The Philadelphia Eagles enter the 2020 NFL season with a solid team that has postseason potential and room for more if some big-name stars are able to remain healthy.
The Eagles are stacked at several positions but there are several key players that enter this upcoming season criminally underrated.
Here’s five Philadelphia Eagles that are underrated entering the 2020 NFL season.
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TE Dallas Goedert
Ertz is the big dawg in terms of name recognition and status, but it’s Goedert who helps make the engine go via pass-catching and run blocking. Goedert is a top-ten tight end and we’ll have every right to demand significant compensation when his turn arises. At times last season, Goedert had earned an 81.4 PFF grade that ranked seventh at the position despite not being a deep threat. On targets of less than 10 yards downfield, Goedert was PFF’s third-highest-graded tight end, and he was second in yards after the catch per reception at 8.6. Combine that with his run blocking prowess and Howie Roseman has a decision to make.
CB Sidney Jones
Jones has had some terrible moments over the past two seasons, but his play hasn’t been as bad as advertised. Despite what was assumed, Jones quietly had a good 2019 season when he was on the field and put in a position to make plays. In the 300 snaps, Jones played, he gave up a 69.9 passer rating when targeted, good for 13th best among cornerbacks last season with min 150 coverage snaps.
In the last 4 games of the season when he suddenly found his groove again, Jones gave up 4 catches on 11 targets for 25 yards, along with 4 pass breakups, 1 interception, and a 50 passer rating.
Look for Jones to have a breakout 2020 season.
LG Isaac Seumalo
The least known attribute to the Eagles offensive line success over the past two seasons, Seumalo has been better than advertised and deserves to have some respect put on his name. No, Seumalo didn’t land on the list of highest graded linemen like Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, and Brandon Brooks, but he was still solid last season. Kelce called him underrated during a conference call earlier this week and if you take away his performance against Grady Jarrett, Seumalo was better than expected.
S K’Von Wallace
Yes, we know Wallace is a rookie and hasn’t played a down in the NFL, but there’s something to be said about him slipping to the fourth-round and becoming a big-time blessing for the Philadelphia Eagles. Wallace is an explosive, alpha-male, who’ll join Darius Slay and Will Parks in bringing some newfound energy to the secondary. A famed swizz-army knife, look for Wallace to play big in the box, slide out to the slot, and blitz the quarterback like a seasoned linebacker.
DE Derek Barnett
For all the discussion about his penchant for undisciplined play and penalties, Barnett is better than his statistics suggest and he’ll be a main cog in the Eagles retooled defense.
Barnett will only be turning 24 next. month and he’s still learning the intricacies of the game while developing his own style of play. Analyst and pundits talk about the 6.5 sacks last season and the 14 total since he was drafted in 2017. You can’t account for his motor or the fact that Barnett was tied for 16th in the NFL with 22 quarterback hits despite missing two games. When healthy he gets to the quarterback.
