Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #5
by adelfish | 4 years ago | 0 Comments
Season 62 Power Ranking Preview - #5
Welcome to the 2020 Red Zone Power Ranking Preview. In this long-running preview, I will be going team at a time, ranking them 32-1, discussing the user, the team, the schedule, etc.
COVERED TEAMS: Lions, Jaguars, Bengals, Patriots, Bears, Vikings, Dolphins, Seahawks, Rams, Giants, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Panthers, Raiders, Browns, Texans, Jets, Cardinals, Falcons, Bills, Washington Football Team, Chargers, Chiefs, Colts, Broncos, 49ers
Welcome to the top five, and what a journey it has been. This is the final team I predict to lose in the divisional round, then we are on to the teams that I predict to be in the Conference Championship games. Thank you to all of you who have read all of these so far, or even just your own!
#5 - Philadelphia Eagles (Adel)
(13-3 Projected Record)
3rd Seed, Loss in Divisional Round
Finally, I get to talk about myself.
I am two scrimmages in with the Eagles, and their talent speaks for itself. This roster is loaded, and is ready for a championship. They are talented at nearly every level of offense and defense, but there is one big looming isuse.
How will they afford to keep this championship caliber team together? Simple answer, they cannot. There are too many big contracts on roster to function past this current season, so big changes will be coming. But how do they fare this season? Let's take a look at the now then the future...
One Big Question
Coach Adel makes an unlikely choice as he heads to Philadelphia. The Eagles had a completely forgettable cycle last year, can Adel bring Wentz and the Egales back to the playoffs in what should be an ultra-competitive division?
I already discussed how despite the lack of talent in Washington, that Weedseed should be competitive in no time. I already discussed how Beech won a Super Bowl last year, but showed little outside of that. I also discussed how White Greg showed he is talented as an on-field coach, but struggled in the front office.
This division is going to be good, in a couple years. I've already spoken on podcasts about how I feel things will go. You all know how modest I typically am, but regardless of the cap issues coming, this Eagles team will win the NFC East at least for the first few years. The Eagles have too much young talent, too many blue chippers at key spots, while their division mates have a lot of catching up to do.
The real threat is Dallas right now, but it is up to White Greg on how he commits himself to the job. Dallas is loaded with talent, and their youth rivals Philly, but can he step up and become a consistent threat on the field? Washington is projected to finish with 11 wins, but the additions of Ernest and Kad to the NFC have me feeling shaky about that projection.
The long-winded way to get here, is the Eagles will be back in the playoffs after they barely survived the Beat regime. The big question is how long will it be until Dallas or Washington challenges them, heck even the Giants? Beech has been there, done that, he no longer flies under the radar.
One Big Schedule Issue
The Eagles will face the AFC North and NFC West this season, meaning they face the Ravens, Cardinals, Rams, Seahawks, and 49ers. Five very difficult games, especially with the additions of Kad to Seattle, and Ernest to San Francisco. Throw in a Week 13 matchup with Green Bay, and thats a heck of a schedule.
The Eagles are projected to go 5-1 in the NFC East, splitting with Washington (they play Weeks 1 and 17), but sweeping the Cowboys and Giants. The opening four games are interesting, facing off against Washington, the Rams, Cincinnati, and the 49ers. They get to face two very young rebuilding teams, then two NFC powerhouses.
I do have Philly losing to Washington, San Francisco, and Green Bay. In my opinion, the 49ers, Packers, Eagles, Buccaneers are the four NFC teams that could represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, so seeing the Eagles face two of them in the regular season will be interesting.
Ultimately those losses will cost the Eagles the 1st round bye, and a loss in the divisional round.
Reasons for Optimism
Carson Wentz is three years removed from the magical season that would have likely ended in MVP, but a torn ACL derailed it. Since, he has been good, not great. He took the Eagles to the playoffs last season, only to get injured again. Can he stay on the field? He is a talented player, but his availability has become a question, and the decision regarding him and his contract is a big one.
The weapons around him are fantastic, running back Miles Sanders enjoyed a great rookie season, while wideouts Alshon Jeffrey, DeSean Jackson, and Marquise Goodwin form a very talented trio. Don't forget about 1st round pick Jalen Reagor, who is the future of this receiver room, and tight end Zach Ertz, who is one of the best at the position.
The offensive line is one of the top units in football, starting with center Jason Kelce, the best in the league right now. Joining him is Lane Johnson at right tackle, Brandon Brooks at right guard, and Jason Peters returned to play left guard. This is a good as it gets for a protection unit for Wentz.
Defensively they are just as deep, starting on the defensive line. The pass rush is a rotational group, featuring Fletcher Cox at defensive tackle, and newly signed Javon Hargrave next to him. The edge has a group of Derek Barnett, Brandon Graham, and others. Even Malik Jackson can be swapped in at defensive tackle. It's a really scary group of rushers.
The trade for Darius Slay and signing of Nickell Robey-Coleman was huge for this secondary, as this was the weakest link of the Eagles defense last year. These two should help the younger corners grow in this secondary.
Reasons for Negativity
Offensively there isn't much I dislike, but Andre Dillard at left tackle is a major concern, a player who has yet to play much for Philly, and struggled when he did. His development is huge for the future of this offensive line, especially with the other pieces aging.
Defensively, the linebacker group is one of the worst, if not the worst, in the league. It is full of late round rookies and castoffs. Guys like Nate Gerry, Duke Riley, and T.J. Edwards will be competing for snaps, so it's safe to say linebacker will be one of the biggest positions addressed in the first offseason.
The safeties aren't great, so much so that the Eagles asked Jalen Mills to move from corner to safety, to play alongside Rodney McLeod. The secondary still needs plenty of work despite the moves for Slay and Robey-Coleman.
So let's take a look at the big issue - the cap. The Eagles cap is scheduled to take a jump of $70 million from Season 62 to 63, meaning that the Eagles will be negative by almost $100 million. Now the way the cap was structured in our universe is more forgiving than the NFL CBA, so the Eagles will not have to sell like we originally thought.
But some big changes could be coming. All three wide receivers (Jeffrey, Jackson, Goodwin) could be gone, along with Malik Jackson, Derek Barnett, and even one of the offensive linemen. There are simply too many big contracts on the books.
Guys like Jalen Mills, Vinny Curry, Robey-Coleman, Sidney Jones, and others need to be re-signed, and more are coming in Season 63 offseason. There is a ton of money tied up in this roster, and relief is not coming unless it involves cutting bait.
If done wrong, this 3 years could be potentially disastrous.
Last Word
The Eagles are built to win right now, and for the forseeable future. With the lack of restructures inside Red Zone's universe, we cannot push the contracts down the road and create cap space, we can simply decide to cut, trade, or keep.
The Eagles will go through a face-lift this coming offseason, but that shouldn't deter them from the task at hand. They are one of four teams with a legit shot to make it to the Super Bowl in this conference, with stability at almost every position.
There are even more unanswered questions, including what do the Eagles do with Jalen Hurts? The future of this team is foggy, but the present is clear - that this is a championship or bust type of season. Will they meet expectations?