3 nightmare scenarios for the Eagles in 2024

Last season, the Philadelphia Eagles began the year 10-1. Things were going great. The team looked unstoppable.

Then, Philly ended the season on a nightmarish downfall, losing five of their final six and stumbling into the postseason.

Going into the 2024 campaign, fans are hoping to not only see a fast start, but for the Eagles to finish the job and make a run. However, there is always a chance of things going horribly wrong. Aside from anything catastrophic, there are a few ways the Eagles could realistically see their season derailed.

Teams figure out a way to stop the 'tush push'

As of right now, the Eagles aren't in danger of the NFL outlawing their 'tush push' play. Thankfully, they'll still be able to execute it whenever they so choose. However, opponents are now in the midst of another full offseason where they can try to game-plan against it.

It seems almost impossible to stop, right now, but what happens if teams figure it out? Remember, at one point, the Wildcat formation seemed too good to be able to stop, and teams figured it out. In due time, teams will figure out how to stop the 'new hotness,' so to speak. Do the Eagles have other plans if this play is somehow stymied in the near future?

Eagles part with James Bradberry, rookie corners struggle

At the moment, the Eagles have been trying cornerback James Bradberry out at safety. With rookies Cooper DeJean and Quinyon Mitchell now in Philly, Bradberry looks like the odd man out, because Darius Slay isn't going anywhere.

Now, there have also been rumors of the Eagles potentially trading or releasing Bradberry. If the team opts to go that route, they'll be relying heavily on a pair of rookie corners. Of course, we want to believe both Mitchell and DeJean end up to be great players. But, it could either take time before we see that come to pass, or there is always the possibility one or the other do not live up to expectations.

In the spirit of worst-case scenarios, both rookies struggle and the Eagles' pass defense continues to be a weak point.

Saquon Barkley suffers an injury

We never want to speak injuries into existence, but the history of Saquon Barkley needs to be acknowledged. Barkley plays a position that sees players hit a wall in a hurry, and his injury history isn't exactly spot-free.

Barkley has suffered major injuries during his career, and while he's been able to play 30 of a possible 34 games over the past two seasons, he is a guy with nearly 1,500 career touches, entering Year 7. There is no world where the Eagles should be counting on a healthy Barkley for 17 games.

If anything happened to Barkley, the Eagles would be relying on either Kenneth Gainwell or rookie Will Shipley.