There are seemingly stars at every position that is played on a football field. This Philadelphia Eagles roster is made of the stuff we dream about. Let's just avoid any temptation to utter anything that sounds like a 'dream team'. The words bring back bad memories. Let's be honest though. It's hard not to get excited, right?
What's the point of loving this game if we can't be pumped? Heck, we're talking about a game. It's a game we love. It's a game most of us played (even if our tenures ended before we would have liked) We love this game, and yes, we love our Birds.
This team has an opportunity to be special. The roster is stacked. It's so stacked, we sometimes forget to mention budding stars like Jalen Carter. You remember him, right?
Half of May is gone. We should be discussing things like OTAs. Sue us. We can no longer avoid the temptation to look ahead.
Here are five bold predictions for the Eagles season (and a bonus).
Raise your hand if, moments after the 2024 Eagles schedule release, you immediately threw on the prognosticator cap in an attempt to make guesses about what the overall record might be. We sure as heck did. We didn't stop there though.
When we fell asleep at night, we dreamed of how this season might play out. When we woke from our slumber, our daydreams produced a similar outcome.
Forget it! We're going for it. Bold predictions... We all have our ideas of how this story will be written. Here are a few chapters for the novel.
The Eagles FINALLY beat the Cowboys in Arlington.
Those of you who hang out on Inside The Iggles, have heard us mention this once or twice. Philly hasn't beaten the Cowboys in Arlington since 2017. This time, they walk into AT&T Stadiu, and get the job done.
In many of those losses, Kellen Moore had a lot to do with the outcome. Now, he's on our side. Then, there's that Saquon Barkley fellow. Our theory is he helps the Eagles play ball control and helps salt this one away late.
Jalen Carter finishes in the top five of Defensive MVP voting.
Jalen Carter was probably going to win the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year trophy had he not hit the proverbial 'rookie wall'. He'll be more ready for the grind this time around.
Last year, he rocked out by forcing fumbles, by blocking kicks on special teams, and he almost intercepted an intentional spike, Then, he returned a Fletcher Cox forced fumble for a TD (in Arlington of all places).
Expect more highlight-reel moments in 2024. Yeah, we aren't talking about Carter as much as we were at this same juncture of the 2023 offseason, but that will change once the season starts.
Jalen Hurts dominates with an MVP-level campaign but finishes second in MVP voting.
Jalen Hurts almost won the MVP trophy in 2022. He was the odds-on favorite to win it after beating the Buffalo Bills during Week 12's overtime game last season. Ladies and gentlemen, that guy is still in there somewhere.
Saquon Barkley's presence will help take even more pressure off of him. Kellen Moore will utilize his strengths without getting him killed.
Someone play that L.L. Cool J. record. "Don't call it a comeback... He's been here for years.. He's rocking his peers, putting suckers in fear". Jalen is going to be fine. You just wait and see.
The Eagles' defense finishes with the third or fourth-highest sack total in franchise history.
The 2022 Eagles set a franchise record by posting 70 sacks, the second highest total by any NFL team in league history. Prior to that, the franchise record was 62, a record that had stood since the 1989 Eagles went crazy.
This year's Birds have a chance to be remembered as one of the best teams we have seen. Defense will play a part of that. The 2022 team set a new benchmark while running a variation of Vic Fangio's scheme. Guess what? Vic Fangio is the new defensive coordinator.
We don't expect the Birds to rack 70 QB takedowns, but the will land somewhere in the area of the 62 posted by the 89 squad or the 60 that were produced by a good team in 1984.
The Birds will introduce opposing QBs to the turf very often. We do not doubt it. Enjoy the fireworks show.
C.J. Gardner-Johnson finishes with the league's second-highest interception total.
The last time we saw C.J. Gardner-Johnson, he was a part of that defense that registered 70 sacks. That Fangio-influenced scheme played to his strengths very well.
Fangio's presence will benefit him. In 2022, he tied for the league lead in interceptions despite missing five games. We don't know that he'll play the entire slate of games this season either, but we do expect him to pick off several passes and, at minimum, finish second in that category.
Bonus: Eight Eagles land on the Pro Bowl roster.
A roster as talented as this one, won't struggle to find attention. At least eight of Philly's stars will find their way onto the Pro Bowl roster. This might sound greedy, but something tells us we''ll still be complaining about snubs.
