Eagles Outlook By Position (Offense)
Eagles Outlook By Position (Offense)
The NFL Draft gives teams an opportunity to fill holes in their roster or bolster certain positions with young talent. The Eagles have a solid number of picks in this upcoming draft, but what should they be used for? Here’s a pre-draft position-by-position outlook on the Eagles offense.
Quarterbacks: Carson Wentz, Nate Sudfeld
The Eagles have their quarterback for the next decade plus in Wentz, but his health has become a concern. He was an MVP-candidate as recently as 2017 and was still playing at a better level than he was given credit for last season. He’s one of the game’s premier young QBs and there should be no issues as long as he can remain on the field. Sudfeld is a young backup passer that the Eagles really love. They should bring in some veteran competition for the preseason just to challenge him. A quarterback is not in Philly’s draft plans.
Running Backs: Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Boston Scott
The Eagles trade for their bell cow in Howard, but they still need a viable second option for the committee approach that they love. Smallwood isn’t the answer, and more is still needed from Clement. Sproles hasn’t made his decision on returning, but regardless, there’s a very good chance that Philadelphia will add someone in the draft. Alabama’s Josh Jacobs and Penn State’s Miles Sanders are two intriguing options for the birds.
Wide Receivers: Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson, Nelson Agholor, Mack Hollins, Shelton Gibson
With the return of D-Jax and the retaining of Agholor, Philadelphia boasts one of the best-receiving trios in football. Hollins provides good depth if he can fulfill the potential he flashed in his rookie season. Gibson hasn’t panned out to be a deep threat that Eagles believed he could be, and he’s nothing more than a special teamer at this point.
Tight End: Zach Ertz, Dallas Goedert, Richard Rodgers, Joshua Perkins
Zach Ertz is a top three tight end in the game, Goedert has an insane level of talent that Philadelphia must take advantage of, and Rodgers once caught a hail mary. The Eagles are set at tight end for this year and for the future.
Tackle: Lane Johnson, Jason Peters, Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Jordan Mailata
Lane Johnson is an elite right tackle and Jason Peters is a good left tackle. The issue is in Peters age, as it’s very clear he’s nearing the end of his playing career. Vaitai hasn’t proved that he can take over as Carson’s future blindside protector, and we still haven’t seen game action from Mailata (although he claims he was very close to playing before his injury). There’s been a lot of hype around the former rugby star, but there’s no guarantee in anything there. Philadelphia must acquire another tackle soon to compete with Big V and Mailata.
Guard/Center: Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Isaac Seumalo, Matt Pryor
Kelce is the best center in the NFL and just received a contract extension, there’s no issue there. Seumalo is a versatile lineman who wrestled a starting job away from former Eagle Stefen Wisniewski. Brooks is one of the best at what he does, but he’s coming off of a serious Achilles injury that could keep him out past the start of the season. With the Eagles releasing Wisniewski, their main source of guard depth, there’s a reason to be optimistic concerning his return time. Nothing has been seen from Pryor, so Philadelphia is going to have to add interior lineman depth this offseason.
-By: Micah Jimoh