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The original was posted on /r/nfl by /u/alcatraz_0109 on 2024-03-13 14:07:34.
(Uplifting, vibrant NFL Films music begins playing)
On November 26, 2023, the Philadelphia Eagles were soaring. They had just walked off the Buffalo Bills, the AFC’s eventual #2 seed, in a thrilling overtime performance thanks to Jalen Hurts’s 12 yard TD rush. Their record following the win was 10-1, 2 wins clear of every other team in the NFC. Their point differential, while not nearly as dominant as their record indicated, was 7th in the NFL and 3rd in the NFC. Even in the midst of what was their most brutal stretch of games on their schedule, they had shown themselves to be a scrappy team that had a chance to win against any team in any kind game. They seemed poised to repeat as NFC East champions, the first team to do so in 19 years, and were in the driver’s seat for the NFC’s top seed.
(Record scratch, cut to 7 weeks later)
On January 15, 2024, the Philadelphia Eagles were knocked out of the NFL playoffs after a brutal showing against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It was their 6th loss in their last 7 games, and the 4th of those losses by 3 scores or more. They didn’t end up as the NFC’s 1 seed, nor did they end up with the NFC East title, despite the only things standing between them and that latter crown being matchups against the lowly Cardinals and Giants. They became the only team in NFL history to start 10-1 and not reach 12 wins on the season. Their point differential plummeted to 15th in the NFL and 8th in the NFC.
If the cause behind the collapse were due to a sudden rash of injuries to key players, then it would have been easier to explain. If it had been as simple as a few bad bounces of the ball, that would have still sucked, but also would have made the collapse explainable. But that’s not what happened - the collapse was a total team failure. The offense, which had largely coasted on talent throughout the year, suddenly found itself unable to overcome a scheme that had both become predictable and stale. The defense, which had already struggled to find consistency thanks to massive personnel turnover and injuries, completely fell out of sync under the playcalling of Matt Patricia.
Offseason Recap
KEY ACQUISITIONS:
(Note: the Eagles made so many notable in-season acquisitions that I will separate out the off-season ones from the in-season ones.)
Offseason:
- RB D’Andre Swift (Trade, DET) - If the Eagles made one acquisition this offseason that proved to be a home run, it was Swift, who returned to his hometown and revitalized his career, even with an offense struggling around him. His 1049 rushing yards were a career high and 5th in the NFL.
- QB Marcus Mariota - This was the biggest-money free agent acquisition the Eagles made this offseason. And fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it?) it was largely unnecessary, as outside of a couple spot injuries and the second half of Week 18, Hurts was active and healthy enough to keep Mariota on the bench.
- LB Zach Cunningham - Signed for the vet minimum a couple weeks into training camp, Cunningham proved to be the Eagles’ most important LB in 2023. Which is both a reflection of Cunningham’s slightly-better-than-expected play, and also a reflection of the Eagles’ remaining LB corps.
- LB Nicholas Morrow - For a player signed to a minimum deal with zero guaranteed money, Morrow was probably as good as could have been expected - despite his lack of size he was generally solid as a downhill tackler, even notching a 3-sack performance against the Commanders in Week 4. But for someone who ended up taking the most snaps of any Eagles LB, he was simply out of his depth.
- WR Olamide Zaccheaus - On a per-target basis, Zaccheus was the Eagles’ best receiver outside of A.J. Brown, DeVonta, and Goedert, and made a couple timely TD catches. But he was only targeted 20 times on the year, so there’s not much else to say about him.
- S Justin Evans - The former 2nd rounder began the regular season starting alongside Reed Blankenship at safety, playing almost 100% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in 3 of their first 5 games. But the injury bug that has so ravaged Evans’ career came back to bite him again, as a knee injury ultimately ended his season after that Week 5 appearance.
- S Terrell Edmunds - Edmunds’ was the Eagles’ biggest-money free agent signing outside of Mariota, and for just 1 year/$2M he seemed like a nice buy-low candidate - a former 1st rounder with 75 career starts and the ability to play in the box. But Edmunds didn’t crack the safety rotation out of camp, and when injuries forced him into the lineup, he didn’t look good when he did play. The Eagles quickly recouped their losses by trading him and a couple late picks for Kevin Byard.
- DT Kentavius Street - Another depth free agent signed for a low guarantee, Street took a few snaps per game as a pass-rushing DT, then was traded to Atlanta prior to Week 9 for a late round pick swap.
- RB Rashaad Penny - It seemed like Penny’s size, speed, and hyper-efficiency (over 6 yards/carry over the preceding 2 seasons) combined with the Eagles’ dominant OL would be a perfect match. But when D’Andre Swift entered the picture, Penny ended up relegated to healthy scratch status as the Eagles couldn’t really find a gameday role for him.
- TE Albert Okwuegbunam - Acquired on final camp cutdown day for a swap of late-round picks, Albert O ended up being the Eagles’ ceremonial athletic TE stash, being targeted just once in the 4 games he was active.
- CB Isaiah Rodgers - This was more of a speculative pickup for 2024 as Rodgers sat out the season due to a gambling suspension.
- LB Myles Jack - Brought in alongside Zach Cunningham to provide adequate veteran depth - and in Jack’s case, size - to a shallow LB corps.
- CB Greedy Williams, TE Dan Arnold, OT Dennis Kelly - A smattering of veterans who had a chance to be roster depth but merely ended up being camp bodies.
In-season: * S Kevin Byard (Trade, TEN) - Byard was the highest profile pickup the Eagles made all year, as the Titans dumped his salary in exchange for Terrell Edmunds and 2 late round picks. He wasn’t bad by any means, but perhaps a disappointment to those expecting the 2021 All-Pro version of him. * CB Bradley Roby - The veteran was signed in early October, but didn’t find a steady role until after the bye because of injuries, and ended up as the Eagles’ primary slot CB until Avonte Maddox returned from injury, with mixed results. * WR Julio Jones - It’s pretty neat when one of the best NFL WRs of this generation picks your favorite team for a ring chasing opportunity. But unfortunately, there was little else that Julio could bring besides HoF credentials - the 34-year-old ended up catching just 11 balls in 11 games. * P Braden Mann - Not only did Mann end up being the Eagles’ most successful in-season acquisition of 2023, but he was actually solidly above-average, the quality of which they haven’t had in a punter since Donnie Jones departed after 2017. * LB Shaq Leonard - One of the Eagles’ few late-season voctories was when Leonard chose to join the Eagles over the Cowboys ahead of both teams’ late-season stretch runs. It was of particular importance to the Eagles, as they were well into the dregs of their LB corps. And while Leonard was certainly an improvement, he could only do so much to halt the Eagles’ collapse.
KEY DEPARTURES:
- DT Javon Hargrave (FA, SF) - As a DT who could effectively rush the passer from the A gap, Hargrave blossomed into a unique defensive weapon during his 3 years in Philly. As much as the Eagles value pass rushing DL, they were never going to be able to give Hargrave the megadeal he deserved.
- OT Andre Dillard (FA, TEN) - The main question surrounding Dillard during his time as an Eagle: Was he merely a bust, or just unfortunate to be stuck behind 2 great LT? The Titans banked on the latter, pricing Dillard well outside the range the Eagles would value a backup OL.
- OG Isaac Seumalo (FA, PIT) - Seumalo had been an underrated piece of the Eagles’ OL for the last few years. Letting him walk in free agency was more about the Eagles’ faith in their own internal options (specifically Cam Jurgens) rather than Seumalo’s worth as a player.
- S C.J. Gardner-Johnson (FA, DET) - CJGJ made a major impact in his one year as an Eagle as a versatile, playmaking safety who could cover from the slot when needed. It’s very possible that CJGJ was the Eagles’ first choice to be re-signed, but by the time it was clear that he wouldn’t get the megadeal he wanted from a cold S market, the Eagles had no room for him, and he took a bridge deal from Detroit instead.
- LB T.J. Edwards (FA, CHI) - Edwards blossomed from UDFA special teamer to solid 3-down LB during his time in Philly. But the Eagles seldom give major deals to LBs, and Edwards took the chance to return to his hometown Bears.
- RB Miles Sanders (FA, CAR) - Like Andre Dillard, Sanders’s value was something of a mystery entering the 2023 offseason: was his remarkable efficiency (5.0 yards/carry in Philly) a product of his talent, or the talent surrounding him? The Eagles went with the latter, and Sanders ended up getting a solid payday from the Panthers.
- S Marcus Epps (FA, LV) - Another player who made his way up the depth chart over the years, Epps was similarly priced out of the range the Eagles wanted to pay for a…
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