Just a season removed from being champions of the NFC and coming up three points shy of a title, the Eagles are right back in the mix as major contenders in the National Football League.
Obviously, the Eagles aren't far removed from a great season just a year ago, but the team has went through some major changes as a whole. Starting with the coaching staff, the Eagles lost both their top coordinators in Shane Steichen, the offensive coordinator, and Jonathan Gannon, the defensive coordinator. Steichen took the head coaching job in Indianapolis, while Gannon went his separate way to Arizona.
The Eagles ranked in the top 10 in total defense last season as well as top 3 in total offense last season. The departure of both of these coaches is a huge loss for the Eagles that has been somewhat overlooked this offseason.
A big change the Eagles made this offseason was the running back room. The Eagles let their starting running back for the last couple of years, Miles Sanders, sign with the Carolina Panthers, so they went out and traded for a new RB1 in De'Andre Swift. They also signed former Seahawk running back, Rashaad Penny, as another key piece to that running backs room this offseason.
On the other hand, the Eagles did take somewhat of a big hit on losing many key players on the defensive side of the ball. Along with two starting linebackers, the Eagles also lost CJ Gardner-Johnson and Javon Hargrave as well. Those two names were arguably some of the biggest names to sign with other teams this offseason.
Luckily for the Eagles, they had an outstanding draft class this year, drafting aspiring replacements for their veteran guys that they lost. It was almost as if they just drafted the entire Georgia Bulldogs defense after they went out and drafted three star players from that Bulldogs defensive unit a season ago. Taking Jalen Carter with the ninth overall pick was huge for them in the fact that Carter will come into this Eagles defense with a chance to make up for the loss of Hargrave at the defensive tackle position.
Besides the running back room, the offense really hasn't changed much from a season ago. The Eagles did agree to a long-term deal with Jalen Hurts for five years in the offseason, locking up arguably a top 5 quarterback in the league. Hurts showed glimpses of what he could do in the past, but last season was his breakout year and put the entire NFL on notice. Hurts is surrounded by so many great weapons including AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, and others. The Eagles have a strong case for the best offense in the league.
The Eagles are once again going to be highly regarded around the National Football League and are the definite front-runners in the NFC East once again. The only team really making as strong of a case behind them in that division is the Dallas Cowboys, but I believe the Eagles will repeat and avenge their NFC East title from a year ago.
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