When the Philadelphia Eagles shocked the world by beating the Patriots in Super Bowl 52, the fanbase was unified in believing that the team could easily run it back, and that going from underdogs to champions with a target on their backs would be an easy transition. That proved not to be the case, with the team falling apart due to a variety of reasons over the next two seasons. However, in 2025, the Birds look much better-positioned to avoid those treacherous roads and return to the NFC Championship game and beyond.
No matter how you slice it, the 2018 season was a disaster. From the bumpy return and rapid unravelling of Carson Wentz as a quarterback, to a total rift between players in the locker room, and a sense of coaching arrogance that forced a fracture between what the staff wanted to implement and what actually could be.
A selfless coaching staff
Nick Sirianni has taken his fair share of criticism on his road to a Lombardi Trophy, but one thing he can’t be discredited for is his selflessness. Recognizing that his play-calling may well have hurt the team at times in 2023, he turned the reins over to new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore one season later. At the time, this was just the fuel that critics needed. ‘He’s a glorified cheerleader’, some said, while others were quick to pick at his animated sideline emotions in contrast to the composure shown by Jalen Hurts. But when all was said and done, his decision to step away from play-calling played a key role in the Super Bowl run.
On defense, we saw Vic Fangio take the role as defensive coordinator following two failed attempts at implementing variations of his scheme. This, again, was met with a lot of negative noise. Fangio was coming off of a poor stint with Miami in terms of optics, with several players quick to speak out after his departure.
What the Eagles showed was that it’s simply a case of finding the right players who are willing to learn in Fangio’s very rigid and unique style of coaching. Which brings us onto the second building block.
The Eagles are building from the right foundations
The Eagles also now have a much stronger leadership core. Gone are the days of ‘Alshonymous’ sources and tumultuous offseason’s. They’ve been replaced by an infusion of young players who bring one or a few of some key traits to the table. Some come from winning programs like Georgia, while most bring a history of captaining their collegiate teams, and a few have links to current players on the team. This push to find the right people first (DeVonta Smith) over the right schematic players (Jalen Reagor) has not only pushed the Eagles into a much stronger position on the field, but off of it too.
It’s one thing to battle through adversity, but to not lose yourself in ‘the sauce’ following an outburst of success is just as important, and the Eagles have already proven that they’re well-equipped to handle both scenarios.
The roster is much stronger
The Eagles lost several key players following their Super Bowl season, and while that did too occur this past offseason, the roster is much deeper now. With conveyor belts at each position fielding young, developmental talents on rookie contracts, the Eagles are now happy to let players like Milton Williams go after extracting the maximum from a very affordable contract. Instead of overpaying to keep a now highly-sought after player, they opt to draft players who can one day fill those cleats, such as Ty Robinson (4th round selection whereas Milton was a 3rd).
Focusing on not just finding value in the heart of the draft, but maximizing it and finding contingency plans for if those decisions don’t pan out has ensured the Eagles enjoy a sustained rise to the top of the NFL hierarchy and one look at their contract table is all it takes to see that they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.
Far from over
Without looking at the obvious – a superstar running back, an offense contracted for the next few years, and a slew of rising stars on defense, it’s clear that the Eagles’ path to Super Bowl success wasn’t just a fluke, and if anything, that Howie Roseman and co. have learned from their previous mistakes to make sure that this is more than just a Super Bowl window – it’s now the standard.
Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
