The Philadelphia Eagles have made the playoffs three years in a row but actually have somewhat regressed since winning the first Super Bowl in franchise history following the 2017 campaign. Here’s a look at Carson Wentz & Co. entering 2020. Here’s an overview of the Philadelphia Eagles and their NFL Odds as it stands.
Philadelphia Eagles Odds After Free Agency Week 1
2019 recap
Philly was chasing Dallas most of last season in the NFC East but beat the visiting Cowboys 17-9 in Week 16 to take over first. All Philly had to do to win the division was win at the lousy New York Giants in Week 17 and they did just that, 34-17. Boston Scott ran for three touchdowns in the second half against New York.
In his first-ever playoff start, Carson Wentz struggled in a 17-9 home loss to Seattle. Wentz lasted two series before exiting with a head injury following a helmet-to-helmet hit from Jadeveon Clowney. It was a borderline dirty hit but Clowney wasn’t flagged. Forty-year-old Josh McCown stepped in, becoming the oldest quarterback to make his playoff debut. But he couldn’t lead the Eagles into the end zone. The Seahawks had a season-high seven sacks from six players. Down 17-9, Eagles coach Doug Pederson passed up a 42-yard field goal attempt with 6:24 left and went for fourth-and-4 from the Seahawks 24. Philly couldn’t convert.
Philadelphia Eagles offseason moves
Philly made two big moves on defense, signing nose tackle Javon Hargrave and trading for top Lions cornerback Darius Slay. After entering the NFL as a second-round draft selection with the Lions in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Mississippi State, Slay appeared in 103 games (94 starts) for the Lions and totaled 342 total tackles (292 solo), 1.0 sack, 19 interceptions, 104 pass defenses, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.
Slay is coming off his third consecutive Pro Bowl. His 82 pass breakups since 2015 are the most in the NFL. He led the league with eight interceptions in 2017. Slay is 29 and was entering the final year of his contract before the Eagles swooped in with an extension. He’s started 90 of a possible 96 games since 2014 and gives the Eagles their first legitimate star cornerback since Asante Samuel a decade ago.
Philadelphia was in pursuit of free-agent cornerback Byron Jones, but he opted to sign with Miami. Once the Eagles realized they wouldn’t be able to land Jones, they turned their attention to Slay. Since 2017, 36 defensive backs have seen at least 200 targets as the nearest defender in coverage. Only Marlon Humphrey (.492) and Stephon Gilmore (.492) have allowed a lower completion percentage than Slay (.518).
As for Hargrave, he got a three-year deal worth $39 million with $26 million guaranteed. Hargrave, 27, stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 305 pounds. During his four years in Pittsburgh, Hargrave started 52 of 63 games while recording 14.5 sacks. The Eagles will also get back defensive tackle Malik Jackson this year after he suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in Week 1. Jackson signed a three-year deal with the Birds last offseason.
The team lost safety Malcolm Jenkins but re-signed fellow safety Rodney McLeod. McLeod returned from a torn ACL to start all 16 games and play 99.8 percent of the Eagles’ snaps last season. He picked off two passes, forced two fumbles and registered a sack in 2019.
Philly also signed former Denver safety Will Parks. Parks played college ball at Arizona and in the last four seasons in Denver played safety and nickel cornerback. The Eagles always value versatility in the secondary. Last season, Parks played just over 50 percent of the Broncos’ defensive snaps. Parks has had exactly one interception in each of his first four seasons in the league. He also had 13 pass breakups and 149 combined tackles.
Wentz’s backup this season should be Nate Sudfeld, who re-signed on a one-year deal. Sudfeld had a chance to capture the No. 2 role last season before suffering a broken left wrist in the preseason. Once that injury happened, they went with Josh McCown. Sudfeld has thrown 25 passes in the NFL and therefore remains a bit of an unknown.
2020 opponents
- Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks.
- Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco 49ers.
Philadelphia Eagles Odds to win Super Bowl 55
Philadelphia is +2000 Odds to win the Super Bowl next February at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
