It's time for the Philadelphia Eagles to face an uncomfortable reality. Their dominance of the NFC, at least in its current form, may be coming to an end.
The Eagles have been defined by their core of superstars on offense in recent years. Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, Saquon Barkley, and Dallas Goedert have terrorized defenses, not to mention the most prolific offensive line in football. But many of those players could be on their way out via retirement, trades, or expiring contracts. This era of Eagles offense is aging out.
In fact, the Eagles have one of the oldest offenses in football. Per NFL analyst Ian Hartitz, Philadelphia's offense is the seventh-oldest in the league with an average age of 26.72 years. In a couple of seasons, this offense could look completely different.
Eagles' average roster age highlights closing Super Bowl window
The overall age of the roster (26.18) is near the league average, ranking 20th. But the defense (25.79) pulls the number down by a considerable amount.
Many of the oldest players on the unit are offensive linemen. Lane Johnson (age 35), Jordan Mailata (29), and Landon Dickerson (27) are all seasoned veterans. But even the skill group is older than it may seem. Hurts and Smith are the youngest of the core at 27 years old. It's time to find succession plans for many of the staples of this offense.
The Eagles are no strangers to overhauling an entire unit. They've done exactly that in the last two seasons, transforming their defense into a talented group headlined by first-contract players. Howie Roseman orchestrated a seamless transition from one era to the next.
Hopefully, he can do the same on the offensive side of the ball. If the Eagles are going to continue competing for titles, he'll need to.
Many of the defining stars on the Eagles' offense are already on their way out. Brown's trade is inevitable. Johnson pondered retirement this offseason. Goedert is likely entering his last year in Philadelphia. The unit could experience massive turnover in the next twelve months.
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As always, Roseman is a bit ahead of the curve. He spent most of his early draft capital adding young pieces to the offense. Makai Lemon and Eli Stowers could both be stars in the making. Don't be surprised if the Eagles keep using their resources on younger offensive talent. This transition could make or break the next era of Philly football.
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