The Philadelphia Eagles made the Super Bowl a season ago because their entire roster was absolutely dominant. Depending on where you look, they had a top-five offense and defense during their journey to coming up slightly short of being Super Bowl champions. But can Philadelphia’s offense rank inside the top three in 2023?
The Philadelphia Eagles Hole-Less Offense
Unless the Eagles suffer a Tennessee Titans or Baltimore Ravens-level injury bug in 2023, there isn’t anything to worry about on Philadelphia’s offense. From top to bottom, the offense possesses incredible talent.
Jalen Hurts failed to steal the MVP award from Patrick Mahomes a season ago, but he showed outstanding growth in his third NFL season and second as the Eagles’ full-time starter.
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Hurts is an interesting case of progression. We’ll often hear that it is not linear. Player production and performance can fluctuate. But Hurts has seemingly improved every single year since first stepping foot on the field at Alabama.
Adding D’Andre Swift was icing on the cake for an Eagles offense that decimated opposing defenses on the ground a season ago (we’ll get to that). Philadelphia still has Kenneth Gainwell and also added Rashaad Penny to the roster, who absolutely exploded at the end of 2021 and was averaging six yards per carry in 2022 before suffering a season-ending lower leg fracture.
Philadelphia has two wideouts that PFN NFL Analyst Arif Hasan ranked inside the top 11 of NFL wide receivers, with A.J. Brown coming in as his fourth-best pass catcher and DeVonta Smith is 11th. Dallas Goedert is the sixth-best tight end, and the Eagles’ offense is disgustingly good at using their tight ends in the screen game.
Quez Watkins had his moment in 2021 but struggled as the Eagles’ third WR in 2022. So, obviously, Howie Roseman decided to try and upgrade by signing Olamide Zaccheaus in free agency.
To top it all off, the Eagles have the best offensive line in the NFL. They also have multiple depth options in case one of their high-level starters goes down with an injury. They’re built incredibly comprehensively on the offensive side of the ball.
Will Losing Shane Steichen Hurt the Offense?
It could, but it’s unlikely to affect it to such an extent that we have to do a double-take when looking at the Eagles’ offensive production throughout the season.
Offensive coordinator Brian Johnson may be the best of his namesake, which is some lofty praise considering AC/DC’s frontman shares the name. But Johnson has worked with quarterbacks of all shapes and sizes and found success as a play-caller.
He also happens to have a relationship with Hurts and the Hurts family that dates back to when the Eagles’ passer was a small child. His father coached Johnson in high school. So, in other words, the two go way back.
Johnson has spent the last two seasons as the Eagles’ QB coach, working hand-in-hand with Steichen. He knows the offensive ins and outs, and we likely won’t see much of a difference aside from possibly different situational preferences. While those decisions can have significant positive and negative consequences, take a gander back at the roster.
They’re going to move the ball.
Will the Eagles Be a Top-3 Offense in 2023?
Yes.
Obviously, football is a game of attrition. The Eagles have won that game recently, but the boat can capsize quickly. Pound for pound, there isn’t a more complete offensive unit in the NFL. Philadelphia could finish the season top three in passing and rushing efficiency.
MORE: NFL Defense Rankings in 2023 — Where Does Philadelphia Land?
The Eagles finished seventh in passing EPA a season ago, and their passing DVOA ranked ninth. Hurts isn’t getting any worse at passing the football, so they could become even more automatic in that area.
It’s hard to imagine a team having a more efficient rushing attack in 2023. The Ravens, Bears, and possibly the Colts could all be contenders because their quarterbacks are such dangerous rushing threats, and each has good runners as well. But the Eagles’ offensive line is thoroughly dominant in the run game.