Four adjustments the Eagles need to make to save their season

From poor talent evaluation to abysmal quarterback play, this season has been nothing short of a catastrophe for the Eagles. Through it all, the Eagles still lead the atrocious NFC East at 3-6-1.

With Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees & Kyler Murray looming, the Eagles could very well be 3-10-1 before the final two games of the year. And if the season continues this downward spiral, changes could be coming for Philadelphia. Some adjustments can be made if Doug Pederson hopes to revitalize this team:

Give Miles Sanders 25+ Touches

Last Sunday in Cleveland, Miles Sanders rushed the ball 14 times for 62 yards in the first half. He only touched the ball twice in the second half accumulating 4 yards. Granted Sanders did fumble the ball early, but there is no reason to abandon the run when you’re only down by 7 at halftime. When you have a player at your disposal that is amongst the NFL leaders in yards/carry, establishing the run early and often should be the gameplan:

Yards per carry leaders through Week 11:

  • Nick Chubb: 6.0 yards/carry
  • Miles Sanders: 5.7 yards/carry
  • Phillip Lindsay: 5.4 yards/carry
  • Damien Harris: 5.4 yards/carry
  • Dalvin Cook: 5.3 yards/carry

You would think that the smart thing to do when your franchise QB is struggling is to take some of the pressure off of him with the run game. Instead, Doug Pederson has had Wentz throw the ball 35+ times in 8 out of 10 games this season. Hopefully, the Eagles commit to the run a bit more down the stretch, especially after bringing back Jordan Howard.

Get More Creative With Jalen Reagor

The Eagles desperately needed to add firepower to the offense in the draft and they acquired just that in the form of TCU standout Jalen Reagor. The burner can be used all over the field yet Doug Pederson hasn’t been able to create an effective scheme for him.

Anyone that watched the Rams/Bucs game this past Monday night can envision Reagor being utilized in the same fashion that McVay uses Robert Woods. The Eagles need to find ways to get the ball to Reagor in open space, whether it be through tunnel screens, jet sweeps, end-arounds, etc. It would benefit Doug Pederson to rekindle some of those plays that he dialed up for Agholor last season, and stop throwing bubble screens to Greg Ward in the process.

Bench Jason Peters for Jordan Mailata

If there is any player that has ever tarnished their HOF legacy, it’s been Jason Peters this season. Peters has been getting used and abused all season long and last Sunday was no different. Not to mention the fact that this man held the team for ransom to move back to LT and the Eagles actually gave in to his demands.

Mailata has played fairly well in his first real playing time of his career. In the stretches that Carson Wentz has played well this season, it has been with Jordan Mailata protecting him. The Eagles are bottom-3 in the NFL in pass protection when Jason Peters is playing.

It’s difficult to expect anything from Wentz when he’s been sacked 40 times and hit 50 times this season. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like Doug is taking Peters out anytime soon.

Relinquish Play-Calling To Rich Scangarello

Former Broncos OC Rich Scangarello was hired by the Eagles to be their new “senior offensive assistant.” What his role has been in the offense to this point is anyone’s guess.

It doesn’t take a football genius to see that Doug Pederson has failed to put his players in a position to succeed. In his stubborn attempts to protect Carson Wentz and make him a pocket passer, Pederson has damn near shattered his QB’s confidence. To make it even worse, Doug stated today that apparently, it’s TRAVIS FULGHAM’s job to adjust to defenses scheming against him. There isn’t enough alcohol in the world to deal with the incompetence.

Quarterbacks have had success under Scangarello in the past. As the QB coach for the 49ers in 2017, he helped lead Jimmy Garoppolo to a 6-2 record as a starter. He got the most out of Drew Lock last season while effectively creating space for his receivers, most notably Courtland Sutton.

Scangarello is a creative play designer who loves to get his QBs on the move with boot concepts. It would be wise to see what he can draw up for Wentz before Doug breaks his quarterback beyond repair.

Mandatory Credit: USA Today Sports

Victor Williams is the host/producer of The Philly Pod on iHeartRadio and leads all Eagles coverage as co-founder of The Liberty Line.

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