Philadelphia, PA - After an off-season that felt very, very long, the Philadelphia Eagles and the other 31 teams in the NFL are set to return this weekend. This comes after a virtual NFL Draft, limited training camps and practice, and not even a single preseason game.
Philadelphia Eagles What to Expect 2020
Most stadiums can expect to see little to no fans in attendance, which will just be weird. Crowd noise is something you don’t think about often, but it is such a huge part of a sporting atmosphere, and players at home really do feed off of that energy.
The Eagles made some moves in the offseason, adding former Lions cornerback Darius Slay, also known as “Big Play Slay” by his teammates in Detroit. He looks to be the number one corner. At the same time, another addition in Nickell, Robey-Coleman, should find a role in the secondary. Safety Will Parks also looks to be a potential starter and replacement to veteran Malcolm Jenkins, who left for New Orleans this offseason. The Eagles made some moves to address their secondary, which was so often torched last season. We’ll see if throwing out some money and draft capital will be enough to improve that unit.
Offensively, Philly added the first-round receiver Jalen Reagor, who has reportedly impressed in camp and should be a starting receiver. He is similar to DeSean Jackson in skillset, being a smaller receiver that can fly and make big plays. With Nelson Agholor out of town, Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson are going to need to stay healthier in 2020, as the two will be even more critical as Philly has little experience behind them. Carson Wentz would also love to stay healthy, especially since the Eagles drafted quarterback Jalen Hurts, who could be a dynamic replacement for Wentz at best or very good backup potential at worst. The pressure is on for Wentz to produce, and he is aided by second-year running back Miles Sanders who is poised to truly break out. He won’t get a lot of help from the offensive line, as guard Brandon Brooks and tackle Andre Dillard both will be missing significant playing time this season.
The Philadelphia Eagles Week One Matchup
The Eagles week one matchup has them against the Washington Football Team. Washington’s biggest offseason headline was their tumultuous (and ultimately underwhelming) name change. Even with the new name, they still have a similar game, and we can expect to see second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins lead the offense. He does have the speedy Terry McLaurin at his disposal, who torched the Eagles in two meetings last season. Expect, Slay to match up with him throughout the game. Washington drafted Chase Young in the first round, who is expected to be an immediate game-wrecker as a pass rusher, especially against a fragile Jason Peters and a backup tackle on the other side.
Week One Prediction
I expect it to be a close game, as these teams regularly do play. It will be a weird atmosphere, and I hope a lot of turnovers and mistakes. It’s been a while since anybody has played a full game with pads against an opponent. It should be fun, and thank goodness we can have football back in some capacity.
Final score: Eagles: 30,Washington: 27
Sam Woloson
Sports Writer
PhillyBite sports contributor and Philadelphia Eagles Writer.
