Eagles Mailbag: Which Players Need To Step Up in the Playoffs?
Following a disappointing regular season finale, the Philadelphia Eagles will host the San Francisco 49ers in the opening round of the NDL playoffs on Sunday. Despite hosting a playoff game, there are still plenty of questions surrounding the Eagles.
While many criticized the Eagles for essentially settling for the #3 seed resting their starters in Week 18, there is still a chance that Philadelphia could host multiple games. Yet that won’t be the case unless everyone steps up and gets the job done against the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field.
I’ll discuss that and more in my Eagles mailbag ahead of the Wild Card Round.
Eagles offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo is obviously facing a ton of pressure heading into the postseason, yet there are a few players that need to step up in the playoffs. There are two players in particular that come to my mind after reading this question: Cam Jurgens and Landon Dickerson.
After both Jurgens and Dickerson played through injuries and performed at a high level last season, they simply haven’t looked the same this season. The lackluster play of Philadelphia’s offensive line has held back the offense all season.
While Patullo’s questionable play-calling gets most of the attention, it’s hard to look past the struggles of the offensive line and how it limits what the offense can do. The Eagles are likely banking on the extra week of rest helping Jurgens and Dickerson turn things around and take a significant step forward in the playoffs.
Nolan Smith has dealt with injuries this season and has only recorded three sacks. Yet I think he has been an impactful player when he is on the field and what he does extends beyond just the box score. Smith is a solid run defender that is physical setting the edge, but he can also provide juice as a pass rusher.
It feels like Smith does a lot of the dirty work, which sometimes ends up in other players along Philadelphia’s defensive front recording a sack or tackle for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, Smith has recorded nine total pressures and three quarterback hits in his last three games. I think the Eagles are happy with Smith’s play ahead of the postseason.
It’s going to be very interesting to see how the NFL postseason plays out this year. It truly feels like the possibilities are endless and that there isn’t a clear front runner that is expected to coast to the Super Bowl.
With that being said, here are the teams that I’ll be rooting for this weekend:
Panthers > Rams
Packers > Bears
Eagles > 49ers
Bills > Jaguars
Chargers > Patriots
Texans > Steelers
Well John Harbaugh has officially left Baltimore but based on reports, it seems like part of the reason why was that he didn’t want to fire Todd Monken. Therefore, my guess is that Monken will be following Harbaugh to whichever team hires him to be their head coach.
If Monken is somehow available and the Eagles move on from Kevin Patullo, he should absolutely be a top target for Philadelphia. He proved that he was able to maximize Lamar Jackson’s skillset while surrounded by a rather underwhelming supporting cast. It would be fun to watch Monken work with Jalen Hurts.
The Eagles will have a few interesting decisions to make with their own free agents this offseason. In my opinion, there are four players that Philadelphia should seriously consider re-signing:
Jaelan Phillips
Reed Blankenship
Braden Mann
Adoree’ Jackson
While it might sound crazy, I don’t think that there are any other upcoming free agents that the Eagles should prioritize re-signing. Yes, that includes both Dallas Goedert and Nakobe Dean. Philadelphia will need to be strategic with their spending, especially with contract extensions likely looming for Jalen Carter and Jordan Davis.
While Goedert has played well this season, he has significantly regressed as a blocker and it’s time for the Eagles to find a long-term answer at tight end. Meanwhile, the Eagles found their-long term answer at linebacker in Jihaad Campbell. Which is why I feel like it’s time to move on from Dean, unless he’s willing to take a significant discount.
Many of the former Georgia Bulldogs have flourished in Philadelphia, yet that hasn’t been the case for Kelee Ringo. He was expected to compete for a starting job in 2025 and that obviously didn’t end the way that many anticipated. Now his future in Philadelphia is certainly murky beyond this season.
Ringo is under contract for one more season, yet I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Eagles traded him for a late draft pick swap or potentially another young player that is struggling elsewhere. At just 23-years-old, another team will convince themselves that they can get the best out of Ringo in the NFL.