September 02, 2022
The Eagles are coming into 2022 with one of their best rosters in years and, arguably, one of the best rosters in the NFL.
After landing the trade for DB Chauncey Gardner-Johnson with the Saints, GM Howie Roseman found a last-second way to address the team's last glaring point of weakness at safety, bringing in massive praise from fans and media in the process.
The team is set, so are the captains, and the days to the season opener at Detroit are down to the single digits.
The Eagles have captured a lot of attention over the last few months with their offseason additions, and head into the new season with a lot of interest, and with interest comes expectations.
Let's see where those land compared to the rest of the league...
In a survey of five anonymous NFL executives by The Athletic, the Eagles averaged out as the fifth best team in the NFC based on 1-16 rankings from each one.
The Birds were ranked No. 5 in the conference by three of the execs, third by one, and seventh by the final. And curiously, the exec that ranked the Eagles third also has Carolina placed fifth and Washington sixth.
The defending Super Bowl champion Rams were the near-consensus No. 1.
Wrote Mike Sando, and said one exec, of the Eagles place in the rankings:
This is six spots higher than where execs had the Eagles entering last season, when it was less clear how the team might fare with Jalen Hurts in the lineup at quarterback. What Hurts showed last season was enough for execs to upgrade the Eagles, but only to a point, even though some now see Philly as having one of the NFL's top rosters.
"This year's roster is more talented, top to bottom, than any roster Philly has had in recent years," said an exec who had the Eagles sixth in the NFC entering last season and fifth this time. "They have the best O-line in football. They have excellent D-line depth. I'm not sold on the quarterback, so there is cap there. The safety position is also interesting. They traded for Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, but he wore out his welcome in New Orleans. We will see." [The Athletic]
With the 53-man rosters and any and every major injury taken into account, The Sporting News published their power rankings entering 2022 on Friday.
The Eagles came in at No. 12, behind Dallas, even with the loss of left tackle Tyron Smith, at 11, because stop me if you've heard this one before...
Speaking of those Eagles, they really need Jalen Hurts to take the next step as a passer with game-changer A.J. Brown now in the mix to help DeVonta Smith and Dallas Goedert. The offensive line rocks and the defense still has familiar pop. Regardless if they take back the East from the Cowboys, the Eagles should be set for playoff return. [The Sporting News]
ESPN, published last week before the final preseason game in Miami, had the Eagles in the middle of the pack at No. 15 as well, with Dallas five spots ahead at No. 10.
The gap did close a bit from immediately after the draft – the Eagles were ranked 16th by ESPN back in the spring and the Cowboys 8th – but for a team still placing within the top 10 of ESPN's rankings, and defending a division title, things sure don't sound all that optimistic.
It's been this way since last season ended, and nothing has changed since, despite Jerry Jones' constant backing. McCarthy will be the most watched head coach this year because of the Sean Payton shadow and the way Jones took care of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. It's as if the Cowboys did not win 12 games last year, as the residue from the playoff loss to the San Francisco 49ers has not disappeared. To his credit, McCarthy has not allowed the outside discussions of his job to impact how he coaches. Players say he has remained the same with them in temperament and in his demands. [ESPN]
Wrote Tim McManus about the Eagles:
When is the quarterback seat in Philly not hot? Hurts led the Eagles to a postseason appearance in his first year as a full-time starter and has shown signs of improvement this summer. But the Eagles will soon have a decision to make when it comes to the long-term direction of the franchise. Hurts is eligible for a contract extension after the season. Philadelphia, meanwhile, holds two first-round picks in what is expected to be a quarterback-rich draft next April. Hurts' performance this season will help inform management's decision on how to proceed. [ESPN]
Yeah, the whole Delaware Valley knows the drill with Hurts by this point.
What do the books think of the Eagles going in right now?
As of September 1, DraftKings has them tied with the Cowboys to win the NFC East with 3-2 odds, sixth likeliest to win the NFC Championship with 10-1 odds, and a 22-1 shot to win the Super Bowl.
BetMGM (via VegasInsider) also has the Birds with a 3-2 shot to win the division and Dallas slightly ahead at 7-5. They project the Eagles with an 11-1 shot to win the NFC and 25-1 to win the whole thing.
FanDuel, again, has the Eagles and Cowboys tied to win the division with 29-20 odds (+145) and also has Philly with a 10-1 shot at the conference title, but a slightly higher 20-1 chance at the Super Bowl.
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