INVESTING 27

During the early 2016 season, the Eagles were a high valued team after going 3-0 in their bye week. However, two of those wins were against the Browns and the Bears. Both of these teams had a combined 3-29 record in the 2016 season. After their bye week in week 4, they finished the year going 4-9, finishing the year 7-9, last in the NFC East.     

This year, the Eagles started off with a similar pattern, entering week 6 with a record of 4-1, but three of those wins were off of the Giants, Cardinals, and Chargers, a combined record so far of 3-12. Despite their great record, NFL analysts were skeptical of how good the Eagles actually are. During week 6 they had the perfect the test by facing the Carolina Panthers who are also 4-1. Both teams were ranked inside the top 5 with the Eagles ranked at 2 and the Panthers ranked at 5.

On Thursday night, the Eagles defeated the Panthers 28-23. Now that the Eagles are ranked 5-1, let’s take a look on how the Eagles improved from last year.

 

Quarterback:

The main reason why Carson Wentz has improved: better receivers. Howie Roseman, the executive vice president of the Eagles, made it necessary that Wentz has the weapons he needs. With the addition of Alshon Jeffrey and Torrey Smith, the Eagles now have two veteran wide receivers, both of which have seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. Additionally, Wentz still has his most trusted receiver, Zach Ertz. Ertz averages 8.8 targets per game, with half of his games getting targeted 10 or more times. Nelson Agholor has also improved significantly after moving to the slot position.

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Wide Receiver:

As said before, one of the biggest changes of this Eagles team are the wide receivers.

Each receiver, new and old, have an individual purpose that primes Wentz for success.

Alshon Jeffery is the big target for Carson Wentz. Top cornerbacks consistently cover Jeffrey and is sometimes double-teamed. Therefore, this gives more freedom and room for the other wide receivers on the team. Torrey Smith, another new addition to the team acts as the deep threat. Like Jeffrey, this forces defense to put at least one man on Smith at all times so that they avoid any deep passes or deep touchdowns. Nelson Agholor is not a new addition to the team, but has transformed significantly over the off season. After Jordan Matthews was traded to the Bills, the Eagles decided to put Agholor in a larger role by filling the slot. Agholor has proven that he is a solid receiver, with 4 touchdowns and 321 yards.

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Running Back:

During the offseason, the Eagles filled the much needed role by adding Legarrete Blount. While Blount was more of a goal line back with the Patriots, he is now used as a standard running back, averaging an impressive 5.6 yards per carry. With the loss of Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood has filled the void by being an essential 3rd down back.

 

Defensive Line:

This defensive line has been upgraded significantly over the offseason, and it shows. The eagles DL has held teams to 65.7 rush yards a game, the best in the NFL. Not only do the Eagles attack the running backs, the Eagles have 16 sacks on the season, whereas they had only 10 the year before after 6 weeks. Additionally, the Eagles have yet to fully use Derek Barnett, the first round pick that is known for his ability to sack the quarterback against the toughest linemen.

 

Cornerbacks/Defensive Backs:

The Eagles upgraded this position in the most. After years of letting up game winning touchdowns and being close to last for receiving yards, the Eagles added four new cornerbacks. The biggest addition to the DB core is Ronald Darby from the Buffalo Bills. Although Darby has been injured for the past several games, veteran Patrick Robinson and rookie Rasul Douglas has stepped up, outperforming their preseason expectations.