Philadelphia Eagles’ 2023 season: 11-6, lost in wild card
Overview: The Eagles collapsed hard in trying to return to the Super Bowl, starting 10-1 with some notable victories but finishing 1-5 with some equally ugly losses. Long considered one of the top teams in the NFC, they blew the inside track to the NFC East title on multiple occasions in December, and then everything looked bad in a wild-card round loss at the Buccaneers.
That led to a pretty sizable shakeup. Head coach Nick Sirianni kept his job, but both coordinators lost theirs in January with OC Brian Johnson being replaced by Kellen Moore and DC Sean Desai — who himself had lost play-calling duties late in the season to Matt Patricia — being dumped in favor of Vic Fangio.
The top priorities for team owner Jeffrey Lurie, GM Howie Roseman, and Sirianni and his staff? Helping Jalen Hurts rediscover his franchise quarterback self after a step backward in 2023, as well as returning the defense to among the league’s best, not to mention fixing the apparent chemistry issues that led to that ugly night in Tampa.
(Taylor Wilhelm/Yahoo Sports)
Key free agents
C Jason Kelce
DT Fletcher Cox
RB D’Andre Swift
DE Brandon Graham
LB Zach Cunningham
LB Shaquille Leonard
Who’s in/out: Kelce is the biggest name to watch here. Initial reports suggested the future Hall of Famer had decided to retire right after the Eagles’ wild-card loss, but Kelce himself denied it. “I just don’t think you’re in a position after a game like that to really make that decision,” Kelce said on his “New Heights” podcast. Over a month later, he still hasn’t announced his decision. Graham, meanwhile, has said 2024 will be his last seasonand hopes to re-sign with the Eagles on another one-year deal. And while the forthcoming defensive revamp could mean Cox and others are playing elsewhere next season, the Eagles have a decision to make with Swift, who was productive in 2023 and finished fifth in the NFL in rushing yardage — for a franchise that just let a productive running back walk in free agency last spring in Miles Sanders.
Jason Kelce’s future is among the biggest NFL offseason questions in Philadelphia. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
Key free agent needs
Linebacker
Cornerback
Safety
Why the holes? The Eagles’ offense has the personnel, if not the scheme and coaching at the moment, to be strong again in 2024. So the investment must go to the defense, particularly in the back seven, where where the Eagles chose not to spend last spring and lived with the consequences this season. Some regression was to be expected, but there’s plenty of work to do — including decisions on whether to keep midseason acquisition Kevin Byard and pass rusher Haason Reddick, who may or may not have asked for a trade — in improving this side of the ball.
Do they have the money?
The Eagles have $19.5 million in cap space, according to Spotterwhich gives them some flexibility.
Potential notable cuts
S Kevin Byard
CB Avonte Maddox
Why they might be gone: Byard had minimal impact after being acquired a week before the trade deadline and is scheduled to cost $14.2 million against the cap in 2024. Maddox, meanwhile, missed much of the year with a shoulder injury and will be a $9.7 million cap hit next season.
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Draft picks
1st round: No. 22
2nd round: No. 50 (from Saints)
2nd round: No. 53
3rd round: No. 97 (compensatory)
5th round (from Buccaneers)
5th round (compensatory)
5th round (compensatory)
5th round (compensatory)
6th round (from Falcons)
Good draft fit
Graham Barton, OG/OT, Duke
Why him? As much as the defense needs help, Jason Kelce would be the biggest individual spot to fill if he decides to retire. Barton will likely play inside at either center or guard in the NFL, and according to Yahoo Sports NFL Draft expert Nate Tice, he has the quickness and hand placement to hang against better athletes, along with enough bend and strength to hold up against more powerful rushers.
What can move the fantasy football needle this offseason?
The mark of a good coach and play-caller is their ability to do more with less. There’s no doubt that the Eagles’ offensive coaching staff last season was doing less with more. I’ve gone back and forth on my opinion of Kellen Moore as an offensive coordinator, but overall I do think some of his wrinkles in player deployment and conceptual design can bring the necessary tweaks to the Eagles’ offense. These skill-position players will all likely come at a premium in drafts this season. So we’ll be counting on Moore to show he’s capable of taking the talents in place and putting them in positions to shine, ala Shane Steichen in 2022. — Matt Harmon
2024-02-23 01:36:00
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