5 Philadelphia Eagles who are primed for breakout seasons in 2024

No human being has to be told how great a raise on the job or a sprinkle of good news can be. There's nothing like a bonus. Heck, if we find a five dollar bill in our pockets we're tempted to throw a party. Ahead of another season of Philadelphia Eagles football, their 92nd, we're on top of the world. There are stars everywhere and a few role players who have placed smiles on our faces.

There's a reason why we pull for castoffs, underdogs, and undrafted rookie free agents. There's something about seeing someone make good on an opportunity when you think they shouldn't. They say depth is a problem for our Birds. We say guys need to step up.

Two new coordinators... New faces... Familiar faces in expanded roles... The table is set for a few breakouts. Here are a few candidates.

Milton Williams, defensive line

No one with an opinion we respect has anything bad to say about Milton Williams. No teammate has done so. Nor has any coach. He's good when given an opportunity. Philly's problem, though it's a good one, is they have always been stocked with guys that they could put on the field ahead of him.

Javon Hargrave joined the 49ers after the 2022-2023 season, but Philly drafted Jalen Carter. Still, Fletcher Cox's retirement has opened the door some. We expect Milton to walk through it.

50 regular-season games... 12 starts... 1,345 career defensive snaps... 108 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 19 additional QB hits, five pass breakups, and a forced fumble... That's the regular-season resume. He has also added nine postseason tackles and a sack in the playoffs to Philly's cause.

This is it. This is the year. We can feel it. Cue the breakout.

Nolan Smith, EDGE

There are a lot of similarities in the Nakobe Dean and Nolan Smith stories. We know where both played their college ball. Something tells us that you have heard the story a time or two. Their pro careers have also drawn some parallels.

Both spent the majority of their rookie seasons sitting. Dean was given every opportunity to prove he was worthy of a starting job in year two. Unfortunately, he was halted by two trips to Philly's injured reserve. Smith will be given a similar opportunity in his second chapter.

Britain Covey, wide receiver

It's been fun to watch Britain Covey's come up. He's come a long way from being told he couldn't park in the team lot because security and staff didn't know who he was. He's come a long way from being treated like a crash-test dummy in year one.

Gosh some of those shots he took on those punt returns were scary looking.

Though he's listed as a wide receiver, he's only been targeted six times in two seasons (and all six of those targets came last year). Something tells us he'll be utilized in Kellen Moore's on occasion.

Zack Baun, linebacker

88 tackles... That's the extent of Zack Baun's four seasons in New Orleans. Last year's 30-tackle outburst tied a career high.

He appears to be ahead of Nakobe Dean and Jeremia Trotter as one of Philly's top two linebackers on their defensive depth chart. The guys at the second level are asked to come downhill and smack people in Vic Fangio's scheme.

Baun is going to have to show up or ship out. We believe in him. We're feeling like he's going to get the job done.

Dallas Goedert, tight end

Dallas Goedert probably won't be the first option in Philly's offensive attack. Nor will he be the second. Heck... He may not even be the third.

He's long been considered one of the better young corners in our game. He does, however, get ignored sometimes, but to never record a 1,000-yard season? Nope! He's better than that.

This year, we get the Dallas Goedert we have been waiting to see. Lets just hope he can stay healthy.