Since Nick Sirianni took over as head coach in 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles have had more of a laid-back approach to off-season workouts.
That isn’t to say that the team has thrown away the importance of practice in its entirety, but the belief that working out before training camp is important is no longer a thought in the halls of the Novacare Complex. And it’s an idea that is unique across the rest of the NFL.
The New York Jets are the only other team in the NFL this offseason that has canceled their mandatory session along with Philadelphia. Their main reasoning was that the team starts training camp before every other organization with their participation in the Hall-of-Fame preseason game in August. Sirianni’s crew does not have that same excuse.
Wise move by the Eagles?
So why has the team canceled their minicamp again? Just how beneficial is it to an organization that is getting younger across the board?
In reality, you just have to look at last season to show the merit of Philadelphia’s thoughts. The Eagles were one of the healthiest teams at the midway point of the 2022 season, a strong reason why they started 8-0. With the entire roster at their disposal, the Birds continued to dominate early in the year. That total ended up faltering later in the year as players sustained key injuries at times, but on the whole, the team was relatively healthy throughout the entire season.
Philadelphia has also been bitten by the workout injury bug throughout team history. In 2020, Brandin Brooks suffered an Achilles injury during private workouts in June that arguably cost him the rest of his career. It may have been away from the facility, but it shows the importance of being with the team and the trainers that are careful to make sure the team is healthy going into the new season.
The Eagles have one of the most talented teams in the NFL going into the 2023 season. Against what is expected to be the hardest schedule in the NFL this season, making sure they have their top talents available is a key focus for Philadelphia this offseason.
It’s how they have made the playoffs the last two seasons, and how they expect to make another deep playoff run again this year.
Playoff runs can only work if you’re best players are available and the Eagles have learned that in droves over the years.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
