Philadelphia Eagles midseason positional grades for the offense

Talk about firepower! Eight games into the Philadelphia Eagles season, Jalen Hurts‘ 107.8 passer rating ranks him among the NFL’s best starting signal-callers. Now, once we wrap the ninth week of action in the NFL, we can talk about where he stacks league-wide, but either way, that’s what we’ve been looking for. How’s that for taking the next step forward?

The Eagles’ offense as whole, is also among the NFC’s best teams in terms of first-down conversions, total touchdowns, and average scoring margin. They’re also protecting the football.

Hurts’ two interceptions on the season are proof that no starting QB that has led his team in every game has been better at protecting the football when airing it out. Philly has been both efficient and fun to watch.

With eight games behind us and eight wins to discuss as a result, we have a pretty good idea about where this team is. After reviewing the tape and rewatching each game, we decided to hand out some grades. Here’s a position-by-position look at the Eagles’ offense with nine games to go on the campaign.

There isn’t much to complain about with this Philadelphia Eagles offensive attack.

There’s a great chance that the Philadelphia Eagles will lose their offensive coordinator, Shane Steichen, at this season’s end. Thanks to the jump we’ve seen from Jalen Hurts and the acclaim that this unit has earned league-wide, his star is burning brightly and his name is being tossed around in some high-profile circles.

Offense

Jalen Hurts is a legitimate MVP candidate. The O-line is the best in the business. Exceptional skill players are everywhere. Let’s grade Philly’s vaunted offense.

Quarterbacks: A+

(Jalen Hurts, Gardner Minshew, Ian Book)

As great as the Eagles’ offense has been, one has to ask if they’d be equally as proficient if QB1 missed extended time and Gardner Minshew was forced into action. We know he can win games, and Jalen has been sturdy which means this may be a meaningless conversation anyway. For now, we’ll give Philly an A+ at the game’s most important position.

Running backs: B+

(Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Kenneth Gainwell, Trey Sermon)

Find some wood, and give it a knock. Miles Sanders hasn’t endured any significant injuries. That’s a great thing. Past him, the Birds seem void of a true workhorse. We think Trey Sermon can satisfy that need, but the coaching staff seems unwilling to give him extended playing time.

So far, none of this has affected the Eagles’ offensive negatively, and we like Boston Scott and Kenneth Gainwell. With that being said, we’ll give the tailbacks a grade of above average (B+).

Wide receivers: A+

One of the NFL’s high-profile positions, the Eagles brass has done all that they can to bolster the team’s wide receiver corps by adding A.J. Brown and Zach Pascal while wisely moving on from Jalen Reagor and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside. The results have been extraordinary.

Tight Ends: B+

(Dallas Goedert, Jack Stoll, Grant Calcaterra, Tyree Jackson?)

Dallas Goedert is an A+ tight end and the glue that holds this unit together. Grant Calcaterra seems talented, but like Trey Sermon, he doesn’t play often. Jack Stoll is an exceptional blocker, but he probably won’t grow into much more beyond that. Meanwhile, Tyree Jackson has been injured and figures to return to the roster at some point. Still, it’s unfair to grade him based on the sample size.

Tackles: A+

(Jordan Mailata, Andre Dillard, Lane Johnson, Jack Driscoll)

Has anyone else noticed that Jordan Mailata’s shoulder still seems to be giving him some issues? He might deal with some discomfort all season, but even with that being said, he’s still evolving into one of the NFL’s best left tackles.

Andre Dillard has gotten better and is a nice second option should anything happen to the starter. Jack Driscoll could start for quite a few other teams. Do we even need to discuss how great Lane Johnson is?

Guards: A

(Landon Dickerson, Isaac Seumalo, Sua Opeta, Josh Sills)

Landon Dickerson always seems to be hampered by some sort of injury, but each week, he shows intestinal fortitude and battles his way onto the field. Isaac Seumalo is criminally underrated. Sua Opeta has proven he can hold the fort down when called into action.

In terms of theories on how we should grade Josh Sills, here’s what we’ll say. We don’t know much about him outside of what he did at the NCAA level. We were admittedly shocked when he made the initial 53-man roster. However, the best O-line coach on Planet Earth, Jeff Stoutland, loves him and says he can play multiple positions, so doggone it, that’s good enough for us.

Centers: A+

(Jason Kelce, Cam Jurgens)

We’ve all come to the realization that Jason Kelce won’t play forever even if we feel like he could if he wanted to. He’s been his usual consistent self despite being a year younger. Meanwhile, his backup, Cam Jurgens figures to be another of the Eagles’ great offensive linemen once Jason hangs up the cleats and rides off into the sunset.