Jalen Hurts' Philadelphia Eagles 'Lost Their Identity!' Claims Anonymous NFL Executive

Despite another offseason of aggressive upgrades so far, one anonymous NFL executive believes the Philadelphia Eagles have lost their identity.

Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts during the / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Following a disappointing end to last season for the Philadelphia Eagles, where they lost six of their final seven games, they knew changes needed to be made. Obviously, those changes began with coach Nick Sirianni moving on from both coordinators, as he hired Kellen Moore to take over the offense from Brian Johnson and Vic Fangio to relieve Sean Desai. 

Then came changes on the roster as the Eagles signed one of the top edge rushers in free agency, Bryce Huff, while also landing former Penn State and New York Giants star running back Saquon Barkley. Both of these are big additions for an Eagles team that still has many players from the team that made it to the Super Bowl two seasons ago. 

However, while another aggressive offseason from Howie Roseman has fans excited to see the team bounce back, his fellow executives around the league are seemingly not as high on them. A recent article from The Atheltic’s Mike Sando revealed that one anonymous executive feels the Eagles lost their “identity.” 

“I just don’t know who they are,” one anonymous executive said of the Eagles. “I think they lost their identity and lost their confidence. Teams say they want to build from the inside out, but you lost your two staples inside players in Kelce and Cox. Not only that, but those two guys were the culture guys. You lose those guys in a year when the head coach already has his back against the wall; I don’t see it ending well.”

Jan 15, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) reacts during the / Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The retirement of both Cox and Kelce cannot be understated. Not only from a player standpoint, as both are likely to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame eventually, but as the executive said they set the tone as leaders. This begs the question of who fills the void. 

Judging by recent comments from Sirianni, leadership was part of the reason they signed Barkley. 

“As much as we see him, all the highlights that we see on the tape—from my understanding and all of our homework—he's a good leader and teammate, as well,” Sirianni said. “To be able to add that to our locker room, not only the playmaking ability but the person, is really important.”

How the Eagles plan to replace the retired duo's on-field talents is a fair question, considering the Eagles’ offensive line has been in the conversation for being the league’s best over the last two seasons. The same likely could be said of the defensive line. However, that is also partly due to the talent they have stockpiled. 

Even without Cox and Reddick, the Eagles still have three former first-round picks upfront defensively, including Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith. They also managed to re-sign Josh Sweat and the crowned elder statesman Brandon Graham for what will be his final season. Meanwhile, they signed Huff in free agency to help fill the void of Reddick off the edge.