2024 Philadelphia Eagles Preview

Offensive Line

The Eagles dropped to fourth in rushing yards (2,190) with 22 rushing touchdowns. They averaged 4.3 yards per carry (down from 4.9 in 2021 and 4.6 in 2022) while gaining 20 yards or more on 11 rushes. Philly averaged 30.0 carries per game.

Philadelphia fell to 17th in passing yards (4,067), gaining 7.2 yards per pass attempt (8.1 in 2022). They finished with 24 passing touchdowns and 16 interceptions while seeing their quarterbacks sacked 39 times.

In the 2024 NFL Draft, the Eagles added two late offensive linemen (G Trevor Keegan – 5.37 and C Dylan McMahon – 6.14). Keegan has three seasons of experience at left guard for Michigan. He gains his edge with vision, anticipation, and strength, offsetting some of his lack of foot speed. His foundation skill set projects better in run blocking coming to the NFL. McMahon has experience at right guard and center, with the latter coming late in 2022 and all of last season. He understands the game while needing to get stronger to create a winning edge in run and pass blocking in the NFL. McMahon falls into the project category.

Philadelphia signed LT Jordan Mailata to a three-year deal for $66 million in April, showcasing his talent and previous success. In addition, the Eagles re-upped LG Landon Dickerson to a monster contract ($87 million for four seasons). RT Lane Johnson remains the foundation veteran with a long resume of success. He’ll start the year at age 34. The Eagles added former first-rounder (2020) Mekhi Becton for insurance in the offseason. The challenge for this offensive line is replacing the star status of C Jason Kelce, who retired over the winter.

Offense

The Eagles ran seven fewer plays than in 2022 (1,080), but they finished with a sharp decline in offensive yards (606) and offensive touchdowns (46 – 57 in 2022). They ran the ball 47.5% of the time, down from 50.4% the previous year. Game score led to a bump of 27 pass attempts.

Quarterbacks

Jalen Hurts, PHI

A left ankle injury that required surgery after the season led to two missed games for Hurts over the Eagles’ final five matchups in 2021. Over his last four games (including the playoffs), he ran the ball 25 times for 128 yards and two scores. His opportunity as a runner was much higher over his 12 starts (122/695/8 – 5.7 yards per carry). However, over his final 11 starts, Hurts offered minimal value in the passing game (2,037 yards and 10 touchdowns – 185 yards per game).  When forced to throw the ball, he produced three games of value (264/3, 326/2, and 387/2). Hurts finished 9th in quarterback scoring (354.60) in four-point passing touchdowns leagues with four impact games (31.40, 32.05, 32.25, and 32.60 fantasy points) plus six other weeks with at least 20.00 fantasy points.

Hurts continued to be a beast in the run game, highlighted by his stats in 2022 (165/760/13) despite missing two weeks. The improvement in his receiving options last year led to career-highs in completions (306), pass attempts (460), passing yards (3,701), passing touchdowns (22), yards per pass attempts (8.0), and completion rate (66.5). He passed for 300 yards or more in five matchups (333/1, 340/3, 380/3, 315/0, and 301/1), lifting him to third in quarterback scoring (423.05) in four-point passing touchdown formats.

Last season, Hurts set a career-high in pass completions (352), pass attempts (538), passing yards (3,858), pass touchdowns (23), and rushing scores (15) while playing 17 games for the first time in his career. His yards per carry (3.9) regressed for the second consecutive season. Hurts averaged 9.8 rushes over his last 48 matchups. He finished second in quarterback scoring (415.40 fantasy points) in four-point passing touchdown formats but posted only three impact showings (31.35, 31.55, and 38.50 fantasy points). From Week 11 to Week 19 (first round of the postseason), Hurts had one or fewer passing touchdowns in seven games (in Week 18, the Eagles only had him on the field for 43% of their plays).

Fantasy Outlook: Since the arrival of A.J. Brown, Hurts has completed 65.9% of his passes, putting him in the top third of the league. His value in the run game creates his winning edge, but it also diminishes the scoring opportunity for his receivers. Philadelphia paid Brown ($96 million) in the offseason, breathing more heart into his game. In mid-July, Hurts is the third-ranked quarterback. The addition of Saquon Barkley and Will Shipley improved the passing game out of the backfield and the Eagles’ overall ability to move the ball. I have Hurts projected to gain 4,904 combined yards with 39 touchdowns.

Other Options: Kenny Pickett. Tanner McKee, Will Grier

Running Backs

The Eagles' running back rushing opportunity has faded in back-to-back seasons. They set three-year lows in rushing attempts (345), rushing yards (1,533), and touchdowns (7) while gaining 4.4 yards per carry. Philadelphia threw to their running backs more last year, but they struggled to make big plays (6.1 yards per catch) with minimal value in the scoring (two touchdowns over the past three seasons). Their back accounted for only 11% of their receiving yards (6% in 2022).