Which NFL franchises are in the best shape over the next three seasons? And more important, where do the Eagles rank?
ESPN's top football experts - Jeremy Fowler, Louis Riddick, Seth Walder and Field Yates - set out to answer that question. The experts were asked to rate each team's quarterback, remaining roster, draft, front office, and coaching. They then used a grading scale (100 as an A+ meaning "Elite"; 80 as a B meaning "Very good"; 50 and below as an F meaning "Disastrous") for each category which was weighted to create an overall score (roster at 30%, quarterback and coaching at 20%, front office and draft at 15%).
The Eagles came in sixth with an 82.6 overall score. Here is how they graded out in each category.
Category
Score
NFL Rank
Overall roster (minus QB)
78
15th
Quarterback
86
6th
Coaching
89.3
6th
Draft
75.5
15th
Front office
85.5
5th
The five teams that ranked ahead of the Eagles were the top-ranked Ravens (89.4), the Chiefs, the 49ers, the Saints, and the Cowboys. Dallas ranked a percentage point ahead of the Eagles at 82.7 and had a slightly higher quarterback rating at 86.6.
The biggest strength identified by Yates is the Howie Roseman, Doug Pederson and Carson Wentz combination, something 94WIP's Eliot-Shorr Parks wrote about last month. Here is ESP's takeaway from the foursome that includes owner Jeffrey Lurie:
"The group is young, accomplished, experienced and talented. While Wentz didn't play in the Super Bowl, the four showed in 2017 that when they are at their best, they can dominate the league."
For Louis Riddick, the biggest worry for the Eagles is whether they can make it work at wide receiver with the recent upgrades. Jeremy Fowler noted the concern about the aging offensive line and lack of reinforcements there and at linebacker. Per usual, the most important asset is the quarterback. Here's what Seth Walder had to say about Wentz:
"He has shown the upside, and -- performance wise -- is fairly reliable looking forward. If I had to bet on the current quarterbacks most likely to be above average in five years, Wentz is no lower than sixth (behind Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson and Dak Prescott). That kind of certainty is worth a lot."
While the Eagles might be well suited over the next three season, Howie Roseman has some more pressing issues to address by the start of next season, including the salary cap situation after this season.
