The Philadelphia Eagles' disappointing 2023 season is finally over. The Egales limped into the playoffs as losers of five of their last six games, a stretch that brought to light plenty of drama in the locker room and among the coaching staff.
This implosion following a 10-1 start to the year can't be forgiven. If Nick Sirianni wants to remain as head coach, he needs to make some major changes to his group of assistants.
Shakeups need to come on the player personnel side, too. Some of those will happen naturally via retirements or guys walking in free agency, but Sirianni should be eager to move on from anyone who let this squad down.
With that in mind, let's take a look at 10 members of the organization whose time in Philadelphia could now be a thing of the past.
Most Likely Eagles Not Returning After Wild Card Loss
1. Matt Patricia / 2. Brian Johnson
Coaching issues were a core part of the Eagles' problems this season. The talent on both sides of the ball failed to live up to their potential, leading to a major step back as a team.
Now it's time to Sirianni to swallow his pride and admit he made two massive mistakes in hiring Brian Johnson as offensive coordinator and promoting Matt Patricia to defensive coordinator to close the campaign.
Johnson's involvement in Jalen Hurts' development, plus his familiarity with Sirianni's scheme, were sold as the two biggest pluses of his hiring. Yet, he's failed in both aspects in a bigger role. Hurts seemingly regressed in 2023 despite posting similar if not better numbers than his MVP bid one year prior.
That's because success for the dual threat was much tougher to come by this go-around. That's on Johnson as play-caller, who immensely struggled in keeping this unit's momentum through entire games.
The defense dropping off under new defensive coordinator Sean Desai certainly didn't help take the pressure off of Johnson. Desai had more new contributors to work into the fold, a mountain of injuries, and a gauntlet of a schedule to deal with while learning on the fly, though.
That still didn't stop Sirianni from removing Desai from his post and handing responsibility of the unit to Patricia. Many questioned the move at the time considering Patricia's lack of success away from New England.
Unfortunately, that trend kept up with him at the helm. In fact, the Eagles lost three of their last four contests to end the year, all of which were with Patricia calling the defensive plays.
There is no reason for Sirianni to risk losing his job by hitching his cart to these guys. If he doesn't move on, then he deserves the same fate as them that'll be in store after next season.
3. Quez Watkins / 4. Julio Jones
The Eagles entered the 2023 season well aware they needed a reliable third wide receiver to help out A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith. While those two were electric in their first year together, and both have been incredibly reliable health-wise during their Philadelphia tenures, the benefits of finding a WR3 were clear.
Unfortunately, this unit never truly found an answer to this conundrum. That could lead to the exits of both Quez Watkins and Julio Jones this offseason.
Watkins had the training camp hype backing him into the start of the regular season, but it never translated to on-field results. He posted a dismal 9 receptions, 152 yards and 1 touchdown in 2023 while missing seven games due to a lingering hamstring issue.
Injury aside, the Southern Miss product still didn't impress when he was active. He's now slated to hit free agency on a downward trend ever since his promising 2021 campaign, making it tough to see his return in 2024.
Jones, meanwhile, is clearly on his last legs as a pro. Signing him in mid-October was a desperation move by the Eagles, and it hasn't exactly worked out better than anticipated. He recorded just 11 catches in 11 games for the team during the regular season, and it was obvious his body felt it every time he was taken to the ground.
The former No. 6 overall pick has enjoyed one hell of a career. But if it continues, it shouldn't be as an Eagle, who need to get serious about their WR3 role.
5. Jason Kelce / 6. Brandon Graham
A heartbreaking Super Bowl loss last season, coupled with a demoralizing unravelling this season, could be the impetus for the changing of the guard in some areas of this roster.
As a result, old-timers Jason Kelce and Brandon Graham may decide they're finally ready to hang 'em up this offseason.
Graham has more than lived up to the hype after being a first-round pick by Philadelphia in 2010. He's gone on to be one of the lynchpins of this defense, appearing in a franchise-record 195 games for the Eagles since entering the league and helping the organization win a ring during the 2017 campaign.
There's nothing else left for the vet to accomplish. After recording only 3.0 sacks and playing in just 34% of the defensive snaps during this past season, the writing could be on the wall.
Much of the same can be said for Kelce. The 36-year-old has played at an elite level for such a long time while being one of the offense's leaders.
Kelce clearly has plenty going for him off the field, with a recent documentary released about him and his growing family. Speaking of family, he hosts a very successful podcast with brother Travis, which surely takes a lot less of a toll on the dad of three's body while providing another career path.
No one wants to see Kelce call it quits, but he already considered it after losing to Travis in the Super Bowl. The way this season turned out, he has even less motivation to want to run it back.
7. Avonte Maddox
Assuming some kind of changes are made to the Eagles' defensive coaching staff, that puts players who disappointed on the chopping block. After all, there'll be a mandate that what transpired this season can't happen again.
One contributor who may get the hook, then, is Avonte Maddox.
Maddox entered this year as key returning piece to help this defense's transition under Desai. However, a Week 2 pec injury instead landed the playmaking cornerback on the injured reserve list, leading to just four appearances overall in 2023.
Availability has been a major issue for Maddox lately. He also landed on IR last season due to a hamstring injury, then a toe injury down the stretch affected him in the playoffs.
Maddox has now played 10 or fewer games in three of his six NFL seasons, which sends the message that Philadelphia simply can't rely on him for a big role. Attempting to sell another franchise on his potential when not injured may be the best course of action at this point.
8. Shaq Leonard
Shaquill Leonard, on the other hand, is more in the Julio Jones camp. He was added by the Eagles as an accomplished veteran who might have a drop left in the tank.
As was also the case with Leonard, it's clear he's well past his prime. Injuries have sapped Leonard's All-Pro talent, and the player he is today looks washed trying to contain the new-age talent that's dominating the league.
Rather than make an impact and turn around a struggling defense, Leonard was a key part of the struggles, and after his snap share peaked at 86% in Week 16 (his third game in Philly), it dropped off every week, culimating in not playing a single snap in the playoffs.
There's a reason he wasn't used in the team's Wild Card loss. That's the kind of person this team can't afford to have taking up a precious roster spot.
Of course, the Eagles themselves may not even need to make that decision, as Leonard could very well be retiring this offseason after such a poor end to the season.
9. Rashaad Penny / 10. Albert Okwuegbunam
Unluckily, several of the Eagles' new additions this season -- like the aformentioned Jones and Leonard -- didn't really work out. You can count Rashaad Penny and Albert Okwuegbunam among that group.
Penny was an exciting signing who could've helped fill the void left behind by Miles Sanders. His home run ability seemed like a perfect fit for an offense that loved to run teams to death in 2022.
However, Philly got away from its ground game this past season, leaving less opportunities. As a result, Penny was often made an inactive while fellow newcomer D'Andre Swift earned the staff's trust early on.
Okwuegbunam often joined Penny on the list of players made inactive on game days. The once-hyped young tight end talent was an intriguing flyer, though him taking up a 53-man roster space turned out to be a massive waste, as he failed to record a catch in four appearances.
Neither player seems to have many fans on this staff, so they'd be wise to take their talents elsewhere.