A question about every Philadelphia Eagles position group before 2024 training camp
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — The Philadelphia Eagles report to training camp Tuesday after a disastrous 2023 season, bringing plenty of changes. The Eagles switched coordinators, two franchise cornerstones retired and big names like Saquon Barkley and Bryce Huff were signed.
Here's a question about every position group.
QB: Can Jalen Hurts regain 2022 form?
Jalen Hurts didn't have a bad season in 2023. He was the betting favorite to win MVP in the middle of the year and the Eagles had the NFL's best record at 10-1.
But Hurts' performance wasn't near his 2022 season when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl. Hurts and the team's offense were brutal for the final portion of 2023, losing six of their final seven games. Former offensive coordinator Brian Johnson and the coaching staff had zero answers.
Eagles new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will be tasked with getting Hurts back to his 2022 self. Hurts told reporters in June that Moore's offense is "probably 95%" new.
Hurts has previously been vocal about the turnover he's had throughout his football career — college and professional — on learning new offenses. Moore will be Hurts' fifth play-caller in his time with the Eagles after going from Doug Pederson to Nick Sirianni to Shane Steichen and then Johnson.
Moore was with the Los Angeles Chargers last season. The Charges lost QB Justin Herbert to a season-ending injury, but Moore had three top-10 offenses, including two in the top five, with the Dallas Cowboys while coaching Dak Prescott.
Moore will also be tasked with utilizing Hurts in the running game, something his two previous quarterbacks didn't do much.
RB: Will Saquon Barkley make a Christian McCaffrey-like impact?
The biggest splash the Eagles made was signing Saquon Barkley away from the New York Giants. Usually, Eagles executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman hasn't handed running backs lofty contracts. But Roseman went against his usual team-building philosophy by signing Barkley to a three-year, $37.7 million deal.
Could Barkley have the same impact on the Eagles' offense that Christian McCaffrey had on the San Francisco 49ers? It's a tall task. McCaffrey is likely the most important non-quarterback player in the NFL. He makes everything easier for Brock Purdy and the rest of the 49ers supporting cast and can do it all in Kyle Shanahan's offense.
Barkley should make things easier for Hurts and the Eagles' offense. He'll easily be the best running back Hurts has had in Philadelphia.
Despite D'Andre Swift ranking fifth in the NFL with 1,049 rushing yards last season, the Eagles' offense had the fewest rushing yards in a season in the Sirianni era. It was still in the top 10, but the team's running game dipped.
Barkley has never played behind an offensive line like the Eagles before, and all eyes will be on him in 2024 following his exit from the Giants that prompted "dead to me" comments.
WR: After A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, who's the third receiver?
For a good part of Roseman's second tenure with the Birds wide receiver was a weak spot, but that's a thing of the past since the additions of A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. Both Brown and Smith were extended this offseason.
Brown and Smith will both show up week-to-week. It's proven they'll deliver, but what about the team's depth behind them? With Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus leaving this offseason, it remains unclear who will be the Birds' third wideout.
The Eagles signed DeVante Parker, but he unexpectedly retired. They also signed Parris Campbell, who has a relationship with Sirianni from Indianapolis, but he's had a tough time staying healthy since being drafted in the first round in 2019. Campbell has only played in 44 games in his career. John Ross could be in play to make an impact, but he's another player with a past littered with injury concerns and recently came out of retirement. Britain Covey will be back, but he's yet to make an offensive impact. He's played just 77 offensive snaps through two seasons in Philly.
Then, there are the rookies Ainias Smith and Johnny Wilson, both Day 3 picks.
The Eagles took similar stabs in the 2020 draft when selecting Watkins and Boise State wideout John Hightower on Day 3. If they can get production out of Smith and Wilson in their rookie seasons, that would be a massive win.
TE: What happens if Dallas Goedert gets hurt again?
Dallas Goedert is one of the best tight ends in football. He blocks, catches and is like a freight train in the open field. But it's become a theme over the past few seasons he'll miss time with an injury.
What happens if Goedert gets injured again? Did the Eagles do enough to address the backup TE position?
There are not many inspiring options behind Goedert. Jack Stoll signed with the Giants this offseason. The team will bring back backups Grant Calcaterra and Albert Okwuegbunam Jr. for training camp, along with veteran C.J. Uzomah, undrafted rookie McCallan Castles and E.J. Jenkins, a second-year player who was also an undrafted rookie.
The Eagles could still add a backup before the season starts, but they lack a decent backup behind Goedert.
OL: Without Jason Kelce, what will Philadelphia's OL look like?
How Philadelphia's offensive line will look without Kelce will likely be one of the biggest storylines of the 2024 season.
Kelce retired after 13 seasons where he earned six All-Pro honors and seven trips to the Pro Bowl. He helped the Birds win Super Bow LII.
All eyes will be on Cam Jurgens, Kelce's replacement. The team will also have a new starter at right guard, and it appears 2023 third-round pick Tyler Steen is the favorite to land the job.
DL: Who replaces Haason Reddick's pass-rush production?
The Eagles dealt Haason Reddick, their best pass rusher over the past two seasons, to the New York Jets after the two sides couldn't agree to a new contract. Reddick recorded 27 sacks in two seasons with the Birds, tied for fifth-most in the NFL over that span.
The easy answer is Bryce Huff, the 26-year-old who recorded a career-high 10 sacks for the Jets last season. Huff has never played more than 51% of the defensive snaps in any of his four NFL seasons. The Eagles are betting that Huff will continue to grow and replace Reddick's production. Brandon Graham will be back for his "farewell tour," so anything the Birds get from him will be a bonus.
The Eagles brought back Josh Sweat after dangling him in trade talks. The 6-foot-5 defensive end had a down year with 6.5 sacks in 2023 and didn't get to the quarterback for the final eight weeks of the regular season. He'll look to bounce back in 2024 alongside Huff.
Nolan Smith, a 2023 first-round pick out of Georgia, struggled to get on the field last season. He only played 16% of the team's defensive snaps. But if he makes the leap as a pass rusher, it would give the Eagles more depth on the edge.
Reddick wasn't the only major loss for the defensive line. For the first time since 2012, the team will be without Cox, a mainstay on Philadelphia's defensive line for his entire career.
Georgia products Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis — Philadelphia's first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 — will need to take the reins from Cox.
Carter got off to a hot start in his rookie year and finished second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting, but like the rest of the team, he cooled off. Davis had a similar 2023 season after he dealt with an injury as a rookie, which impacted his playing time after the team signed veterans Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh.
LB: Can Devin White have a bounce-back season?
The Eagles addressed linebacker in free agency by adding former Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Devin White on a one-year contract.
White, who was second-team All-Pro in 2020, had a down year in 2023. He asked for a trade because he wanted a new contract, but then ended up playing on a club option.
White also faced questions on whether he "quit" on the team, which he denied, after he was a healthy scratch in a game against the Green Bay Packers. White, who dealt with a foot injury, also saw his snaps decline in favor of fellow linebacker K.J. Britt.
White told CBS Sports he's looking forward to a fresh start in Philly. The Eagles would gladly take a motivated, prove-it season from him after the team's abysmal linebacker play last season.
S: Will C.J. Gardner-Johnson provide the spark on defense Eagles missed in 2023?
Philadelphia's defense in 2023 was putrid. In the final seven games, the defense got embarrassed at home by the Niners, allowed Seattle Seahawks backup quarterback Drew Lock to lead a game-winning drive and got shredded by Baker Mayfield in the playoffs.
The results led to changes on the coaching staff and personnel. Sean Desai and Matt Patricia are no longer in Philly. The team hired longtime NFL defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to bring competency to the defense. It also brought back a familiar face to the secondary.
In one of their bigger free-agent moves, the Eagles signed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to a three-year deal. They sorely missed him in 2023, but will Gardner-Johnson provide the spark the Eagles desperately need on defense in 2024?
As long he's healthy, Gardner-Johnson should be a useful chess piece for Fangio in Philadelphia's defense. He can play in the slot and safety, but he missed most of the 2023 season with the Detroit Lions.
Gardner-Johnson had 17 tackles and an interception in three regular-season games with Detroit in 2023 and returned for the playoffs, where he recorded 12 tackles and an interception.
CB: Darius Slay is the CB1. Who will be CB2?
Entering training camp, the Eagles have plenty of talent at cornerback, including some who flashed in the 2023 season.
Darius Slay is the team's No. 1 cornerback, but who starts next to him remains a mystery. James Bradberry, the team's No. 2 cornerback for the past two seasons, might not be on the team by the time camp ends, even though the Eagles have said they've been working him at safety.
The Eagles used their two first-round picks in 2024 on cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean. Then, there's Isaiah Rodgers, who had a good spring, after he served a suspension in 2023 for violating the NFL's gambling policy.
The Birds also have veteran Avonte Maddox and young players like Kelee Ringo, Eli Ricks and others. The Eagles will have plenty of tough decisions to make by the end of camp.
Special teams: How will Eagles approach NFL's new kickoff rules?
The Eagles specialists are set — Jake Elliott is the starting kicker, Braden Mann is the punter and Rick Lovato is the long snapper. So, we're going to dive into how the Eagles will approach the NFL's new kickoff rules.
The NFL is trying a one-year trial run with new kickoff rules to encourage more returns after 2023 had the lowest kickoff return rate in league history.
The 2024 kickoff returns will look completely different for NFL fans — CBS Sports has an explainer here — and every team will have a chance to be creative with each return.
Eagles special teams coordinator Michael Clay told the team website in May the new rule will be "exciting and interesting" and that he's been working with his staff and players on the new rule.
Boston Scott, who led the Eagles in kickoff return yards last season, departed in free agency, but the Birds should have plenty of other returners to test out the new rules.
Covey was one of the best punt returners in the NFL in 2023, and the team drafted DeJean and Clemson University running back Will Shipley — both were dynamic returners in college.
Training camp and testing out the new rules in the preseason will be key for the Eagles and other teams across the NFL.
