Philadelphia Eagles: A quiet offseason has been their X-Factor

The Philadelphia Eagles have, again, handled their business quietly, and that’s a good thing.

Take a look around the league this off-season for just a few moments and you’ll see teams putting out fires. Financial fires, public-perception fires, personnel fires, and whatever Antonio Brown is doing as a member of the Oakland Raiders. The point is this. Almost every team in the league is dealing with well-documented drama heading into the 2019 season. Everyone, that is, except the Philadelphia Eagles.

Philly’s quietly become one of the league’s most talented teams heading into this season. They boast a roster of all-pros, MVP favorites, and genuinely exciting players that most teams would love to have.

They’re also a team that’s only two years out from achieving the ultimate goal of any NFL franchise, winning the Super Bowl. All of these factors would normally result in a team rife with potential contract hold outs, shifting of the coaching staff and other potential offseason nightmares, but those things haven’t affected this team.

While the offseason has seen the Eagles quietly extend franchise quarterback Carson Wentz , it’s also seen bombshell signings like Malik Jackson and the return of DeSean Jackson to the ‘City of Brotherly Love’. Howie Roseman and the front office have become synonymous for operating silently below the public eye and making team-friendly deals that give the Eagles wiggle room for both the present and future.

In the deals concerning the two guys who are named Jackson, he accomplished both of those objectives yet again, bringing back one of the franchise’s most beloved wide receivers and giving Fletcher Cox a friend who’s also an accompanying All-Pro level talent in the trenches.

One of the most headline-worthy stories to come out of Eagles training camp and their preseason this year has either been good news about new talent being acquired or unfortunate injury news that can’t be planned for. The loss of quarterback depth behind Wentz better known as the injuries to Nate Sudfeld and Cody Kessler are both minor setbacks but Roseman quickly rebounded by coaxing Josh McCown out of retirement just a week later.

Since then, Kessler’s returned, but that’s the kind of culture that’s been built in Philadelphia under the Roseman/Pederson regime. They’ve created the kind of culture that players will un-retire for.

Taking stock of the rest of the NFC East by comparison, it’s hard not to believe the Eagles have already gained a substantial edge on their rivals because of this low-key off-season. The Washington Redskins and New York Giants are both in a state of flux at the quarterback position thanks to the unfortunate injury to Alex Smith and an aging Eli Manning respectively.

The likely accelerated arrivals of rookies Dwayne Haskins and Daniel Jones may help both. Then, there’s ‘America’s Team’. The Dallas Cowboys are currently embroiled in a contract standoff worthy of a spaghetti western with their three most important offensive pieces (Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott & Amari Cooper). While each of these teams struggle to put out their fires and get their team organized for Week 1, the Eagles are a cohesive unit with no interest in the outside noise. That will prove to be their biggest x-factor heading into this season.