Following intense OTA sessions, the Philadelphia Eagles concluded their offseason program with no mandatory minicamp for the third straight summer.
Now, the defending NFC champions have a four-week summer break before returning to the NovaCare Complex for training camp in late July.
There was no shortage of storylines during the offseason program, including adding three more Georgia Bulldogs to an already stacked roster.
When looking at everything that transpired during the offseason program — between rookie minicamp, organized team activities, and mandatory minicamp – there are plenty of storylines to monitor and questions to answer heading into training camp.
With the season fast approaching, we’re asking 23 Eagles-related questions for 2023.
1
Can Jalen Hurts win MVP?
After two years of uncertainty, Jalen Hurts is the man in Philadelphia and the NFC after leading the franchise to its second Super Bowl appearance in the past five years.
Hurts significantly improved in 2022, leading the Eagles (14-3) to the Super Bowl while amassing Pro Bowl, All-Pro, and MVP nominations.
The former Alabama and Oklahoma star led Philadelphia to a 14-1 regular season record (.933 winning percentage) as a starter, completing 306-of-460 (66.5%) attempts for 3,701 yards (8.0 avg.), 22 TDs, 6 INTs, and 101.6 passer rating, while also rushing for 760 yards and 13 TDs. In total, Hurts combined for 4,461 yards and 35 TDs.
Now with all the doubts behind him, can the Hurts bring home the MVP trophy in 2023?
2
How will the running back battle shake out?
The Eagles signed power back Rashaad Penny at the start of free agency in March, re-signed Boston Scott, then initiated a trade with Detroit for D’Andre Swift on draft night.
Philadelphia is loaded at running back with five capable athletes, but the offensive approach relies on a committee of ball carriers.
Outside of Swift being the third down running back and Penny being the guy to finish teams off, we’re looking at how the running back battle will play out.
3
Can A.J. Brown top his 2022?
Brown had one of the greatest single seasons in Eagles’ franchise history, logging 88 catches for 1,496 yards and scoring 11 touchdowns in 17 games in 2022.
Philadelphia added Olamide Zaccheaus and Dallas Goedert is fully healthy after missing five games.
Can Brown top his 2022 performance?
4
What under the radar wide receiver will emerge
Tyrie Cleveland, Joseph Ngata and Jadon Haselwood offer size, intrigue and an opportunity to lock down the fourth or fifth wide receiver spot in 2023.
5
Can Dallas Goedert attain All-Pro status?
Goedert was on his way to an All-Pro caliber season before hurting in a Week 10 loss to the Commanders.
The emerging tight end still caught 55 passes for 702 yards and three touchdowns in just 12 games in the regular season. His performance in the Super Bowl — 6 catches for 60 yards proves he is capable on the biggest stage. Goedert signed a four-year extension during the 2021 season to keep him in Philadelphia through 2025 and 2023 is about earning his first Pro Bowl nod and even more accolades.
6
Is Jordan Mailata ready to become a Pro Bowler?
Mailata’s rise has been outstanding and the only thing missing is a Pro Bowl, and All-Pro honors.
Mailata has gone from having never played college football to becoming one of the best tackles in the NFL.
Drafted in the seventh round of the 2018 NFL Draft, Mailata didn’t play a snap in his first two seasons in the league but has produced PFF grades of 81.0 or better in each of the past two years, forming the best tackle duo in the league with Lane Johnson.
7
Is Landon Dickerson a top five guard?
Dickerson has only been in the league two years, yet he already is one of the best guards in the NFL. Selected to a Pro Bowl in 2022, Dickerson allowed just one sack and 17 pressures at left guard. He allowed just four quarterback hits and 2.9% pressure rate.
Can Dickerson attain All-Pro and top five status in 2023?
8
Is this Kelce's final season?
Kelce returned for his 13th NFL season, putting off a budding media career for a chance to win another Super Bowl.
Kelce hasn’t given up a sack since Week 6 of 2021 and allowed just 12 hurries and no hits in 2022.
He’s the best center in the NFL and 2023 looks to be the right time for retirement.
9
Can Cam Jurgens reverse the sterotype on guards?
The likely successor to Jalen Kelce at the center position, Cam Jurgens, will spend 2023 adjusting to the right guard position after Isaac Seumalo departed via free agency.
Asked about comparisons to teammate Landon Dickerson and other bigger offensive guards, Jurgens talked about paving his way.
“I’m not quite the 350-pound Landon,” Jurgens said, “so I handle things differently.”
Jurgens admitted that he weighed 305 pounds but was looking to bulk up some more ahead of training camp.
Jurgens will be one of the more undersized guards in the league but he talked about carving out his path at the position.
10
Is Lane Johnson human?
Johnson hasn’t given up a sack since Week 11 of the 2020 campaign and has given up just 20 since his rookie season back in 2013. Johnson hasn’t given up a quarterback hit since Week 7 of 2021 and he’s the best right tackle alive.
We just are wondering if he’s a complete human?
11
Can Derek Barnett finally breakout?
Philadelphia is waiting for Barnett to fulfill the promise he showed as a rookie when the 2017 first-round draft pick logged five sacks and 16 quarterback hits.
The veteran defensive end will look to carve out a role in the Eagles’ rotation after missing 2022 with an ACL injury.
Since he was drafted in the first round of the 2017 draft, he has 21.5 sacks, 76 quarterback hits, 36 tackles for loss, and 147 total tackles. Barnett is on the second of a two-year contract extension he signed last offseason and will pair with Brandon Graham as the primary pass rushers on the second unit behind Josh Sweat and Haason Reddick.
12
Can Brandon Graham be even better in 2023?
In 2022, Graham set a career-high with 11.0 sacks while producing 35 total tackles, 16 QB hits, 11 TFLs, 2 FFs, and 1 PD.
Graham combined with Haason Reddick (16.0), Javon Hargrave (11.0), and Josh Sweat (11.0) to make Philadelphia the only NFL team since 1982 to have four different players record 10.0+ sacks in the same season.
Graham is back on a one-year deal, turning down more money to stay with the Eagles.
Drafted out of Michigan, Graham has appeared in 178 career regular-season contests, the most ever by an Eagles defensive lineman.
Graham ranks 4th on the team’s all-time list, behind Brian Dawkins (183, 1996-2008) among the franchise’s all-time defensive players.
Graham has recorded the 4th-most sacks (70.0) in Eagles history, trailing only Reggie White (124.0, 1985-92), Trent Cole (85.5, 2005-14), and Clyde Simmons (76.0, 1986-93).
Graham has led the team with 41.0 sacks since 2017.
13
Can Jordan Davis breakout?
Philadelphia moved up to secure Davis after the former Georgia All-American defensive tackle recorded a 4.78 time in the 40-yard dash during the 2022 NFL Combine, weighing over 330 pounds.
He now needs to deliver after missing several games with an ankle injury in 2022.
Davis was so impactful that he was named the 2022 PFWA All-Rookie Team after producing 18 total tackles, four quarterback pressures, one tackle for loss, and one pass defended.
With Javon Hargrave departing, Davis will assume significant pressure and expectations in 2023.
14
Can Janarius Robinson be a rotational piece?
Robinson spent most of last season on the Eagles practice squad or injured reserve with an ankle injury. The 2021 fourth-round pick was claimed by Philadelphia in 2022 after being waived by the Vikings.
Robinson, a former Florida State edge rusher built like Josh Sweat, must show his pass-rush prowess this summer if he wants to crack the rotation.
15
Will Fletcher Cox be a starter in 2023?
Cox returned to the Eagles on a one-year deal after logging seven sacks in 2022.
The four-time All-Pro Totaled 43 tackles, 14 QB hits, 7.0 sacks, seven tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. His 7.0 sacks were the most since the 2018 season (career-high 10.5).
Cox had four tackles, 1.0 sacks, 1 TFL, and one quarterback hit in the divisional round win over the Giants, and he’ll look to lead a revamped defensive line.
With Philadelphia looking to get the most out of Cox in the rotation, will he assume the role of backup to Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis?
16
Can Nolan Smith become the ultimate hybrid?
Smith is powerful against the run, can rush the passer and is athletic enough to flourish in space as a defender.
Smith could be the wildcard in the entire scenario and could establish himself as a Fred Warner style defender in Desai’s scheme.
Philadelphia’s defensive coordinator can employ Smith as a complement to Haason Reddick in Dime, Nickel and obvious passing down situations.
Smith can rush the passer, drop back into coverage, and crash the edge in a 7 or 9 technique.
17
Can Haason Reddick tap into another level?
Reddick has logged 10+ sacks in three consecutive seasons, and with three different teams, the first player in league history to achieve such a feat.
Still, Philadelphia’s All-Pro linebacker wants to expand his game even more in 2023 after having the best season of his career while earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.
“I’m in great shape,” he said. “As crazy as it sounds, I feel as if there’s still more levels for me to tap into. I’m extremely excited and looking to build on another great year. I want to continue to progress on what I did and what the team did last year.
Reddick’s 16 sacks were tied for second most in the NFL.
The talented pass rusher could struggle to duplicate his 2022 numbers after Philadelphia GM Howie Roseman added former Georgia defenders Jalen Carter (9th) and Nolan Smith (30th) in the NFL draft.
18
Can Nakobe Dean recreate the magic from Georgia?
During his time in Chicago, Vic Fangio was tied for the fewest blitzes called in the NFL, while the Bears had the sixth-fewest blitzes in 2021 during Sean Desai’s one year as defensive coordinator.
For Desai overall that year, Chicago ranked third in passing defense (191.6 yards per game). Philadelphia won’t blitz a lot, but Desai can put second-year linebacker Nakobe Dean in a position to make plays in space while flowing downhill to disrupt the oppositions rushing attack.
Playing behind Fletcher Cox, Jalen Carter, Jordan Davis, Kentavius Street, Milton Williams, and Moro Ojomo, Dean should have plenty of space to hide.
19
Will Slay and Bradberry be dominant again?
The Philadelphia Eagles had a top-five defense in 2022, and their talented cornerback duo played a significant role in the season-long success.
They are both top-ten cornerbacks, as last season Slay allowed 54.7% of passes thrown into his coverage to be caught during the regular season and let up fewer than 25 yards in each of his three playoff games.
Including the playoffs, Bradberry allowed a catch on 46.9% of passes thrown his way.
20
Will Sean Desai implement the STAR position?
It’s a role used at Baylor when Jalen Pitre flourished, along with Derwin James and Jalen Ramsey during his tenure with the Rams.
In the 4-2-5, the ‘Star’ is a hybrid safety type that could play outside linebacker in most 4-3 schemes.
If 80 percent of the NFL plays the 11 personnel with a slot receiver, you must have the talented defensive personnel to combat such a quarry.
For Philadelphia, that role should automatically go to third-round draft pick Sydney Brown. The Swiss Army Knife can play in the box, slot, and deep safety position.
Employing Brown or Reed Blankenship as the ‘STAR’ alongside Nakobe Dean or Nicholas Morrow could allow Philadelphia to add athleticism and versatility to the defense.
21
Is Terrell Edmunds an upgrade over C.J. Gardner-Johnson?
2022 stats: 15 games, 70 tackles, five passes defended, two sacks, three tackles for loss
After appearing in 79 of 82 possible regular-season games with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Edmunds projects as a Day 1 starter opposite second-year safety Reed Blankenship. Edmunds’s 69.1 PFF grade ranked ahead of C.J. Gardner-Johnson’s 63.9 grade and he finished ahead of Gardner-Johnson both in coverage grade and run grade, per PFF.
Edmunds could become a key locker-room figure on the defensive side of the football, and a more efficient option at safety.
22
Can Greedy Williams regain his LSU form?
Following in the footsteps of many current NFL greats, Williams was a star cornerback at LSU and Cleveland’s second-round draft pick in 2019.
Williams led the Southeastern Conference with six interceptions as a redshirt freshman in 2017. He had eight in his sophomore season and was a first-team All-American and Thorpe Award (presented to the nation’s top defensive back) finalist in his second season with the Tigers.
Williams spent the first four seasons of his career in Cleveland, but he’s been injury prone and missed the entire 2020 season with a shoulder injury.
This past season, Williams saw action in 11 games, making 11 tackles.
The former LSU All-American will be in the mix for reps at the 3rd outside cornerback spot along with Zech McPhearson and Josh Jobe. Williams brings experience and length (6-foot-2) to the Eagles.
23
Can Arryn Siposs hold off Ty Zentmer?
Siposs will compete for the first time in two years after the Eagles signed Ty Zentner following the 2023 NFL Draft.
“I think Arryn is going to handle it as the professional that he is,” said Eagles special team coordinator Michael Clay said.
Siposs put 17 of his 55 punts inside the 20 this past season (30.9 percent) and 16 of 44 (36.4 percent) in 2021.
If not for a disastrous Super Bowl performance, he might be in a position to relax.
