The Philadelphia Eagles finished the 2020 NFL season at 4-11-1.
Despite their record, the Eagles remained in the playoff hunt until late in the season because no team in the NFC East could get above .500.
The Eagles have retooled in the offseason.
With a new coach and a trade of their franchise quarterback, the Eagles have a new perspective for 2021.
Here is the worst-case scenario for the Eagles in 2021.
They Hired the Wrong Head Coach
For all of the fans who thought Doug Pederson needed to go just three years after coaching the team to a Super Bowl Championship, this would be a crushing blow.
Nick Sirianni replaced Pederson.
He is a rookie head coach.
At 39 years old, he previously served as the Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.
Sirianni got off to a peculiar start.
Tough soundbite from Nick Sirianni's introductory press conference #FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/BJeYFzN05k
— OwnersBox (@OwnersBox) January 29, 2021
Perhaps he is more comfortable talking into a headset or working with the players on the field, and this was just a case of nerves.
His approach is certainly unique.
#Eagles HC Nick Sirianni says he played rock-paper-scissors and trash talked with draft prospects to gauge their competitiveness.
"When you compete with someone that's competitive, they're gonna go at you no matter what game you're playing."pic.twitter.com/iMUIny1X0o
— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) April 21, 2021
Make no mistake, if Sirianni can’t lead this team to a winning season, the Eagles fans will let him know with their signature Philly flair that he is failing.
They Have Wrong Starting Quarterback
Jalen Hurts is a talented quarterback.
There was not much pressure on him last season.
Wentz struggled and got benched so anything Hurts could do was an improvement.
He is still very inexperienced.
How are people so quick to judge Jalen Hurts? The dude played 4 games for the most dysfunctional quarterback room in football. There’s not a big enough sample size for anyone to say he’s good or bad, give him time and let him prove himself pic.twitter.com/F60B2ZL0FO
— z – Marial Shayok Burner 🦖 (@ProcessPhillyy) May 20, 2021
Were the Eagles a little too eager to let Wentz leave the building?
They opted to practically give Wentz to the Colts so this is most definitely Jalen Hurts’ team.
Plan B if Hurts does not develop as expected is Joe Flacco.
Flacco is a capable backup, but it is unclear at this stage of his career if he is leading a team through a 17-game regular season to the playoffs.
They Drafted The Wrong Alabama Wide Receiver
There is no shame in the Eagles game when drafting a target for Hurts.
They selected his former teammate and the current Heisman Trophy winner DeVonta Smith with the No. 10 overall pick.
Jalen Hurts says he and DeVonta Smith had late nights in college going out and throwing
Jalen says @DeVontaSmith_6 didn’t want to go party, he just wanted to work
“Competitor. He is self driven. Bringing someone in like that helps” pic.twitter.com/8Q4ySgOgTq
— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) May 19, 2021
Smith is talented but his nickname “Slim Reaper” concerns some.
He measures at 6-foot-1 and weighs 175 pounds.
How will he handle collisions with defensive players who could weigh 50 or more pounds than he does?
He is fast and may be able to dart by the tacklers or draw the offensive pass interference flags if things get physical.
The issue is that the Eagles traded their sixth overall pick to Miami.
Miami took the other talented Alabama wide receiver, Jaylen Waddle.
Waddle had an ankle injury that limited his playing time in 2020 and could turn out to be the more accomplished NFL player of the two.
This could be a doom-and-gloom picture that is completely unnecessary.
There could be a method to the madness, and the Eagles could bounce back in 2021 and find themselves winning the NFC East.
Time will tell.
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