The Philadelphia Eagles have depth by Howie Roseman’s design
The Philadelphia Eagles are better equipped for injuries than most.
The Philadelphia Eagles just can’t seem to catch a break.
Actually, that’s not correct. Technically, the Eagles are catching a ton of breaks, tears, pulls, and strains for that matter, which, in football, are all bad things (duh). For goodness sake, look at ESPN’s reported injuries list, the Eagles have six players listed as questionable and three outright on IR two weeks before the season began.
And unfortunately, on Sunday, in the Eagles’ final scrimmage of the summer, two more high profile players, Jalen Reagor, and Carson Wentz, added their names to that ‘questionables’ list.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
Now to be fair, it seems like every team is suffering through a rash of injuries this summer, a rather predictable outcome considering the unorthodox nature of this offseason, but eventually, these issues are going to seriously affect the Eagles’ chances to compete, right?
Totally, but fortunately, it may take longer than most.
You see, Howie Roseman spent the brunt of his offseason building out the Eagles’ depth across the board, leaving the team with one of the most loaded depth charts in the NFL. Not the best mind you, the Eagles at best have what, six players widely considered top-5 at their position, but behind that crew rests a sizeable collection of NFL-level players who can hold their own.
I mean think about it, despite already having Wentz locked into a massive contract, Roseman used his second-round pick on Jalen Hurts and re-signed Nate Sudfeld. Despite having DeSean Jackson and Jalen Reagor, Roseman still used a pair of Day 3 picks on John Hightower and Quez Watkins, in addition to trading for Marquise Goodwin. The Eagles drafted two linebackers who made it easier to move on from Nigel Bradham, two offensive tackles who can help to fill out the depth chart now that Dillard’s season is finished, and even added some intriguing UDFAs like Adrian Killins, Noah Togiai, and Grayland Arnold that not only have a very real chance to make the opening day roster but actually contribute on the field Week 1.
Factor in free agency additions like Hargrave, Darius Slay, and Will Parks who shift potential contributors like Hassan Ridgeway, Rasul Douglas, and Marcus Epps into reserve roles, and suddenly, the Eagles’ depth chart looks leaps and bounds better than their 2019 counterparts.
Heck, some players who initially entered camp as afterthoughts, like 2019 Week 17 signee Deontay Burnett suddenly look like dark horse candidates to make the team, a welcomed byproduct of allowing players to progress naturally, as opposed to having to force ill-equipped youngsters into vacant roles before they are ready.
Now I know what you’re thinking “The Eagles are screwed, dude. Our offensive line is trash, we have no pass rush, and our secondary still sucks.” Okay, fair, but can you honestly look around the NFC East and confidently say that any of the other teams are in a better position to weather their issues?
I mean think about it, the Cowboys may just trot out the worst secondary in the league if Chidobe Awuzie, Xavier Woods, and Jourdan Lewis aren’t ready to go Week 1, and they used two of their top-four draft selections on their defensive secondary. Investing insane money at a handful of positions overvaluing depth across the board is a great idea until a few of those players go down.
Now to be fair, some players are more valuable than others, and losing Wentz for the season would ruin the Eagles, but in the NFL it’s not about avoiding injuries altogether, but having a plan when they hit. The Eagles have a plan in 2020 at nearly every position and frankly, that’s commendable.
Jatavis Brown’s retirement was a blessing in disguise. dark. Next
In 2019, the Philadelphia Eagles made the, shall we say, unconventional decision to fill out their roster with older players with playoff experience. Of those players, only one, Vinny Curry, actually finished out the season on the active roster, as both Andrew Sendejo and Zach Brown were released midseason. In 2020, Howie Roseman learned from his mistakes and used every avenue at his disposal to make his team better at the top and deeper at the bottom, an incredibly potent combination that will surely help the Eagles weather the otherworldy misfortune of 2020. Next man up, after all.