PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
NFL Futures Odds at BetOnline:

To Win Super Bowl +750
To Win NFC Championship +375
To Win NFC East -150
Regular Season Wins -- Under 11.5 Wins -140, Over 11.5 Wins +110
To Make Playoffs -- Yes -400, No +300

At the conclusion of their 2023 regular season, the Philadelphia Eagles were so banged up and depleted that they looked like they were rolling over when they lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the playoffs.

Then they really went to work.

Roseman knew what was needed, and went out and got it

There were a number of holes to fill, and Howie Roseman, the team's general manager, did that with such decisiveness that it may have punched his ticket to the Hall of Fame.

There are holes again this season, but not nearly as many, and the Eagles go into the 2025 campaign in pretty good shape, on balance.

Most of the offensive components have returned, and that includes two of the most critical additions to the lineup.

For one thing, replacing All-Pro center Jason Kelce was going to be a task, but Cam Jurgens was able to step right in and earn an invite to the Pro Bowl.

And, with far greater fanfare, Saquon Barkley was brought on board as the primary running back and proceeded to have one of the best seasons in NFL history, rushing for 2005 yards on 5.8 yards per attempt, demonstrating what he was capable of doing if healthy and operating behind an excellent offensive line.

The area that needed the most attention was the defense, particularly the secondary. So the Eagles drafted Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper Dejean, who finished second and fourth in the Rookie of the Year race, then surrendered fewer yards, both through the air and overall, than any other NFL team.

Hurts.... so good. Barkley not bad either

And Jalen Hurts once again assumed fuill command of the offense, completing just under 69% with only five interceptions, adding 630 yards on the ground with 14 touchdowns. In the final three postseason games, he was a 74% passer.

The Eagles rolled up 95 points on the way to their victories over Washington (NFC title game) and Kansas City (Super Bowl). So they dominated when it counted most.

People must have wondered why Roseman and the Eagles drafted Hurts in the second round in 2020, with Carson Wentz already in tow as a "quarterback of the future." But it has proven to be a decision that was very fortuitous, as Hurts has proven the right alternative for this run-first offense, as a quarterback who is among the most dangerous in the league with his feet.

At some point during his first season at the helm, Nick Sirianni shifted the focus of Philadelphia's offensive attack, taking full advantage of what Hurts could do. Last season the Eagles ran with more frequency (expressed as a percentage of overall plays) than anyone in the NFL.

Frankly, we couldn't responsibly forecast another 2000-yard season for Barkley. But there is no reason to believe the Eagles will rely any less on the ground game. The over-under at BetOnline on him is 1400.5 rush yards, with the "under" favored at -130.

Philadelphia can expect a great O-line again

What seems to set the Eagles apart from everybody is their play at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

There is no pair of tackles in pro football that can match what Philly has with Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson. They are both All-Pros at the top of their game and the top of the league. We've mentioned Cam Jurgens already, and there is Landon Dickerson as well. Mekhi Becton, a former first-round pick of the Jets ho was a pleasant surprise, left in free agency, which means they'll rely on Tyler Steen, a third-year pro out of Alabama.

Have some confidence in the Eagles' defense

The Eagles also have the ability to throw a lot of defensive linemen at the opposition. So they have developed enough depth to absorb the losses of key people like Milton Williams and Josh Sweat. They have a premier defensive lineman in Jalen Carter, and now the artful defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, is going to be looking for quite a bit from Jordan Davis, Carter's Georgia teammate who was a first-round draft choice in 2022.

The linebackers are superb, and that includes Zack Baun, a classic "find" by Roseman, who plucked him from New Orleans, where he wasn't even playing, and watched as Fangio steered him toward first-team All-Pro status.

Conclusion

One of the things we like about the Eagles is that they are very strong in the fundamental areas, namely line play and the run game; they have the explosive element with Barkley, AJ Brown and DeVonta Smith, and can stop people.

They are probably the most well-rounded team in the NFL. And we have a lot of faith in the ability of Roseman, a two-time Super Bowl champ and two-time Executive of the Year, to fill the gaps where he needs to. That includes naming Kevin Patullo to replace Kellen Moore (now head coach for the Saints) as offensive coordinator.

I like the "Over" on the 11.5-win total (+110) and would go as far as to place a wager at +750 for them to win a second straight Super Bowl.

Jalen Hurts is 50-1 (+5000) to lead the league in passing TD's at BetOnline, where you've got plenty of NFL Futures wagers to look through in advance of the 2025 season...... It's very easy to sign up for an account; use your debit or credit card, or choose any of sixteen different cryptocurrency options they have available, including Bitcoin!