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A semi-detailed look at the offensive side of the Eagles roster; for the purposes of this exercise I'm including practice squad guys as the line between the 53 man roster and the practice squad (PS) has become all the more thin in the COVID era. PS guys will be notated as such, as well as injured reserve (IR). If you're curious, here's last year's version of this column for reference. Here goes nothing:
Quarterbacks
I'm not going to add too much noise to the chatter around Jalen Hurts, who is likely the most talked-about player for this franchise in a long time. Suffice to say he's a bona fide top shelf starting QB, which is all that anyone can ask for. Last year in my ranking of the starting NFL quarterbacks, I theorized that a top seven QB was the threshold for serious Super Bowl competition, and even a hater would struggle to rank Hurts lower than that. In this year's version of that column (link above), I slotted him in at #3 leagewide.
Marcus Mariota seems to be following the long tradition of Eagles backup quarterbacks that struggle in the preseason and end up working out pretty well when it matters (Nick Foles and Gardner Minshew both fit this bill). I've stated that Mariota is now a little underrated by the league at large and Philly fans more specifically, and I'm sticking with that until proven wrong. He isn't a player I'd want to start for a full season if I'm a serious contender, but having a player like this coming off the bench is totally fine.
Tanner McKee has made the journey from five star recruit (February '18) to possible first round pick (August '22) to questionable 6th round pick (April '23), mostly due to the complete cratering of Stanford's program. That collapse was so complete that they ran out their longtime coach and totally switched offensive philosophies. McKee looked good in the preseason and should push for playing time should a backup be needed.
My evaluation: I haven't felt this good about the QB room since 2018. Foles was a much better backup than Mariota (probably) is, but both Wentz and Foles were banged up going in to that season. It's a statement to how confident the team is in their guys that they didn't even bring a QB in for the practice squad.
Running Backs
D'Andre Swift's career average of 72 yards from scrimmage per game is 16th among running backs who have played at least 32 games over the last three years.
Rashaad Penny's career average of 5.7 YPC is the best among running backs who have carried at least 300 times over the last four years (and this behind an objectively bad offensive line).
Among running backs who have only made a single start, Kenny Gainwell's 953 total yards rank third. He's one of the better backup running backs in the league already and would have made (and still might make) a fine lead back if needed this season.
Not since Bernard Karmell Pollard haunted the dreams of Bill Simmons and the rest of Patriots fandom has a single random player owned a team so wholeheartedly as Boston Scott has owned the Giants. That factoid alone is more than enough to get me excited that Scott is back.
My evaluation: it has been a very long time since the Birds went into a season with a RB room this deep. Seriously, when was the last time the Eagles had four running backs who could play? Similar to QB above, the team shows its confidence in this group by not including a single RB on the practice squad.
Wide Receivers
AJ Brown has been everything the Eagles hoped he would be when they made the draft night blockbuster trade to get him last spring. He's a YAC monster who's also a deep threat with deceptive speed and obvious tackle breaking ability. Brown leads the NFL in yards per target (min. 200 targets) since he came into the league. His connection with Hurts continues to be one of the best things going for this team.
Devonta Smith continues to prove me wrong, outplaying his size and killing defenders with superb route running and hands. The 1-2 punch formed by Brown and Smith is as good as it gets for WR pairs in this league.
It's more than a little remarkable that Quez Watkins' career seems to be on a recovery. I pointed out in this column last year that Watkins' 2021 season was underrated, and I was surprised to see how poorly he played in 2022. A rebound year is not only reasonable but possibly an expected result. The big question is, where will he play? Will he remain in the slot or move back outside?
The presence of Olamide Zaccheaus makes the slot WR position interesting. He's a natural slot with toughness and speed, with kick return chops as a bonus. He'll find a role on this team.
Britain Covey (PS) didn't catch one pass last year but came on pretty strong as the year went on in his role as the primary punt returner. I think he's got a chance to return to the roster as the PR, and may factor into the slot WR derby as well. He'll start on the PS, just like last year, but I look for him to hit the active roster sooner rather than later.
Joseph Ngata (PS) is a big receiver who lacks speed. He's one of this year's UDFA crop who profiles as a poor man's AJ Brown (big strong outside WR). The team is intrigued enough to try to develop him behind the scenes. Greg Ward (PS) is still hanging around (anyone remember him leading the team in catches in 2020?!?). Ward is one of eight players on this team that was on the Super Bowl squad six years ago (he was on the PS then too). If needed, Ward will be a solid but unspectacular option in the slot. His future is in coaching. Devon Allen (PS) has shown enough promise on special teams that I wouldn't rule out a cameo on the 53 before long.
My evaluation: outside of the Smith-Brown combo, this group may need someone to step up. Could it be a Watkins revitalization, or will one of the newcomers emerge? Such an emergence will be necessary, should a major injury occur.
Tight Ends
Dallas Goedert leads all players (not tight ends, all PLAYERS) in yards per target (min. 100 targets) over the last two seasons. He's still developing as a blocker but his 441 total snaps in that role were #6 among tight ends last year. He's probably a more versatile player than some of the TEs that get more press (Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews come to mind), and he's been healthier so far than George Kittle. Tight End is an unusual position in that, after Travis Kelce, there are five or six players that people seem to consider as the second best in the league at this position, and Goedert is as worthy of consideration as anyone for that spot.
Jack Stoll remains the team's favorite to come off the bench. He's a good blocker who's underrated as a receiver. Grant Calcaterra is essentially the opposite; a dynamic receiving threat that is a developing blocker. Between the two of them, they have the depth locked down.
Albert Okwuegbunam is listed as a TE but the combination of WR speed (4.49 forty) and nonexistent blocking skills means that the team will likely use him as a jumbo WR; there's a role there for a player like this, and I'm interested to see it unfold. Brady Russell (PS) is a possible nepo baby (his uncle works for the team), but we'll see if they can turn him into something more. As a former walk on, he knows something about working his was onto a roster.
My evaluation: Philly is absurdly deep here; both Tyree Jackson and Dan Arnold were roster-able players and didn't even make the PS.
Tackles
We've said all that really needs to be said about Lane Johnson, who is not only the top RT in the sport, but may well be the best OL in the NFL and is as important as any player to this team (Hurts included). The team's W/L % split with and without him speaks for itself.
Jordan Mailata is starting in on his sixth season in Philly, but don't sleep on the idea that he may still have a leap to make. He just turned 26, and somehow is only beginning his third season as a starter (not in the NFL, but in his entire life). Mailata has not yet made a Pro Bowl but has gotten to that level; we'll see how much farther he can go.
Jack Driscoll hasn't had a great preseason but should retain his swing backup position. I've said from the day he was drafted that I believe he's headed for the guard position at some point, but if that happens it might not happen here. Fred Johnson was a surprise inclusion on the 53, but the team liked him enough to rework his deal, keeping him around for the next two years. He's a big man at 6-7, 326, and Stoutland has been working with him since last November. He's been a PS guy to this point in his career, but we'll see if there's more here than just that.
The team really likes Brett Toth (PS), and if he sticks around throughout this year it'll be at tackle again, considering how disastrous his turn at center was. Le'Raven Clark (PS) is back for yet another turn as a “break glass in case of emergency” experienced (18 career starts) backup LT.
My evaluation: the starters are fine, possibly the best OT combo in the league right now. My concern here is depth; should either of the starters miss major time the offense will be tested.
Guards
Landon Dickerson seems to have shaken off the injury bug that clung to him throughout his college career (four season ending injuries in five years). His combination of size, athleticism, physicality and nastiness is rare and bodes well for his career if he stays healthy.
It seems wrong to list Cam Jurgens with the guards, but as he's likely to start the season as our right guard, he belongs here. His improvement at the position has been notable, and the only question for 2023 is how well he'll hold up physically in one of the most demanding positions in the game. The guy he beat out for the position (Tyler Steen) is almost certainly the RG of the future and will probably be the starter there no later than next season. He's a good fit that the team has a plan for.
Buried on the depth chart is Sue Opeta, who didn't impress in the preseason but in whom the staff has enough belief in to break the glass on in case of emergency. Julian Good-Jones (PS) was one of the final men off the 53, and may end up making a cameo on the active roster at some point. He's versatile and reliable. Tyre Phillips (PS) is another really big guy (6-5, 330) that the team wanted enough to dump Kyron Johnson to make room for him.
My evaluation: assuming Jurgens' early success isn't a mirage, I think they'll be fine here. How quickly Steen comes along will be a fun side story to watch; one that the Eagles bought themselves to opportunity to be patient with by drafting Jurgens last spring.
Centers
Jason Kelce is my all time favorite Eagle. He's the Tom Brady of centers; a sixth round pick that nobody really believed in until he started playing and became the finest player at his position. Another season at the level he's played at lately will take him into the top 150 all time in Weighted Career AV, which in itself won't guarantee a Hall of Fame ticket, but Kelce's career certainly will. I'm excited for the coming drama series centered around his 2022 season. We'll miss him when he's gone.
Jurgens is the nominal backup and is capable of holding down the fort there should he need to be called on. Dickerson and Toth have college starting experience at center, so depth is not a concern.
My evaluation: Kelce has not missed a game since 2014 and overall has started 91% of all Eagles games since he was drafted. His durability is top shelf and the depth here is good.
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