It’s almost here. The Eagles 2024 season is about a month away, and the excitement will continue to ramp up in the coming weeks. People will begin observing and crafting their takes on the upcoming season. Usually, the Eagles haven’t had a ton of dissenting opinions and hot takes on their team in the last few years. However, there will be big questions and interesting storylines to keep track of as training camp goes. Before all that, here are three early hot takes about the Eagles’ upcoming season. Some about their position in the league and other team-specific takes to keep an eye on.
Eagles will Comfortably win the NFC East
Saying the Eagles will win the NFC East isn’t exactly a hot take, but winning comfortably by three or so games should qualify. While the Eagles 2024 season will be about answering a lot of questions, they have all the signs to predict a big bounce-back season. The new coaching staff and philosophies should be a big help. On offense, they’ll become more diverse, not making a habit of running the same plays for the same formations while also leaning on the power-run fame more. On defense, they will lean heavily towards limiting chunk plays in the passing game with more two-high safety looks.
However, this has more to do with the other NFC East teams. The Washington Commanders and New York Giants finished in the bottom ten of teams in 2023. While there could be slight improvements for both, don’t expect either team to surpass six or seven wins. The big outlier, however, is the Dallas Cowboys, who won the NFC East in 2023. The Cowboys offseason has been lackluster. They haven’t made any significant additions and had turnover on their offensive line for the first time in a while.
Also, there have been mixed signals with the future of quarterback Dak Prescott, and contract negotiations with receiver CeeDee Lamb and pass-rusher Micah Parsons. It could be a strange year that leads to a downturn for the team, and it would be the perfect time for the Eagles to take over the division.
Cornerback Darius Slay Will See a More Limited Role
The Eagles 2024 season will be heavily judged upon the success of their secondary. After an abysmal 2023, the Eagles aggressively addressed the defensive back group in the offseason. They drafted Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean in the first and second round. Also, Isiah Rodgers is back, who comes off a year-long gambling suspension. They signed C.J. Gardner-Johnson and retained all three starting corners from the year before.
With Vic Fangio coming in, the defensive philosophy will change to deny big plays and keep all the receivers in front of the defensive backs. However, the change in philosophy will require better tackling and more aggressiveness from the defensive backs. Hence, Darius Slay could see a little less playing time than he’s accustomed to.
Slay has been a great player for a long time. Not only with the Eagles but with the Detroit Lions as well, Slay has been an awesome man cover corner. However, he’s never been known exactly for his ability to tackle receivers in open space. He’s still a good player, but with the talent the Eagles have brought in at cornerback, his role could be lessened. The Eagles will do all they can to get Quinyon Mitchell on the field. Add in Isiah Rodgers, and bigger corners like Kelee Ringo, DeJean, and even Gardner-Johnson in the slot, Slay will have to earn his role in Fangio’s defense.
Saquon Barkley Will Lead the League in Rushing Yards
Everyone knows the talent that Saquon Barkley came into the NFL with. While there have been unbelievable moments from him throughout his career, there have also been some struggles. Although, the stark difference between the Giants offensive line and the Eagles offensive line cannot be overstated. Last year, former Eagles running back D’andre Swift had a career year, surpassing his prior career-best year by over 400 yards. Barkley should see a similar jump this year, and with his talent, there could be even more of a leap.
Kellen Moore will have a big influence on the Eagles 2024 season. However, it should only benefit Barkley. Moore, while being a former quarterback, knows the importance of the run game for an offense. The power running game is a big part of his offense and will only be accentuated by the Eagles’ offensive line. Expect to see him early and often, especially when the Eagles must close out games. He should be in for a monster year.
Main Image: Bill Streicher – USA Today Sports
