Have Philadelphia Eagles 'Lost Their Identity?' NFL Executive Responds

Some around the NFL have started to question what exactly is going on with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Mar 14, 2024; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley speaks during his introductory presser. / Kyle Ross-USA TODAY Sports

PHILADELPHIA - By NFL standards, you could set your watch to the Philadelphia Eagles. Or perhaps better stated, you could have set your watch to Jeffrey Lurie’s organization in the past.

After the stunning collapse to end the 2023 season and some uncharacteristic decisions this offseason, at least some around the league have started to question what exactly is going on in Philadelphia.

“I just don’t know who they are,” an NFL executive told The Athletic’s Mike Sando. “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 staple inside players in [Jason] Kelce and [Fletcher] 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.”

Armed with that information, SI.com's Eagles Today contacted a separate league executive to ask him about the state of the Philadelphia organization.

“I understand that sentiment,” the exec said after being texted the quote. “They are shipping out [Haason] Reddick and bringing in [Saquon] Barkley?  That’s not business as usual [for the Eagles] no matter how you spin it.

“It seems reactionary.”

For the first time in a long time, the Eagles seem somewhat disjointed to the outside world.

“Trying to mesh Nick [Sirianni] with Kellen [Moore] at the same time you’re signaling you want to simply things for the quarterback is interesting. … I think they need to get back to basics and concentrate on the [offensive and defensive] lines,” the executive told Eagles Today.

If that’s the plan, it’s a good year to do that, at least on the offensive side, according to Matt Manocherian, a former scout with the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns.

“It’s the best offensive line year I can remember,” Manocherian, now the Senior Vice President, Football & Data Analytics for Sports Info Solutions, told Eagles Today via the daily Birds 365 show. “... I think the way the Eagles look at things is the way I prefer to look at things which isn’t ‘what are our needs?’, ‘it’s how do we get more offensive and defensive linemen.’ That’s pretty much why the Eagles have been good for all this time.”

In other words, it’s time for the Eagles to get back to their foundational principles.

“Those [beliefs] happen to align this year,” Manocherian said. “I think it's it's a perfect meeting of all that stuff right now. I think the offensive linemen are excellent in the draft. I think that the Eagles have a need there and I think the Eagles want to draft there generally. 

“Generally speaking that's how they believe in building their football team.”

Manocherian said “it wouldn't shock” him if 10 offensive linemen went in the first round of the 2024 draft later this month.

That means the Eagles should be able to start the course correction by getting back to the basics at the same time they are matching evaluation with valuation on the offensive front at No. 22 overall.

That's a win-win for GM Howie Roseman and the opportunity to recapture a proven organizational identity.