The Philadelphia Eagles had every intention of changing their team dynamics beginning in 2021. They began bringing in younger players, and this season, the front office has focused on signing talent from across the league.
As the Eagles hope to top their previous 9-8 season, these three veteran starters could eventually lose their job.
EAGLES VETERAN STARTERS WHO MAY LOSE THEIR JOB
Miles Sanders
The 2022 season will be a make or break year for running back Miles Sanders — and, it’s the last one on his current contract. As a rookie in 2019, Sanders was both a rush and pass receiver. He finished with 818 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns, and 509 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns.
Sanders returned in 2020, playing in four less games, and still managed to complete 867 rushing yards. Despite the effort, in three seasons, he has yet to rush for over 1,000 yards and has missed a total of nine games due to injury. His gameplay as a pass receiver has also decreased, and he had zero touchdowns last season.
Gaining momentum on Sanders is Kenneth Gainwell who will be entering his second season in the NFL. Last season he finished with 291 rushing yards, 251 receiving yards, and six total touchdowns.
Philadelphia began their run game midway through 2021 — at the same time Sanders was injured. Though he returned healthy and was able to aid in the Eagles’ rushing lead, 2022 will be telling for his future with the Birds.
Isaac Seumalo
Isaac Seumalo is an outstanding player, but he comes with two problems. The first is injury. The guard missed half of the 2020 season with a knew injury, then missed 13 games in 2021 with a foot injury. In the offseason, Seumalo underwent two surgeries on his foot and was expecting to be back by training camp. Camp started today, Tuesday, July 26 and while he may have been present, there has been no word as of yet.
The second problem is a positional switch. Seumalo has primarily played left guard, however, with Landon Dickerson taking over that spot, Seumalo will be moving to the right. He has a lack of experience on the right, whereas Jack Driscoll started six games at this position last season. Rookie Cam Jurgens will also be battling for some playing time, since he will not be taking over for Jason Kelce at center this season.
Fletcher Cox
Fletcher Cox is a legend and will be entering his 11th season with the Philadelphia Eagles. The six-time Pro Bowler certainly has a lot to offer, but last was one of his worst performances. Over the first few weeks, he was stat-less, eventually finishing with only 3.5 sacks. This was the lowest since 2019 and 2013 the time before that.
To everyone’s surprise, Cox was also cut earlier this offseason and re-signed one day later to a one-year contract. Though this likely happened due to salary cap issues, there were rumors that he would be traded due to his gameplay and age (31).
Eventually taking over his spot will likely be Jordan Davis. Davis was selected in the first-round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Howie Roseman traded up two spots for him, so fans will likely see him take the field at some time. Davis is 6-foot-6 and 336 pounds, creating a massive presence on the field.
