Projecting 2021 starting lineup for Philadelphia Eagles entering Week 1

Modified Nov 08, 2022 11:49 GMT

New England Patriots vs Philadelphia Eagles

With training camp and preseason over for the Philadelphia Eagles, we can now project the starting lineup for the team based on what we saw over the course of the last month.

The Philadelphia Eagles made a surprise move by trading a late-round pick for QB Gardner Minshew. But there shouldn't be much change expected from what we saw from the first team during August. Most of the players who will start against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1 saw limited snaps during preseason, and there's not going to be much discussion around the 53-man roster.

On that note, here's a look at the projected starting lineup for the Eagles in the first week:

2021 Philadelphia Eagles starting lineup

QB - Jalen Hurts

The trade for Minshew doesn't change anything for Hurts, who's going to start for the Eagles after a good camp where he showed lots of improvement from his rookie year. He will have the chance to prove he can be Philadelphia's franchise quarterback.

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Most games with 300+ pass yards, 60+ rush yards -- #NFL history1. Steve Young -- 4T2. Russell Wilson -- 3T2. Michael Vick -- 3T4. Donovan McNabb -- 2T4. Rich Gannon -- 2T4. Dante Culpepper -- 2T4. Jalen Hurts -- 2#Eagles pic.twitter.com/xfie285AFW
— Jeff Kerr (@JeffKerrCBS) August 23, 2021

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RB - Miles Sanders

Sanders continues to have the same woes that tormented him last season, with a high number of drops during camp. Nevertheless, he's the Eagles' best running back, and he also adds quality as a pass protector. He could lead the Eagles' backs in snaps in 2021.

WRs - DeVonta Smith, Quez Watkins, Jalen Reagor

A young trio of receivers will feature for Philadelphia in offense, as their starting WR trio has been drafted in 2020 or 2021. Smith and Reagor, both former first-round picks, are quick, but need to improve their route running. Watkins has been a pleasant surprise with his improvement since year 1.

Eagles receiver Quez Watkins reached a top speed of 21.56 MPH on this 79-yard TD from Joe Flacco, the fastest speed reached by any player across last night's action.Watkins gained 83 yards after catch, the most on a play since 2019 (incl. regular & postseason).#FlyEaglesFly pic.twitter.com/kKuc1ZZ2et
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) August 13, 2021

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TE - Dallas Goedert

Goedert can do basically everything a top-tier tight end needs to do, both blocking and receiving. Even if Zach Ertz somehow stays on the roster for week 1, Goedert should get most of the snaps, as he's the better player between the two right now.

OL - Jordan Mailata, Isaac Seumalo, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks, Lane Johnson

The right side of the line, if healthy, has the talent to be the best in the NFL, and the emergence of Mailata on the left side has the Eagles feeling awesome after his three years of development. Andre Dillard is a trade player, who disappointed in camp; so don't expect to see much of him in an Eagles jersey.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs Philadelphia Eagles

DL - Derek Barnett, Fletcher Cox, Javon Hargrave, Brandon Graham

The defensive line is the strongest group on the roster, with all four being incredibly talented players. There is some strong depth, with guys like Josh Sweat, Ryan Kerrigan and Milton Williams. No offensive line will likely be at peace when facing the Eagles' front four.

LB - Eric Wilson, Alex Singletary

Wilson, a solid but unspectacular player, is already an upgrade over what the Eagles had in recent years with Nathan Gerry. Singleton improved year-to-year, and earned his way into the starting lineup with good practices.

CBs - Darius Slay, Steven Nelson, Avonte Maddox, Anthony Harris, K'Von Wallace

The secondary was awful last year, but that was because of the number of injuries they had during the season. There's more depth now and two really good players in Slay and Harris. The Eagles' pass defense should work much better in 2021.