Most Improved Rosters Heading into the 2022 NFL Season

2. Philadelphia Eagles

Jalen Hurts, in his first year as the full-time starter, led the Philadelphia Eagles to the postseason in 2021. They ran into the defending champion, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in the first round and were subsequently bounced from the playoffs. Still, not many expected to see the Eagles make the playoffs. In fact, entering the year, it wasn’t rare to see the Eagles in the top-five of every mock draft. Philadelphia, already a playoff roster, added as much talent as anyone this offseason.

In free agency, general manager Howie Roseman signed pass rusher Haason Reddick, linebacker Kyzir White, and cornerback James Bradberry, all of which figure to challenge for starter reps this coming season. Derek Barnett and Fletcher Cox both are returning to the defensive line. With guys like Darius Slay, Javon Hargrave, Anthony Harris, and Avonte Maddox already rostered, this was enough of a reason to be excited for the defense. But I’m not done yet. The 2022 NFL Draft opened up, and it was anyones best guess as to who the Eagles would take with their two first-round picks.

As it turns out, Georgia’s Jordan Davis ended up being the first one to hear his name called for Philadelphia. Davis is the best player from this draft if he can stay conditioned, but due to those concerns, he fell outside the top-ten. Once it got to the 13th pick and Davis was still available, the Eagles picked up the phone and engineered a trade with the Houston Texans, flipping first-round picks, allowing Philly to take the mammoth-of-a-man from Georgia. Later on in the draft, Roseman added Davis’ former Bulldog teammate, Nakobe Dean. Thanks to injury concerns, Dean’s draft stock tanked entirely. The Eagles wisely decided to take the first-round talent at No. 83 overall, filling a major need at linebacker in the process.

But what about that other first-round pick I was talking about? Well, it wasn’t used on a rookie. Instead, the Eagles sent No. 18 overall to the Titans for wide receiver AJ Brown. Brown saw other receivers getting paid, and decided he wanted a new contract too. The Eagles happily obliged, inking Brown to a four-year extension worth up to $100 million. Game planning for an offense that features DeVonta Smith, AJ Brown, and one of the best rushing attacks in the NFL sounds like a headache for any defensive coordinator.

Assuming that Jordan Davis remains in top-tier condition, and Nakobe Dean is able to regain form prior to the season, the sky is the limit for the Eagles defense. I hate that saying, but how else would you describe it? Davis and Dean were the heart and soul of the best college defense in years, and the Eagles got them both?! AJ Brown will make life easier on everyone, but mostly Jalen Hurts. As good as Hurts has been, his biggest weakness is throwing people open downfield. Brown will allow Hurts to hit him quickly on short routes, and then do the bulk of the work by picking up yards after the catch. In my estimation, the Eagles upgraded their roster from fringe playoff team, to the favorites in the NFC East.