Eagles' Season Should Start Well And End Better -- With A Possible Crack In Midnight Green Armor
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The Eagles open the 100th season in the NFL with an old NFC East rival, the Washington Redskins, this Sunday at 1 p.m. at Lincoln Financial Field -- and the Birds should win easily -- with a subdued buzz.
Maybe it's because the talent on this team makes a usually pessimistic, inquiring fan base unusually docile. Yes, the prospects are high -- as they should be -- for a team expected to win the NFC East and reach the Super Bowl, and it should be considered a failure if those lofty goals aren't reached.
But as the prognosticators, and so-called pundits, and experts and fan-boy bloggers break out their microscopes and try to dissect the upcoming season, and particularly Carson Wentz and his ability, or inability, to stay healthy for 16 games, it might be an idea to look at the starting 22 of the depth chart that the Eagles posted on their website.
It's a strong 22, considered by many "the most talented" roster of the Howie Roseman era.
The issue is of that starting 22, only three players, one on offense and two on defense, have played all 16 games in the previous three seasons, with seasons shortened, ended, or interrupted by either injury or suspension, or players benched based on a coach's decision. Of the Eagles' 22 starters listed on the depth chart, only center Jason Kelce, safety Malcolm Jenkins and defensive tackle Malik Jackson have played full 16-game seasons since 2016.
Now you can probably go down almost any NFL roster and find a large majority of starters who have missed time and games over the last three years. But this is a different team, a team with Super Bowl aspirations whose window for success is rapidly closing. According to PhillyVoice's Eagles' beat reporter, Jimmy Kempski, the Eagles are the second-oldest team in the NFL, with an average age of 26.6 years, behind the New England Patriots' 27.0. The year the Eagles won the Super Bowl, they had the 23rd oldest team, averaging 26.4 years after the initial cut down to 53 players.
When you compound the age and the fact that 19 of the 22 projected starters on the depth chart have failed to play 16 games during at least one regular season since 2016, maybe the "availability issue" goes beyond Wentz?
Offense
WR Alshon Jeffery (appeared in 12 games in 2016; 13 in 2018)
LT Jason Peters (7 in 2017)
LG Isaac Seumalo (9 in 2016; 14 in 2017; 13 in 2018)
C Jason Kelce (appeared in all 16 games 2016-18)
RG Brandon Brooks (14 in 2016)
RT Lane Johnson (6 in 2016; 15 in 2017/2018)
TE Zach Ertz (14 in 2016/2017)
WR Nelson Agholor (15 in 2016)
WR DeSean Jackson (15 in 2016; 14 in 2017; 12 in 2018)
RB Jordan Howard (15 in 2016)
QB Carson Wentz (13 in 2017; 11 in 2018)
Defense
DE Derek Barnett (appeared in 6 games in 2018)
DT Malik Jackson (appeared in all 16 games 2016-18)
DT Fletcher Cox (14 in 2017)
DE Brandon Graham (15 in 2017)
OLB Kamu Grugier-Hill (12 in 2016)
MLB Nigel Bradham (15 2017 & 2018)
OLB Zach Brown (13 in 2017)
CB Avonte Maddox (13 in 2018)
CB Ronald Darby (8 in 2017; 9 in 2018)
S Rodney McLeod (14 in 2017; 3 in 2018)
S Malcolm Jenkins (appeared in all 16 games 2016-18)
Eagles-Redskins Fast Facts
LEADER: Redskins lead all-time series, 85-77-5
STREAKS: Eagles have won past 4
LAST GAME: 12/30/18: Eagles 24 at Redskins 0
LAST GAME AT SITE: 12/03/18: Eagles 28, Redskins 13
Redskins
COACH VS. OPP. Jay Gruden: 5-5
PTS. FOR/AGAINST 17.6/22.4
OFFENSE 299.7
PASSING Case Keenum (Den.): 365-586-3890-18-15-81.2
RUSHING Adrian Peterson: 251-1042-4.2-7
RECEIVING Jordan Reed (TE): 54-558-10.3-2
DEFENSE 353.4
SACKS Ryan Kerrigan: 13
INTs Josh Norman: 3
TAKE/GIVE +7 (26/19)
Eagles
COACH VS. OPP. Doug Pederson: 4-2
PTS. FOR/AGAINST 22.9/21.8
OFFENSE 365.3
PASSING Carson Wentz: 279-401-3074-21-7-102.2
RUSHING Jordan Howard (Chi.): 250-935-3.7-9
RECEIVING Zach Ertz (TE): 116-1163-10.0-8
DEFENSE 366.2
SACKS Fletcher Cox: 10.5
INTs Rasul Douglas: 3
TAKE/GIVE -6 (17/23)
