Tampa Bay ended the season for the Philadelphia Eagles. After a disappointing finish, they need to take a long look in the mirror.
When Baker Mayfield disarticulated the Philadelphia Eagles, you could feel a palpable whoosh of surprise mixed with acceptance. In falling short of winning the Super Bowl, many thought 2023 would erase that bitter taste. However, instead of concealing flaws, the end of the season elucidated problems that formerly bubbled under the surface. For all of their assembled talent, the Eagles fell flat. Yet, the cracks began to show long before the final whistle. Now, Philly must attempt to emerge from the mess better than before.
Culture Change
When the Eagles won a ring in 2017, the team consisted of hard-working players that played far more than they spoke. Despite losing their starting quarterback in the playoffs that year, Philadelphia soldiered on with a journeyman. In contrast, this season featured elite talent. The difference? Coaching. For all of his shortcomings, Doug Pederson wasn’t in love with the camera. From a distance, it doesn’t look like Nick Sirianni shares that sentiment. To many, Sirianni’s bluster wore thin on camera. More importantly, it looks like he lost the locker room when the team began to slip. The fuzagi-infused boldness never seemed to captivate the locker room as the sidelines exploded with conflict. Philly is a tough city, not for the squeamish. As a result, Sirianni, once lauded as a prodigy, was relegated to passive steward of a sinking ship. Either change the head coach or clean out the staff.
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Trade A.J. Brown
In few other cases, should anyone contemplate a 26-year-old wideout coming off a 100-catch, 1400-yard season. At the same time, the Eagles must weigh the negatives and positives of A.J. Brown. On the field, Brown fights for every inch of turf. Off the field, when things don’t appear to go his way, you have sideline confrontations and general pouting. If the Eagles’ management want to capture the attention of the locker room, shop Brown. If Philadelphia, as a team, has internal issues, the public shouldn’t be able to read body language and tell. Furthermore, Brown deleted all references to the Eagles from his social media. What sort of passive-aggressive nonsense? Petty headaches become postseason migraines.
Dismantle the Secondary
The Eagles really thought that running it back with an aging, slow-footed secondary looked smart. Catastrophic failure. The secondary needs to be arrested for non-support. Opponents beat James Bradberry like a run on a clothesline, to the tune of eleven touchdowns. Additionally, missing forty-six tackles just screams for a remodel. If opponents can block just a bit, they vertically shred the secondary. Everyone. Every player must find somewhere else to go. Eat the dead money. Start again. The NFC East will only improve. Invest in actual athletes. Help is on the way.
Letting The Young Birds Fly
For the entirety of his career, Fletcher Cox held the Eagles together on defense. The former All-Pro gave the city of Philadelphia a dozen years. If the Eagles want to turn the page, now is the time. Jalen Carter only took 51 percent of snaps in 2023. Despite this, he tallied six sacks and two forced fumbles. In placing Carter next to Jordan Davis, the Eagles interior solidifies and these two can now show what Fletcher Cox taught them. Now, behind them, the Eagles must sign/draft reliable depth that can spell the starters at a moment’s notice. Given their atrocious secondary, building from the inside remains the smartest tact that Philadelphia can do.
Alter The Brotherly Shove/Red Zone Offense
If the Eagles employ you as a running back, do not expect to cash in short yardage. In fact, Jalen Hurts is Nick’s Sirianni’s go-to in short yardage. Meanwhile, a running back like Kenneth Gainwell withers on the bench, despite possessing the best hands of anyone in the backfield. Meanwhile, Gainwell sits and watches Philadelphia needs a better gameplan than quarterback draws, etc. inside the twenty. While the plan works, a whole group of backs go unrewarded for the hard work between the twenties. That, and you saw how Tampa successfully stopped the Brotherly Shove last night. It’s a foolish pursuit to run directly at Vita Vea. It is that arrogance that hurt the Eagles in 2023. Use the entire offense in key moments.
Overview
What tanked the Philadelphia Eagles, more than anything else was ego. Too much time celebrating and not enough grinding. If you look back at team history, the franchise boasts a blue-collar mindset that carried onto the field. Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox, two well-respected veterans could not rein in not only the offense, but the juvenile ways of the head coach. Either Philadelphia fixes these issues immediately or they will need a total rebuild by 2026.