The Philadelphia Eagles are the reigning defending Super Bowl Champions heading into the offseason after having one of the most impressive seasons and one of the most impressive Super Bowls a team has ever had. The team went 14-3 and won the conference championship by 32 points and led by as much as 34 points in the Super Bowl. The only three games they lost all season long were primarily due to injury, their top two wide receivers not being available in an early season loss to Tampa, Jalen Hurts not being available in a late season loss to Washington, and the team suffering a very narrow 1 point loss early in the season to Atlanta while not having superstar wideout A.J. Brown available. Heading into next season the team will be the favorite to win it all once again and rightfully so. The team has the most talented roster in the NFL and the combination of Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni is one of the most underrated coach/quarterback combinations in the NFL. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio is one of the sharpest defensive minds in the NFL and he turned around a defense that struggled in the 2023 season to the best overall defense in the NFL after taking over this past season. There are some concerns however as repeating as Super Bowl Champions is not easy to come by. The team will likely have to deal with a more seasoned and healthy Detroit Lions team next season in the NFC. Although Sirianni and Hurts are an underrated combination as a head coach and quarterback, I still prefer more than a few head coach + quarterback combinations over them. Overcoming the loss of Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator will be a tough pill to swallow as well.
On the offensive side of the ball the Eagles were one of the premier teams in the NFL this past season as their personnel ranked up there with anyone. Jalen Hurts even though he just won the Super Bowl is still not in that group with Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes in my estimation but he is the next closest thing. Similar logic applies to offensive minded head coach Nick Sirianni, even though he just won the Super Bowl he is not quite in that group with Sean McVay and Andy Reid but he is the next closest thing. The Eagles offensive ranks for the 2024 season can be found below.
Eagles 2024 Regular Season Offensive Ranks
7th in points per game
8th in yards per game
7th in overall offense grade according to Pro Football Focus
One would certainly surmise that from the data above that there were several teams this past season who were better offensively than the Eagles as they did not even rank in the top 5 in any of the major categories. However, the production above which is not as prolific as one would otherwise expect, can be attributed to a few things. The team took a while to get into the full flow of things early in the season with new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. The team had some injuries as star wide outs Devonta Smith and A.J. Brown missed 4 games each this past season, Jalen Hurts missed 3 games, and superstar left tackle Jordan Mailata missed 5 games. If the Eagles had stayed healthier and got into a groove offensively sooner, then the Eagles would have certainly ranked in the top 5 in at least one or more of the categories above. From a personnel perspective the Eagles have arguably the strongest offensive personnel in the NFL. I have conducted an analysis of each unit of the Eagles offensive personnel which can be found below. I have listed the offense grade that each player was given over the course of the 2024 season along with me assigning each player a subjective grade that indicates how strong of players I deem them to be in totality outside of just 2024. This subjective grade that I assigned them is based upon yearly statistical output and yearly subjective grades that have been assigned to them by Pro Football Focus.
Eagles Offensive Line Starters
LT – Jordan Mailata – (1/87) offense grade in 2024 over 801 snaps, A to A-
LG – Landon Dickerson – (10/83) offense grade in 2024 over 995 snaps, B to B+
C – Cam Jurgens – (13/43) offense grade in 2024 over 1067 snaps, B to B-
RG – Mekhi Becton – (17/83) offense grade in 2024 over 903 snaps, B to B-, free agent
RT – Lane Johnson – (7/87) offense grade in 2024 over 937 snaps, A-
Eagles Key Offensive Line Reserves
C – Nick Gates – (42/43) offense grade in 2024 over 96 snaps, C to C+, free agent
G – Jack Driscoll – (27/135) offense grade in 2024 over 110 snaps, C to C+, free agent
G – Tyler Steen – (81/83) offense grade in 2024 over 315 snaps, D+ to C-
G – Trevor Keegan – (31/83) offense grade in 2024 over 35 snaps, B to B- so far, 2024 5th rounder
T – Fred Johnson – (80/87) offense grade in 2024 over 480 snaps, C to C+, free agent
T – Darian Kinnard – (61/87) offense grade in 2024 over 71 snaps, C
Eagles 2024 Key Offensive Line Markings
6th in pass blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus
6th in run blocking grade according to Pro Football Focus
25th in pass blocking efficiency
21st in sacks allowed
As you can see from the above three sets of data, the Philadelphia Eagles had a very strong offensive line but one which was indeed flawed. They ranked below average in terms of both pass blocking efficiency and sacks allowed. This was due to some injuries, some outlier games, along with some of the players on the offensive front being inconsistent as pass protectors. But in totality Pro Football Focus still graded them in the top 6 in terms of both pass blocking and run blocking grade. The sacks allowed metric is an aberration and too much stock shouldn’t be put into it and that metric is not indicative of how stout the Eagles are in pass protection. As sacks allowed, not just in the case of the Philadelphia Eagles but in the case of any team, can be misleading when deciphering how strong an offensive line is in pass protecting up front. The low pass blocking efficiency mark is a result of the large amount of sacks that were given up as well. Going into next season, the Eagles will once again field one of the premier if not the premier offensive line in the NFL. As only one starter is a free agent with that starter in Mekhi Becton being perhaps the weakest starter on the Eagles front. I have conducted a similar analysis of the Eagles skill position players which can be found below as well.
Eagles Key Skill Position Players
WR1– A.J Brown – (3/110) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, A to A+
WR2 – Devonta Smith – (14/110) offense grade in 2024 in 13 games, A to A-
WR3 – Jahan Dotson – (106/110) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, C+
TE1 – Dallas Goedert – (25/45) offense grade in 2024 in 10 games, B+ to A-
HB1 – Saquon Barkley – (8/58) offense grade in 2024 in 16 games, A
TE2 – Grant Calcaterra – (43/45) offense grade in 2024 in 16 games, C to C-
HB2 – Kenneth Gainwell – (57/58) offense grade in 2024 in 17 games, C, free agent
As you can see from the above data, the Eagles had one of the premier skill position groupings in the NFL this past season. A.J. Brown is one of the premier wide outs in the NFL and Devonta Smith is in the definitive discussion for being the best overall #2 wide out in the league. Jahan Dotson, who was a 1st round pick in 2022, has shown some flashes of brilliance in the NFL thus far but has underwhelmed in totality. Him being highly inconsistent but still potentially explosive suits him well as a #3 wide out. Dallas Goedert is one of the most underrated tight ends in the NFL and outside of 49ers tight end George Kittle he is pretty much as effective as anyone in the league at the position. He however struggled with injuries this past season and his production suffered as a result. Saquon Barkley is coming off a historically great season for the Eagles and is in the definitive discussion for being the best overall running back in the NFL. The team however lacks some depth at the skill positions as Dotson cannot be fully relied upon as the team’s #3 wide out and the Eagles lack the presence of a legitimate #4 wide out. The Eagles also do not have high caliber backups at the running back and tight end positions as well.
Overall, on the offensive side of the ball despite the Eagles not ranking in the top 5 in any of the major offensive categories that I previously stated, I still prefer Philadelphia on offense over anyone but Detroit and Baltimore and even that is certainly debatable. The Eagles offensive line is in the definitive discussion for being the best in the sport. The Eagles combination of skill position players is in the definitive discussion for being the best in the sport. Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni although neither are tier 1 as a quarterback or a head coach still form one of the better if not one of the best overall head coach and quarterback combinations in the NFL. Overcoming the loss of Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator will be a tough pill to swallow however. As the team regressed badly after losing an offensive coordinator coming off a Super Bowl run in a previous season. With the loss of Shane Steichen as the offensive coordinator after a Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs a few seasons ago. The Eagles have promoted their passing game coordinator to the offensive coordinator position and it remains to be seen how effective he will be.
The defensive side of the ball was the calling card for the Philadelphia Eagles this past season. The team allowed the 2nd fewest points in the regular season and Pro Football Focus graded the Eagles defense as the best overall defense in the regular season by a margin. The Chargers finished the regular season as the top scoring defense in the NFL allowing 17.7 points per game and the Eagles finished 2nd in that department allowing 17.8 points per game. But the Chargers finished the regular season being graded as the #6 defense in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus with a score of 76.6 and the Eagles finished first in that department with a score of 90.5. The Eagles were head and shoulders above everyone else in that department as the next closest team to them was at 79.5 with the Eagles being at 90.5. I have conducted a unit-by-unit analysis of the Eagles on the defensive side of the ball similar to what I did for the offense which can be found below.
Eagles Key Defensive Lineman
ED1 – Josh Sweat – (24/135) defense grade over 622 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-, free agent
ED2 – Nolan Smith – (23/135) defense grade over 546 snaps in 2024, B to B+
ED3 – Brandon Graham – (20/135) defense grade over 311 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-, free agent
ED4 – Bryce Huff – (48/135) defense grade over 285 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-
ED5 – Jalyx Hunt – (65/135) defense grade over 240 snaps in 2024, C+ so far as 2024 3rd rounder
ED6 – Charles Harris – (114/135) defense grade over 474 snaps in 2024, C to C+
DL1 – Jalen Carter – (20/146) defense grade over 830 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-
DL2 – Milton Williams – (27/146) defense grade over 500 snaps in 2024, B to B+, free agent
DL3 – Moro Ojomo – (33/146) defense grade over 388 snaps in 2024, B to B+
DL4 – Jordan Davis – (39/146) defense grade over 387 snaps in 2024, B to B+
As you can see from the above data the Eagles defensive line was one of the premier if not the premier unit in the NFL a season ago. Although they did not have a Myles Garrett, an Aidan Hutchinson, or an Aaron Donald level player on their defensive front, i.e. a guy who is in the definitive conversation for being the best at his position. They did have some guys who were not too far off from that. The Eagles depth of talent on the defensive front was arguably the best in the NFL as everywhere you look a player was above average to well above average. The defensive line has some key free agents entering the offseason that general manager Howie Roseman should look to resign. But even if they were not able to retain those players the depth of talent present on the rest of the defensive line should be able to make up for the lost production. I conducted a similar analysis of the Eagles linebacking unit which can be found below.
Eagles Key Linebackers
LB1 – Zack Baun – (1/92) defense grade over 938 snaps in 2024, A to A-, free agent
LB2 – Nakobe Dean – (16/92) defense grade over 857 snaps in 2024, B to B+
LB3 – Oren Burks – (6/92) defense grade over 147 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-, free agent
LB4 – Jeremiah Trotter Jr – (4/92) defense grade over 104 snaps, A, so far in very limited snaps as 2024 5th round pick
As you can see from the above data, the Eagles’ linebacking unit was one of the premier units if not the premier unit in the NFL this past season. Zack Baun finished the season being graded as the #1 overall linebacker in the NFL and the remaining three linebackers who logged substantial snaps all finished being graded in the above average to well above average range. A few of the linebackers are free agents including Zack Baun who was the best linebacker in the NFL this past season. Retaining him should be one of the biggest points of emphasis for the Eagles this offseason. I have conducted a similar analysis of the Eagles secondary which can be found below.
Eagles Key Secondary Players
S1 – C.J Gardner Johnson – (15/104) defense grade over 907 snaps in 2024, B
S2 – Reed Blakenship – (18/104) defense grade over 820 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-
S3 – Tristin McCollum – (94/96) defense grade over 251 snaps in 2024, C to C+
S4 – Sydney Brown – (3/104) defense grade over 80 snaps in 2024, B
CB1 – Quinyon Mitchell – (21/128) defense grade over 954 snaps in 2024, B+ so far as 2024 1st round pick
CB2 – Cooper DeJean – (3/128) defense grade over 626 snaps in 2024, A+ so far as 2024 second round pick
CB3 – Darius Slay – (50/128) defense grade over 698 snaps in 2024, B to B+
CB4 – Isaiah Rodgers – (11/128) defense grade over 329 snaps in 2024, B+ to A-, free agent
CB5 – Avonte Maddox – (96/128) defense grade over 345 snaps in 2024, C+, free agent
CB6 – Kelee Ringo – (57/128) defense grade over 113 snaps in 2024, C to C+
The Eagles, just as was the case with the front seven, have one of the premier if not the premier secondary in the NFL. 2024 first and second rounders Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are set to be stars in the NFL for the foreseeable future. The team also has a good amount of depth as they have very strong players outside of their first and second corners and safeties. Fortunately for the Eagles none of the starters in the secondary are free agents entering the offseason. A couple of viable backups are free agents and retaining/replacing them should be a point of emphasis this offseason for Philadelphia.
Overall, on the defensive side of the ball the Philadelphia Eagles were the premier team in the NFL this past season. Ranking 2nd in the NFL in points allowed in the regular season just .1 points behind the #1 team. Philadelphia also finished the regular season being graded as by far the best overall defensive team in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus. The strong defensive play continued in the playoffs as they neutralized quarterbacks on a week-to-week basis in the postseason. The Eagles have some key free agents in the front seven and retaining/replacing them should be a point of emphasis this offseason for the team. Unlike the previous season the team is seeing stability from a defensive coordinator standpoint as Vic Fangio will head into year 2 as the defensive coordinator of the team. There is no reason that the Eagles cannot remain the premier defensive team in the NFL next season as well.
In totality the Eagles won the Super Bowl by three possessions while being up by as much as 34-0 in it for a reason. Everywhere you look with the Eagles they have one of the premier if not the premier unit in the NFL on either side of the ball. Jalen Hurts and Nick Sirianni although neither are tier 1 caliber quarterbacks or coaches are both the next closest thing. The Eagles are the favorite to repeat next season and rightfully so, with a dynasty potentially impending for Philadelphia as well. The 2024-2025 rendition of the Eagles was one of the greatest NFL teams ever and one could certainly make a very strong argument that they were indeed the greatest NFL team ever.
