Unexpected breakout players are almost always a staple of championship teams. That was certainly the case for the Eagles in 2017, when Corey Clement, Patrick Robinson, Nelson Agholor and many others all played much better than expected
The Eagles enter 2018 with a Super Bowl caliber roster, but they are still going to need some surprise, dominating performances from players on their roster to reach their potential.
Here are three players I believe have a chance to have a breakout season next year:
Josh Sweat: From the outside looking in, Sweat's rookie year seemed like a disappointment. The fourth-round pick barely played before being placed on the injured reserve list Dec. 11. Inside the NovaCare Complex, however, Sweat's rookie year was always viewed as a red-shirt year of sorts. The team didn't expect him to play in 2018, and always had 2019 as the year they wanted Sweat to start contributing.
Their belief in Sweat has shown this offseason, as they traded away Michael Bennett and up until this point, have moved on from Chris Long. That leaves them thin at defensive end, and places Sweat as the fourth defensive end on the roster. The fourth defensive end on the Eagles played 234 snaps last season, a huge jump from the 68 that Sweat saw.
With a year under his belt in the NFL, and a chance to learn from players like Bennett and Long, Sweat comes into this season hoping to pair his experience from last year with his elite athleticism. He is going to be given every chance to get consistent playing time this season.
Jordan Howard: Putting a player on this list that has the third-most rushing yards in the NFL over the last three seasons might seem unfair. There is an argument to be made Howard has already had his breakout year. With the Eagles, however, Howard is going to get a chance to get his name mentioned among the best running backs in the NFL.
Howard is going to be the starting running back this season and is almost certainly going to lead the team in total touches out of the backfield. Considering the elite offensive line he is going to be playing behind, and the potentially elite passing game he'll be playing with, Howard should get running lanes like he never has before in his career. Add in the fact that the Eagles will be in plenty of big-time games, and Howard will have a chance to play in the national eye like he never has before.
If he plays like he is capable of, the Bears are going to look foolish for trading him away for only a fifth-round pick.
Cre'von LeBlanc: LeBlanc's breakout started last year in the playoffs, when he had an excellent game against the Chicago Bears and then started off the team's game in New Orleans with an interception. His strong play down the stretch at nickel cornerback was one of the reasons the Eagles were able to make a late-season run to the postseason.
This year, LeBlanc will look to prove that the handful of games at the end of last season was no fluke. He enters training camp in a battle for playing time, potentially against both Sidney Jones at nickel cornerback. Jones might have been a second-round pick, but LeBlanc fits what the Eagles like in their nickel cornerbacks perfectly, from his strong play against the run to his physical style of play.
In 2017, Patrick Robinson's emergence at nickel cornerback in many ways completely changed the Eagles' defense — and his interception in the NFC Championship game certainly changed their postseason fate.
LeBlanc has the chance to have that same kind of impact on the Eagles' defense this season.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
