Eagles named one of NFL's 'most complete teams'

By losing six of its last seven games, Philadelphia fell apart in 2023, but at least one NFL expert believes the Eagles are built for success in 2024.

NFL.com’s Eric Edholm recently ranked the NFL's 10 most complete teams for the upcoming season. He ranked San Francisco at the top, the Jets 10th and the Eagles right between them as the fifth-most complete team.

But is Philadelphia that good? Technically, it is still one season removed from representing the NFC in Super Bowl LVII, although last year’s team seemed to have holes all over the roster.

Only Washington (30.5) and Arizona (26.8) allowed more points per game than the Eagles in 2023. Here’s what Edholm thinks of the defense:

"The pass-rush combo of Josh Sweat and Bryce Huff looks like a good one. Devin White is a wild card at linebacker, but the secondary looks far more stabilized with the return of C.J. Gardner-Johnson and the drafting of CB Quinyon Mitchell and DB Cooper DeJean."

With starting cornerbacks James Bradberry and Darius Slay both over 30 years old, the secondary certainly got younger with Mitchell and DeJean. Gardner-Johnson missed all but three regular-season games for the Lions last year and five with the Eagles in 2022.

Edholm also refers to defensive tackles Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis as a “wicked duo” even though Davis’ weight issues have held him back since joining the team in 2022.

Offensively, Philadelphia was outscored 182-123 in its last six regular-season games. In the playoffs, it managed just three first downs and rushed for 42 yards in a 32-9 loss to Tampa Bay. Still, Edholm remains optimistic:

"The offense looks like an elite unit, especially after the addition of Saquon Barkley. Jalen Hurts took a step backward last season, but he has star traits and two top-tier receivers - A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith - as well as a quality tight end in Dallas Goedert."

All are quality players, no doubt. But Barkley and Goedert have missed significant time in their careers. Barkley has missed 25 of a possible 99 regular-season games and Goedert hasn’t played a full season since his rookie year (2018).

To be fair, all NFL teams have shortcomings and Edholm isn’t alone in his praise of Philadelphia. The Eagles also rank fifth in ESPN’s latest power rankings. Sports Illustrated’s John Pluym puts them sixth and Fox Sports’ David Helman has them right behind the Chiefs at No. 2.

Of course, after $160M in free-agent spending in the offseason, Philadelphia should have one of the better rosters in football. Eagles fans just have to hope their complete team doesn’t fall completely apart like it did in 2023.