There is some unfinished business for the Philadelphia Eagles. They had a stellar 2022 season and dominated throughout the NFC. They used their spot as the No. 1 seed in the conference to roll through the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers in the playoffs and held their own in the Super Bowl until they were beaten in the championship game's final quarter by Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Why were the Eagles (14-3 in regular season) so good last year? There were a number of reasons that start with the sensational play of quarterback Jalen Hurts and continued with the excellent talent level and depth on both sides of the ball.
A look at the Eagles in the early part of training camp reveals a team that may be in a position to dominate opponents for a second year in a row. Teams that fall short in the Super Bowl usually don't bounce back with another championship-caliber season the next year, but there is a high level of talent that cannot be denied.
Hurts keys Eagles' chances
The most important player on the team is Hurts, and he rocketed up the charts in 2022 with a sensational performance. He completed 306 of 466 passes for 3,701 yards with an impressive 22-6 TD-interception ratio.
Hurts also demonstrated he was a top running quarterback as he ran for 760 yards and an eye-catching 13 touchdowns. Many of those touchdowns were short goal-line runs in which he received an assist with a push from behind by his teammates. That play was debated in the offseason by the NFL's competition committee, and it was ruled legal. So look for more of that in 2023.
That does not mean head coach Nick Sirianni has nothing to worry about. There are several factors that he must concern himself with, including injuries and depth players.
In this piece we look at a couple of players who do not appear to be at their best through the start of training camp.
Eagles backup quarterback Marcus Mariota
When the Tennessee Titans drafted Mariota out of Oregon in 2015 as the No. 2 pick overall, he appeared to be a can't-miss prospect at the position. In addition to his sensational athletic skills, scouts felt Mariota was one of the smartest draftees, and that should have been something that made his transition to professional football relatively simple.
That was the theory, but Mariota's career has not followed that kind of path. He has played for the Titans, Las Vegas Raiders and Atlanta Falcons, and the Eagles are his fourth team. Prior to this year, Mariota was either the starter or a contender for the starting position. In Philadelphia, he is clearly the No. 2 signal caller behind the surging Hurts.
It should be a comfortable position for Mariota with the pressure off, but Mariota is not off to a great start. He has missed open receivers in practice, and one of his throws looked like it was intended for a teammate who was standing out of bounds.
That's not how to impress his new coaches and teammates. It's early, so Mariota will have a chance to turn things around, but the onus is on him to increase his level of performance. If he does not, the Eagles could look elsewhere to find a competent backup quarterback who is capable of keeping the team at or near the top.
Eagles rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter
Many draft observers expect Carter to be the best of the non-quarterbacks drafted earlier this year. The former Georgia superstar has quite a bit of work to do.
Carter, 6-foot-4 and 314 pounds, is expected to dominate with his strength and quickness. That was his calling card as a star performer for national champion Georgia, and he likely would have been a higher selection than No. 9 had he not been involved in a fatal car accident shortly after the Bulldogs' national championship.
Carter undoubtedly has star potential, but reports were mixed about his start in training camp. Backup guard pushed Carter backwards in one particular drill, and that did not seem to be a likely outcome.
On another play, backup offensive lineman Brett Toth handled Carter by himself. Carter spent the 2022 season recovering from a knee injury after maintaining a position in the Philadelphia lineup as a backup in a combined 17 games in 2020 and '21.
Additional reports indicated that Carter has bounced back with some better performances. But it's consistency that allows a highly touted young player to become a dominant professional.
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