2016 is not a rebuilding year for the Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are not rebuilding in 2016, but rather reorganizing.

This is a notion that is mocked by most big media outlets, but it’s not that crazy. When you take an in-depth look at the Eagles’ offense and defense, you find that this team has talent. And a lot of it.

Enough that could push them into the hunt for the playoffs. With a rookie coach and some new players at important positions, it’s easy to question them. However, I quickly debunked any “evidence” that the Eagles are rebuilding.

Offense: 

When looking at the offense, the offensive line is easily the most upgraded. They added two veterans who can come in and solidify the two guard spots. Brandon Brooks will take over the right guard position and could form the best RG/RT combo with Lane Johnson. That is huge for the Eagles, who were dealing with injuries and awful play at the RG position last year. Stefan Wisinewski could take over the left guard spot for Allen Barbre who has dreadful last season. Rookie Isaac Seumalo could also compete for the spot. Bringing in new faces was needed after the offensive line was underperforming.

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The quarterback position has been the most talked about, and for good reason. Even with all of the controversy, the Eagles are in good hands with Sam Bradford. Bradford was shaky in OTAs and minicamp, but his previous rapport with Jordan Matthews and Zach Ertz will do wonders. They’re the three most important players on the offense, and their chemistry is very important. Especially with all of them learning a new offense. They’ll need to perform well if the Eagles are going to be successful.

The skill position group is the one to be most concerned with, but even that has potential. Ertz is already regarded as a top 5 tight end by PFF, and Jordan Matthews almost eclipsed 1,000 yards in his second year as a pro. Ryan Mathews and Darren Sproles will also contribute, Sproles more so in the passing game. Running back and wide receiver are areas of concern, but Doug Pederson got the most out of guys such as Chiefs running back Charcandrick West, and Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson.

Defense:

The defense was dreadful last year.

Like, really bad.

However, like the offense, there’s potential there at every position. I’d be very surprised if they didn’t do a whole turnaround and land in the top 15 overall. Most in part due to new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Schwartz is considered one of the best defensive minds in football and he has the right personnel to improve the defense.

The defensive line has been the only steady unit on the defense in the past few years. But their performance has slid a little. Some of the blame can be put on Chip Kelly and his uptempo offense. The constant three and outs took a huge toll in the defense.

Still, it’s loaded with talent. Bennie Logan and Fletcher Cox will hold down the two tackle positions, which will make it hard for any team to run on them.

The pass rush should be better, too. Brandon Graham and Vinny Curry are in the perfect scheme with the perfect coordinator. Curry could finally break out this year, and we could see Graham’s sack total sky rocket. Cox totaled 9.5 sacks in a role that had him opening up holes for other people. Imagine him in a scheme that will allow him to be more of a pass rusher.

The secondary could be much better, with a pair of safeties that were both ranked in the top ten in the top ten by PFF. Eric Rowe performed very well in his five starts last year and could be a budding star if he develops right. The CB2 spot will be fought for, between Leodis McKelvin and Nolan Carroll. McKelvin probably has the edge, because of his familiarity with Schwartz and the scheme.

Those two are a major upgrade over what they were dealing with last year. Byron Maxwell did not live up to his contract, and Carroll fell off before he was injured. They’ll need the secondary to be better.

Mychal Kendricks, Jordan Hicks, and Nigel Bradham will most likely lock down the three linebacker spots. Hicks was a stud last year. Mychal Kendricks will need to perform better, however. The Eagles need a bounce back year from him. Nigel Bradham tallied over 100 tackles in his only year with Jim Schwartz.

After diving into the roster, you find there’s plenty of talent to compete in the NFC East. They went 7-9 with a lesser roster. They can top that record this year, but it all depends on the new faces and the new personnel surrounding them.