Some Questions with Eagles' Regular Season on the Horizon
You can see the regular season shimmering in the distance now, and that means Eagles-Falcons, Week 1.
Here are 5 questions as we get closer:
Will Jalen Hurts be “the guy”?
We saw 10 preseason snaps.
We also saw four starts and a handful of snaps in the first 11 games in what was a disastrous 2020 season.
Hurts threw for six touchdowns and ran for three. Encouraging.
He ran for 354 yards and averaged 5.6 yards per carry. Real encouraging.
He was sacked 13 times with a completion percentage at 52. Not good, but excusable given an offensive line that was decimated by injury and had a different starter just about every week.
Tight end Zach Ertz said he saw a different QB this summer.
“When I was back here this summer throwing with him, even before training camp, I could tell right away he wasn’t the same player he was when we left in January,” said Ertz. “I think it’s a testament to the work ethic.”
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A lot of teammates and coaches talk about that work ethic, like offensive coordinator Shane Steichen did recently.
“Well, I've said this multiple times about him and I heard it when I got here but to see it day in and day out, his work ethic and how he prepares for practice, how he goes about his business, he doesn't take anything lightly,” said Steichen.
“That's been good to see, and I think when you have that mentality week in and week out, going in and preparing for games, it's going to give him success on Sunday.”
Answer: Yes.
Are DeVonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Quez Watkins ready for liftoff?
The three WR’s, who may ultimately need some kind of nickname, didn’t do much in preseason games, other than the lightning bolt Watkins provide on a 79-yard touchdown, but they looked good enough in camp to warrant consideration for potentially becoming a force for years to come with this team.
Especially with a WR coach as their head coach in Nick Sirianni.
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“I think they improved so much during training camp, and I think we put them in a lot of game-like atmospheres, practicing against the Patriots, practicing against the Jets, and seeing what they were capable of during practice,” said Steichen. “Excited, looking forward to seeing them play against Atlanta coming up here soon.”
Answer: Yes
Can the running back group be as dynamic as some think?
The Eagles somewhat surprisingly kept just three on the 53-man roster. That may be all they need.
Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, and rookie Kenny Gainwell can run and catch, but pass protection could be an issue.
Still, it’s a unit that will be used plenty in Sirianni’s offense.
“I'm excited about that group,” said Steichen. “With Miles and Boston and Kenny, Miles has played in this league, he's done a lot of really good things, so really like where he's at. Same with Boston, he's an experienced guy who's done a lot of good things.
“And then Kenny being a young guy, he's shown some really good things throughout training camp and in the preseason games. That group as a whole, very excited about those guys.”
Answer: Yes.
Kenny Gainwell
Ed Kracz/SI.com Eagle Maven
Will this defense be able to stop the run?
It certainly didn’t do it in the preseason, allowing all three opponents to gash them for more than 100 yards.
The flip side is that much of the experience up front did not play in the last two games and only played a half in the opener against the Steelers. When the starters played most of the first half in that game, Pittsburgh had 11 runs for 40 yards, but finished the game with 42 runs for 152 yards.
The Patriots shredded the defense for 207 yards on 44 runs while the Jets had 175 yards on the ground on 36 attempts.
Asked if there was a correlation between showing too much and personnel use to those numbers, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon wasn’t sure.
“I don't know if I'd say that because we've played some of our staples in preseason,” Gannon said.
“When a team knows you're only playing a couple calls, I think that gives them the upper hand. But every day we're trying to get one percent better and that involves playing blocks better, tackling better, inserting in the run game better. So excited to get moving forward and actually game plan and run our stuff versus Atlanta Week 1.”
Answer: Yes
Is there enough at cornerback to hold up?
If Darius Slay or Steve Nelson get dinged, that could spell trouble, and making it through 17 games will be a challenge for anyone, let alone a pair of corners who are 30 and 28, respectively.
Just how thin this unit was highlighted when, two days after final cuts, the Eagles claimed Andre Chachere off waivers. The Eagles are Chachere’s sixth team and his first roster spot.
That’s not good.
Answer: No.
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Eagle Maven and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglemaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
