5 concerns that could prevent the Philadelphia Eagles from flying high this NFL season

The Philadelphia Eagles remain one of the top teams in the NFC East, but they enter training camp with some legitimate worries to address. We’ll rank the top five concerns they will need to overcome in order to avoid the lackluster finish they suffered in 2023. All statistics are sourced from Football Reference.

Six-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Fletcher Cox decided to retire from the NFL in March, after 12 seasons with the Eagles. He gave some background for this decision when speaking to the Rich Eisen Show. “During the season, we all know it’s a long season, right, you’re physically beat up. Sometimes, I found myself asking, ‘why’?”

This puts the onus on former first round pick Jalen Carter to continue his ascent. He had a tremendous rookie campaign, but without the veteran lined up next to him, he won’t be able to work with a safety net. Fellow former first rounder Jordan Davis will also need to pull his weight in 2024.

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Things unraveled in a disastrous way for the Eagles down the stretch, especially when it came to the organization’s defensive leadership. Nick Sirianni announced that the team stripped defensive coordinator Sean Desai of play-calling duties, and instead transferred responsibility over to Matt Patricia. That change did not spark a struggling defense.

Additionally, the offense seemed to lose its way during the most important time of the season. Philadelphia hired Kellen Moore to run that side of the ball, and Vic Fangio to run the defense. The Eagles hope that both hires will take pressure off Sirianni, who didn’t seem to have many answers after Jonathan Gannon and Shane Steichen left to become head coaches in 2023.

Not only will Philadelphia have to deal with the loss of Fletcher Cox; their offensive line might undergo a bit of a transition as well after the retirement of Jason Kelce. The six-time All-Pro spent his entire 13-year career with the Eagles, and was viewed as one of the smartest players in the NFL.

According to The News Journal’s website, Kelce was fully behind Cam Jurgens as a young player who could step into a big role in the middle of the offensive line. Jurgens told the NFL’s website back in April that he wasn’t trying to actively replace Kelce, but that he would try to be himself. The Eagles are hoping that will be good enough to initiate their offense in 2024.

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Many players and fans were frustrated with the way last season ended after such a promising start. Chief amongst them was wide receiver A.J. Brown, who also suffered an untimely knee injury before their Wild Card loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Brown’s discontent seemed to rise above just being unavailable for an important game.

YardBarker and others pointed out that Brown unfollowed the Eagles on social media a couple of days before the playoff game. It’s a concerning move for someone who was supposed to be one of the team’s leaders. Training camp will wipe the slate clean, but Brown should be closely monitored for signs of unhappiness.

The Eagles weren’t humming on all cylinders last season, and found themselves near the bottom of a category they wouldn’t like to be associated with. Just over 15 percent of their offensive drives in 2024 ended with a turnover, which was the third highest clip in the league. They’ll have to be much more careful with the football this season to get to where they want to go.

Ultimately, the Eagles are probably more talented than nearly every team in the NFL. With that said, if they give their opponents multiple chances to beat them, or find ways to beat themselves, they could find themselves going home a little earlier than they expected for a second straight season.

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