The Philadelphia Eagles are poised to once again be amongst the best teams in the NFL. They will be highly motivated heading into the 2023 regular season to not only defend their NFC Championship but take home a Super Bowl ring.
While some of the personnel will be different in 2023, the Eagles look to have one of the strongest rosters in the league once again. They are loaded with talent on both sides of the ball and many projections have them being as dominant this season as last.
Over at PFF, Sam Monson put together some bold predictions for the team for the upcoming campaign. Two of them focus on young players stepping into big voids that were created this offseason by free agent moves.
The first is that Jalen Carter, the No. 9 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft out of Georgia, will take home the Defensive Rookie of the Year award. There were a lot of analysts that believed Carter was the best prospect in this year’s draft class, but his stock dropped after an off-the-field issue during the winter.
Philadelphia, who puts on a masterclass during the draft every year with Howie Roseman running the show, had Carter fall into their laps as a result. Combined with Fletcher Cox and former Bulldogs teammate Jordan Davis, Monson believes Carter is in for a huge year.
Another former Georgia player who Monson has a bold prediction for is linebacker Nakobe Dean. A third-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Dean is set to take over a starting role on the defense after playing only 34 defensive snaps last season.
With T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White moving on in free agency, a huge void was created at the linebacker spot. Dean is ready to assume that role and Monson believes he will finish with a top-five grade at the position in 2023.
Last but not least, Monson’s final bold prediction comes on the offensive side of the ball. He believes that the offensive line will once again be the highest rated unit in the league. In 2022, the Eagles’ offensive line finished first and in the 2023 rankings, that is where they are starting.
Four out of five starters from last season are returning, as the only departure is guard Isaac Seumalo. He will be replaced by Cam Jurgens, who will be surrounded by some elite talent with Jason Kelce at center and Lane Johnson at right tackle.
