6. Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles have not been to the playoffs since 2013. But there was enough of a spark created by head coach Doug Pederson and rookie quarterback Carson Wentz last year that things could play out differently in 2017.
Worth noting is the Eagles beat both the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys in Weeks 16 and 17 last year. Philly managed a total of 51 points in that stretch.
Wentz put forth a commendable effort in his rookie year as well. Lacking a competent receiving crew, Wentz still completed 62.4 percent of his passes and threw for 3,782 yards. One of the players who benefited most in free agency, Wentz inherited wide receivers Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith.
That is going to do wonders for Wentz’s development in his sophomore season. He also began to develop a nice rapport with tight end Zach Ertz, who caught 73.6 percent of his targets for 816 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games.
Adding a veteran running back such as Adrian Peterson would be a snazzy move on offense as well. Are you listening, Eagles?
Defensively, the Eagles finished in the top half in 2016. They allowed only 20.7 points on average from their opponents. But, securing depth at cornerback in the upcoming draft should be a priority.
If everything meshes together, the Eagles might just surprise their fans with some postseason fun early next year.