Top Factors That Could Sink Philadelphia Eagles This Season
In a parity-filled league such as the NFL, the difference between a 10-6 season and 6-10 can come down to just a few deficiencies. That's something the Philadelphia Eagles are wary of entering 2017.
The Eagles saw firsthand how quickly things can turn sour in this league, watching a perfect 3-0 start make way for a 7-9 campaign in 2016. Despite not being any worse than most fans expected entering the rebuilding year, seeing a promising season go awry likely left a bad taste in the Eagles' mouths.
The front office has been hard at work addressing the issues and positions of need that are plaguing the team, but an organization up against the salary-cap wall can only work so much magic. While Philadelphia can boast a much-improved roster, there remain some key deficiencies and question marks that could cause things to take a turn for the worse yet again.
Let's take a closer look into what could derail the Eagles this season if they're not careful.
Cornerbacks Are Still a Work in Progress
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Soon after many Eagles fans felt jubilation when the team selected Washington cornerback Sidney Jones in the second round came a dose of reality.
As much of a steal as the Jones pick may turn out to be, he's in the midst of recovery from an Achilles injury he suffered during the pre-draft process. It's unclear how much he'll be able to help Philly on the field as a rookie in 2017, if at all.
The Eagles also added West Virginia's Rasul Douglas in the third round. But after losing their two starting cornerbacks from last season, Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll, it's practically impossible to know how to fill out the depth chart at the position.
Sure, Philly should be able to count on second-year pro Jalen Mills, along with veterans Patrick Robinson and Ron Brooks, while the rookies get healthy and accustomed. But the team drafted the rookies for a reason. They obviously don't see a group of Mills, Robinson and Brooks excelling down the road, much less for the 2017 season.
Assuming Jones doesn't recover in superhuman time and Douglas isn't a world-beater from the onset, the Eagles' cornerback unit could continue to struggle in 2017 until the rookies come along.
Aging Offensive Line
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The Eagles boast one of the league's more handsomely paid offensive lines, and for good reason. Keeping a valuable young quarterback upright is an expensive task.
But it's impossible to ignore the obvious, which is the fact longtime bookend left tackle Jason Peters, the team's biggest cap hit in 2017, is 35 and hitting the age when offensive linemen begin to decline rapidly.
It's not just Peters; the entire Eagles line is up there in years. Last offseason, Philadelphia's line ranked as the oldest in the league, with an average age of 29.2 years, according to Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice, and that unit is almost entirely intact entering 2017.
If Peters' decline becomes more rapid in 2017, as conventional wisdom suggests, the left-tackle slot, long considered a strength of the team, will turn into a big problem fast. That will have a domino effect on the interior, with the 30-year-old Jason Kelce and the 32-year-old Allen Barbre taking on more responsibilities and pressure.
The Eagles could have helped themselves by finding some more depth on the exterior should Peters become a liability but instead targeted the guard spots for depth. If protecting the edge becomes a problem for the line, it wouldn't be a huge surprise.
Gaping Hole at WLB
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The Eagles appeared to make it clear throughout the first season under defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz that weak-side linebacker Mychal Kendricks wasn't a part of the future plans. Yet no real replacement has been found over the offseason.
Kendricks started eight games, but his involvement dipped dramatically throughout 2016, as he appeared in only 26.79 per cent of snaps, according to Pro Football Reference. It's not hard to see why. By trade, Kendricks is a pass-rushing specialist who only fits the linebacker spot if it's in a 3-4 scheme.
Philly's defense is committed to the 4-3, as Schwartz defenses have always been, and it enjoys two impact play-makers at the second level, with Nigel Bradham and Jordan Hicks forming a strong pair. Beside them, however, no dependable threat has emerged either on the roster or in free agency.
The Eagles may have a plan in place to integrate a player like rookie Nate Gerry or recently re-signed Najee Goode, but it'd be a surprise to see either play at a high-enough level to start in 2017. If they don't, the onus likely falls on Kendricks to bring some level of consistency to the field at WLB.
If he doesn't, it wouldn't be a shock at all to see teams gash the Philadelphia run defense on the weak side.
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Alshon Jeffery
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As much as new Eagle Alshon Jeffery wanted to play with quarterback Carson Wentz in Philly, question marks surrounding Jeffery on and off the field gave the Eagles the opportunity to sign him to a one-year deal when they otherwise could have easily been outbid.
Teams were cool on doling out long-term contracts offers to Jeffery, which opened the door for the Eagles and their short-term, prove-it deal. For Jeffery, now comes the hard part of proving he's worth becoming one of the league's highest-paid receivers.
While Jeffery immediately becomes Philadelphia's No. 1 target and one of the best wideouts in the NFC East, his stellar play is far from guaranteed. He's missed seven games in his career through injury and been hobbled in countless other outings, and that doesn't even include the four-game PED suspension that opens up a whole other avenue of questions and doubts.
The former Chicago Bear will be given every opportunity to show he can be the top target for Wentz in 2017 and for years to come, but he's undoubtedly on a short leash. If another injury or suspension surfaces, it would have a huge negative impact on an offense that's expected to improve dramatically this coming season.
No Game-Changer at RB
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For all the needs the Eagles had entering the draft, the overwhelming outside interest in drafting a first-round back like Christian McCaffrey stood out. Despite having a talented arsenal of backs, fans wondered just how much higher Wentz's ceiling could be if he had a true workhorse behind him.
While Philadelphia was clinical and decisive in bolstering its backfield this offseason, the team never took a chance on landing a workhorse. Instead, riding a three-headed backfield of Wendell Smallwood, new signing LeGarrette Blount and rookie Donnel Pumphrey appears to be the plan.
There's a wider array of skills and a different dynamic in the backfield, but there still isn't a back who looks like he can rip off 30-yard runs with ease and open things up. In a division that features Ezekiel Elliott behind the Dallas Cowboys offensive line, not having a game-changer in the backfield could prove costly.
Assembling a by-committee rushing approach is becoming more and more popular in the NFL, but it can easily fall apart when the right backs aren't in the mix. If the aforementioned trio doesn't perform, running back will become a priority in the next offseason.
Pass Rush
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It shouldn't be hard for the Philadelphia pass rush to improve in 2017, as it was one of the league's least dangerous units a season ago. That doesn't mean it will improve as much as the Eagles need it to.
Defensive end Brandon Graham offered the only consistent edge presence in 2016, which became one of the most frustrating developments on the heels of re-signing Vinny Curry to a monster deal and continuing to pay Connor Barwin big bucks. They attacked the position in the offseason, releasing Barwin and drafting Derek Barnett with the No. 14 overall pick.
For all intents and purposes, Barnett looks like a Day 1 contributor who could start right away and become a leader in terms of production. But it's not too enviable to be a rookie who needs to break out for a unit to perform at a high level.
The Eagles added some depth with veteran Chris Long, but the unit will need to take a considerable step up, and that will be exacerbated by continued struggles in the secondary. The more pressure the Eagles ends can get, the less pressure will be on the cornerbacks.
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