Eagles training camp preview: Can Philly avoid Super Bowl hangover?

Ralph Vacchiano

NFC East Reporter

The Philadelphia Eagles entered the offseason on top of the world — or at least the NFC — and general manager Howie Roseman did his best to keep them there. He gave quarterback Jalen Hurts his well-earned mega-contract, he kept the core of his team together, added some young talent, and even managed to find a couple of low-cost running back steals.

But none of that addressed the one big thing that will likely tell the tale of the Eagles’ 2023 season. The entire organization gave everything it had last year to get to Super Bowl LVII and fell just short, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs 28-23. It was exhausting and draining, both physically and mentally.

Can the Eagles muster the drive and energy and passion to do it all again?

“We were close, and all that does is make me hungrier to get back,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said one week after the Super Bowl. “When you see the red and yellow confetti fall or you have a piece of it stuck on your shirt, you think to yourself, I have to do everything I can to help our guys get back to this moment.

“We talk about climbing the mountain … and then we slip right before we were able to put our flag at the top of the mountain. All that does is make you more determined, driven, to make that climb again, to get back to the top and hopefully stand at the top.”

At least that’s what Sirianni hopes — that there will be no Super Bowl hangover for a team with at least somewhat of an aging core. It’s up to him to revive that determination, starting with training camp this summer.

And that’s one of the five biggest storylines to watch as the defending NFC champs open camp:

1. Dealing with the dreaded (and real) Super Bowl hangover

Of course, they will say they can. Of course, Sirianni believes they can. But there are dozens of examples in NFL history of teams that fell victim to it. There’s a reason there hasn’t been a repeat Super Bowl champion in nearly 20 years (since the New England Patriots in 2003-04). There hasn’t even been a repeat champion in the NFC East since the Eagles’ run of four straight division titles from 2001-04.

And maybe worse for the Eagles, in the three decades since the Buffalo Bills lost four straight Super Bowls in the early 1990s, only one team — the 2018 Patriots — got back to the Super Bowl the year after they lost it.

History shows that the Eagles can’t rely on the same breaks and good health they generally enjoyed last season, but at least they have mostly the same talent on the roster. It remains to be seen if that’s all they need to do it all again.

2. The next step for quarterback Jalen Hurts: consistent greatness

Hurts had a phenomenal 2022 season, throwing for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns, while running for 760 yards and 13 touchdowns. He earned the MVP consideration he got and, of course, he led his team to the Super Bowl — and very nearly a Super Bowl title.

All of that convinced the Eagles to give him a five-year, $255 million contract with nearly $180 million in guaranteed money. It’s probably a wise investment in the 24-year-old star, but it also turned the microscope on the fact that he’s really had only one great season. For $51 million per year, he’s expected now to do it again and again and again.

Will Jalen Hurts live up to his five-year, $255M extension?

Hurts insisted he’s as motivated as ever to be great again because “the journey’s not over.” And he swore that while “money is nice, championships are better.”

There’s certainly no reason to think that last year was anything but the start of a great career for Hurts. But the pressure is on him now to make sure that the money and a taste of the biggest stage in sports doesn’t cause him to take a step back.

3. Who let the Dawgs out?

Roseman’s seeming obsession with collecting Georgia Bulldogs has made for a lot of fun stories and great quotes, especially after he drafted two more in the first round this year and then traded for a former Georgia running back, too. But this isn’t just some novelty story.

The Eagles need all their Dawgs to really help.

Where do the Eagles stand in NFL skill-position rankings?

There are six of them, and all of them figure to be key contributors this season. Defensive tackle Jordan Davis, last year’s first-rounder, is expected to fill the shoes of Javon Hargrave, who had 11 sacks last season and then signed with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent. Nakobe Dean, a third-round pick from 2022, is likely to be the starting middle linebacker. And this year’s first-round Dawgs — defensive tackle Jalen Carter and defensive end Nolan Smith — figure to have big roles in the defensive line and pass-rushing rotation, while fourth-round cornerback Kelee Ringo should be at least a small part of the corner rotation from the start.

The sixth player is running back D’Andre Swift, whom the Eagles got in a trade from Detroit. He’ll almost certainly be the starting running back and the leader of a rotation the Eagles hope will keep their rushing attack ranked in the top five once again.

4. Roseman’s low-budget running back experiment

Speaking of Swift and the running backs … Roseman earned high praise for the way he manipulated the deteriorating running back market this offseason. He let Miles Sanders, who had 1,269 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns for Philly last season, walk away and sign a four-year, $25.4 million contract (with $13 million guaranteed) with the Carolina Panthers. The GM ignored the outside pleas to trade up and draft Texas running back Bijan Robinson (or even Alabama running back Jahmyr Gibbs).

And even now, All-Pro Dalvin Cook is sitting out there for anyone to grab, as long as they’re willing to pay him. And there’s not even a hint that Roseman or the Eagles are interested.

Can the Eagles avoid a Super Bowl hangover in 2023?

Why? Because he got the 24-year-old Swift for a 2025 fourth-round pick and he signed 27-year-old Rashaad Penny, who broke his leg last October, to a one-year, $1.35 million deal. Both are injury risks. Neither has ever topped 750 rushing yards in a season.

But Roseman is convinced that those two, plus Kenneth Gainwell, Boston Scott and, of course, Hurts, are more than enough to power what he still thinks is the best rushing attack in the league behind the league’s best offensive line. And everyone will be watching all camp to see if he’s right.

5. Secondary concerns

There were few secondaries as strong as Philadelphia’s last season, but there are some changes to keep an eye on this summer. Corners Darius Slay and James Bradberry are back, but in a few days they’ll both be in their 30s. And a key cog of the secondary — safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who had a league-leading six interceptions in just 12 games last season — wasn’t resigned. Neither was Philly’s other starting safety, Marcus Epps.

Safety isn’t exactly a priority position for Roseman, though he did sign veterans Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans to help fill the gap. He also drafted safety Sydney Brown in the third round and Ringo in the fourth, who both have a chance to get into the rotation in nickel and dime defenses.

The strength of the secondary will be important for new defensive coordinator Sean Desai, especially since the defense he inherited had a near-record 70 sacks last season and is not likely to reach those heights again.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports, covering the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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