The Philadelphia Eagles were the only team in the NFC East not to undergo a coaching change and to a man, they believe such a scenario gives them an advantage over other NFL teams in 2020.
ESPN.com is saying not so fast.
In a ranking of organizational continuity based on free agency, the NFL draft, and players returning on both sides of the ball, the Eagles landed in the bottom half of the league.
23. Philadelphia Eagles: 70.9% snaps returning
Offensive snaps returning: 76.7% (18th)
Defensive snaps returning: 64.1% (23rd)
Starters returning: 18 (9 offense, 6 defense, 3 special teams)Non-coordinator assistants returning: 14 of 20
Coordinators returning: 2 of 3 (Jim Schwartz, DC; Dave Fipp, ST)
Starting QB: Carson Wentz, 5th year
Head coach: Doug Pederson, 5th year (38-26)
What it means: The Eagles are the only team in the division not changing head coaches and believe they’ll benefit from the consistency. Philly opted not to directly replace offensive coordinator Mike Groh but is hoping the promotion of up-and-comer Press Taylor to pass-game coordinator along with the additions of Rich Scangarello, Andrew Breiner, and Marty Mornhinweg to the staff will help fuse fresh concepts to a proven offense. — Tim McManus
The Eagles are missing players on both sides of the ball, but short of Nigel Bradham and Malcolm Jenkins, the losses are as detrimental as ESPN.com would have you believe. The Eagles got younger, acquired speed via the draft, and are returning both DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery.
