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There were concerns about the Philadelphia Eagles early in the season. During the offseason, they had made coordinator changes on each side of the ball and it took time for the defense to come together. The Eagles were .500 through four games, but then won 12 of their last 13 during the regular season; the lone loss at the hands of its NFC Championship counterpart and with Kenny Pickett as the starting quarterback.
Now, Philadelphia is coming off its most impressive offensive showing where they put up 55 points against the Commanders. They have given up 25 points or more only three times this season and just once (Week 16 against Washington) since its Week 5 Bye.
General manager Howie Roseman has not only built a Super Bowl caliber roster, but he has maintained one. The franchise made an appearance two years ago.
43.4% of Philadelphia's roster was acquired either via trade or free agency. The rest is homegrown talent.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts and 80% of the starting offensive line were drafted by the organization. Some of those players, chiefly Landon Dickerson and Cam Jurgens, were drafted to eventually replace beloved figures Jason Kelce and Brandon Brooks. The remaining piece, Mekhi Becton, was drafted by the Jets in the first round to play left tackle, but transitioned to right guard.
The collection of skill talent put together by Roseman -- wide receiver Devonta Smith, tight end Dallas Goedert and Hurts -- has been supplemented through other means of talent acquisition. Wide receiver A.J. Brown was traded from the Titans to the Eagles on draft night nearly three years ago. Running back Saquon Barkley was signed as a free agent from the division rival Giants.
According to Spotrac, 39.88% of the salary cap is being utilized on the offense.
Look closely and a trend may be developing: first-round picks litter the roster. There are 13 total and eight on offense; it is the most represented use of draft resources on the roster:
- First round: 13
- Second round: 6
- Third round: 6
- Fourth round: 5
- Fifth round: 7
- Sixth round: 5
- Seventh round: 2
- Undrafted free agents: 9
Leadership has also funneled a lot of draft resources to the defensive line. There are three former first-round picks -- Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith -- along the front. Josh Sweat, Milton Williams and Moro Ojomo have given them great depth on Day 3 and into undrafted free agency.
The linebacker room was transformed in the course of a calendar year. They brought in Zack Baun, whose play was recognized with his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selecton, and Oren Burks.
The Eagles acquired cornerback Darius Slay via trade years ago and have financially compensated him since. They had also acquired safety CJ Gardner-Johnson, but then he left for the Lions and returned as a free agent this offseason. Top-50 overall selections were used on cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean to bolster the secondary. Both rookies have played at a high level this season.
30.52% of the salary cap has been used on the defense. The unaccounted for 26.84% is represented in the remaining salary cap space and dead salary cap space, namely pass rusher Haason Reddick.
Players 25-years-old or younger represent 50.9% of Philadelphia's active roster whereas there are just five players on the roster over the age of 30.
The outlook is bright in the City of Brotherly Love. Yes, they have already reached the pinnacle of the sport two times in a three year period, but there are encouraging signs of sustainability. Will the Eagles be able to slay the vaunted Chiefs later this week?
