The 2021 Eagles were… exactly what we thought they would be: a rebuilding team. If you look at the job the coaches have done, perhaps even worse than we anticipated. This year hasn’t been completely awful, though. In fact, there are a few players that would be a star(ter) on pretty much any team in the league. Luckily, we have some that just so happened to be on the Eagles.
Offensive Rookie/Player of the Midseason: Devonta Smith
Even when he isn’t lighting up the stat sheet, Smith has still made his presence felt. There were early issues catching the ball, but Hurts admittedly had early issues throwing the ball. Despite PFF professing that Smith had zero drops at one point, I’ve seen him drop passes with my own eyes. Fortunately, he also leads the team in receiving yards (537) and is tied with Dallas Goedert for most touchdowns (2). Not to mention, his route running carves up defenses consistently whether he ends up with a reception or not.
Most Valuable Player/Defender of the Midseason: Darius Slay
The defense sadly hasn’t been worth mentioning this year, but the same fortunately can’t be said of Slay. Improving on his 2020 season, where he gave up more than 50 yards in coverage twice. Through nine weeks, Slay has yet to give up more than 30 yards to one receiver (Mike Williams: 1 catch, 49 yards). Now that Slay isn’t the only capable corner in the defensive backfield, he has absolutely been going off this year.
Defensive Rookie of the Midseason: Milton Williams
There are not many defensive rookies to choose from sadly, but Williams has proven to be a good Howie Roseman pick. Let me emphasize, this is distinctly a Roseman pick, as Williams’ selection caused a bit of an internal riff. Williams recently logged his first sack against Detroit and leads Eagles defensive rookies in multiple stats (snaps, tackles, tackle for losses, sacks, QB hits). I’ve been on board ever since I heard Williams’ immeasurables, and hopefully, he pulls a Hargrave and starts catching fire in the second half of the year.
Most Improved of the Midseason: Javon Hargrave
Hargrave started slowly last year, then ended up having a solid second half, then became one of our most disruptive interior lineman. Hargrave has logged six sacks, one forced fumble, seven tackles for loss, and seven QB hits. Shoutout to Fletcher Cox, too. Some fans have started to hypothesize whether he was washed or not, but the pressure he generates allows for other defensive players to eat.
Best Offseason Addition of the Midseason: Steven Nelson
Speaking of players that take pressure off of others who are performing well, Nelson has been a decent thunder to Slay’s lighting. More accurately, Nelson has been a lightning rod of sorts, making Slay’s job easier by allowing the latter to shadow the #1 receiver all game. Based on Slay’s numbers in coverage, I’d say that the plan is working. There are issues schematically that hold the defense back, but the duo has worked as intended.
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Dylan Patrowicz is a featured writer at The Birds Blitz. For more from Dylan, check out his archive and read through our Eagles articles for the latest news about the Birds.
