Time to find your friends in K Lot, practice your spelling of our national bird and build your entire weekend around a group of 53 people wearing matching shirts.
The Birds are back, baby. The team starts the season today in New England facing off against the Patriots before storming the Linc for the home opener Sept. 14 vs. Minnesota Vikings.
Most Philadelphians are Eagles fans on some level or another.
Some people still remember their exact take on the Dennis Kelly-Dorial Green-Beckham trade. Some don’t know player names but still get revved up for tailgates and game-watching parties Other just want to throw on the new Kelly Green jerseys and enjoy their Sundays. And some simply like the feeling of citywide camaraderie.
Fall in the latter groups, or know someone who does? We’ve got you covered with the casual fan’s guide to the 2023-2024 Philadelphia Eagles.
Last year’s Super Bowl run was fun, should I expect another?
Yes.
History would tell you no. There hasn’t been a Super Bowl losing team from the National Football Conference (NFC) that returned to the biggest stage in the following season since the Minnesota Vikings in 1974.
However, history doesn’t know this team.
Franchise QB. Loaded roster. Lackluster conference competition. If the Eagles are healthy, they are entirely able to get back to the championship.
What could stop that run?
Outside of the previously mentioned health caveat, there are some other question marks to be addressed.
The defense has a lot of young players that are expected to take a step forward. Second-year players Nakobe Dean and Reed Blankenship are expected to step forward and lead the defense.
The Eagles coaching staff also has a number of new faces. Most consequential? New coordinators on both sides of the ball will be something to watch, as Brian Johnson handles the offense and Sean Desai handles the defense.
Bonus point: Mention to people that you’re concerned about the punter.
How about that quarterback?
Preseason last year, quarterback Jalen Hurts was being called a “polarizing figure.” Not anymore.
Hurts became one of the biggest stories of the National Football League’s 2022 season, breaking out as an MVP candidate and leading the Eagles to the Super Bowl.
The offseason brought a lucrative new contract extension, a brand deal with Jordan and a continued focus on what matters.
Oh, and you need to read this story about his relationship with a local restaurant and his signature cheesesteak (we tried it; pretty good).
Does Jason Kelce deserve a statue at City Hall?
Start funding it now.
There’s bartending down the shore for a good cause. The Christmas album with his fellow offensive lineman, also for a good cause. His hilarious podcast with his brother, Travis.
And now, courtesy of Amazon, we’re getting a behind the scenes look at last season from his point of view.
Cherish his Super Bowl-winning career while you can, there will never be another like him.
What other veteran players should I know?
Wide receivers AJ Brown and Devonta Smith combine to form one of the best one-two punches in the entire National Football League. The duo has helped Hurts take the next step and have already begun rewriting the Eagles history books.
Extra point: Brown went live on Instagram after getting his wisdom teeth taken out and Smith was in the comments section.
Tight end Dallas Goedert is a top-five player at his position in the league. Had he not gotten injured last season, he would have set career highs in receptions and receiving yards.
Edge rusher Haason Reddick returned to the Philadelphia area, signed with his hometown team in 2022 and immediately put on a show. Last season, the former Temple Football star had the most sacks by an Eagle (16) since Jason Babin’s breakout 2011 season in which Babin recorded 18 sacks.
Quarterbacks beware, that’s just the beginning for him.
Defensive linemen Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox are both still here, despite their ability to leave in free agency last spring.
Graham enjoyed a resurgent 2022, returning to form after an Achilles injury robbed him of most of 2021. As for Cox, he found his form later in the season and will have the pressure of leading a young defensive tackle group this year.
Cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry also remain in midnight green, even though it looked like either could have been moved in the offseason. Some outlets have ranked the cornerback duo as one of the top-two units in the league.
Extra point: Don’t call him Darius, his name is Slay.
Which newcomers could become breakout stars?
Running back D’Andre Swift returns to the city that he grew up in with a chance to play in an incredibly explosive offense. The St. Joe’s Prep grad was traded to the Eagles on the second day of the NFL Draft and figures to slot in as one of the team’s top running backs.
Defensive tackle Jalen Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith are a pair of rookies that no one dreamed could both possibly be Eagles due to how highly the two were regarded going into the draft.
Carter may have gone with the top overall pick, but concerns stemming from a fatal car accident during his time at Georgia caused him to fall to the ninth pick.
As for Smith, it appeared to be that teams were not willing to spend a first round pick on an undersized pass rusher. Despite his size, he profiles like a young Haason Reddick. Not bad.
What is a ‘BirdDog’?
When the Eagles drafted a pair of players from the University of Georgia in 2022, it seemed like they were wisely selecting players from one of the best defenses in college football.
When they drafted three players from the University of Georgia this year and traded for another one during draft weekend, it became a bit of a phenomenon.
It didn’t take long for the fan base to combine Georgia’s nickname of the Bulldogs with the classic “Birds” nickname and create some merch.
Plus, there was already a food truck tour and more alternate t-shirt designs for the Georgia (and Alabama) players on the team.
What conversation starters will make me look smart?
“Boy, that CJ Gardner Johnson is something else…huh?”
Former Eagles safety CJ Gardner Johnson was a fan favorite last season and poised to sign a new contract with the team this offseason.
Then some hurt feelings and a few social media tirades later, he was wrapping up his offseason as a Detroit Lion and calling Philly fans “obnoxious” on a livestream.
“Can you believe Marcus Mariota is actually an Eagle?”
If you stopped paying attention to the Eagles in the spring of 2015, the last thing you may remember is former Eagles head coach Chip Kelly pining for Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.
If that sentence made no sense to you, congratulations on a blissful existence.
Basically, the Eagles nearly traded a lot in order to draft Mariota in 2015, but didn’t. Kelly was fired less than a year later. Mariota is now the Eagles’ backup quarterback.
“I hate the Sodfather with a burning passion”
If you tuned out as soon as the Eagles lost the Super Bowl, you may have missed the uproar over the disastrous field at the Super Bowl and the realization that the head groundskeeper works for the Chiefs.
This conversation will elicit some anger, so be prepared.
What’s the story with the head coach?
Eagles’ head coach Nick Sirianni elevated himself last year.
After a well-received opening act in 2021, the pandering powerhouse of a head coach put everything together in 2022 which led to the run to the Super Bowl.
A fun, healthy debate has already begun between fans of whether you would take the Eagles sole Super Bowl winning head coach, Doug Pederson, or Sirianni as your coach in a hypothetical world.
That’s a good indication of where he’s at. Few question his ability and most everyone sings his praises.
Well, so long as he keeps winning.
Who’s the boss of all this?
The Eagles are owned by Jeffrey Lurie, who bought the team in 1994 for $195 million. His tenure is easily the most successful in Eagles history, with the team winning its first Super Bowl and accruing the fifth most playoff wins in the league since he took over.
Howie Roseman is the team’s general manager. Some stubborn fans still hold a downturn against him, but most acknowledge his incredible work over the last decade that has led to multiple Super Bowl appearances.
What are the most exciting games on the schedule?
Week 2, vs. Minnesota Vikings: Back-to-back years in which the Eagles home opener is a primetime game against the Minnesota Vikings. With the Thursday night game, get those Friday day off requests to the boss now for September 15th.
Week 7, vs. Miami Dolphins: Sure, this game provides the intrigue of college teammates, Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, matching up with one another. For many, however, it is known as the game in which the Eagles will bring back their kelly green jerseys.
Week 10, vs. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys come to Philadelphia, need we say more?
Week 11, @ Kansas City Chiefs: Can the Eagles avenge their Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs? It will be a tough one for the Eagles, on Monday Night Football at one of craziest home field advantages in football. Get your popcorn ready.
Week 13, vs. San Francisco 49ers: A rematch of last season’s NFC Championship Game, the 49ers have not stopped whining about that game since the final whistle blew. This will be a hard fought battle with hostility on both ends.
Week 14, @ Cowboys: The NFC East crown may be up for grabs as the Eagles fly into Dallas. While the Eagles have been the more successful organization as of late, the Cowboys have won five home games in a row against Philadelphia. Time to break that streak.
Week 16, vs. New York Giants: The rivals play each other on Christmas. Given the expectations on this Eagles team, there will be a playoff spot to clinch on this day. Plus, there’s a little extra bad blood between these two since the Eagles’ beat down of the Giants in the playoffs last season.
Week 17, vs. Arizona Cardinals: The Cardinals are going to be an awful football team. Really, it’s not about football. This game is all about former Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, who has become a villain in Philadelphia since the Super Bowl, returning to town as head coach of the Cardinals. Boos will ring out.
