Eagles land behind 2023 playoff nonqualifiers in recent NFL roster ranking

Kellen Moore switches sides. Nick Sirianni finally lands the defensive coordinator he wanted all along. The Philadelphia Eagles coaching staff looks much better on paper than it did this time last season... or the one before that (no disrespect to Shane Steichen). We've all watched enough football to know how this works though.

A good coaching staff is only as good as its roster.

Howie Roseman has worked his magic all offseason. The free-agency haul was impressive. So was the draft class that was added in April. There have been concerns about depth, but this is a solid Eagles roster. Birds fans are dealing with something they began giving up on toward the end of last season, their expectations.

Arguments can be made that there are stars at every position. It appears, however, that ESPN believes nine NFL rosters rank higher.

The Eagles rank tenth on an NFL roster ranking done by ESPN.

If you're looking for something to read, ESPN recently ranked all 32 NFL rosters. The Eagles ranked tenth, behind the San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans, and Buffalo Bills.

Two of those teams didn't make the playoffs last season. That seems disrespectful. Then again, last season has nothing to do with the current, right? We'll see what happens when the games begin counting against win and loss totals.

This story sits behind the ESPN Plus paywall, so we won't share full quotes, but here's some of what Mike Clay, one of the writers of this one, stated while describing Philly's biggest roster weakness, off-ball linebacker:

"This is simply not a priority position for general manager Howie Roseman. A year after struggling to find players to hold down the fort, the Eagles' offseason investments included Devin White, journeyman Oren Burksand a fifth-round flier on, Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

A former first-round pick, White played a ton of snaps in five seasons with Tampa Bay but struggled badly against the run. The team will hope to get the most out of White and a healthy season from 2022 third-rounder Nakobe Dean would also provide a boost."

Honestly... We're more excited about Philly's linebacker corps than most. We're expecting a bounceback season from White. Burks and Zack Baun have a chance to be special. We aren't quite ready to give up on Nakobe Dean. We're guessing he turns the corner.

Being a good roster on paper won't guarantee the Eagles anything. There's only one way to win, and that's on the field. The Birds have a chance to be special. We believe they will be. They're definitely better than pro football's tenth-best team.

You'll see!

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