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A.J. Brown might get traded this offseason. He might not. We’ll see. But certainly, there isn’t a team in the NFL that thinks he’s an untouchable player, and the Philadelphia Eagles will get offers. There also happen to be no shortage of teams who make sense as a potential landing spot, particularly in the AFC. And so, let’s rank Brown’s most likely new teams, should the Birds trade him.
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Jimmy Kempski
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It’s all a super fine line to walk, one that is obviously the ultimate luxury to because it meant winning the Super Bowl, but also one that comes with shifted and far greater expectations, especially in this town.
It comes with the weight of a “new norm,” of going from the goal of winning just one Super Bowl, which is lofty enough alone, to multiple, and of keeping that contending window open for as long as sustainably possible.
The Eagles of the Pederson-Wentz era ultimately couldn’t do it. They’re immortal for doing the once thought impossible with Nick Foles miraculously leading the charge, but they crumbled trying to push forward in maintaining that.
Now the Eagles of the Hurts-Sirianni era are standing at the windowsill trying to keep themselves in annual contention.
But if they’re not careful over these next few months, they might just end up slamming it all down on their figurative hand.
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Nick Tricome
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Howie Roseman and the Philadelphia Eagles are going to have a lot of hard decisions to make this offseason, and one of the top things on the list will be figuring out what to do with an unhappy A.J. Brown.
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Jimmy Kempski
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The Eagles’ defense was dominant, Jalen Hurts and the offense built up a 21-0 lead, and then it was all gone.
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Nick Tricome
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When the NFL assigns a pool reporter to request comments from the officiating crew, it’s usually to add clarity. On Sunday night in Philadelphia, referee Alex Kemp somehow managed to walk out with even more confusion, and a whole lot more frustration for Detroit Lions fans.
Asked to explain the controversial defensive pass interference call against Rock Ya-Sin with 1:51 left in a 16-9 loss, Kemp delivered a response that doesn’t line up with reality, replay, or even basic eyesight.
“The official observed the receiver’s arm getting grabbed and restricting him from going up to make the catch,” referee Alex Kemp told the pool reporter. “The ball was in the air, there was a grab at the arm, restricted him and he called defensive pass interference.”
Here’s the problem:
None of that actually happened.
Not on the broadcast angle.
Not on the end-zone angle.
Not on the slow-motion angle.
Not on any angle.
And certainly not in the way Kemp described.
Ya-Sin’s coverage on A.J. Brown was textbook. Even Brown admitted nothing afterward. In fact, on the NBC broadcast, analyst Cris Collinsworth flat-out said the only call that made sense was offensive pass interference because Brown initiated the hand fighting:
“If you wanna call an offensive foul, it’s an offensive foul.”
The official didn’t see a grab on Brown’s arm because there was no grab. There was no restriction. There was no moment when Brown was prevented from “going up to make the catch”, especially considering the ball landed several yards out of bounds.
If Brown couldn’t “go up” for that pass, it’s because:
Pick your reason. All three beat Kemp’s explanation.
After the game, Ya-Sin stayed composed, but you could hear the disbelief:
“A.J. Brown, really good player… sometimes those kind of players get those kind of calls… it is what it is.”
Translation:
Superstar privilege is alive, well, and not even hiding.
Ya-Sin didn’t get beat. He didn’t panic. He didn’t grab anyone’s arm. He did everything you want from a cornerback in that situation, and still got flagged.
The Lions didn’t lose strictly because of officiating. Detroit missed opportunities. But in a one-score game, in the final two minutes, on a third-down stop against the defending Super Bowl champs, you can’t invent infractions out of thin air.
Kemp’s description wasn’t a judgment call.
It wasn’t a gray area.
It wasn’t a “bang-bang” play.
It was fiction.
Straight-up made-up nonsense to justify a flag that never should’ve landed on the field in the first place.
And in a season where the Lions’ margin for error keeps shrinking, that’s a tough pill to swallow.
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Jeff Bilbrey
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Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie goes on the record to talk about the team every year at the NFL’s annual Owners’ Meetings, which are held each offseason after the meaty part of free agency and before the draft.
Otherwise, it takes a pretty noteworthy event — such as “Media Night” the week of a Super Bowl that the Eagles are participating in — for Lurie to talk on the record.
This week at the NFL’s fall meetings in Manhattan, the Athletic’s Dianna Russini got Lurie to comment on a potential trade of star wide receiver A.J. Brown.
I asked Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie what he would do if Brown knocked on his door and asked for a trade. His answer was firm, team-first and championship-minded.
“We do what’s best for the team,” he said. “We don’t even consider it seriously unless it’s best for the Eagles. We will always do what gives us the best chance of winning big. Everything else is secondary.”
Bottom line: Brown can be frustrated all he wants, but this team plays for the ring first. However, GM Howie Roseman will always listen, and if the Eagles get an exorbitant offer? Nobody is untradable in Philadelphia.
Of course, Brown’s relationship with quarterback Jalen Hurts has been an ever-present storyline since last season, and Brown has taken to social media multiple times this season to voice his frustration after games.
For an owner who is shielded from public commentary built on decades of precedent, Lurie’s willingness to comment on the record in-season about the trade of a star player is noteworthy, to say the least.
To begin, Lurie took the question seriously. Had he been asked about the trade of other star players like Jalen Carter or Zack Baun or Jalen Hurts, I imagine that the question would be met with confusion. But with Brown, the fact that Lurie answered at all confirms that it was a legitimate inquiry, and likely strategic.
It is highly unlikely that the Eagles will deal Brown before the November 4 trade deadline. But Lurie had the opportunity to say the team wouldn’t trade him — or simply to decline to talk at all, as usual — but he did neither.
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Jimmy Kempski
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It is shaping up to be a potentially interesting season once again for the National Football Conference East franchise, the Philadelphia Eagles, as we opened the 2025 NFL campaign with four straight wins and inexplicably fell to two straight defeats to boast a 4- 2 record as we begin slowly edging towards the month of November.
For the press and media, they have won the proverbial jackpot at an anonymous crypto casino because most of their sources so far have also been anonymous. But it seems that Arthur Juan appears to be an unhappy bunny at the moment. He has again sparked questions about what the future might hold as he has again recently taken to the world wide web to post yet another cryptic message, which has left many believing that his frustrations will inevitably lead to one of the most unexpected trades of the season.
In the matchups played so far, Brown has clearly not had the season that he, or others in the NFL, would have expected, as the six games so far have returned 274 receiving yards and a single touchdown. It is very fair to say that Brown is likely as frustrated as everyone else right now, but it naturally raises the question of his happiness with the franchise and whether his head is right, given that he feels his time may now be at an end in Philly.
Given his wider social media form it was naturally inevitable that the words ‘In my distress I prayed to the LORD and the LORD answered me and set me free…’ would create concern and an almost endless stream of debate, and many (possibly wrongly) believe that the only interpretation that makes sense is that he is digging in for a move and simply showing perseverance in the uncertainty that has now been created.
Having joined the Eagles back in 2022 on a $100 million deal, with a further three year $96 million uplift extension agreed in 2024, it has been quite the fall from grace and Eagles fans will not appreciate the fact that we have another round of rumors simply owing to the fact that (whatever his issues are) he cannot seem to put his phone down.
Not least, he was integral last season with 1079 yards and seven touchdowns as we took a 40-22 win over Kansas City in Super Bowl LIX – it was Brown’s first championship in the NFL, yet something has gone majorly wrong this year, and there is clear discontentment in the camp. Brown actually stated that he ‘didn’t recall’ a claimed meeting with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley to discuss concerns, despite the quarterback’s own public words as he emphasized team unity.
The mystery about his mindset will continue, and undoubtedly his fans amongst the fan base will continue to dwindle the longer this goes on – especially if it is not sorted by the November 4 trade deadline.
Categorized: Eagles News WegENT Blog
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Against a Dallas Cowboys offense that was buzzing early, the Philadelphia Eagles had no problem responding. Quarterback Jalen Hurts commanded an efficient attack, despite some speculating that his top receiver, A.J. Brown, was far from 100% health during the game.
For all intents and purposes, Hurts played a mistake-free game. Even with a combined 37 passes and rushes, he was efficient and kept the ball out of harm’s way—something you couldn’t say about the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott, who had a great night.
If Hurts continues to play this mistake-free football with clutch plays sprinkled in, the Eagles could compete for the NFC’s top seed.
Hurts was as efficient as possible on opening night. He completed 19 of his 23 pass attempts (82.6%) for 152 yards, took one sack, and rushed for 62 yards and two touchdowns on 14 attempts. With 0.25 expected points added per play (EPA/play) and a 58% success rate on his dropbacks, Hurts led a strong offensive attack.
Sure, his average depth of target (aDOT) was a low 4.4, but a high-end success rate and zero notable mistakes, other than that lone sack, make up for it. Hurts has certainly had more dynamic games in the past, but he took care of the football.
Even after the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons trade, they are still objectively a playoff contender in the NFC. With how good their offense is, getting about 10 wins is feasible. Philadelphia was far from perfect, having virtually zero impact from Brown and Jalen Carter, yet their win probability never dipped below 70% in the fourth quarter, per ESPN.
The Eagles are still ironing things out (they had, like, a million penalties), as are the Cowboys. But the victors’ performance against a still-formidable rival shows that if this is the version of Hurts we get full-season, the No. 1 seed is undoubtedly in play.
Of course, the importance of a bye week in the playoffs doesn’t need to be explained. It guarantees home-field advantage, an extra week of rest, and no “trap” matchups in the wildcard. Needing only one win to host the NFC Championship is a game-changer.
The Eagles weren’t at their best in Week 1, but Hurts was about as good as you could’ve hoped. If that’s the version we’re getting, it could be another fun season. Visiting the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 2, anything less could result in a 1–1 record.
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Justin Giampietro
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Thursday night, before a long and stressful game that had a little bit of everything. The Eagles got to hang their second Super Bowl banner in front of fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
What ensued were questionable flags, a costly turnover, weather delays, an early ejection and even…spitting contests?
Chaos At Kickoff
The Eagles unveiled the banner, with a little help from recently retired Brandon Graham.
And just minutes later, on the opening kickoff return. Ben VanSumeren’s season might’ve came to an abrupt end. We’ll wait for an official announcement on the severity of the injury, but the Eagles FullBack idea might be over.
To makes matters worse, VanSumeren wouldn’t be the only player to miss the rest of tonight’s game. With a self inflicted wound, Jalen Carter was ejected while trainers dealt with the injured player. It doesn’t matter if Han or Dak shot first. But Carter’s presence was missed for 4 Quarters as the Cowboys totalled 119 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns.
While the Eagles pass rush struggled to get home, they managed 2TFLs late in the game. Almost like they were missing one of their best defensive players?
Next Man Up
With Carter ejected it was time for another Georgia Bulldog to take his place.
While some of his pressures should have turned into sacks tonight. Jordan Davis played a huge role along with Moro Ojomo who both played 89% of the Eagles defensive snaps.
Among others who made plays Thursday night include Jahan Dotson, Zack Baun and Jihaad Campbell. Who forced a fumble on Miles Sanders on the Eagles 10 yard line, might have been the game deciding turnover.
And Then There Was A Weather Delay. Again.
As if a 45 minute delay for the first Super Bowl banner wasn’t enough… It happened again
With 4:45 remaining in the third quarter of a 24-20 game. Lightning in the surrounding area led to over an hour long delay in the game. Not returning until 11:30 local time, there was still almost 20 minutes of clock left to play.
The delay killed momentum for both teams, as the game saw 5 straight punts before the end of the 4th, after 8 straight scoring possessions opened the season.
The Eagles played sloppy throughout the game. As a team should look missing key pieces, already beginning to deal with injuries (Landon Dickerson & A.J. Brown), with new players in the defense like Campbell, Mukuba & Jackson. With yet another new offensive system now under Kevin Patullo.
With a week 1 divisional victory under their belts, do the Eagles look like they’re ready to run it back for Super Bowl 60?
Go Birds.
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Tyler L’Heureux
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In their past three seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have accumulated a 39–12 regular-season record and appeared in two Super Bowls. After narrowly falling by their hands in 2022, the Birds humiliated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs en route to their second Lombardi Trophy win last winter.
These accomplishments alone have the Eagles on the brink of a dynasty—another title would surely put them there. Given the team’s assortment of game-breaking talent, they might be in luck.
General manager Howie Roseman has done such an excellent job adding talent to the Eagles that it’s hard to put into words. He built what many called a “superteam” in 2022, but only improved the roster over the next couple of seasons.
But let’s stick with the players who oversaw both Super Bowls. Starting with Jalen Hurts, he’s one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL—immense rushing upside and one of the most efficient passers in the sport. He’s not necessarily the most gifted, but he gets high-end results. When the Eagles have needed him to perform the most, that’s often when he has shone the brightest.
Then, you have the offensive line. Landon Dickerson deserves a shootout here, but tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are definitely in that “game-breaking” tier. Recognized as two of the best exterior linemen in the sport, they make the offense’s life easier by consistently and emphatically winning their assignments.
Next, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been one of the league’s top one-two punches for a few years now. Coming up clutch in late-down situations and with huge contested-catch upside, they’ve flipped games on their head. Both have fourth-down snags to their name in the NFC Championship, leading to a momentum-altering touchdown a short while later.
Over the past couple of seasons, the Eagles have added three game-breaking talents: Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, and Jalen Carter. Their two recently drafted cornerbacks may get there (if they haven’t arrived already), but those are the big three who the Birds would’ve had no chance in 2024 without.
Barkley’s impact is self-explanatory. Setting the NFL record for rushing yards in a single season (2,504), he rushed about 1,000 yards over what would have been considered a huge win for the Birds. Winning games early in the season virtually by himself, and taking long-distance runs to the house in the playoffs, the MVP love he got was deserved.
Baun was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last season. He was the nucleus of that core, preventing big rushes and forcing turnovers at the most pivotal moments. For a team that often struggled in both of those areas before his arrival, he changed the game for the Birds.
Finally, we have Carter. Already one of the most feared defensive linemen in the league, the 24-year-old should have about a decade of game-breaking football. His most influential play came on a third-down sack of Matthew Stafford in the NFC Divisional Round in January. With the Los Angeles Rams on the verge of a last-second go-ahead touchdown, the youngster saved the day and the Eagles’ season.
The Eagles have something special here. With eight game-breaking talents on the roster (if not more), their excellence can be felt every week. It’s why Philadelphia’s hopes of yet another Super Bowl title are quite realistic.
PHOTO: Eagles Nation on X
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Justin Giampietro
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13 Days after acquiring Jakorian Bennett from the Raiders, and 5 days after wondering if the Eagles had finished their off-season shopping. They struck again with another trade.
This time, the Eagles finished off the C.J. Gardner-Johnson trade by re-acquiring the pick they previously swapped.
Moving on from Harrison Bryant was one of multiple moves teams made this week by trading roster bubble players before the 53 man deadline on the 26th.
If Metchie was on the Texans bubble and at risk of being waived. The Eagles have the 32nd priority on the waiver wire, and would lose out players they’re after. Instead, teams are swapping late round picks to grab players they otherwise might not stand a chance acquiring next week.
Ahead Of Unforeseen Circumstances
The Eagles made a trade for a receiver that had many asking questions.
Well, one of the receivers in question had their year ended when news broke that Johnny Wilson will be missing the 2025 season due to injury. Making the decision on how many receivers will make the 53 man roster a little easier.
Now the Eagles can carry 6 receivers without leaving a preseason sensation on waivers or to the practice squad.
Are They Done Yet?
There’s still 5 days until the deadline. And even that hasn’t stopped Howie Roseman & Co. Before. With multiple trades coming right after roster cut downs leaves the Eagles with plenty of last minute options.
And for a team that still has 13 picks in the 2026 draft. They have more than enough capital to round out the perfect roster on their road to Super Bowl 60.
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Tyler L’Heureux
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So far, Barkley has lived up to the hype and more. Looking at basic metrics, he averages 0.7 more yards per carry (5.3 versus 4.6) than D’Andre Swift was as the king of the running back position last season. Despite having an offensive line without Jason Kelce on it—this isn’t even Barkley’s full form.
PHOTO: Bill Streicher/Imagn ImagesThe appeal here is both Barkley’s efficiency and explosiveness. First, we’ll start with the former. For the third season in a row, he is top 10 in rushing yards over expected (RYOE) with 133 in the early stages. The investment here has been well worth it, as he has gained yardage at a much higher rate (1.52 yards per attempt) than he theoretically should.
That total is being inflated because of a few plays in particular, though. Barkley has always been an explosive football player, but 11 explosive carries (rushes with at least 10 yards) in 91 attempts certainly adds something to an offense. That’s nearly three more explosive carries per 100 attempts than Swift last season, which is well worth the increased cost of a big-name running back.
When the Eagles’ offense was stalling against the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, he took matters into his own hands and rushed for a game-changing 65-yard touchdown. Down 3-0 in the fourth quarter, Barkley’s contributions made a loss become a win. He did this in Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, too, but it was a bit too little, too late for the Birds. Still, a player who can flip the field is invaluable.
There are a lot of mouths to feed on a fully healthy Eagles offense, but Barkley might just be the most important. While there hasn’t been a game this season where he’s had a ridiculous workload, his two highest-usage games were the ones where the Eagles scored the most and second-most points in a game this season.
Barkley wasn’t signed to be the face of the Eagles’ offense. Jalen Hurts has a responsibility to keep defenses honest with A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith, but he might be relying on his arm a bit too much. Though it’s probably not in his future, could a 30-carry game be beneficial to the offense?
This is a fair question to ask, seeing as the 2024 campaign hasn’t been Hurts’ brightest. He has been far from poor, but it’s plausible that Barkley can be the piece to elevate the unit.
PHOTO: Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
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Justin Giampietro
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Overall, the Philadelphia Eagles have had an underwhelming start to their season. In their previous two campaigns combined, they had a 14-1 record entering their bye week. Entering their 2024 bye, they had a middling 2-2 record with a minus-10 point differential. Suffice to say, things have changed.
However, not everything has to be doom and gloom. Yes, the Eagles have played poorly. Blame it on injuries all you’d like, the team has been playing down to their competition for a long time now. That said, there’s time to turn it around in Week 6 against the 1-4 Cleveland Browns.
Eagles Have No Excuse to Lose
Simply put, the Browns have struggled to show anything resembling a competent offense. Ranked 25th in rushing expected points average per play (EPA/play) and 31st in drop-back EPA/play, there’s nothing redeeming here. Nearly six percentage points below the next-worst team (32.3 percent versus the Miami Dolphins’ 38.2 percent) in success rate on downs one through three, there couldn’t be a better unit for the Birds to face.
You’d probably think the Browns have a top-end defense, but they don’t based on the numbers. It feasted against three underwhelming offenses (Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders) and gave up 33 and 34 points against the legitimately good ones (Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders). Now, it’s the Eagles’ turn.
In terms of EPA/play, the Browns only have the 14th-best defense in the NFL. It’s a solid unit, but not one that the Birds shouldn’t be able to take advantage of when Sunday comes. If the Cowboys and Commanders could beat this team by a combined 37 points, the Eagles should be able to just win the football game. With A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson healthy, there is absolutely zero excuse not to.
This Is the Eagles’ Chance at Domination
We’ll know a lot about the Eagles after Sunday. They haven’t won a game by more than one score in nearly an entire calendar year (Oct. 22, 2023, versus Miami), perfectly exemplifying Philadelphia’s tendency to play down to teams they are clearly superior to. If they’re in a tight defensive matchup like the Jaguars, Giants, and Raiders, those teams are who the Eagles are.
If they can barely sneak out a win or lose entirely, the Eagles are a Jacksonville, New York, or Las Vegas type of team—not good. Especially since they’re at home, their patented “ugly win” is not going to cut it this time. If you plan to be competitive with the Cowboys and Commanders for NFC East supremacy, win, and win big.
It might seem a little harsh to write off a team because they won a football game but “not by enough points”, but this has been the story for an entire year now. It’s now or never; break the curse.
What a Big Win Could Do for the Eagles
Aside from being 3-2, in the race for a division title, and still possibly in the conversation for the top seed in the NFC (the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings are bound to lose at some point, right?), a big win would give the Eagles their swagger back. They haven’t had any of that since, well, they went to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles won 10 of their first 11 games last season, but they didn’t do so convincingly. In 2022, they were convincingly dominant—anyone predicting a collapse was doing so out of spite because the team plays in Philadelphia. In 2023, people predicting a collapse were watching the games. This team hasn’t had the feeling of a stress-free win in so long, and it’s time to end that.
Perhaps, a big win can bring a return to the 2022 days of this team. Maybe that’s a little too premature, but it’s worth establishing just how important a clean win would be. Most good teams do this all the time, but it’s been a struggle for Philadelphia
With all due respect, the Browns do not touch the Eagles in the talent department. Now with a healthy roster, it’s time to start having fun again. Win by a lot, and people will start to forget about your Week 2 and Week 4 collapses.
PHOTO: AP Photo
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Justin Giampietro
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When the Philadelphia Eagles were down A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson in their Week 4 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some were expecting a loss (atypical for a team as good as the Birds). Not only did the Eagles lose, but they did so pretty emphatically—the game was never close.
Philadelphia, looking like they were playing a completely different sport than Tampa Bay, had their biggest weakness exposed to the world. That weakness is the fact that they are utterly clueless without a drastic talent advantage over their opponent.
Eagles Crumble When There Isn’t a Talent Gap
Ordinarily, losing three top-tier players in a road matchup against a team that won a playoff game is a death sentence. But talent-wise, the Eagles were still objective neck-and-neck with Tampa Bay, if not better. People had every reason to think they’d win.
With almost even defenses in terms of expected points average per play (EPA/play), the better offensive line still objectively belonging to Philadelphia, and the top two playmakers in the game being members of the Eagles (Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts), it’s almost like those three studs weren’t needed.
But in practice, they were, because the Eagles are dependent on their talent to win football games. When two sides are more or less even, they get crushed. Last week was not the first time this happened.
Counting Theme from the 2023 Season
The best roster Philadelphia faced last season was the San Francisco 49ers, and the result was a 42-19 whooping. Without Brown in the playoffs against the Buccaneers, it was a 32-9 whooping. If an enormous talent advantage isn’t present, the Birds play like they did in Week 4 way too often.
It has been a theme both last season and this one that the Eagles get outplayed by basically everyone. Vastly superior talent has been hiding the team’s struggles for a long time now—it is finally starting to show record-wise (2-2 isn’t bad by any means, but it’s certainly a disappointment).
Now, every team needs a good core of players to win football games. It’s just not feasible to win on a week-to-week basis with zero talent. However, teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, and Pittsburgh Steelers are managing just fine. Even the Green Bay Packers won two games with Malik Willis as their quarterback instead of the previously highest-paid player in NFL history, Jordan Love.
The Eagles weren’t always the way they are now, though. Between play-calling and consistently losing the turnover battle, they have severely fallen from their glory days in 2022. The good news is that all of this is fixable, at least in theory—much of the same faces are present.
But until smarter football is played, expect the same result. Confidence should be fading.
The Eagles still have the potential to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Home-field advantage in the postseason is very much in play, and a first-round bye week is also in the cards. But something has to click for this team.
The way that Philadelphia is operating now will make them lucky to see the playoffs. And that’s assuming the key players stay healthy. This team is way too good to be playing like they are—something has to change. Head coach Nick Sirianni’s seat isn’t just hot, it has gone up in flames.
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Justin Giampietro
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After another pitiful performance in Tampa Bay, the Eagles sit tied for 2nd in the NFC East.
Hopefully the Eagles can avoid meeting the Buccaneers in the Wildcard round, again.
Moving on to the early bye week at 2-2 isn’t the end for the Eagles, but it isn’t instilling much hope.
Sure the Eagles have been without A.J. Brown for multiple weeks and spent a game and a half without Lane Johnson & DeVonta Smith. But they only average 21.5 points per game in 4 games this season, which drops to 17.3 not including the packers game.
This is also a team that has 8 turnovers on offense and 8(!) 3&Outs. What gives?
Last season, the Eagles ranked dead last in motion(10.9%) While the Chargers(25.9%) were ranked 8th(Kellen Moore’s last team) while having Easton Stick start multiple games at QB.
With the hire of Moore in the offseason, everyone was expecting a more competent offense. Now loaded with even more talent in the backfield and along the offensive line.
But through 4 weeks…
Motion report through 4 weeks!
First number is motion at the snap, second number is all motion.
Data via ESPN’s video tracking team. pic.twitter.com/rS8Y8g4DUm
— Seth Walder (@SethWalder) October 1, 2024
The Eagles are in the middle of the pack. Which becomes concerning when you see NextGenStats posting the Eagles used 65.8% in their season debut.
Makes you question why there’s been such a decline in only a matter of weeks.
Down 2 of your Weapons. Why does Saquon only see the ball 10 times? No wonder the offense stalls.
After admitting to being the one to call a USELESS fake QB sneak in New Orleans. How much of the Offense does Nick Sirianni have control of?
And most importantly.
Normally, when a team cleans house, they clean house. It was already questioned last year what Nick Sirianni did as Eagles head coach following last years disastrous end. Somehow, he was able to keep his job.
Brian Johnson was let go as the scape goat to the collapse of the offense compared to their Super Bowl season. But now in Washington, Jayden Daniels is thriving as the Commanders hold 1st place in the NFC East.
Dennard Wilson is now the Defensive Coordinator in Tennessee, and finding some success with a team that isn’t having a great season. After spending last season with the Ravens as a Defensive Backs Coach & Passing Game Coordinator, the same position he held in Philadelphia the 2 years prior.
There’s multiple coaches who have left the Eagles who are finding success. And yet the Eagles seem to be stagnant now 2 years after their Super Bowl appearance. Even after bringing in highly valued coordinators on both sides of the ball.
With many inconsistencies and similarities causing concern just 4 weeks into the season. A 2-2 record might not look bad, but how many head coaches can survive a 3-8 run to end and begin seasons with high expectations?
With the weakest strength of schedule in the league and 13 games still left to play. There aren’t many excuses for this Eagles team to not still be competitive and push for a top seed in the playoffs. But with the way they’ve been playing, there better be some good performances following the bye week. Otherwise the playoffs could soon be out of reach.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images
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Tyler L’Heureux
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And just like that, there’s an eerie feeling about this 2024 Eagles team.
We’re only 2 weeks into the season, so there’s no reason to give up all hope and abandon ship just yet. But with a catastrophic 4th quarter loss to the Falcons. There’s some glimpses of last years Eagles still prevalent today.
There’s a few things the Eagles struggle with inside the red zone on offense.
Not only did Saquon Barkley not see the ball inside the red zone until the 5:53 mark in the 3rd quarter.
While the Eagles scored 3 touchdowns from Barkley in the red zone. 3rd & shorts became unmanageable without him. including what would have been the game-ending reception, dropped from Barkley’s fingertips.
But that was the least of their concern.
We’re coming up to 3 years of the Tush Push being an unstoppable play for only one team in the league.
But there’s plenty of opportunities wasted where the Eagles could play for a 4th and 1 situation.
Not only are they able to play for these short situations, but the inconsistency of when it’s time to take points, or shoot for the endzone continues to be mind boggling.
Below are the following situations, and how the Eagles approached them.
The Eagles had gone for 49 yards before this drive ended. 39 of those, had gone to Saquon Barkley. Afterwards, the drive stalled, and an attempt on 4th down had the Eagles score 0 points after matching down the field.
This is one of those drives where the $255M Hurts contract looks like a value deal.
The decision to run the ball on 4th & 3 paid off, and led to the Eagles scoring 7 to take the lead before halftime.
Once again the Eagles found themselves in the redzone, and chose not to give the ball back to Saquon Barkley in short yardage situations.
Devonta Smith got them down the field, but this was the 3rd drive to feature a designed play for Britain Covey, that was lucky to go for the positive yards that they had.
The loss of AJ Brown for what could be several weeks is an issue, but there’s plenty of players who barely saw targets, including recently acquired Jahan Dotson, who went 1/1 for 6 yards.
Now when you get to the fact the Eagles were scared of a 4th & short situation. Electing to kick a Field Goal to go up 10-9. They had already left 3 points off the board, why not try it again? You could always hope for a stop or a turnover from your defense, right? Right?
The Eagles first use of the Tush Push during the home opener came during a 17 play, 70 yard drive that took up 9:34 of the clock. If they had saved some more time, perhaps none of the final drives of the game would have been as chaotic as they were.
Once again, the Eagles were afraid of a 4th and short situation that could have not only ended the game, but they had played coy to kill the clock instead of going up 2 scores, something they’ve had no problem doing in previous games.
The Eagles have a refusal to close out games on offense the easy way. opting for big plays, like in Seattle last year. Or both matchups against Washington.
There’s plenty of blame to go around for the Eagles first loss. But the team has made Roster and Staff changes to prevent what happened last year from happening again.
Photo Credit: Bill Streicher
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Tyler L’Heureux
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