Is this a SB contending team? If not what's missing

[Behind Enemy Lines]

Looking over the team and staff I do think if we can avoid key injuries we will contend in 2021. I believe in Wentz. The Oline is solid although there is some question about Dillard he is a 1st rounder at a tough position for a rookie. Sanders, Ertz, Godert, DJ, Reagor are solid. New staff help on offense.  We should be able to score plenty.  What would I add to the O? Maybe a sledgehammer RB? However if I had to make one move it would be to trade for Yannick. He is available and we have the cap space to sign him.  I think a qb killer like that would transform the D into serious problem for other offenses. Our Dline would be top 5 in the league with a shut down corner.   I think the rest of the secondary is good not great but no longer a weakness.  Linebackers are a little concerning but I dont think I would spend the cap space meaningfully upgrading the position.  In summary, if Howie takes our remaining cap space and adds Yannick I think we a a serious SB contender.  What do you guys think?

[NOTW]

Too many new pieces to say this early. Offensive coaches, new medical and conditioning staff. New receivers. New look secondary. Health is always a factor with this oft injured team.

I think they need an upgrade at other corner opposite Slay, to draft a solid DE prospect to replace Graham, a Center ready to replace Kelce, a short yardage RB to add to the mix, and upgrades at LB.

 

[EazyEaglez]

Pass rush is still a question mark for this team. They did little to address that. The linebackers are also still in question. If the Eagles have instability at the LT spot then there will be instability at the quarterback spot. Wide receiver is a bigger question now than it was at the start of last season. Couldn’t tell you if the safety position is better or worse without Jenkins. Slay is legit, but who’s the guy on the other side? On top of all this we have a team that always seems to get injured. This is a 9 win team two years in a row that just added 10 rookies. I don’t see SB at this moment. 

[Portyansky]

Yes. The season.

[b_west3]

CeeDee Lamb is missing 😡

[Thrive]

They are certainly not obvious contenders.

[EagleJoe8]

Health is the most obvious key, but I think the offense should be solid as long as Dillon is good to go, and at least 2 of the new receivers pan out. Defense is always a concern though until it shows otherwise.

[XoqTionR]

13 minutes ago, Thrive said:

They are certainly not obvious contenders.

Why not? Isn't Wentz a top 10 QB?

[Mike030270]

Wentz took the team to the playoffs with scrubs for receivers. Dline if healthy will be a beast. Secondary finally got someone at CB. Mills will be interesting at safety.

It's possible if they stay relatively healthy. Although that's been the main thing for the past few years. Health.

Please stay healthy finally

[FastFreddie]

15 minutes ago, Thrive said:

They are certainly not obvious contenders.

I kind of agree but can’t figure out why. They check enough boxes to be.

Honestly, it’s probably Wentz. I think he flashed and we’ll never see it again. I think he’s very good and occasionally special but not great. And if he is great for a stretch, he will do down with injury.

 

Oh, and the defense is below average until proven otherwise. 

[Madriver]

I was begging for a DE and an outside corner so Mills can move to safety. 

Without a top 5-10 defense we are not serious contenders, given that we will have to deal with the Saints, possibly the Bucs, the Vikes and Seattle on our way to  a conference championship. Right now we're almost exactly middle of the road at 15th. Not good enough.

[birdman#12]

YES, they are SB contenders.

In true philly fashion, eagles fans only focus on the negative.....and those negatives are really uncertainty.  Uncertainty as to whether some young guys can step up and be more consistent performers.

The eagles defense ended up 12th in the aikman ratings last year.....with all those injuries.   Malik Jackson, Barnett, Ridgeway, Mills, Maddox, Leblanc will be back healthy.....they added Hargrave and Slay, and they added some fast, young talent in the draft.

Offensively, it all revolves around Wentz and the WR corps.  Wentz got back to 2017 form in the last 4 games of the season and Desean Jackson is back, giving the eagles the deep threat they sorely lacked.   They added a ton of speed with Reagor, Goodwin, Hightower and Watkins.  

And they have $27 million in cap space to add some veteran role players 

The eagles have some question marks,.......is there any team in the NFL without them?

[UK_EaglesFan89]

I don't believe they are right now no. But I do think they can of course compete to make the play offs and from there who knows. 

For me there's too much uncertainty and too many question marks to make them a legit contender. 

The huge turnover of staff raises questions for a start. How is this new offensive coaching structure going to pan out? How does that dynamic all play out? 

A major turnover at WR. 4 new faces in. Will Reagor be able to contribute straight away? What can the late rounders add? And can Goodwin stay healthy and make the roster? 

What about the OL? Brooks suffered another season ending injury. Peters is gone and there are potential doubts over Dillard.

Then the secondary, another major overhaul. Can Slay still be that top corner? Who's going to play opposite him? And how will the safeties fare with Jenkins no longer with the team. 

The LB position will always be a concern on this team but right now its probably at its worst... I mean the most experienced and perhaps best LB is Gerry. Gulp. 

And all of the above, and so many other things are going to be affected by the reduced off season. How will the rookies get up to speed? How will the receivers build a rapport with Wentz? How will the new coaches be able to implement their new ideas and wrinkles in to the play book? How will the new position coaches be able to help develop the players at those positions?

[Infam]

I think we are a legit contender right now.

If we fill the holes that remain: DE, CB, LB.. probably LG, RB.. we are favorites to win it all in my opinion.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

17 minutes ago, Infam said:

I think we are a legit contender right now.

If we fill the holes that remain: DE, CB, LB.. probably LG, RB.. we are favorites to win it all in my opinion.

🤣🤣🤣

[JetroLot]

2 hours ago, UK_EaglesFan89 said:

there are potential doubts over Dillard.

 

According to you in the other thread there are none. What potential doubts? 

You're arguing there is nothing wrong with him and that credible reporters with contacts with the Eagles are wrong in one thread and in another, using it as your argument? 

Awfully confusing. 

[birdman#12]

36 minutes ago, stinkfist said:

According to you in the other thread there are none. What potential doubts? 

You're arguing there is nothing wrong with him and that credible reporters with contacts with the Eagles are wrong in one thread and in another, using it as your argument? 

Awfully confusing. 

Credible reporters?  LMAO, that's an oxymoron.  

These reporters were so wrong about draft and have been wrong on so many occasions, I think stories are made up to drum up interest and they hide behind the bullsh-- excuse of "sources tell me"......

As far as Dillard is concerned, if those rumors were true, why in the world would they let Jason Peters and Big V walk?  Why wouldn't they go after a LT in the first round?  The rumors and the eagles actions simply don't add up.....

[JSEagle]

Yes.

Wentz took a team of cardboard cutouts to the playoffs and would've beaten Seattle had he not had a cheap shot to the head.

If we actually stay healthy this year Wentz locks up MVP.

[20dawk4life]

Need QB depth

[UK_EaglesFan89]

2 hours ago, stinkfist said:

According to you in the other thread there are none. What potential doubts? 

You're arguing there is nothing wrong with him and that credible reporters with contacts with the Eagles are wrong in one thread and in another, using it as your argument? 

Awfully confusing. 

Snore. 

You're a troll I get it. Go try to bother someone else. 

[birdman#12]

In Philly, when you measure "being a contender" by emotion and/or the fans and media's ability to evaluate teams, there is bound to be a negative overriding factor that isn't applied to other teams.  

Previous year statistics only show part of the story.   Injuries, free agency, draft selections, salary cap issues and coaching changes are things to factor in when is comes to determining how competitive a team will be the following year.  And one of the biggest factors is how will players develop from year to year. 

Philly fans and media ASSUME that a player will remain the same and that is based on stats and not on how he may have progressed thru the year.  Same with injuries......once a guy is injured in philly, he can't be depended on to get thru, and be productive, in the next season.   Practice squad players are dismissed as having little to no possibility to contribute.

So, statistically speaking, the eagles finished 8th overall in the Aikman rating last year.  Offense ended up 9th offensively and 13th defensively. 

Injury wise, they were devastated by injuries to the defensive backfield, defensive line, the WRs and the RBs.  And an injury to Wentz was the final blow to cut short their playoff run.

What this showed most of all was how much depth the eagles have.....few, if any,  playoff teams could have endured those injuries and got into the playoffs.  

So how will the free agent losses and additions, , trades, the draft picks and guys coming off injury improve the eagles?  And who are the young guys who the eagles need to take a step up in their production?  Free agent losses always add concerns about the ability to replace or upgrade the lost player.  Draft picks are unproven and unknown as to how they will react to the pro game. But the eagles have a load of talent coming back from injury this year.   They've made strategic acquisitions, and had draft that added loads of positional speed and potential.

Many of their young players improved last year but it was mostly ignored due to the team's inconsistent play. But the improved play of Sweat and Barnett is what led to the eagles to pass over DE's in the draft and free agency.  

To make a long story short, the eagles have a good mix of veterans, mid career guys, and young players.  It may take some time to integrate the talents and that may lead to them coming slow out of the gate, but they will get better as the year moves on.  But with the additional talent, the upgrade in team speed and versatility, I think the eagles fly under the radar again and have a very good year.    As long as they don't suffer as many injuries as they have the last 2 years.

So yes, I absolutely think they are a contender.

[UK_EaglesFan89]

1 hour ago, birdman#12 said:

Injury wise, they were devastated by injuries to the defensive backfield, defensive line, the WRs and the RBs.  And an injury to Wentz was the final blow to cut short their playoff run.

Injury wise they have been devastated by injuries the last 3 consecutive seasons. At this point I think it is absolutely fair to assume that they are going to continue to suffer significant injuries because that is based on the last few years. I take your point about fans assuming that one a guy gets hurt we assume he can't be depended on but we have seen that with some players so again it is a fair assessment more often than not.

Also with regards to players progressing, that has been another issue with this team over the last few years. These coaches have not done a good job of developing players so again I think it is completely fair for us to assume that players won't progress and develop. The 2017 SB team was a team built around experienced proven players, we have not done a good job of drafting and then developing those draft picks.

[ManchesterEagle]

7 hours ago, birdman#12 said:

YES, they are SB contenders.

In true philly fashion, eagles fans only focus on the negative.....and those negatives are really uncertainty.  Uncertainty as to whether some young guys can step up and be more consistent performers.

The eagles defense ended up 12th in the aikman ratings last year.....with all those injuries.   Malik Jackson, Barnett, Ridgeway, Mills, Maddox, Leblanc will be back healthy.....they added Hargrave and Slay, and they added some fast, young talent in the draft.

Offensively, it all revolves around Wentz and the WR corps.  Wentz got back to 2017 form in the last 4 games of the season and Desean Jackson is back, giving the eagles the deep threat they sorely lacked.   They added a ton of speed with Reagor, Goodwin, Hightower and Watkins.  

And they have $27 million in cap space to add some veteran role players 

The eagles have some question marks,.......is there any team in the NFL without them?

Agree with everything you say. 
 

This team was crippled by injuries the last two years and still made the playoffs.

Having a legitimate CB1 is huge. The DT rotation is legit.

I would also add I still think Alshon can help when he’s back healthy.

[Hawkeye]

13 hours ago, Behind Enemy Lines said:

Looking over the team and staff I do think if we can avoid key injuries we will contend in 2021. 

I’m focused on 2020 and yes.

[Behind Enemy Lines]

3 hours ago, ManchesterEagle said:

Agree with everything you say. 
 

This team was crippled by injuries the last two years and still made the playoffs.

Having a legitimate CB1 is huge. The DT rotation is legit.

I would also add I still think Alshon can help when he’s back healthy.

With the decent cap space what would you add to improve our chances?