Depth Chart Fantasy Impact
The Eagles had opportunities to add QB competition this offseason, with a busy veteran market at the position and only 1 going among the first 73 picks of the NFL Draft. But they added only undrafted free agent Carson Strong. So Jalen Hurts heads into the penultimate year of his contract, with Gardner Minshew backing him up for the 2nd straight season. Hurts improved his completion rate, INT rate, yards per attempt, passer rating and QBR over his rookie campaign.
Philadelphia made a big move on the 1st night of the NFL Draft, sending a 1st-round pick to Tennessee for WR A.J. Brown. The former Titan averaged 69.7 receiving yards per game across his 1st 3 seasons. That’s 15.4 more yards than any Eagle averaged last season, and 22.1 more than any member of the 2020 team. Brown immediately got a 4-year, $100 million extension with a little more than $57 million in guarantees.
Brown joins a pass-catching corps with 2nd-year WR DeVonta Smith and 5th-year TE Dallas Goedert rounding out the top 3. Goedert saw his target share rise in the wake of Zach Ertz’s mid-2021 trade to the Cardinals. He set career highs in yards per catch, yards per game and yards per target in Hurts’ 1st full year as starting QB. Smith led the 2021 Eagles in targets, receptions, receiving yards and TD catches, ranking 3rd among all rookie wideouts in each category.
Philly’s backfield returns nearly intact. Miles Sanders lost 5 games to injuries last season, with an ankle sprain the biggest blow. Sanders heads into the final year of his rookie contract as the likely backfield leader.
Kenneth Gainwell opened his rookie season sharing work with Sanders but watched his role dwindle after Sanders went down. Instead, Boston Scott and Jordan Howard shared the lead over that span. Howard sits unsigned, but Philadelphia brought Scott back on a 1-year deal. He, Gainwell and Sanders will compete for touches in a backfield that spread opportunities around in 2021 – even near the goal line.
The O-line gets 34-year-old C Jason Kelce back for what’s expected to be his final season. He has added mentoring 2nd-round pick Cam Jurgens to his list of responsibilities. Philly surrounds Kelce with the same group of starting blockers from last year, including G Isaac Seumalo coming off a Lisfranc injury that ended his campaign in Week 3.
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