The Eagles have experienced success over the last two decades, including winning a Super Bowl in 2018, despite constant change.
In the last 12 years, Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie has fired three head coaches (Andy Reid, Chip Kelly and Doug Pederson), general manager Howie Roseman has frequently remade the roster and five different quarterbacks (Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts) have started for at least a year.
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During each transition period, the Eagles relied upon center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox to unite them. The Eagles have been able to withstand different challenges because of their leadership and consistent play, so they may struggle to overcome tough times without them, now that both are retired after a combined 25 seasons in the NFL.
“There were times when I was doing my own thing in Philadelphia, being a baller, right? And I see a guy like Kelce doing everything right. I had to check myself and say, ‘Hold on, Shady. I’m doing well on the field, but I’m not doing the right habits,’” LeSean McCoy told NJ Advance Media this offseason. “And that’s the type of guy that made me change my bad habits to good habits. You need good players and good teammates around because it rubs off on each other.”
Last season, Cox and Kelce both defended coach Nick Sirianni from criticism after the Eagles lost six of their final seven games and dysfunction grew in the locker room.
This season, the Eagles are still expected to compete for a Super Bowl because they have talent at nearly every position. But to win a Super Bowl, a team can’t just rely on their talent. The best teams work hard and have good leadership. As the leaders of the Eagles’ locker room, Cox and Kelce inspired their teammates to work hard and play to a certain standard. But what now?
“It’s (going to be) really tough (to replace Jason and Fletcher),” Washington Commanders assistant linebackers coach Ryan Kerrigan, who played one season (2021) with the Eagles, told NJ Advance Media during the spring. “You can’t just say, ‘Oh, someone is a leader.’ And they are just a leader because you say they are or you want them to be. It has to be natural. Fortunately for those two guys, it was natural because they were comfortable expressing themselves, and they were really good players.”
Nobody expected Kelce to become a six-time All-Pro after the Eagles selected him in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. He was considered too small to play center. At the NFL Combine that year, he weighed just 280 pounds.
Kelce, who played most of his career at 295 pounds, overcame his size with quickness, toughness and his football IQ.
Cox, the Eagles’ 2012 first-round pick, overpowered interior offensive linemen and won with quickness, too. He finished with 519 career tackles, 70 sacks, 16 forced fumbles and 88 tackles for loss, which led to him making three All-Pro teams and six Pro Bowls.
“(Fletcher and Jason) became dinosaurs and unicorns,” Washington Commanders defensive line coach Darryl Tapp, who played three years (2010-2012) with the Eagles, told NJ Advance Media in March. “I say that because it’s very rare an NFL athlete gets to start and finish their career in one place. It’s very rare when an athlete in this day and age has a career that lasts over seven years. So they have accomplished both of those feats.”
Tapp, who was hired by the Commanders in February, is glad that he doesn’t have to game plan for Kelce anymore.
As the former assistant defensive line coach of the San Francisco 49ers, Tapp has played against Kelce three times (two regular-season games and the 2023 NFC Championship Game) since 2021.
“He is all you prepare for,” Tapp said. “I truly believe that Jason (was) probably the most important person on that offense. You can call me crazy. But having that chance to go against him the last three years, he is the guy who makes this whole operation work because he can read defenses. … He made everything work seamlessly.”
What’s next
Roseman has already drafted replacements for Cox and Kelce.
In 2022, Roseman selected defensive tackle Jordan Davis in the first round and center Cam Jurgens in the second round. Then, he chose defensive tackle Jalen Carter in the first round last spring.
As a rookie, Jurgens was the team’s backup center. Then, he started at right guard last season. Once Kelce retired, he became the starting center.
Carter and Davis are both ready to play more. As a tandem last season, they destroyed some interior offensive lines.
“Yeah, I take that responsibility,” Carter said last month about being the leader of the Eagles’ defensive line room. “I got a lot of people looking up to me. I got my whole family looking up to me and wanting to see me do good. I know I got a lot of weight on my shoulder. It’s no pressure. Been like this all my life. Football is the sport that I love. I’ll just keep grinding and keep getting better every day.”
Milton Williams, who is only 25, is the team’s oldest defensive tackle. Even though the group is young, Carter said they call each other out when mistakes are made.
“It’s me and (Jordan Davis),” Carter said about the vocal leaders of the defensive line room. “I feel like JD just got that good energy. He’s a good guy to listen to on and off the field (about) advice and stuff like that.”
In June, Davis said “nobody’s coming to save us” when he was asked about Cox’s departure. He repeated that same message last week.
When defensive tackle Thomas Booker spoke to reporters on Wednesday, he explained that Davis has influenced the group’s mindset.
“When JD breaks down our huddle before we go out to practice, there is always like an energy and a fervor that kind of gets passed down to everyone,” Booker said.
The defensive tackles have to communicate more with the linebackers and edge rushers this season. Last week, Carter emphasized that point to his teammates.
Davis believes Philadelphia’s defense can be unstoppable if they do that.
‘I don’t see a drop-off’
The Eagles’ offensive line could also be dominant. Lane Johnson and Jordan Mailata are one of the best tackle duos in the league, and left guard Landon Dickerson is one of the best players at his position. Mekhi Becton, who will play right guard this season, is the only new starter.
Jurgens has to play well to make everything work.
“I don’t see a drop-off,” Josh Sweat said about the offensive line without Kelce. “It looks like it’s functioning exactly how they want. It looks good to me.”
The Eagles have avoided making comparisons between Jurgens and Kelce. Last month, Johnson said that Jurgens is not trying to be like Kelce.
Dickerson said Jurgens has done a tremendous job of communicating and setting the standard of how things are supposed to be done in the huddle.
Hurts also has a lot of confidence in Jurgens.
“He stepped up for us in big moments and played hard for us last year,” Hurts said in July. “He’s been ready. He’s ready to lead that offensive line room. I know those guys are going to lean on him.”
Last season, Philadelphia’s offensive line made the “tush push” difficult to stop. They have always been able to overpower teams in the run-and-pass game.
If Jurgens struggles in pass protection or run blocking, that could change.
In past years, Cox elevated the Eagles’ defensive line because he put pressure on quarterbacks. After trading edge rusher Haason Reddick this offseason, the Eagles’ pass rush could struggle if Carter doesn’t dominate the way Cox used to.
In recent years, the Eagles’ front office has drafted and added players with character concerns because their veterans built a strong culture. That strategy could change as the team gets younger.
Defensive end Brandon Graham is expected to retire after the 2024 season, his 15th in Philadelphia. In a few years, Johnson could also retire.
“You can only take so many wild cards or take so many risks when you don’t have the kind of infrastructure to be able to keep things from going off the rails,” ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who spent six seasons (2008-2013) in the Eagles’ front office, told NJ Advance Media this offseason. “The more green, the more inexperienced, the more developmental your football team is, the less risks you can take. They may be having to sacrifice talent for dependability. …
“Now, you might not be able to take as many flyers when you don’t have stalwarts like Fletcher and Jason in there who can say, ‘This is how we do s*** here. This is how we roll. You’re not in college anymore. You’re not living off your NIL money and hanging out at the local student union and going to frat parties.’ This is the pros.’ When you don’t have guys that can disseminate that message, it gets a little dicier.”
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Cayden Steele may be reached at CSteele@njadvancemedia.com
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