Mathews wasn't working, so the Eagles weaned Wendell Smallwood into a bigger role before aiming at the offseason as a chance to revamp the unit. They did just that by selecting San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey, an undersized, choppy runner who packs a lot of punch at just 5'9".

To go along with the small duo of Smallwood and Pumphrey, the Eagles nabbed LeGarrette Blount in free agency. Blount isn't a world-beater, but he's still one of the league's best short-yardage backs. At 30, he has plenty of good football left.

The Eagles even landed Wisconsin's Corey Clement as an undrafted free agent, a skillful runner who could threaten for a roster spot.

Quarterback

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Much of the Eagles' offseason revolved around them getting help for their young star quarterback, but they didn't fail to put together a contingency plan if he were to go down.

The Eagles significantly improved their backup quarterback position while somehow saving cap space, replacing the overpaid Chase Daniel with former Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles.

In the move, the Eagles now have a reliable quarterback who can fit the system and win games instead of a stop-gap option who proved he's not capable of starting.

Philly got more than just Foles in its contingency plan, also landing former Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin. With seven career starts and plenty of experience, he is one of the better third-string quarterbacks on any roster.

It's still safe to say much of the Eagles' season hinges on a healthy Wentz, but you won't be able to write them off if Foles gets called on for multiple games.