Ranking the Eagles’ position groups based on need ahead of the NFL draft

The offseason is a constant retooling process for Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and the front office. Roseman’s staff is attempting to identify external talent as the Eagles aspire to make another run to the Super Bowl. The puzzle got a little trickier after the team signed quarterback Jalen Hurts to a massive contract extension that will keep Hurts in Philadelphia through the 2028 season.

Aside from Hurts, the main offseason events are free agency and the NFL draft, which begins Thursday evening.

Before the draft, let’s break down the team’s roster and rank all of the position groups based on overall level of need heading into the 2023 season.

Free-agent additions are listed in italics.

Active roster: Rick Lovato

Lovato is one of six players remaining from the 2017 Eagles team that won the first Super Bowl in franchise history.

Active roster: Jake Elliott

Elliott, 28, has missed just six field-goal attempts over the past two seasons. He was a first-time Pro Bowler in 2021, and it could be argued he deserved similar recognition this past season.

Active roster: Jalen Hurts, Marcus Mariota, Ian Book

The ink is still fresh from Hurts’ record-breaking five-year contract extension worth up to $255 million with more than $179 million in guaranteed salary. Hurts led the Eagles to a Super Bowl appearance, and the 24-year-old finished as the NFL MVP runner-up. The Eagles signed a quality backup in Mariota, who is capable of moving in and around the pocket similar to Hurts.

» READ MORE: Marcus Mariota excited to finally be an Eagle: ‘I’m going to do whatever I can to help Jalen out’

Active roster: A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Olamide Zaccheaus, Britain Covey, Greg Ward, Devon Allen, Tyrie Cleveland

The addition of Zaccheaus indicates the Eagles could benefit from competition for the WR3 spot, currently occupied by Watkins, who admittedly told reporters during his season exit interview that he took a step back in 2022. Watkins infamously had a drop on a deep attempt from Hurts during the second half of the Super Bowl. Brown and Smith each enter their age 25 seasons after they broke franchise records for most receiving yards and receptions in a single season, respectively.

Active roster: Arryn Siposs

For the sake of competition, it would be a disservice for everybody involved if the Eagles didn’t bring in another punter for training camp for the second consecutive year. Siposs showed slight improvements around the start of last season. But he was sidelined by an injury that occurred on a hustle play and was sidelined for six games, including the first two playoff games. He returned for the Super Bowl, but his struggles persisted. He shanked a critical punt that traveled just 38 yards. In turn, Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney fielded what he labeled “a really ugly punt,” and returned it for a Super Bowl-record 65 yards.

Active roster: Kenneth Gainwell, Rashaad Penny, Boston Scott, Trey Sermon, Kennedy Brooks

The Eagles lost a 1,000-yard rusher in Miles Sanders, but there’s still plenty of talent in the backfield. The Eagles remain bullish on Gainwell, who enters his third season after he jumped Sanders on the depth chart in the playoffs. Penny owns an impressive 5.7 yards per carry, but he has struggled to stay healthy throughout his five-year career with the Seahawks. If Penny can avoid injuries, there’s plenty of reasons to believe he’ll be an explosive option, especially being led up front by one of the league’s most productive offensive lines.

Active roster: Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, Tyree Jackson, Dalton Keene

Goedert turns 29 in January. When he was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, former tight end Zach Ertz was entering his age-28 season. Goedert remains a top-10 tight end and he’s under contract through the 2025 season, but the Eagles are always looking ahead. This year’s tight end class is considered deep with many talented prospects, so it wouldn’t be surprising if the Eagles added another face to the group. Jackson signed his exclusive rights tender on Monday for the start of the team’s offseason program. Calcaterra and Stoll combined for 16 catches and 231 receiving yards. Goedert finished third on the team with 55 receptions, 702 yards, and three touchdowns while missing five games.

Active roster: Nicholas Morrow, Nakobe Dean, Davion Taylor, Shaun Bradley, Christian Elliss

The growing pains at the middle level of the defense might be most evident. Despite wide accusations of being the unit’s weak link, former starters T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White provided the defense with stability that had been missing for much of the past decade. Now, the Eagles hit the reset button again with Morrow, a former starter with the Chicago Bears, and Dean, a 2022 third-round pick who was named college football’s top linebacker during his final collegiate season at Georgia.

» READ MORE: As the Eagles retool to return to the Super Bowl, here are top candidates for breakout seasons

Active roster: Darius Slay, James Bradberry, Avonte Maddox, Zech McPhearson, Greedy Williams, Josiah Scott, Josh Jobe, Mario Goodrich, Tristin McCollum

Slay and Bradberry represent one of the best tandems in the NFL. They’re aging — Bradberry turns 30 in August and Slay 33 in January — but the decorated veterans both remain elite pass-breakup artists. Maddox played just nine of 17 regular-season games because of injury. Similar to other positions, the Eagles will eventually need to address the average age of the group. Williams adds quality depth — he’ll likely compete with McPhearson and Jobe for the primary backup spot.

Active roster: Terrell Edmunds, Reed Blankenship, Justin Evans, K’Von Wallace, Andre Chachere

We’ll need to wait until training camp before the exact intricacies of Sean Desai’s scheme are revealed. However, based on coach Nick Sirianni’s longstanding principle of limiting explosive plays, one could imagine quality play from the back end will be required. The Eagles have patched some of their key departures (Marcus Epps, C.J. Gardner-Johnson) with Edmunds, a seasoned vet and former first-round pick, and Evans, who arrives with starting experience.

» READ MORE: Inside Eagles free agency and Howie Roseman’s handling of C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Fletcher Cox, and Darius Slay

Active roster: Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick, Brandon Graham, Derek Barnett, Patrick Johnson, Kyron Johnson, Tarron Jackson, Janarius Robinson, Matt Leo

The Eagles became the first team in NFL history to have four players finish with double-digit sacks. Three of them came from players who appeared almost exclusively at the edge: Sweat, Reddick, and Graham. Reddick was a home run-signing in his first season back home. Sweat is under contract for two more seasons, although his price seemingly continues to rise as he improves each year. With Graham, 35, back on a one-year deal, the Eagles need an infusion of youth at one of the sport’s most influential positions.

» READ MORE: Brandon Graham to re-sign with Eagles: ‘It ain’t really about the money’

Active roster: Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jason Kelce, Lane Johnson, Jack Driscoll, Cam Jurgens, Cameron Tom, Sua Opeta, Tyree Robinson, Fred Johnson, Roderick Johnson, Julian Good-Jones, Jarrid Williams

Commissioner exempt list: Josh Sills

Only one starter, right guard Isaac Seumalo, departed in free agency, but the Eagles also lost backup tackle Andre Dillard to the Tennessee Titans. Jurgens is penciled in as Seumalo’s replacement, but the Eagles could easily target guard and/or tackle on the first two days of the draft. Kelce is still the best center in the game, but he’s on a year-to-year basis at this stage of his career, while Lane Johnson has said he intends on playing only two more seasons.

» READ MORE: Cam Jurgens is on guard with Jason Kelce returning as the Eagles’ center

Active roster: Fletcher Cox, Jordan Davis, Milton Williams, Marlon Tuipulotu, Kentavius Street, Marvin Wilson, Noah Elliss

The organization’s long-standing philosophy is no secret — build up from the offensive and defensive lines. The Eagles traded up and spent a top pick on Davis last April, but they could benefit from even more reinforcements with Javon Hargrave gone and Cox turning 33 in December. Street was a solid free-agent pickup, but the Eagles need to think long-term when it comes to one of their premium spots.

» READ MORE: Eagles re-sign defensive tackle Fletcher Cox to one-year, $10 million deal