During the month of July, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will determine which three players deserve to be considered the faces of each franchise. For this series, we will only consider active players. Today, the Philadelphia Eagles are the focus.
Faces of the Philadelphia Eagles
DeMarco Murray
DeMarco Murray is not a bad replacement for the recently departed LeSean McCoy. Murray came over to the Eagles after four years with their sworn enemies in Dallas. But Philadelphia will embrace him with open arms if he continues to put up the numbers he produced for the Cowboys.
Since he came to the NFL in 2011, he’s averaged 4.8 yards per carry. He won the rushing title in 2014, gaining 1,845 yards on the ground and scoring 13 touchdowns (both career-highs). These totals increased his value to a dollar figure Jerry Jones wasn’t willing to dish out. He will lead Chip Kelly’s offense next season, especially considering the questions at the quarterback position.
Connor Barwin
With Trent Cole now departed, the pressure is on a fellow University of Cincinnati alum to provide a bulk of the pass rush. He did just fine last year, recording the most sacks in the league with 14.5.
Barwin’s most productive period came during November. It started out with a 3.5-sack effort against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. He was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month, accumulating 6.5 sacks, 24 tackles and a forced fumble. By year’s end, Barwin was a Pro Bowl selection and a member of the All-Pro second team. He will be the leader of an exciting defense this season.
Jason Peters
For a roster that turns over more frequently than a college program, a player that stays on the Eagles for as long as Peters has is something akin to an eternity.
Entering his seventh season with the Birds, Peters will once again anchor an offensive line that (not unlike any other unit on this team) has undergone a major change. Evan Mathis was shown the door — meaning there will more questions than answers entering the season with regards to how good this group can do in protecting its fragile new quarterback, Sam Bradford. But there is no question that the Eagles – and Bradford – are better off with Peters in the lineup.
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