2023 NFC East Division Preview: Philadelphia Eagles Poised To Repeat As Division Champs
The 2023-24 NFL season kick-off is just one week away! OutKick is unveiling its team-by-team preview series. Over the past three weeks, we covered the AFC West and NFC West, the AFC North and NFC North and the AFC South and the NFC South. This week, we've turned our attention to the final two divisions. And that concludes with last year's NFC East -- and NFC conference -- champion, the Philadelphia Eagles.
Philadelphia Eagles 2022-23 Record: 14-3
Philadelphia Eagles 2023-24 Win Total Over/Under: 11.5
Offseason Moves
The Philadelphia Eagles started their offseason with a bang, locking down quarterback Jalen Hurts. Hurts played at an elite level last season, and Philadelphia is banking on that continuing. Whether it will or not remains to be seen, but they had little choice but to commit to him long-term.
Starting center Jason Kelce flirted with retirement. But, ultimately, he returned to the team on a one-year deal, which could be his last. That was an important move, too, because the Eagles boast one of -- if not the -- best offensive lines in the NFL.
They lost stud defensive lineman Javon Hargrave along with starting linebackers in T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White and starting safeties Marcus Epps and CJ Gardner-Johnson. Each of those players saw over 700 defensive snaps last season. But the team did manage to keep both starting corners -- Darius Slay and James Bradberry -- by re-signing the duo.
The Philadelphia Eagles managed to keep both James Bradberry and Darius Slay, an elite cornerback duo that is one of the keys to the team winning the NFC East again this NFL season. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
On offense, they let running back Miles Sanders walk. But, the Eagles swung a trade with the Detroit Lions for D'Andre Swift and signed free agent Rashaad Penny. Otherwise, the offense remains very much the same as last year. That's great news for a team that finished second in the NFL in points scored.
Thanks to some great GM work by Howie Roseman, the Eagles managed to hold a Top 10 pick in the NFL Draft, along with their own #30 overall pick. Having lost so many players on defense, that's immediately where they decided to focus.
The Eagles took a risk on Georgia defensive tackle Jalen Carter, who comes with a mountain of talent but a litany of off-the-field concerns, and even traded up one spot to ensure they could draft him at #9 overall. Then, they drafted his college teammate -- edge rusher Nolan Carter -- with their second pick in the first round.
The Eagles didn't have a second-round pick, but selected twice in round three. They took Alabama offensive tackle Tyler Steen before getting right back to defense. They drafted Illinois safety Sydney Brown with their second third-round pick and yet another Georgia Bulldog defender -- cornerback Kelee Ringo -- in the fourth round.
Season Outlook
For a team that reached the Super Bowl last season, the Eagles had a BUSY offseason. The good news is that they kept their offense mostly intact. The bad news is that they lost significant defensive contributors. However, they couldn't keep everyone and made strategic choices. They lost Hargrave, but Carter is expected to step right into his role.
Same with ANOTHER former Georgia Bulldog, Nakobe Dean. The Eagles drafted Dean in the third-round last year and he steps into a starting role with last year's linebacking duo gone.
The Eagles have one of the best coaching staffs in the NFL and their offensive and defensive lines are both also among the best in the league. Because of that, the team remains the one to beat in the NFC. And for a team that had so many players wanting to get paid, Roseman did an incredible job keeping the core of the team together.
Head coach Nick Sirianni helped quarterback Jalen Hurts maximize his talent last season. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
The only real question marks are can Carter and Dean step into starting roles and succeed, can their new safety duo replace the lost production and who is the third option in the passing game behind AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith. But every team has question marks and the Eagles -- relatively-speaking -- have the fewest.
They are poised to win at least 12 games and could easily match last year's total. The Eagles should capture the NFC East crown again this season and be one of the favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.