Top 5 Eagles players with the most to prove this season – starting on Friday vs. the Green Bay Packers in Brazil

The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles season is just around the corner, and like clockwork, there’s a ton of optimism in the air and the hype continues to reach new levels as we inch closer to Week 1 in Brazil against the Green Bay Packers.

Most fans seem to share that positive vibe, but I can’t help but pick up on a few concerns with certain players that should be in “prove it” mode right out of the gates.

These worries stem from various sources, especially with the arrival of new coordinators and the continued leadership of head coach Nick Sirianni.

Coaching can make or break a team, and last season’s coaching staff left a lot to be desired.

That’s why it’s exciting to see what the new hires, Kellen Moore and Vic Fangio, can bring to the table. Both are tasked with revamping their respective units, but it’s going to take the entire season to truly assess their impact as they roll out fresh schemes.

Before we get into the five Eagles players with the most to prove this season, let me clarify that this list isn’t in any particular order. These are just the players I believe we should keep a close eye on as the season kicks off.

It only makes sense to start with the guy stepping into a bigger role, especially after this morning’s news that Devin White will miss the season opener against Green Bay.

Injury Report: Eagles starting linebacker ruled OUT for season opener vs. Green Bay >>

Nakobe Dean

It’s worth noting that the consensus amongst most Eagles reporters was that Nakobe Dean had a better training camp than Devin White. Regardless, the regular season is a different animal and we are approaching “now or never” territory for the young linebacker – who hasn’t been able to stay on the field due to injuries.

The Eagles, like usual, have a weak spot at the linebacker position which makes it even more important that Nakobe Dean is playing at a high-level this season.

Vic Fangio says its hard to play defense without good linebackers – a look at the Eagles current depth chart to see if that’s possible >>

Otherwise, this defense could be as exploitable as it was last year, even with all the improvements made in the secondary.

Nakobe Dean was slated to be the #Eagles’ starting MIKE LB before the team listed Devin White on the injury report on Tuesday, NFL sources said.

Dean beat White out in training camp.

It’s’ unclear what role the Eagles had for White, if any, on defense. Nevertheless, he wasn’t… https://t.co/eZOFZNiZN4

— Jeff McLane (@Jeff_McLane) September 4, 2024

Jordan Davis

It’s time for the massive 6-foot-6, 350-pound defensive tackle to show why the team selected him in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. While he has flashed some nice run-stuffing ability, his weight, and endurance have been a massive concern and one of the reasons his production dipped last season as we got deeper into the schedule.

With that said, the 24-year-old has slimmed down and appears ready to have a big season. With this being his third year in the league, this should be considered a make-or-break year for him.

Jalen Hurts

Look, you knew it was coming. As someone who thought Jalen wasn’t anywhere near as bad as people made him seem last season, it doesn’t change the fact that the Eagles will need his play to reassemble his greatness in 2022 for the team to make another Super Bowl run.

Believe it or not, of all the players on this list, I believe Hurts is the most likely to reach these expectations, given that he has overcome and proved doubters wrong at every level of football he’s played.

Saquon Barkley

This one may be unpopular, but perhaps it’s my mental damage from the last time the Eagles paid a running back top dollar within the division.

Remember Demarco Murray? While Barkley is entirely way too talented to have a massive drop-off here in Philly, I also don’t think it’s fair to expect him to come here and lead the league in rushing, for example. The Eagles just need him to come here and be a dynamic 3-down runningback and a threat in the passing game.

That said, it doesn’t change that Howie Roseman did something entirely out of left field regarding his free agency process, as he gave Saquon a three-year $37.75 million deal. Barkley is in a perfect situation to age as a running-back and must show he’s still among the best in the league at the RB position.

Cam Jurgens/Nolan Smith

While I feel it’s not fair to expect Cam Jurgens to come in here and “replace” Jason Kelce, it doesn’t take away from how crucial his growth and development are, especially when you consider how Howie let Kelce hand-pick Jurgens coming out of the 2022 draft. There will be growing pains, but he certainly seems like both the person and player who can make a perfect center in Philadelphia.

On the flip side of the ball, there is another young player who flashed a ton of talent coming out of the 2023 draft and is also another young Eagles player who could be replacing a former all-time great in Brandon Graham. That is Nolan Smith, who never really got to flash his greatness coming out of Georgia last season. The No. 30 overall pick played in all 17 games but only played in 16% of the team’s snaps.

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