The Philadelphia Eagles are coming off of a disastrous 2023 campaign in which they endured a second-half collapse rarely seen on the NFL level.
The Eagles got off to a 10-1 start and then infamously lost five of their last six regular-season games before being blasted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.
However, Philadelphia has reloaded this offseason, signing running back Saquon Barkley and making some moves to improve what had been a porous defense.
But has Philly done enough to re-establish itself as a legitimate Super Bowl contender?
Here are three major questions for the Eagles heading into 2024.
Can the Eagles withstand the loss of Jason Kelce?
For all of the talk about how much Philadelphia has added this offseason, not enough is being discussed about what the team lost.
Long-time center Jason Kelce announced his retirement after 2023, ending a tremendous 13-year run in the City of Brotherly Love.
Not only was Kelce the best center in football throughout the majority of his Eagles tenure, but he was also the clear-cut leader in the locker room.
Given that Philly’s locker room was already showing some cracks throughout the back half of last season, you have to wonder how the team will manage now that Kelce is gone.
Plus, Kelce’s rapport with Jalen Hurts cannot be understated. Kelce was an integral cog in making the famous (or infamous, depending on how you look at it) “Tush Push” a success. Will the Eagles be able to run the play as effectively without Kelce in tow?
Has the secondary improved enough?
Philadelphia’s secondary featured some big names last season. Darius Slay. James Bradberry. Kevin Byard.
In spite of that, Philly’s defensive backfield was one of the NFL’s worst in 2023, as the Eagles’ pass defense ranked second-to-last in the league.
The Birds attempted to address the problem in the draft, selecting cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean with their first two picks. They also brought back C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency for a second stint with the club.
But will that be enough?
The fact of the matter is that both Mitchell and DeJean are entirely unproven, and Slay and Bradberry are continuing to age (Byard is no longer on the roster).
I’m not so convinced that the Eagles’ secondary will suddenly go from one of the worst in the league to a top-half unit, but maybe it can at least be respectable? It will need to be if Philadelphia wants to have any chance of making a deep playoff run.
Can Jalen Hurts prove that his 2022 campaign wasn’t a fluke?
Hurts was brilliant in 2022. He established himself as a lethal dual-threat quarterback, finished second in MVP voting and led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance.
But last season? The 25-year-old regressed considerably, turning the ball over 20 times. Even worse, he appeared to lose his grip on the locker room.
Hurts has been Philadelphia’s starting signal-caller for three years now, and he has really only had one very good season. So was 2022 just an outlier? Is Hurts really nothing more than an average quarterback?
He certainly doesn’t have a lack of a weapons. A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith comprise one of the NFL’s deadliest receiving duos, and the addition of Barkley should make Hurts’ job even easier (although I still question how much better Barkley will actually make the Eagles).
Hurts recently signed a massive contract extension with Philly, so there is some pressure on him to live up to his deal in 2024.
We’ll see if Hurts can rebound after a rather lackluster 2023 campaign.
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