Getting higher.
Because the 2023 Philadelphia Eagles season mercifully got here to an in depth and gamers trudged off the sector following their embarrassing wild card loss to the Bucs in Tampa, it turned clear to everybody that huge adjustments had been in retailer and that the group merely wanted to get higher in quite a few completely different areas.
A month later, the group has new offensive and defensive coordinators, new positional coaches on either side of the ball, and there’ll virtually actually be a sizeable variety of new gamers on the roster, notably on protection.
It’s wanted. The group should inject new blood into what had grow to be a stale operation that had few solutions for even probably the most primary of ideas. Nonetheless, the group won’t be mounted just by bringing in new folks. A number of the present gamers want to enhance in 2024 to ensure that the Eagles to get again to being true Tremendous Bowl contenders.
Listed below are 5 Eagles who may very well be probably the most improved subsequent season.
Jordan Davis
When Davis starred for the Georgia Bulldogs, he was not an each down man. He was extremely productive and dominant when he did play and there has by no means been any debate about his freakish athletic capacity at his measurement. He has, at occasions in his first two seasons within the NFL, dominated reps for big parts of sure video games, however he additionally tends to vanish for lengthy stretches, and even he admits he fell off within the second half of the 2023 season.
Video games 1-7: 2 1/2 sacks, 5 QB hits, 19 tackles (2.7 per sport)
Video games 8-18: 0 sacks, 0 QB hits, 28 tackles (2.5 per sport)
Jordan blamed “nicks” “bumps” and “bruises” for the decline in his play, though former offensive lineman-turned-NFL analyst Brian Baldinger pointed the finger at Davis’ conditioning.
It additionally couldn’t have helped that the protection was in whole disarray underneath Sean Desai and much more so as soon as Mat Patricia took over. Credit score Davis for making it via a full season with out an prolonged absence on the sector, and the hope is Vic Fangio will work out a rotation of linemen that may maximize what Davis brings to the desk, as a result of he’s too gifted to be that invisible for therefore lengthy.
Milton Williams
One of many gamers who may profit most from Fangio’s arrival is Williams, a high-energy, high-motor, over-achieving defensive sort out that at all times appears to take advantage of his alternatives.
Why? Participant utilization. As famous under, it’s doable Fangio will go together with smaller defensive sort out rotation in 2024 if his DT utilization in Miami final yr is any information.
A not often talked about side to Vic Fangio’s protection is that he didn’t rotate inside defensive linemen a lot final season.
Solely 5 whole IDLs performed for the Dolphins final season, right here they’re listed by whole snaps performed in 2023:
Christian Wilkins: 968Zach Sieler: 924… https://t.co/xttMuQCMj5
— Outdoors DiBirds (@OutsideDiBirds) February 16, 2024
Whereas Fangio should watch out to not overexpose gamers like Davis, whose major job is stopping the run and danger sporting him down, Williams appears to be the kind of participant who may gain advantage from extra snaps.
If these numbers are projected ahead to the Eagles, Jalen Carter might additionally see a giant increase in his efficiency. Understanding the pains of an 18-week common season additionally needed to be illuminating for these younger hogs up entrance.
Nakobe Dean
Final week the Eagles reportedly introduced aboard former Titans linebackers coach Bobby King to take over a linebacker room in Philadelphia that was, indisputably, one of many worst within the NFL. As of proper now, solely Dean and undrafted rookie Ben VanSumeren are underneath contract, and it’s anticipated Howie Roseman will deliver some new faces aboard to assist Fangio’s scheme that’s depending on competent linebacker play.
Perhaps that is extra wishful considering than something, as Dean has been misplaced in his first two seasons in Philadelphia, taking part in solely 5 video games final yr as he handled foot accidents. There may be expertise there, however Dean simply hasn’t been on the sector sufficient to get snug. Keep in mind, Dean was the youngest opening day starter since 2012 (Brandon Boykin) and he simply turned 23 years outdated, that means there may be nonetheless a variety of soccer left.
He was by no means wholesome after struggling his first foot damage within the season opener in New England after which once more till the house Cowboys sport. It’s probably the group will open with him penciled in because the beginning off-ball linebacker in ‘24, and the hope is Fangio + King will assist him discover his footing.
Tyler Steen
To start with, title me an offensive lineman that doesn’t enhance underneath Jeff Stoutland, and sure, everybody goes to shout Andre Dillard’s title, however consider, he was a superb back-up left sort out and obtained a beginning job elsewhere.
Steen didn’t play a lot in his rookie season however had some good reps whereas he was on the market.
He’s a massively necessary participant and, with Jason Kelce’s standing for subsequent season unsure and the potential for Cam Jurgens transferring to heart full-time, the offensive line’s success in 2024 might hinge on whether or not Steen is ready to present consistency on the proper guard place.
Nick Sirianni
I didn’t say this needed to be gamers, did I?
Sirianni had an terrible yr in 2023. His decision-making in non-tush-push 4th-down conditions and play-calls in crunch-time turned extra conservative. The locker room and quarterback appeared to be a ball of rigidity from Week 1. He admitted his tone and demeanor on the sidelines wants to alter in an effort to challenge a way of calm, particularly when issues are going downhill.
Not solely that, his offense must clean up in a giant manner.
New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has been introduced in to assist with that, and there’s a believable state of affairs the place this all works out. Nonetheless, it’s clear Sirianni is on a one-year trial run as CEO head coach and, if issues go south, he’s nearly as good as gone.
Is Sirianni as sensible and emotionally clever as he appeared throughout that 2022 Tremendous Bowl run, or is he the coach that appeared totally misplaced for a lot of the ‘23 season, a coach unable or unwilling to alter his methods and regulate to what was occurring on the sector.
The gamers say he by no means misplaced the locker room, but it surely’s clear many gamers didn’t belief that he, or any of the opposite coaches, had any solutions to assist them. If the Eagles are going to get again to the Tremendous Bowl, Sirianni has to enhance too.
