At the beginning of the season, Eagles fans had absolutely no clue what to expect from their young team, which sat dead in the middle of being contenders for the Super Bowl or for the first overall pick. The keys were handed over to second-year QB Jalen Hurts when Carson Wentz was dealt to Indianapolis in what would become a first round pick, which set the tone for the young team the Eagles were beginning to form. The Eagles also brought in new coach Nick Sirianni from Indianapolis, which further emphasized the idea of a rebuild. They padded this effort with some key draft picks, headlined by Heisman trophy winning wide receiver Devonta Smith. 

The issue with this was that several of Philly’s best players, such as defensive tackle Fletcher Cox, center Jason Kelce, defensive end Brandon Graham and more were anything but young, but as veterans could be looked to as pieces to help a playoff team. Instead of dealing these older players to surefire contenders, GM Howie Roseman elected to keep them with the new group of inexperienced players to see how they would fit together. 

The result: The 2021/2022 Philadelphia Eagles, who were able to fight their way into the playoffs before being knocked out in the first round by Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While that may sound like a disappointing result, it seems nearly impossible that they would have even got to that point after the way they started their season. The Eagles were sitting at 2-5, and after key injuries to several of the team’s best players, including nearly the entire offensive line, it seemed as though the team was better off chasing a high draft pick. They moved on from longtime tight end Zach Ertz, as they dealt him to Arizona in exchange for cornerback Tay Gowan and a fifth round pick, making it seem as though they were giving up on the season. At that point, Sirianni compared this Eagles team to a flower, in that there is “growth under the soil” that had yet to be seen. 

While many Eagles fans made fun of the philosophy, the team did begin to “sprout” and look noticeably different. A large reason for this was the major shift in gameplan, as the Eagles transitioned heavily to their run game, which made fans very happy. The heavy passing attack seen at the start of the year was simply not effective, as Hurts noticeably has a lot of improvement to do as a passer. His deep ball is extremely inaccurate and he misses a lot of key reads, but he is very young and these are things that can be improved upon. What is not coachable, however, is speed and athleticism, and Hurts possesses both. This ended up being a large part of why the rushing game was so effective, as Hurts finished the year with the most rushing yards and TDs for a QB. His 784 yards and 10 TDs also led the team to the best rushing attack in all of football, as Philly led all other teams in rushing yards and TDs. 

The Eagles schedule in the second half of the year certainly was not the most difficult and they were able to take full advantage. Along with the rushing attack, the defense was able to make some big plays down the stretches of games, which allowed the Eagles to win some tight games. Cornerback Darius Slay was a large part of several of these plays, as he was key in rallying the secondary together. As a result, Slay was awarded a Pro-Bowl nomination, the fourth of his career. He joined Jason Kelce as the only two Eagles to receive the honor. However, it would not be surprising to see guys such as Jalen Hurts, Fletcher Cox and tight end Dallas Goedert in the game when all is said and done, due to the spots that open up every year from players dropping out for various reasons. 

Despite not having many Pro-Bowlers, the Eagles did have a lot of players who were determined to win games, which led to the team clinching their wild card spot after a clutch interception by safety Rodney Mccleod to secure the week 17 win against the Washington Football Team. At this point, they had their matchup in the playoffs, as they were going to have to travel to Raymond James Stadium to take on the reigning Super Bowl champions. It seemed as though the Eagles had no chance in this one, and that was quickly proven as Tampa Bay steamrolled Philadelphia in the first half, ultimately leading to a blowout.

Now that the season is over, all eyes are on what the Eagles will do in the offseason, as they have a lot of decisions to make. The first move in question is who the starting QB should be next season, but the organization has made it pretty clear that Hurts is the guy. While quarterbacks like Desean Watson and future Hall-of-Famer Aaron Rodgers may be on the market, this organization believes that Jalen has done enough to solidify his role for next year. When looking at other holes on the team, wide receiver instantly jumps out. The Eagles seemed to have found their No.1 wide receiver of the future in Devonta Smith, as he finished the season with 916 yards, an Eagle rookie record. He also pulled down five TDs and 64 receptions, and certainly passed the eye test. While that spot may be filled, there certainly needs to be guys surrounding him that can complement him. Jalen Reagor, Eagles first rounder in 2020, has proven to be nothing but a bust. The Eagles do have some players with potential to fill this hole, such as speedster Quez Watkins, but it appears that an offseason acquisition at this spot could really help to elevate a struggling passing attack, 

Staying with the theme of offense, the running back spot is certainly something to look into. Their current starting running back is Miles Sanders, who has shown a lot of promise when on the field. However, there are many problems surrounding Sanders, and most stem from his history of injuries. Miles simply cannot seem to stay healthy, as he has missed significant time in each of the last two seasons. This season in particular, his production took a hit, as he did not find the endzone a single time. Meanwhile, rookie Kenneth Gainwell looks promising, and it appears he could fill the hole Sanders would leave if Philly opts not to re-sign him next offseason. 

While the offense has some weaknesses, the Eagles identity has almost always been their strong defense. However, that has recently faded away, and this offseason would in large part try to solve many of the problems the Eagles have faced on this end of the ball. At first glance, the team’s biggest need to fill is at linebacker–specifically, inside linebacker. The Eagles possess three first round picks in this upcoming draft, and it seems necessary that one be used in this spot. The good news is that this year’s draft has many promising prospects at the position, headlined by national champion Nakobe Dean from Georgia. Another guy the Eagles will most likely have on their radar is Devin Lloyd, who proved he could do it all during his time in Utah. 

Another area the Eagles will most likely look to cover in the upcoming draft is the secondary. While they did make some big plays late in the season, the Eagles clearly are in need of some help at the cornerback position. Some names to look out for would be Ahmed “Sauce” Gardner out of Cincinnati and Andrew Booth Jr. from Clemson.

Finally, the most logical area for Philly to cover in this year’s draft would be on the offensive line. While not glamorous, the cornerstones of the Eagles offensive line are nearing their final seasons, and depth at the position is becoming crucial. The team has done a good job starting this process with tackle Jordan Mailata and guard/center Landon Dickerson, but they need to continue building for the future here. While these positions all seem like the logical places to upgrade, it has been seen that Howie Roseman is often unpredictable, and with their surplus of picks, the Eagles could definitely surprise many. 

The Eagles have been a difficult team to root for after the magical Super Bowl win, but it appears they are finally back on the right track to building a contending team. While it might not be as soon as next season, the team has begun to make strides in the right direction to another Lombardi trophy, and fans should be excited about what’s to come. There are certainly still several question marks surrounding this organization, but it appears many building blocks of this team are already in place. And, if they can make the right moves to fill in some of the large holes present, this team should only become more and more fun to watch in the future.