The 2023 Philadelphia Eagles season ended bitterly. But that was last year. This is this year. Why can the Eagles bounce back in a big way in 2024?
The Eagles coaching staff is better
Philly’s play-callers last year were dead weight. Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson was in over his head, defensive coordinator Sean Desai got benched during the season, and replacement Matt Patricia was Matt Patricia. Competency would be an upgrade over what the Eagles coordinators brought to the table last year.
The Eagles did better than mere competency. Vic Fangio on defense and Kellen Moore on offense were the best hires the team could make.
Moore won’t give his top running back just two touches in a game. He understands that the rules allow a wide receiver to move from one part of the field to another before the ball is snapped. With five years of play-calling experience, Moore won’t need the training wheels that Johnson needed but lacked.
Just as importantly, Moore and his lieutenants — Doug Nussmeier and Kyle Valero — are fresh voices. Over 2022 and 2023, the Eagles only hired one offensive coach from outside the organization; Marcus Brady, who had previously worked with Nick Sirianni. Moore and his staff are much needed new perspectives for an offense that had gone stale.
Meanwhile, rather than try to use another copy of the Vic Fangio defense, the team went and hired the genuine article. They didn’t just bring in Fangio, they rebuilt the defense in his vision. Vangio is likely to have at least five new starters through the free agency additions of Bryce Huff, Zack Baun, Devin White, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson, along with draft picks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. The team also drafted Jalyx Hunt, reportedly a personal favorite of Fangio.
What was a weakness in 2023 should be a strength in 2024.
The Eagles secondary is talented and deep
For the first time in what feels like forever, the Eagles have honest-to-goodness depth in the secondary. The depth comes with a caveat: most of the players didn’t play last year. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are rookies, Isaiah Rodgers was suspended for all of 2023, and Keele Ringo only played six games on defense.
But the talent is there, what has been a handicap in recent years should be an asset. Vic Fangio is no stranger to playing young players or to rotating his secondary, so they should all get a chance to contribute. Gardner-Johnson, DeJean, and Avante Maddox have positional versatility that should help when injuries happen. Last season, too many practice squad players were forced into action in the secondary. That shouldn’t be an issue this year.
Philadelphia’s offense is too good to fail
The 2024 Eagles will go as far as their offense takes them. Fortunately, it should be one of the best in the league. Despite everything that went wrong last year, they still finished 5th in EPA per play, 6th in success rate, 7th in scoring, 8th in yards, and 10th in DVOA. The Eagles don’t need to lead the league in scoring and only one team in the past decade has had the top scoring offense and won the Super Bowl. They just need to be consistent and dynamic.
The Eagles still have a great line even without Jason Kelce and they have an elite WR duo. The addition of Saquon Barkley and a healthy Jalen Hurts, who spent most of the 2023 season playing through a knee injury, should see the run game return to dominance. The pieces for an elite offense are there, and Kellen Moore has shown that he can get a talented offense producing. His offenses have finished 1st, 4th, and 6th in points; 1st in yards twice; and 2nd and 6th in DVOA.
Philadelphia has pride
The last seven-game stretch of the 2023 season was one of the most miserable endings in franchise history. There are only two responses the team can have to that bitter ending: fight or flight. During the season they chose flight, but things have changed.
New key voices on the coaching staff on both sides of the ball aren’t neophytes. There are veteran additions at every position that weren’t here for the slide, including CJGJ and Devin White bringing some much needed attitude.
And the coach and the quarterback have a history of rebounding. Nick Sirianni’s first season was a bounce back for the team after the miserable 2020 season. After some course corrections midway through 2021, the team finished 7-3 to reach the playoffs. This year, the course correction happened in the offseason.
Then there’s the quarterback. Jalen Hurts has a history of bouncing back from low points in his career. Don’t bet against him.
