The good news for the 2021 Eagles — it is going to be hard for this upcoming season to be as ugly and painful as last season was.
Not only did the team win just four games, but they weren't competitive in most of them and saw players all over the roster take a step back. At best only a handful of players exceeded expectations. As a result there are plenty of players looking to prove last year was a fluke and have a bounce-back season in 2021.
Here are the four players most likely to take a big step forward in 2021 after a down 2020:
Miles Sanders
Statistically Sanders didn't have a huge drop-off from 2019 to 2020. His rookie season he finished with 1,327 total yards from scrimmage, averaging 5.8 yards-per-touch. Last season he had a definite dip in total yards, finishing with 1,064, but averaged a nearly identical 5.5 yards-per-touch. After a strong end to his rookie season, however, Sanders was supposed to do much more than almost match his rookie totals.
This season Sanders will have the chance to take the step forward he was supposed to have in 2021. With Nick Sirianni running the show it seems that the running backs will be much more involved, whether that be on the ground or in the passing game. It is possible that Sanders sees his touches impacted by Kenneth Gainwell and Kerryon Johnson, but even if they are, chances are Sanders will be put in better chances to succeed in 2021 than he was in 2020.
Add in what should be an improved offensive line and Sanders is primed to get himself back into the conversation for the top running backs in the game.
Brandon Brooks
This one is fairly obvious as Brooks didn't play a single snap during the 2020 season due to a ruptured Achilles. What should also be obvious, however, is how much the return of Brooks is going to help this offensive line.
When healthy Brooks has proven to be the best right guard in the NFL. When lined up between Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, the Eagles have arguably the best right side of the line in the entire league. Brooks has proven before he can bounce back from injuries to play at an elite level. While it is fair to have some concern over whether he can do it again, chances are Brooks is going to be a major upgrade for the Eagles this season when he returns.
Lane Johnson
Like Brooks it is fair to have some concern over whether Johnson will be able to return to the Pro-Bowl form he used to display weekly. Especially at 31-years old and especially after undergoing season-ending ankle surgery last season.
The surgery, however, seems like it was a long-time coming, as Johnson has struggled to remain healthy since suffering the injured ankle during the 2018 season. Johnson has admitted he tried to play through the pain and avoid having the surgery, but after playing just seven games last season, he finally got the procedure he has needed.
Now healthy and fully cleared to go for training camp, Johnson is primed to return to the best right tackle in the NFL and once again solidify the right side of the Eagles' line.
Javon Hargrave
Missing training camp is never a good thing for any player. For a linemen, however, it can ruin an entire season. The Eagles know that all-too well as they saw Brandon Graham's 2018 season ruined by offseason ankle surgery, and then Fletcher Cox saw his 2019 season slowed down by offseason foot surgery. Hargrave didn't have to deal with offseason surgery to his foot or ankle, but he did miss almost all of the team's 2020 training camp with an upper-body injury. Add in that the 2020 offseason workouts were all wiped out around the league due to COVID and Hargrave didn't start practicing consistently with his new team until right before the start of the season.
To no surprise, missing pretty much an entire offseason of work impacted his season. Hargrave finished 2020 with just 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 15 games, but it was a strong end of 2020 that allowed him to even reach those numbers. Hargrave ending the season strong is a very good sign for the Eagles, who can correctly have hope that a full offseason of work for Hargrave will allow him to have the kind of impact in 2021 that they hoped to get in 2020.
If Hargrave does bounce back, and take some of the pressure off of Fletcher Cox, the Eagles' offensive line will take a huge step forward next season.
You can reach Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
