PFF: Eagles Have NFL’s 15th-Best Roster
With the moves the Philadelphia Eagles made this offseason to improve the team, opinions of the team as they prepare for the 2017 season are mixed.
They posted a 7-9 record in 2016 with a below average wide receiving core, a short-handed offensive line for much of the season - due to both injury and suspension - plus a rookie quarterback who had his ups-and-downs.
On the other hand, they still have a below average secondary, questions still remain about the pass rush and how big of a step forward will Carson Wentz take in 2017 with all the new weapons the team added in the offseason.
They were an average team in 2016, but did they make enough moves this offseason to bounce back and return to the postseason for the first time in three seasons?
In a piece for ESPN Insider — Philadelphia was ranked as the 14th-best roster in the entire NFL. The Eagles took a dip in the rankings after having the league’s fifth-best roster in 2016 according to the website.
Biggest strength: Brandon Graham generates more pressure than almost every other edge rusher in the league, though he doesn't always convert those pressures into sacks. He produced 83 total pressures in 2016, trailing only Khalil Mack.
Biggest weakness: Cornerback is a glaring weakness, with much expected of third-round rookie Rasul Douglas. The Eagles are also hoping second-rounder Sidney Jones can recover from his pre-draft Achilles injury and contribute in 2017. Jalen Mills is likely to start again, but the 2016 seventh-round pick allowed 63.7 percent of the passes thrown his way to be caught last season.
By the numbers: Over the first five weeks of the 2016 season, rookie Carson Wentz was the second-highest-graded quarterback, trailing only Derek Carr. From Week 6 onward, however, he ranked 30th. He had a 32.8 passer rating when under pressure in 2016.
PFF ranks Brandon Graham as team’s best starter, giving him an elite grade, with the worst being Jalen Mills.