Top 5 questions surrounding Eagles going into 2024 opener originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
SÃO PAULO — It’s a bit tough to get a read on the 2024 Eagles as they prepare to kick off the 2024 season in Brazil.
On one hand, this is a talented roster without many holes. It’s the type of roster Howie Roseman should be proud he created. The Eagles have elite talent on offense and might not have any glaring weaknesses on defense.
But there are also plenty of reasons to doubt the 2024 Eagles too, starting with the fact that talent didn’t stop a complete collapse in 2023. There’s also the presence of two new coordinators and plenty of new pieces on both sides of the ball.
Expectations are definitely high entering this season and it begins with the Packers tonight in São Paulo..
But here are my five biggest questions about this team going into 2024:
Will Jalen Hurts return to form?
Even though Hurts was in the MVP race for a good portion of the 2023 season, that was mostly a product of being the quarterback of a team that began the year with a 10-1 record before the collapse. He took a step back last season from his impressive 2022 campaign when he led the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
2022: (15 games) 66.5%, 3,701 yards, 22 passing TDs, 6 INTs, 101.5 rating; 760 rushing yards (4.6), 13 rushing TDs
2023: (17 games) 65.4%, 3,858 yards, 23 passing TDs, 15 INTs, 89.1 rating; 605 rushing yards (3.9), 15 rushing TDs
The big difference between those two seasons was turnovers. Hurts turned the ball over 20 times last season — 15 interceptions and 5 lost fumbles. And he had a career high interception rate of 2.8% in 2023.
But there might be some regression to the mean with the interceptions. Hurts was toward the top of the league in the PFF stat Turnover Worthy Plays at 2.3%. Of 41 qualified QBs, just seven had a lower TWP percentage.
After a shaky spring, there was plenty of curiosity about how Hurts would fit in Kellen Moore’s offense. But Hurts had a tremendous summer in training camp. Not only did he throw just one interception, but he seemed to have a real command of the offense. We’ll find out soon if he can carry that momentum in to the regular season.
Will Kellen Moore freshen up a stale offense?
The Eagles were a borderline top 10 offensive team last season but it was fair to question if they were maximizing their talent. That’s where Kellen Moore comes in. It’s his job to rejuvenate the Eagles’ offense.
Most of what the Eagles showed in the preseason and the joint practice against the Patriots was pretty vanilla but that will change starting Friday night. Moore was brought here to take a good offense to great and we’ll find out soon enough if he can do it.
Head coach Nick Sirianni admitted that his offensive scheme got stale toward the end of the 2023 season, which led to the hiring of Moore this offseason. What can we expect from the new offense? We saw glimpses during training camp. There should be more pre-snap motion, different formations, more freedom for receivers, etc.
During the spring, Hurts said that 95% of the offense was new — that was his perspective. That number has been disputed but the fact remains that the Eagles offense is going to look significantly different in 2024. After making a drastic switch of schemes, it better.
This is an offense with Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Jahan Dotson, Dallas Goedert, Saquon Barkley and an offensive line that should still be very good even after the retirement of Jason Kelce. In order for the Eagles to reach their full potential in 2024, this is going to need to be an elite unit.
Can Vic Fangio bring stability to defense?
While the Eagles’ offense got stale down the stretch in 2023, their defense was a complete wreck. If you thought things were bad under Sean Desai, they got even worse after Matt Patricia took over as defensive coordinator in Week 15. In the last quarter of the season, the Eagles looked about as confused as you’ll ever see any professional football players.
So this offseason, the Eagles went out and hired Vic Fangio, who brings with him decades of experience as a DC. He’s also the creator of a scheme the Eagles have mimicked for several years. The blueprint for the 2024 Eagles is simple: Have an elite offense and have a stable defense.
Having a better defense this year starts with the revamped secondary. Roseman has admitted that he aimed to improve the back end this offseason and — at least on paper — he did. Fangio has plenty of pieces to disguise coverages this season.
There are still questions on defense. Like how the Eagles will fare without Haason Reddick and Fletcher Cox? Will they have enough pass rush? Are the linebackers good enough? Heck, will players get along with Fangio better than the Dolphins did last season?
The Eagles are putting a lot of trust in Fangio and giving him a lot of autonomy on that side of the ball.
Are special teams still elite?
While the Eagles took a step back on offense and defense in 2023, they improved greatly in special teams. The third phase of the game doesn’t get talked about as much. But it does matter and Michael Clay’s units had a really good year in 2023, even through the collapse.
Clay even got an extension this offseason after the Eagles’ special teams ranked No. 1 in the NFL in DVOA in 2023. They were also ranked No. 10 in Rick Gosselin’s annual special teams rankings after being 31st in 2022.
The biggest rule change for the 2024 season is happening on special teams with the new kickoff rules. Everyone is pretty eager to see what that looks like. But the other units are still very important too. The Eagles want to be better on offense and defense this season but have to hope special teams stays up toward the top of the league too.
Does Nick Sirianni do enough to keep his job?
There was no guarantee Sirianni was going to be back this season. The Eagles were 10-1 after the win over Buffalo in late November and then dropped six of seven down the stretch, including a playoff loss to the Buccaneers.
Watching Jeffrey Lurie walk off the field following that playoff loss, it certainly wouldn’t have been surprising if Sirianni got the boot.
Eventually, though, Lurie made the decision to bring back Sirianni but with a different coaches staff that included two more experienced coordinators. And on offense, the Eagles are no longer running Sirianni’s scheme.
That means that Sirianni has more of a CEO coaching role this season. The Eagles have always valued other traits in a head coach that aren’t scheme related so this is Sirianni’s chance to prove himself in a new role. If he’s going to be the culture-setter, it’s time to do that. Because the Eagles definitely lacked a stroke culture in 2023.
For Sirianni, the leash appears to be short and the expectations are high. There’s pressure on every coach in the NFL but there’s an awful lot riding on this season for Sirianni. On paper, his resume — 34-17 record, three playoff berths and a Super Bowl appearance — is extremely impressive. But Sirianni in a pressure-filled situation entering 2024.
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