The NFL is back, and Sportsnet is breaking down everything you need to know about each of the 32 teams in the month leading up to kickoff on Thursday, Sept. 7. Today, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Head coach: Doug Pederson
Last season’s record: 7-9
Playoff result: Missed the playoffs
Key free agent gains: On offence, the Eagles brought in Torrey Smith to be the deep threat and Alshon Jeffery to be their No. 1 receiver. For Jeffery, he’s now got the chance to rebuild his value on a one-year deal after a missing four games in 2016 due to a suspension for PEDs.
The Eagles got themselves a new short-yardage back to bring some thunder to Darren Sproles’ lightning. Can LeGarrette Blount be productive away from New England? He fills a major need but won’t get the touches in Philadelphia he got in New England (306 total last season). Blount’s yards per carry has dropped in each of the last three years.
On defence, the biggest addition wasn’t in free agency but via trade: Philadelphia acquired defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan from the Ravens in April for a third-round pick. The six-foot, 295-pound Jernigan will replace the departed Bennie Logan (more on that below) along an already-stacked Eagles defensive line that includes Fletcher Cox, Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, Chris Long and first-round pick Derek Barnett.
Another notable off-season move was the signing of safety Corey Graham. With the Bills in 2016, Graham put up 87 tackles, one sack and a fumble recovery. In 2015 Graham had a career-high 127 tackles. The Eagles already have great safety depth, so the move is somewhat puzzling despite Graham’s top-end talent.
Finally, Philadelphia signed cornerback Patrick Robinson, who may have had an eye on starting. However, when the Eagles traded for Ronald Darby it took away that chance away for Robinson. Now he’s in a battle to make the team and will only do so if he proves in the pre-season he can play in the slot as a nickel corner.
Key free agent losses: The Eagles said goodbye to a few veterans this season. Running back Ryan Mathews was cut in camp. They released outside linebacker Connor Barwin. The biggest loss was nose tackle Bennie Logan leaving and joining former Eagles coach Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs. Cornerback is a major concern after Nolan Carroll left in free agency to the division rival Dallas Cowboys.
Key draft picks: Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz loves to rush four. When that is your mindset you need some playmakers in the back end of your secondary. Which underscores the Eagles draft choices. With the 14th overall pick the Eagles took defensive end Derrick Barnett.
After getting a pass-rush specialist, the Eagles drafted ball hawk corner Sidney Jones with a second-round pick, who ruptured his Achilles at the University of Washington pro day and will miss significant time. They went all-in on the cornerback position in the draft, also going after Rasul Douglas of West Virginia with their third-round pick.
X-factor: The Eagles invested a lot in ageing receivers, signing Jeffery for $14 million for one season and Smith for $15 million over three seasons. After they traded Jordan Matthews, the Eagles don’t have a huge amount of depth behind them. Both players have a long history of being injured. If they have to start games with Nelson Agholor as their No. 1 receiver, they’re in big trouble.
2017 will be a success if: Carson Wentz doesn’t have a sophomore slump. Last year, Wentz set an NFL rookie record for most completions in a season with 379. Despite the fact he finished with the fourth-most passing yards for a first-year player in league history with 3,782, his completion percentage dipped as the year went on.
Wentz had some throwing mechanics issues and spent time in the off-season in an attempt to clean it up. Hopefully that was the root of his late-season problems and not the fact that the book is out on the former North Dakota State star.
