The Philadelphia Eagles made a number of moves this off-season to improve the team, as teams often do. But who will be the most impactful players? In this article, we’ll take a look at those players. More specifically awarding players based on categories in the NFL Awards.
MVP: Carson Wentz, QB
It’s no secret that Carson Wentz is the star of this team. Ever since 2016 and especially in 2017 we have seen why he is one of the best quarterbacks the league has to offer. Recently, it was his efforts that led the struggling Eagles to a playoff berth by winning their last 4 games. With an improved offense, Wentz can have an MVP level year. Will he? I don’t think so. But he can certainly perform to a level where he is the Most Valuable Player on this team.
Stat Prediction:
30 TD, 8 INT, 4326 Yds, 13 FUMB
OPOY: Miles Sanders, RB
As a rookie in 2019, Miles Sanders showed the potential to be one of the top RBs in the league, especially toward the end of the season. Though sharing carries up until the injury to Jordan Howard, Sanders managed to reach over 1300 all purpose yards, 800 of them rushing, and roughly 500 through the air. With little experience in the league, he turned in an awesome year, and has shown similarities to one of the league’s best backs in Christian McCaffrey.
Stat Prediction:
1278 Rush Yards, 700 receiving yards, 14 Total TDs, 6 FUMB
DPOY: Darius Slay, CB
When the Eagles acquired Darius Slay from the Lions soon after the start of legal tampering, the hope of Eagles fans everywhere was reignited of an improved secondary. The Eagles have long had an absence of a top tier cornerback, so the Slay acquisition has made us breathe a sigh of relief. Will Darius Slay be yet another instance of the Eagles ruining a corner? I don’t think so. I think he will have a decent year at corner and bring the much needed presence of a ball hawk to this defense.
Stat Prediction:
4 INT, 2 FF, 10 PBU, 64 total tackles
OROY: Jalen Reagor, WR
The Eagles made the questionable choice of refusing to move up in the NFL draft to take a receiver, but at Pick 21 they made a solid enough choice. This was Jalen Reagor, the wide receiver out of Texas Christian University. In college, Reagor showed off his elite speed, at some points running in the 4.2 range when on the field. The Eagles desperately needed to add speed to the much maligned receiving core, and they succeeded in doing so through the draft. What Reagor wasn’t blessed with in college is a good QB. Reagor will now have one in Philadelphia. and hopefully all will pan out for him.
Stat Prediction:
780 yes, 3 TDs
DROY: K’von Wallace, S
When the Eagles picked up K’von Wallace out of Clemson in the 4th round, Eagles fans everywhere thought this was an excellent pick. And I happen to think that too. There aren’t too many stats existent to prove that this rookie is superior to the others joining our defense, but I have the feeling that with the absence of Malcolm Jenkins, that new safeties will have the chance to prove their worth.
Stat Prediction:
1 INT, 5 PBU, 35 total tackles
CBPOY: DeSean Jackson, WR
In Week 1 of 2019, the Eagles offense showed its potential. DeSean Jackson made 8 catches for over 150 yards in 2 TDs. Sadly we would never see this explosive offense again. DeSean Jackson suffered a season ending injury. We could have seen Jackson back in action last year, but he made the awful choice of not getting surgery immediately. Jackson will be fully recovered by the start of 2020. Hopefully with his return we can see the flashes of excellence we saw at the beginning of last year. A deep threat for Carson Wentz is essential to this team’s survival.
BPOY: Andre Dillard, LT
While I can’t disagree with the choice to start Jason Peters last season, we had drafted Andre Dillard in the first round that year. With a year to learn from one of the greatest offensive linemen to ever play football, Dillard may be set to have an excellent year. While he can’t offer the consistent excellence shown by Jason Peters, he has learned enough to become a decent starter for the offensive line. I expect Dillard to break out and be in the conversation for one of the best young tackles.
