With a 27-13 win over the Cowboys' backups, the Eagles' season has come to a close, matching their 7-9 record from a year ago. Looking back on it, there were missed opportunities and obvious holes, and we were hard on just about everybody at times — that's what we do here — but despite missing the playoffs once again, there were plenty of bright spots.
Rather than grade the Eagles' meaningless final game, we're looking back on the season that was, and there might be a more positive outlook than you would expect. When it comes down to it, a franchise quarterback was identified, some key players and prospects turned in quality years, and a rookie head coach found his way through despite being handed a roster with some glaring weaknesses.
In other words, it wasn't all bad. The Eagles need a few fixes, and it's not hard to figure out where, but perhaps not nearly as many as some people think.
Quarterback
This season wasn't about the numbers for Carson Wentz, not even wins and losses. It was about proving he had the talent to make the jump from North Dakota State to the NFL. It was about showing he's durable and can withstand the rigors of a 16-game season. It was demonstrating the poise to take command of and lead the offense. Wentz was able to accomplish all of that after missing the majority of the preseason, when he supposedly wasn't even going to appear in a single game until Sam Bradford was traded in September. Above all, Wentz's rookie year was about building confidence and inspiring hope for the future of the franchise, and he succeeded.
Grade: A
Running backs
NFL
Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood and Kenjon Barner all averaged over 4.0 yards per carry, and Mathews was especially effective down by the goal line. Four of his eight touchdowns were one-yard runs, and only one — an eight-yarder — was longer than five. Sproles also had his most productive with the Eagles, with his most rushing yards (438) since 2011 and most receiving yards (427) since '13. Fumbles were a major issue, and there's no total package in the vein of David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott or Le'Veon Bell, but the committee was effective.
Grade: B-
Wide receivers
Jordan Matthews led all Eagles wide receivers with 803 yards and three touchdowns. Only four teams had a top receiver finish the season with fewer yards, and entering Sunday, only the 49ers lacked a wideout with more trips to the end zone. That's the LEADER. The Eagles' next best wide receivers: Nelson Agholor (36 rec., 365 yds, 2 TD) and Dorial Green-Beckham (36 rec., 392 yds, 2 TD), which if you combine their lines, almost equals one respectable secondary option — that is until you look at their catch rates. Agholor hauled in only 52.2 percent of the passes thrown his way, and Green-Beckham dipped below 50. To put that figure in perspective, the top 100 receivers in terms of catch rate were all above 60 percent.
Grade: F
Tight ends
Zach Ertz was the Eagles' most effective target, finishing with more catches (78), more yards (816) and more touchdowns (four) than Matthews. He was also an efficient target, catching 73.6 percent of the passes thrown his way. Much was made of another quiet start to the season for Ertz, but he seemed to gain a rapport with Wentz as the year went on, which bodes well for 2017. Brent Celek wasn't utilized much in the passing attack, but Trey Burton emerged as a viable weapon, racking up 37 receptions for 327 yards and a touchdown.
Grade: B+
Offensive line
Considering they went without Lane Johnson for 10 games and at one point were down to their fifth right tackle, the Eagles' offensive line acquitted itself well. Jason Peters rebounded from a poor 2015 and it now appears as if the Pro Bowl left tackle has at least another year or two left. Jason Kelce's performance at center stabilized as well, Allen Barbre is quietly good at left guard, and Brandon Brooks was well worth the money spent at right guard. Perhaps best of all, rookies Isaac Seumalo and Halapoulivaati Vaitai looked like viable NFL players when called upon, providing some much needed depth up front and potential options for the future. Provided Johnson can stay out of trouble, this is not the problem area it looked like at the end of last season.
Grade: A-
Defensive line
The Eagles' best defensive lineman was arguably Brandon Graham. While Graham registered only 5½ sacks, his 14 tackles for loss and 22 quarterback hits were most on the team. Fletcher Cox was the clubhouse leader with 6½ sacks, good for fifth among interior linemen. Yet as a unit, the D-line often left a lot to be desired. While the front four isn't entirely to blame, the Eagles entered Sunday ranked 19th against the run and tied for 18th in sacks. Outside of Graham and occasionally Cox, this group did not consistently live up its reputation for being the strength of the team.
Grade: C+
Linebackers
Nigel Bradham was easily the Eagles' most underrated and quite possibly best free-agent addition, leading the team in tackles to go along with 2.0 sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception. Jordan Hicks put an exclamation point on his fine season Sunday, recording two of his five interceptions on the year. The duo had suffered from the occasional lapse in gap responsibility against the run, but usually made enough big plays to make up for it. Mychal Kendricks was only on the field for roughly a quarter of the snaps, although it's worth noting he was a non-factor when he was out there.
Grade: A-
Defensive backs
Malcolm Jenkins may be one of the best safeties in the NFL, intercepting three passes and returning two for touchdowns, but do the Eagles have so much as a single quality cornerback on the roster? Seventh-round rookie Jalen Mills might be the most talented of the bunch, which should sufficiently answer the question. No need to pile on Leodis McKelvin or Nolan Carroll at this point, at least one of whom will likley return in 2017 out of necessity, so let's just say they aren't exactly locking down opposing receivers. Cycling back to safety, Rodney McLeod certainly didn't have a bad season, nor would it have been a memorable one were his effort not called into question against the Bengals.
Grade: C-
Special teams
The Eagles entered Week 17 ranked first in both kickoff return average (27.9) and punt return average (12.9). They were also second in opponents' kickoff return average (19.1). Caleb Sturgis was reliable in the kicking game, connecting on 35 of 41 field-goal tries and missing just one extra point all year. Donnie Jones and Jon Dorenbos were solid as well. This continues to be one of if not the very best special-teams unit in the league.
Grade: A
Coaching
Doug Pederson absolutely coached the Eagles right out of a win in Dallas in Week 8, and a case could be made that pass heavy game-plans with a rookie quarterback behind a patchwork offensive line certainly put his team at a disadvantage. I wouldn't say either Pederson or defensive coordinator maximized the talent they have, either. Then again, the Eagles had glaring deficiencies at wide receiver and cornerback — although Schwartz is partially to blame for the latter — and the coaching staff really couldn't be expected to produce a contender with this roster. In terms of scheme, what the Eagles are doing works, and the players do seem to like and respect Pederson. There's room for improvement, but it was his first year, so consider he had to learn on the job.
Grade: C