10 Eagles who have to be much better in 2024…

So just about everybody on the team has to be better in 2024 if the Eagles are going to look more like the team that started the season 10-1 than the one that finished 1-6. Same with the GM, same with the coaches, same with everybody.

But we’re going to focus on players here, and we put together a list of 10 Eagles who have to be better in 2024. I only included players under contract in 2024 and players who are likely to be back.

Reed Blankenship

The second-year safety started out fine, but like so many other defensive starters, his play dropped off dramatically the second half of the season. He did lead the Eagles with three interceptions, but his tackling and coverage grew worse as the season went on. Through Week 11, quarterbacks had a 79.9 passer rating throwing at Blankenship, which ranked 13^th out of 46 safeties targeted at least twice per game. After that, it was 135.0, which ranked 48^th out of 51 safeties targeted twice per game. The Eagles are so light at safety – especially with Sydney Brown likely out for the start of 2024 – they need Blankenship to play at a consistently high level next year.

Carter was playing at an all-pro level through about a month and a half, but he just couldn’t keep it up, and his play really dropped off the second half of the season. First six games: 3 ½ sacks, five tackles for loss, five QB hits, seven QB hurries, two forced fumbles. Last 11 games, 2 ½ sacks, three tackles for loss, four QB hits and two QB hurries (none the last eight weeks), no forced fumbles. His run defense also dropped off as the year went on. Overall, Davis had an impressive rookie year, and he’s got all the tools to be a Pro Bowl interior lineman very soon. If he could play a full season like he was playing through the Miami game, he’d be an all-pro.

Like Davis, his college teammate, we could all see Davis’ drop-off the second half of the season, and Davis’ was even more pronounced than Carter’s. First seven games, he had 2 ½ sacks, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and seven QB pressures. The last 11 games, he had no sacks, no tackles for loss, no quarterback hits and three pressures. And like Carter, his work against the run also suffered. Davis said after the season he allowed nagging injuries affect his play too much and he’s got to figure out how to stay healthier and play through nicks and bruises. Davis didn’t play enough snaps to fall apart physically – about 31 per game. He’s going into Year 3 as a No. 13 pick and has to be able to sustain a high level of play throughout a full season. Especially if Fletcher Cox isn’t back in 2024.

This is a tricky one because Dean only played a handful of snaps before he got hurt on opening day, and he wasn’t 100 percent when he came back – before getting hurt again. But the bottom line is the Eagles were relying on Dean to be a playmaking off-ball linebacker while wearing the green-dot helmet, and his play before he was lost for the season was only adequate. Dean is only 23 and should be 100 percent by OTAs after foot surgery. He doesn’t have any injury history and if he can stay healthy he’s virtually guaranteed a starting job in 2024. He’s still an intriguing player because of what he did at Georgia, but he’s going into Year 3 and needs to give the Eagles a full season of healthy, high-level play.

Goedert had 15 games with at least 50 yards in 2021 and 2022 but only two with more than 50 yards this year. His yards per game dropped from 57 the last two years to 42 this year and yards per catch dropped from 13.8 to 10.0. Goedert had the 4^th-most yards of any tight end in 2021 and 2022 but was 14^th this year. He wasn’t awful – he did set a career-high with 59 catches despite missing three games – but he wasn’t the elite tight end that we’ve seen the last several years. Goedert is 29 now, but tight ends can play at a high level well into their 30s and the Eagles Goedert to raise his play back to 2019-2022 level.