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Cooney’s Corner: Which Philadelphia Eagles Are Due For Regression in 2023?

Placeholder Shilloutte User Image By and Colin Newby

The possibility of Philadelphia Eagles regression candidates needs acknowledgment.

A 14-3 record and an appearance in the Super Bowl isn’t exactly easy to recreate. Adam Schefter spoke on The John Kincade Show about the adversity that NFL teams inevitably face over the course of a long, demanding schedule.

“You just don’t know what goes wrong. It’s one injury…It’s one person doing one dumb thing. That’s what makes the whole gauntlet of a season so tricky to navigate because a land mine can go off at any time, and it just sets into motion other things.” -Adam Schefter

The sheer dominance of the 2022 Eagles adds another layer to the conversation.

Even if the defensive line has another excellent season in 2023, is it even realistic to think they match the 70 sacks they had in 2022?

They also finished third in the NFL in turnover differential last season. It’s also a stat that has a tendency to even itself out by the law of averages over longer stretches of time. Just look at 2022.

They became one of three teams in NFL history to win the turnover battle outright in each of their first eight games. Their differential climbed to +15, but it sunk to +8 by the end of the season.

“Very rarely does a team just waltz into the season as a favorite, go uncontested and unchallenged, and just have the season develop and happen exactly the way they want. Now, what are their challenges? What are their land mines?” -Schefter

The Eagles have set themselves up well to avoid Super Bowl hangover. The expectations for the 2023 season are (justifiably) high.

However, an underwhelming 9-7 record in 2018 led to the malaise that ultimately ended the Doug Pederson era. The possibility of disappointment is very real.

“I really don’t see any fault in it. I don’t think it’s overzealous on our part that we think the Eagles are going to be better…I think our expectations of the team are spot on, but there’s going to be something. There’s going to be someone that probably isn’t going to meet our expectations.” -Bob Cooney

Which players should fans worry about as Philadelphia Eagles regression candidates in 2023? The John Kincade Show discussed some possibilities in “Cooney’s Corner.”

  • James Bradberry

    James Bradberry had a career year in 2022. After six solid seasons with the Carolina Panthers and the New York Giants, he earned a second-team All-Pro selection for the first time in his career in his first season in Philadelphia.

    His first career “pick-six” against the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the 2022 season was the first step in creating a rhythm as a starter on a defense that had limited weak spots.

    However, five starters have departed from that defense. Is it reasonable to expect a player coming off a career-best season on a star-studded unit to match his production in 2023 with all the moving parts around him?

  • Darius Slay

    Speaking of starting cornerbacks, is it reasonable to expect 32-year-old Darius Slay to have another Pro Bowl season?

    “Big-play” Slay announced his presence as a top outside corner with an excellent game covering Justin Jefferson of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2.

    However, the majority of the standout performances that earned him his fifth Pro Bowl selection came during Philadelphia’s red-hot 8-0 start. His play slipped in the Week 10 loss to the Washington Commanders, and it wasn’t as impressive down the stretch.

    Slay has started at least 13 games in all 10 of his professional seasons, but how long is he going to maintain his play as a shutdown outside corner?

    John Kincade likened the strategy of bringing back Slay and Bradberry to the decision the Sixers made to bring back James Harden.

  • Cam Jurgens/Tyler Steen

    When Isaac Seumalo signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Eagles lost a player with 60 career starts during one of the most accomplished seven-year periods in franchise history.

    The play of the offensive line has been a major strength of the team during its most successful points during that stretch. It’s not easy to replace established NFL players seamlessly.

    Cam Jurgens and Tyler Steen will compete for the starting job as Seumalo’s replacement at right guard.

    “We’ll always see what we can do to play the best five that we have right there. Cam had a really good year (in 2022) of sitting behind one of the best players in franchise history (and) one of the best centers in the history of this game,” Nick Sirianni said about Jurgens, who is considered the favorite to land the starting job.

    Despite the confidence the organization has in the offensive linemen they’ve drafted the past two years, neither has experience playing guard. Jurgens will transition from center, and Steen will transition from tackle.

    “I think the loss of Isaac Seumalo will be felt. I think you will see it in the offensive line. (It) will not be as synergetic to start the year.” -John Kincade

  • Brandon Graham

    It took Brandon Graham 13 NFL seasons to eclipse the elusive 10th sack in a single season.

    There’s no question that Graham, who has written one of the best stories of perseverance in franchise history, deserved the feat he finally achieved in Week 17 against the New Orleans Saints last season.

    However, the Super Bowl LII hero is now 35 years old. He won’t have the benefit of a record-breaking defensive line teeing off on opposing passing attacks desperate to get back into blowout games.

    “I don’t think there’s any way in hell he ends up getting double-digit sacks…I think he’s going to have a good year, but he’s not going to have that year (2022).” -Pat Egan

  • Dallas Goedert

    The Eagles have one of the most talented tight ends in the NFL. However, they don’t have one of the most durable tight ends.

    The physical style of Dallas Goedert adds an element the Eagles didn’t have with Zach Ertz, but it also increases the chance of injury. Goedert has missed 12 games over the past three seasons.

    The tight end position also isn’t one of the deepest on the roster.

    Philadelphia Eagles Regression Candidates

  • The John Kincade Show

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