Eagles players bound to breakout in the upcoming 2021 season (5/27/21)
The 2021 NFL season is almost upon us, and the Nick Sirianni era has kicked off in the city of Brotherly Love.
This roster is young and rejuvenated for the first time in awhile. Not only are a lot of the players young, but a lot of the coaches are to.
A fresh start is what was needed for a lot of the players that were apart of last year’s debacle.
Here are a few players that are expected to breakout this upcoming season.
Miles Sanders
Sanders has shown flashes of becoming a star running back in this league. Last season, we were expecting Sanders to breakout in his second season, but unfortunately that wasn’t the case.
He missed four games due to injury, was limited in the passing game and the amount of carries he had received. A large reason for this was because Doug Pederson didn’t put much emphasis on the running game, which negatively affected Sanders’ development.
It makes plenty of sense to believe that Sanders will finally have that breakout season in 2021, and the reason for that is because of the Eagles decision to bring in Nick Sirianni.
Over the last two seasons, while Sirianni was the Offensive Coordinator for the Colts they ranked top ten in rushing attempts per game, and they featured running backs that had ran for over 1,000 yards in Jonathan Taylor and Marlon Mack.
The last time the Eagles had a running back run for over 1,000 yards was back in 2014 when Lesean McCoy accomplished that feat in his last season with the team.
Sirianni’s ability to put great emphasis on the running game will benefit Sanders greatly.
Jalen Reagor
It’s pretty evident by now that it was a mistake for the Eagles to pass up on Justin Jefferson in last year’s draft and take Reagor instead.
Reagor only played in eleven games last season, as he was placed on IR (Injured Reserve) early in the season due to a torn ligament in his thumb that he suffered during the week two matchup vs the Rams.
Between the absences of former veterans Desean Jackson and Alshon Jefferey and him being a first round pick in the previous draft, it resulted in a great amount of pressure for Reagor to perform and become the team’s top wide receiver that they were so desperate for.
Reagor’s second season should result in drastic improvements. He won’t have to face the pressure that he did when he was a rookie of being the number one receiver because of the recent draft selection of Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith.
Sirianni was a wide receivers coach with the Chargers and the Chiefs. He played a key role in the development of Chargers star wide receiver Keenan Allen. Tyrell Williams had by far the best season of his career back in 2016 under him, as he eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards.
The hiring of Sirianni should further Reagor’s development and take his game to new heights. At this point he won’t be as good as Justin Jefferson, but with improvement he should become an above average wide receiver in this league.
Jalen Hurts
Hurts is now the starting quarterback in Philadelphia. Fresh blood should really bode well for Hurts’ chances to breakout in his second season as a pro.
He has weapons to throw to in Devonta Smith, Jalen Reagor, Greg Ward, Dallas Goedert, and he has a talented running back right alongside him in Miles Sanders.
New Eagles Offensive Coordinator Stephen Steichen played a pivotal role in the development of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.
Herbert had an outstanding rookie season, as he threw for thirty-one touchdowns to only ten interceptions. He had a completion percentage of 66.6% and a quarterback rating of 98.3.
Because of Herbert, the Chargers managed to improve their win total by two games from the pervious season. As a result of all these accomplishments, Herbert won Offensive Rookie of the Year, and he is primed to become one of the best quarterbacks in the league for years to come.
What Steichen was able to do for Herbert is truly astonishing, and now he get’s the opportunity to coach and develop Hurts.
Dallas Goedert
With Ertz most likely getting shipped out soon, it’s clear that Goedert is now the Eagles starting tight end.
Even with limited playing time over his first three seasons, he has proven to be a reliable pass catcher and has shown the ability to break tackles.
Toward the end of the 2019 season, when Ertz was dealing with a multitude of injuries, it resulted in Goedert being thrusted into the starting role. As a result of that, Goedert had the best stretch of games so far in his young career.
We will all miss Ertz greatly, and he will go down as one of the greatest players to ever wear midnight green, but it’s time for the emergence of a young and upcoming tight end in Dallas Goedert.
