Last season, when the Eagles were breaking down the huddle for final time before their NFC Championship matchup against the Minnesota Vikings, safety Malcolm Jenkins made one thing clear.
"This team won't ever be the same," Jenkins said to his teammates.
That was true, as there were some changes to the 2017 Super Bowl champion Eagles, but by no means a complete overhaul.
On Sunday, however, when the Eagles take the field for their Wild Card matchup against the Chicago Bears, there is no getting around it — the group that enters the playoffs will not be the same next season.
There will be no running it back with this team, almost regardless of how far they go. Jason Peters, Brandon Graham, Darren Sproles, Nick Foles —there is a strong chance that none of them will be back next season, ending a run of players that have arguably been the faces of the franchise since their arrival.
Peters will likely be released to gain salary cap space. Graham could leave as a free agent. Sproles has said this will be his last season. As for Foles, unless he beats all the odds and somehow convinces the Eagles the trade Carson Wentz, he will be moving on to another team for big payday and a chance to start. It will be Wentz, not Foles, leading this team into the playoffs if they do indeed qualify next season.
The changes won't stop there.
The Eagles are in need of complete overhauls on a number of units. It is possible only Josh Adams is back amongst the running backs. Among the receivers, Alshon Jeffery will be back and Nelson Agholor likely will — but Golden Tate, Jordan Matthews, Shelton Gibson and Mike Wallace could be gone. A new, down-the-field threat will be brought in and play a significant role.
Along the defensive line, it is possible that only one player that will start along the defensive line on Sunday — Fletcher Cox — will be back next season. Chris Long, Graham, Timmy Jernigan, Haloti Ngata could all be gone. That is noteworthy, as for the first time in years, the Eagles will enter 2019 needing to overhaul their defensive line, the unit that has been the backbone of their success.
Sure, these are all issues that will be dealt with once the Eagles' season ends. It could be in Chicago on Sunday. It could be next week in New Orleans. It could be with a parade down broad street,
For the first time in years, however, there is absolutely no denying that the window on the current group of Eagles is closing — and when the changes come this offseason, the window on some of the biggest names in franchise history will be shut.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
