It’s getting tense. We’re now heading into the nitty and gritty part of this ranking. This is the heart of the roster. The guys who played a key role, one way or another, in the Eagles’ 2019 season. If you’re new to the series, you can catch up on the rankings so far here:
29 Cre’Von LeBlanc
Ah, the Captain. He missed a huge chunk of the season due to a Lisfranc injury, but that performance against the Giants will go down as one of the best by an Eagles corner all season, and it came in a must-win spot. For that, LeBlanc pushes himself into the top 30.
28 Alshon Jeffery
In the grand scheme of things, his 490 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns were quite significant. It was disappointing by anyone’s standards, but he had his moments. However, all of that is overshadowed by the absolute shambles surrounding his character and the whole ‘Alshonymus’ saga. The sooner that era comes to an end, the better.
27 Avonte Maddox
Maddox definitely regressed after a sensational rookie season and suffering the bone-chilling collision against Green Bay only added to his 2019 woes. He came back and flashed some nice potential down the stretch and did raise his tackling production from his rookie campaign which was nice to see.
26 Nelson Agholor
Aggy gets a spot higher than Alshon Jeffery purely because he wasn’t a locker room burden. It’s marginal, and there was so much meat left on the bone that it almost hurts seeing an entire dish going to waste. Hopefully a fresh start will do him the world of good, but it was clear early on in the season that his tenure in Philadelphia was coming to an end.
25 Josh McCown
He may have only played in one game, keeping the Eagles kicking and screaming in the postseason loss to Seattle, but his impact off the field was tremendous. If you haven’t seen ‘All or Nothing’ yet, now’s the best time to watch it. McCown was aiding Doug Pederson throughout his stint with the team and quickly became a mentor for many of the younger guys. His energy was infectious and he definitely has a career as an NFL coach ahead of him when he wishes to open that door.
24 Boston Scott
Everyone’s favorite ballerina who broke ankles against the Giants. The Boston Scott breakout was one we predicted long ago here at PSN, but that only made it sweeter. Scott became a swiss-army knife for Carson Wentz, posing a threat as both a runner and a receiver, with confidence building throughout the campaign. He should have established a role as a change of pace back as a result.
23 Vinny Curry
Curry’s return made a lot of sense, but not much changed since his first stint with the team. The Eagles knew the player they were getting and were able to sign him to a much cheaper deal than the last one they gave him, but his production still lacked. Curry was always able to bake the cake but struggled to put the cherry on top and that was the same in 2019. Alas, he still posted a fairly strong season and doubled his sack total of 2018, which can only be seen as a step forward.
22 Jordan Howard
Had he not missed half a season with a phantom stinger injury, Howard would’ve been a top-15 placing. Averaging a career-high YPC, the former Chicago Bear was an integral cog in Pederson’s offense, and who can forget his hat-trick against the Packers? In fairness, had he not gone down, Miles Sanders would likely never have exploded into life. Howard was an important piece of the puzzle in 2019, but his injury stung in more ways than one.
21 Andre Dillard
I don’t think anyone can fault Dillard’s rookie season. Outside of the game where he was thrown to the wolves at right tackle, he played really well. His games against Chicago and Buffalo in place of Jason Peters were outstanding and painted a picture of what we could expect in years to come. The potential is high.
20 Halapoulivaati Vaitai
For what felt like the millionth time, Big-V bailed out the Eagles offensive line when injuries struck. He wasn’t flashy, he wasn’t incredible, but he was solid. Solid enough to earn a 5-year deal worth $50M in Detroit. Vaitai earned that. He kept the offensive line chugging along as he always has, and he’ll be missed in 2020.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
