INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 25: Head coach Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles speaks to the media at the Indiana Convention Center on February 25, 2020 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) *** Local Capture *** Doug Pederson
They’ve reached the playoffs each of the last three seasons. Which players could raise their games and get the Philadelphia Eagles back to the Super Bowl?
There aren’t a lot of teams in the NFL they can claim they been to the playoffs each of the past three seasons. Leading the list are the New England Patriots, who have made an NFL-record 11 consecutive appearances in the postseason. That’s followed by the current reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, who have been guided to the playoffs five straight years by head coach Andy Reid.
Then there’s the New Orleans Saints and the Philadelphia Eagles. The former has won the NFC South three years in a row but has yet to get back to its second Super Bowl. Meanwhile, Doug Pederson’s club captured an NFL title in 2017 and reached the playoffs each of the last two years with 9-7 marks. A year ago, that was good enough to win the NFC East. But a rough 17-9 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the wild card round saw quarterback Carson Wentz go down with a concussion.
General manager Howie Roseman has always done a good job keeping this team roster in good shape. And this week, the Eagles have eight overall selections in the 2020 draft. So which five players with the team at the moment could make considerable improvement and open some eyes this fall?
5. RB Boston Scott
The running game of the Philadelphia Eagles bounced back this past season after a very disappointing showing in 2018. During the club’s championship winning campaign, Doug Pederson’s squad finished with the third-most rushing yards in the league and would go onto run for 164 yards in Super Bowl LII vs. the Patriots. One year later, only four clubs in the NFL gained fewer yards on the ground. Injuries and free-agent defections were one reason for the drop off.
But in ’19, the additions of rookies such as 2019 second-round pick Miles Sanders and one-time Saints’ sixth-round selection Boston Scott were big reasons the club finished 11th in the league with 121.2 rushing yards per contest. The latter finished third on the club behind Sanders and Jordan Howard by running for 245 yards and second on the Birds with five TDs on the ground. With Howard now a member of the Dolphins, look for Scott’s role to increase dramatically.