Making the Case: Why the Philadelphia Eagles are the favorites to win the NFC East in 2022
They snuck in as a 7-seed in 2021. A year later, they should be a favorite to get a top-3 seed in the NFC.
The Philadelphia Eagles have floundered a bit in recent years, no doubt a down slope from their first taste of a modern-day championship in 2017. The decline of the Carson Wentz-Doug Pederson regime (which held the promise of multiple championships) collapsed in the blink of an eye. They were right back in the playoffs the next two years in 2018 and 2019, but they were derailed by injuries, like many championship-hopeful teams are every year. Then 2020 arrived. The Eagles drafted Jalen Hurts in the 2nd round of the NFL Draft that year, and Wentz was traded to the Indianapolis Colts following a tumultuous end to the season, which held a fair amount of controversy. Pederson also departed as head coach, replaced by Colts OC Nick Sirianni. Hurts was now given the keys, but most of the media viewed him as a backup, and insisted QB remain a position to address for the Eagles.
Armed with a bevy of 2022 offseason acquisitions, the Eagles are poised to take flight this season.
The Eagles were sitting pretty in the draft capital department this year. Three (!) first round picks, all grouped in the middle of the opening round, meant Philly could supplement their roster with three very good prospects. What they did instead was make a deal with the New Orleans Saints to essentially move one of their three picks this year to a second first-round selection next year, allowing for more roster flexibility. But GM Howie Roseman didn’t stop there. Not only did he leap frog the Baltimore Ravens for Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis, he flipped the remaining first round selection for Tennessee Titans’ star WR AJ Brown. Brown was not likely to return to the Titans, so Roseman pounced on the opportunity to add a proven playmaker to an offense that lacked that level of talent. That is not to say this offense was devoid of talent. Under rookie HC Sirianni, and Hurts “true” rookie year, the Eagles returned to the playoffs. They had an unceremonious departure thanks to Tom Brady and the Bucs, but they were viewed as far from a playoff team leading into the season. 2021 First-round choice Devonta Smith looks like a star in the making, as does Dallas Goedert now that he has the lead role in the tight end room. So the Eagles made a dynamic offense more explosive, and a leaky defense a bit more sturdy in the front thanks to Davis and free agent acquisition Haason Reddick. Is that enough to take the leap? It certainly could be, but the Eagles division - and history - is on their side as well.
The Revolving Door That Is The NFC East
The NFC East was viewed as one of, if not THE, worst division in football just a few years ago. The Giants haven’t been competitive since the infamous boat picture prior to a Wild Card game against the Green Bay Packers in 2016. The Washington Commanders have had more name changes than winning seasons the last few years. Their division win in 2020 was at a paltry 7-9 record, which fueled some debate to simply take the best 7 teams, regardless of divisions, and re-seed them from there. The NFC race has come down to Dallas and Philadelphia in modern times. Dallas took the crown last year, only to lose to the 49ers in embarrassing fashion in the first round. Coupled with key departures this offseason from Dallas (Amari Cooper, La’el Collins, Conner Williams, Randy Gregory), as well as the aforementioned upgrades Philly has made, I believe the Eagles will take the NFC East crown in 2022. History is on their side as well: the NFC East hasn’t had back-to-back division champions since the Eagles won it four years in a row from 2001 through 2004. But why stop at their division? Between the Packers, Bucs, Eagles, and Rams (the four division favorites, I believe), only the Eagles will not play a first place based schedule. Combining an easier schedule on paper relative to these other contenders, with the overall exodus of talent from the NFC this year, the Eagles should also be able to leap frog one of those other teams for a top-3 seed in the 2022 playoffs. The Philadelphia Eagles have reloaded, and are once again dark horse candidates in the NFL.