Expect The Eagles Offense To Get Off To A Fast Start
One of the great debates of this off-season has occurred between myself, Andrew Salciunas, and our great free agent acquisition of the off-season Andrew DiCecco (I hope you enjoying his addition to our Birds coverage as much as we are). I have had the pleasure of sitting with DiCecco in the Eagles press box on game day these last three seasons. It’s also not the first time that we have disagreed on a topic.
He has preached patience on expectations for the Eagles offense coming out of the gate. I couldn’t disagree more. As we approach the season opener in Brazil, I want to tell you why you shouldn’t set the bar low!
The Eagles Offense Has Not Started Slow Under Sirianni
Nick Sirianni in his three years at the helm has had three different men calling the plays in the season opener. In 2021 in Atlanta, he was calling the offensive plays in a 32-6 thumping of the Falcons. In 2022 in Detroit, Shane Steichen directed the offense in a 38-35 shootout win over the Lions. In 2023, Brian Johnson made his play-calling debut in an unimpressive 25-20 win over the Patriots.
So in his three years as an NFL Head Coach, the Eagles Offense has averaged 31.66 points in their week one matchups. None of those were at home just like this year. Last year the defense helped pad the point production but scoring over 30 on average should be considered a fast start.
Kellen Moore Has A Better Track Record
Shane Steichen has become an NFL Head Coach in Indianapolis, while Brian Johnson is getting coffee and attempting to work the copier in Washington. We all know that Nick Sirianni told us just seven games into his coaching career that he needed to give the play-calling duties over to someone else.
All three of the previous opening day play callers have a resume that is dwarfed by Kellen Moore and his accomplishments. When Moore has his starting QB he has consistently been in the neighborhood of a Top 5 scoring offense. He schemes wide receivers open statistically better than any of his peers. The upgrade at OC is just what this talented roster needs to maximize their potential.
Green Bay’s Defense Is A Work In Progress
In their nine regular season wins last season, the Packers gave up an average of 17 points. In their eight losses, they allowed an average of 26 points. They replaced their defensive coordinator after last season despite winning a wild card game at Dallas and playing well in a loss at San Francisco.
Conversely, the Eagles averaged 30 points scored in their 11 wins and 17 points scored in their losses. They should see this game as an opportunity for 27 points plus.
Buckle Up!
The Eagles offense is going to fly early and often. The only question I have is whether they are going to need to in order to overcome their own defense’s weaknesses as they learn under Vic Fangio.
Watch Kincade & Salciunas on the 97.5 The Fanatic YouTube page for discussion about the latest breaking sports news in Philadelphia.
The Eagles Initial 53-Man Roster: Who Survived Cutdown Day?
QB (3)
- Jalen Hurts
- Tanner McKee
- Kenny Pickett
You could have written these 3 in pen at the start of camp. They were always gonna make it, and Will Grier was never going to make it. They brought Grier in to help Moore implement his system, not to compete. The only thing that became a question was if McKee could take the QB 2 job.
RB (3)
- Saquon Barkley
- Kenny Gainwell
- Will Shipley
Like QB, there was never much competition here. These 3 were always locks. I suppose if Kendall Milton had a great camp, he could have forced the Eagles to keep 4. But that was never very likely.
WR (5)
- AJ Brown
- Devonta Smith
- Jahan Dotson
- Britain Covey
- Johnny Wilson
IR- Ainias Smith
The Eagles threw a wrench into this in the last week of camp by trading for Jahan Dotson. But even before that, everyone thought the WR3 would be someone not on the team. And it seemed a few weeks in that neither Parris Campbell nor John Ross were going to stick around. The guy who did the most for his case in camp was Johnny Wilson. Not enough to win the WR3 job, but enough to get a roster spot, especially with how willing he was as a blocker.
Ainias Smith going onto the IR is another wrench. They would have had a tough decision otherwise. he did not play well enough in camp to earn the spot, but they still have a lot of hope for him going forward. Now that he is on the IR, they can stash him for a few weeks, without wasting the roster spot.
TE (2)
- Dallas Goedert
- Grant Calcaterra
IR- Albert Okwuegbunam
Surprise Cut: EJ Jenkins
The first somewhat surprising cut, EJ Jenkins. Jenkins impressed in camp and many thought he was going to win the TE3 job. But the Eagles cut him. This could be a place to watch for them scooping someone else up, notably Jack Stoll who the Giants cut, but had been with the Eagles for a few seasons before that.
Albert O goes on the IR, letting them stash him for a bit longer while they figure stuff out.
OL (9)
- Lane Johnson
- Mekhi Becton
- Cam Jurgens
- Landon Dickerson
- Jordan Mailata
- Tyler Steen
- Fred Johnson
- Trevor Keegan
- Darian Kinnard
The question on the O-Line was more about numbers than it was about players. Would they keep 10, or only 9? They went with 9, with rookie Dylan McMahon likely being the odd man out.
EDGE (6)
- Bryce Huff
- Josh Sweat
- Nolan Smith
- Brandon Graham
- Jalyx Hunt
- Patrick Johnson
Edge Rusher is a big question mark for them. They don’t have a sure thing like Haason Reddick anymore. The players they have left have a high ceiling, but also a low floor. There are concerns about all of them going into the season, especially with Nolan Smith after a disappointing camp. Whether or not they can get consistent pressure off the edge will be a major thing to watch this season.
DT (6)
- Jalen Carter
- Jordan Davis
- Milton Williams
- Moro Ojomo
- Thomas Booker
- Bryon Young
They had some tough choices to make at DT. Tuipulotu has been here, and has been a quality player, fora few years, but Thomas Booker came on strong in camp. It turns out they both made the initial roster. Depth at DT was a big strength in 2022, and having guys behind Carter and Davis, who had conditioning issues last season, is probably smart.
(Update) Marlon Tuipulotu made the original 53-man roster, but was released when the Eagles claimed Byron Young, who was cut by the Raiders. n
LB (6)
- Devin White
- Zack Baun
- Nakobe Dean
- Jeremiah Trotter Jr.
- Ben VanSumeren
- Oren Burks
Linebacker is better off than it was a year ago. That is not saying much though. the question is if it is good enough. Like Edge Rusher, there is potential there. But Devin White has under performed, Zack Baun has never played LB, and Dean has yet to prove anything at this level. It might still be a major weakness, but I doubt it gets as bad as it was last season.
Oren Burks was not on the original 53 man roster, but was moved off the Practice Squad once James Bradberry was put on the IR.
CB (6)
- Darius Slay
- Kelee Ringo
- Quinyon Mitchell
- Isaiah Rodgers
- Cooper DeJean
- Eli Ricks
Corner was arguable their weakest position last year. Now it might be their deepest. Slay, Mitchell, Ringo, Rodgers, and DeJean were all locks. The question was Eli Ricks and Josh Jobe. Rick is the better corner, but Jobe is a Special Teams Ace. For now, Jobe is out. They may think he can make it onto the practice squad, where they could then call him up to play Special teams for at least the first 3 weeks. Whereas Ricks may have gotten scooped up.
Safety (4)
- CJ Gardner Johnson
- Avonte Maddox
- Reed Blankenship
- Tristin McCollum
PUP- Sydney Brown
IR- James Bradberry
Sydney Brown starting the season on the PUP list helps them with their decision making. They can keep both Maddox and McCollum for now, and then make that decision when Brown gets healthy. They definitely need the extra depth to start out. Bradberry makes it for now, but reports suggest it might be because they are working out a trade for him, with the Titans showing interest. It still doesn’t sound like he will be on the final 53-man roster.
(James Bradberry was later moved onto the IR)
Special Teams (3)
- Jake Elliott
- Braden Mann
- Rick Lovato
No surprises here. None of these 3 had any competition in camp. Braden Mann stabilized what had been a weak position for the Eagles last season. jake Elliott is among the best kickers in the league, and Rick Lovato is solid as a long-snapper gets. There was never even a chance for there to be a shakeup here.
