San Francisco 49ers Opponent Breakdown: Philadelphia Eagles

The 49ers will face the Eagles during Week 4. Here's what 49ers need to know about the Eagles.

The Eagles and 49ers both enter the 2020 season with immense expectations of making a Super Bowl run. After spending Weeks 2 and 3 in New York, the 49ers are set to host Weeks 4-7 at Levi's stadium.

Facing off in the first month against the Eagles looks to be the 49ers' biggest test early on as they are one of the more talented teams in the NFC.

Here is the fourth installment of the 49ers opponent breakdown as they face off against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4:

Philadelphia Eagles

2019 Record: 9-7, first place in the NFC East

2019 Meetings with 49ers: N/A

Season in Review: Heading into the 2019 season, the Eagles were considered by most a Super-Bowl-contending team. Injuries quickly made that impossible, as they dropped four of their first seven contests to start the season. Soon thereafter, the Eagles played the Patriots and Seahawks in which they lost in back-to-back weeks. A playoff appearance felt out of reach, but quarterback Carson Wentz rallied the troops and won the last four games of the season to clinch a playoff berth. In the Wildcard round, they experienced a first-round exit against the Seattle Seahawks after Josh McCown was forced into the game to replace an injured Wentz.

Key Additions: WR Marquise Goodwin, DT Javon Hargrave, CB Darius Slay, CB Nickell Robey-Coleman

The Eagles did well for themselves in adding two key pieces in their secondary. The additions of Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman provide them with a bonafide No.1 cornerback and a starting nickel corner. Recently, the Eagles have had to piece together their cornerback corps due to injuries and a lack of production. Given the repertoire that these two cornerbacks have, the team now appears to be in good hands when matching up against prominent pass-heavy teams.

The addition of Javon Hargrave went a little under the radar this offseason. But, truth be told, Hargrave is better than advertised. Penciling in Hargrave alongside one of the better defensive fronts in the NFL with Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham getting after the quarterback, Hargrave could be destined for a career year.

Key Departures: RB Jordan Howard, OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, CB Ronald Darby, S Malcolm Jenkins

After just one season in which Jordan Howard backed up Miles Sanders in Philadelphia, he became a free agent and joined the Miami Dolphins backfield, causing a sizable vacancy to the depth of their running back department. The Eagles are now set to use a combination of Corey Clement and Boston Scott to fill Howard's void.

The loss of Halapoulivaati Vaitai comes after he spent four years along the Eagles offensive line where he was used primarily in a swing tackle role. Vaitai agreed to a multi-year contract with the Detroit Lions where he could see a more extensive role as a full-time starter, marking the first time in his NFL career. 

The loss of Ronald Darby might feel big initially but, after factoring in the players the Eagles added in free agency such as Slay and Robey-Coleman, they actually upgraded at cornerback. 

However, losing Malcolm Jenkins to the New Orleans Saints takes away a leader in the locker room and a two-time Pro Bowl player in the secondary. Jenkins is arguably the team's biggest loss, but the Eagles did upgrade at other positions during free agency which could help balance out this loss.

Notable 2020 Draft Picks: WR Jalen Reagor, QB Jalen Hurts

The Eagles wide-receiver group has been a revolving door the past few seasons. They’ve had talent at the position, but the injury bug has hit that part of their roster particularly hard.

Drafting Jalen Reagor in Round 1 caught many by surprise after LSU’s Justin Jefferson was still on the board and had been mocked to the Eagles by multiple draft experts for what felt like the entire scouting process. Despite the surprise pick, Reagor exhibits first-round traits with his short and compact frame, using his fast-twitch ability to work well in the slot alignment. Reager is projected to pencil in alongside Alshon Jeffrey and DeSean Jackson as one of their three starting wide receivers.

Similar to the team’s first-round selection, quarterback Jalen Hurts was also a surprising pick for the Eagles. They're a team with a talented roster that has a vision of making a deep playoff run. With that said, drafting a backup quarterback in Round 2 won’t do much of anything, at least initially, to help put them over the top in the NFC. However, general manager Howie Rossman had other ideas and his mindset could actually turn out to be brilliant down the road. Wentz already has a long list of injury concerns just over his young four-year career, so providing him with a competent backup isn’t the worst thing if Wentz presumably goes down once again.

Prognosis: The Eagles upgraded at their two biggest areas of concern, cornerback and wide receiver. When healthy, the Eagles have one of the best rosters in the NFC but injuries have constantly diminished the team's success as of late. Adding Reagor, Hargrave, Slay and Robey-Coleman upgrade both sides of the ball as these four should all pencil in as Day 1 starters. Anything less than double-digit wins and another trip to the playoffs would be a letdown. The biggest question entering the 2020 season consists of how the Eagles offensive line will hold up -- they're already shorthanded as Pro Bowl guard Brandon Brooks, recently tore his Achilles and will miss the entire season.