Eagles’ 5 big questions for the season revisited

Specifically speaking, the Eagles are one half of football away from being halfway through the regular season.

The expansion to a 17-game slate makes the midway-point milestone less satisfying, but it’s a good time to zoom out and look at the team’s body of work through eight games.

During the offseason, we broke down the five biggest questions facing the Eagles going into training camp. Here are some of those topics revisited:

The addition of Jordan Davis suggested the Eagles would use more odd-man fronts and that has been the case this fall. Especially on early downs, defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon has gravitated toward five-man fronts with Davis at the heart of things.

Having a gap-plugger like Davis has unlocked something in Gannon’s scheme. The Eagles roll out five-down fronts to stop the run on first and second down and then put extra speed on the field for obvious passing situations. The biggest difference is the frequency in which the Eagles use “penny” fronts, which employ five linemen and just one linebacker as a way to keep Avonte Maddox on the field.

According to TruMedia, the Eagles have six or fewer defenders in the box 59.4% of the time, which ranks fourth in the NFL. The trade-off there is more flexibility on the back end, which has been instrumental in the Eagles’ success. Davis’ ability to occupy multiple gaps and fight off double teams has helped the Eagles pull that off.

The defense hasn’t been dominant against the run — the Eagles rank 29th in yards allowed per carry — but the game script has typically led to them protecting double-digit leads and therefore seeing fewer attempts.

With Davis sidelined with a high-ankle sprain that will hold him out for at least three more games, the Eagles still used a good bit of five-down looks against the Houston Texans. Marvin Wilson and Marlon Tuipulotu spent time at nose tackle with mixed results, but Javon Hargrave was the best answer to fill Davis’ role in the center of the defense.

As important as the odd fronts have been on early downs, the Eagles’ use of even fronts has been on third down. The Eagles managed just 29 sacks all of last season, which ranked 29th in the NFL. Through eight games this year, the group has 26 sacks, good for fifth in the league.

» READ MORE: Here's the rest of what we said back in the offseason about Jordan Davis

By now, Jalen Hurts’ strides as a passer and a decision-maker are well-documented.

His time to throw went from a league-longest 3.12 seconds to 2.77 seconds, which is around the NFL average. For a quarterback with the athleticism to extend plays like Hurts, a league-average time to throw is about as good as the Eagles should hope for.

He has been more accurate after spending the offseason honing his mechanics with quarterback guru Adam Dedeaux in California as well. Hurts has showcased a capability to make on-time throws from the pocket to all areas of the field and has been less reliant on his legs in recent weeks.

» READ MORE: Jalen Hurts puts on a ‘Southside’ show for Houston in an Eagles win vs. the Texans that furthers his MVP case

Many of the concerns coming off last season have been quelled by now. Hurts had a strong performance against Jacksonville Jaguars defensive coordinator Mike Caldwell, who was part of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ staff that shut down the young quarterback in the playoffs last season.

He struggled a bit against the blitz early this season but has since found answers in the last few weeks as more teams start sending extra rushers as a last resort against a red-hot offense.

There will be more tests to come for Hurts, who is heading toward an offseason in which he’s eligible for a lucrative contract extension, but any future evaluations will start from a place that is vastly different than the one in which Hurts entered this season. He has cemented himself as the team’s long-term answer at the position; now, he just has to reveal how high his ceiling can be.

» READ MORE: Here's what we said about Jalen Hurts during the summer

After being one of the most run-heavy teams in the NFL for the second half of last season, the Eagles have been more balanced this year.

Their 276 rushing attempts rank third in the NFL, but the game’s script is important to keep in mind here as well. The Eagles have spent a handful of second halves salting away the clock.

The difference lies in yards per passing attempt. Hurts is averaging 8.5 yards per passing attempt this season, up from last year’s 7.3. On third down, the Eagles have been efficient passing the ball as well. They are converting 42.9% of their third downs when dropping back to pass, which ranks fourth in the NFL, according to TruMedia.

On a third-and-medium (between 4 and 6 yards), they’re even better, converting 63% of the time. Only the Buffalo Bills are more efficient.

This is important because of A.J. Brown’s involvement in these situations. He has 11 catches for 191 yards on third downs, both of which are in the top 10 among wide receivers across the league.

» READ MORE: Here's what we thought about A.J. Brown's impact on the offense

This one wasn’t in the original training-camp questions, but instead of discussing the right-guard position battle that was settled on the first day of summer workouts, let’s take a second to evaluate Marcus Epps’ play.

The 26-year-old played in a rotation last season, but he saw his role increase considerably on a defense with high expectations. Through eight games, he has been solid filling that role. Epps has three pass breakups and 45 tackles.

When the Eagles rotate into single-high safety looks, Epps is more often the deep safety, with his running mate C.J. Gardner-Johnson dropping into the box. Gardner-Johnson has flourished in the Eagles defense, leading the league with five interceptions, and Epps has played a role in the defense’s overall success.

Out of the Eagles’ undrafted rookies, Britain Covey, Reed Blankenship, Josh Sills, and Josh Jobe each turned strong summers into roster spots.

Covey is the only one to carve out a role on game day so far as a return specialist. While he hasn’t become the undersized “folk hero” I suggested he could become going into training camp, Covey has been mostly sure-handed returning punts. His return production hasn’t been great — he’s averaging 6.6 yards per return — but the Eagles value his ball security.

» READ MORE: Eagles stats: Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, and Miles Sanders are generating impressive numbers