They had been so similar to the entirety they sought after, they may really feel it. And it harm. The finishing, the swirl of the yellow and purple confetti, the lengthy proceed to the vault room — the ones are reminiscences they will by no means departure.

The Philadelphia Eagles knew that after they left the grassland in Glendale, Ariz., that night time extreme February, later dropping Tremendous Bowl LVII, 38-35, to the Kansas Town Chiefs, they may by no means get that similar to a championship once more. However in addition they knew that their skill used to be excellent plethora, their procedure had labored, and the entirety that they had completed had gotten them inside of moments in their dream.

And so they noticed refuse explanation why they wouldn’t be capable of do it once more.

“It’s not like we’re starting from scratch here,” common supervisor Howie Roseman mentioned a couple of days later the Eagles returned to Philadelphia. “We’re going to make sure that we keep our priorities in the right place here for this offseason. And we have a scar on us. It’s going to heal over time. And we’re going to do everything we can, everything in our power to make sure that we bring the city, our players, our staff, what they deserve.”

Conserving a workforce on manage is rarely simple. And the Eagles know that historical past isn’t on their aspect. There have handiest been 8 groups in 56 seasons that experience misplaced a Tremendous Bowl and controlled to get again the later 12 months. And handiest 3 of the ones if truth be told went again and gained it.

However those Eagles have situated themselves to just do that later a notable offseason that saved the focal point on Roseman’s “priorities” and saved essentially the most noteceable items of the workforce intact. They nonetheless have the NFL’s highest offensive order. They rewarded their MVP-caliber quarterback with a $255 million commitment and saved all his passing duel guns in park. And they would have even stepped forward a pass-rush that had a daft 70 sacks extreme 12 months.

They did lose 5 starters on protection, a operating again who ran for 1,269 yards, and each their offensive and defensive coordinators, however the Eagles in some way survived that and will have even completed the reputedly unattainable:

They may have a good higher workforce than the one who went 14-3 and gained the NFC championship in 2022.

That’s why the Philadelphia Eagles don’t seem to be handiest going to copy that feat, however they’re moving to whip the later step this 12 months and win Tremendous Bowl LVIII, too.

That used to be the function from the start, after all, even if the Eagles knew they wouldn’t go back with the similar workforce. That they had too many distant brokers to even consider re-signing all of them. Their prized “Core Four” used to be growing old and no less than one — heart Jason Kelce — used to be bearing in mind escape. And prior to that they had even begun to rub away their tears from the Tremendous Bowl loss, offensive coordinator Shane Steichen had left to grow to be the top trainer in Indianapolis and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon had stayed in the back of to grow to be the top trainer in Arizona.

However that they had a plan — one who seemed a bundle like their used plan. Initially they might create once more in the course of the trenches, that specialize in the offensive and defensive strains. They already had an MVP-caliber quarterback in Jalen Hurts, in order that they knew if they may offer protection to him and hold him surrounded via game-changing talent gamers, the entirety could be simply high quality.

“You’ve seen the way we’ve built teams,” Roseman mentioned. “It’s not like we have some secret sauce here. Everyone knows the ingredients.”

And so they knew the ones components labored. That they had labored six years in the past when Doug Pederson used to be the trainer and so they rode the new hand of quarterback Nick Foles to an surprising Tremendous Bowl championship. And so they labored even higher extreme season — Nick Sirianni’s first as a head trainer — when the Eagles blossomed into a real NFL energy.

So that they began via preserving as a lot of that workforce intact as they may. Kelce, at presen 35 opted to not resign, permitting them to hold arguably essentially the most noteceable piece in their offensive order. Roseman did some wage cap charm to search out the cash to hold defensive linemen Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham on one-year do business in, bringing again 18 sacks among them and preserving that “Core Four” (together with proper take on Lane Johnson) round for yet another run.

When distant company accident, it accident sun-baked — no less than on paper. They misplaced defensive take on Javon Hargrave and his 11 sacks. They misplaced two initiation linebackers (T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White) and two initiation safeties (C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Marcus Epps). They misplaced initiation cover Isaac Seumalo and operating again Miles Sanders, too.

They virtually misplaced cornerback Darius Slay, however Roseman controlled to entice him again on the extreme tiny with a two-year, $42 million commitment extension. And he controlled to re-sign cornerback James Bradberry (3 years, $38 million) too. So he used to be no less than ready to hold the corners of what have been one of the crucial NFL’s highest secondaries in park.

However the wonderful thing about the Eagles’ offseason is what one rival common supervisor referred to as the Eagles’ “assembly line” of skill. For each participant that went away, they both already had or controlled to discover a appropriate substitute. In some circumstances, they even changed the participant they misplaced with any individual higher.

When Seumalo left, that they had Cam Jurgens, a 2022 second-round pick out, ready within the wings. Hargrave used to be changed via defensive take on Jordan Davis, the Eagles’ 2022 first-rounder. And later they in some way added to that via touchdown defensive take on Jalen Carter, arguably the most efficient participant within the 2023 NFL draft, with the 9th total pick out. The linebackers had been changed via Nakobe Dean, a scouse borrow of a third-rounder from a 12 months in the past. They signed veteran safeties Terrell Edmunds and Justin Evans. They traded for undervalued operating again D’Andre Speedy.

Speedy may give them extra versatility of their offense as a much-needed receiver out of the backfield. The additions of Carter and edge rusher Nolan Smith if truth be told may just produce their entrance seven even higher than it used to be a 12 months in the past. The Eagles suppose Dean is a greater tackler than the linebackers they misplaced. And upload in promising freshmen like cornerback Kelee Ringo (fourth around) and protection Sydney Brown (0.33) and they’d also be a deeper workforce than they had been extreme 12 months.

And that “assembly line” even accident the training team of workers, the place widespread quarterbacks trainer Brian Johnson used to be promoted to exchange Steichen because the offensive coordinator, and Sirianni stuffed the defensive coordinator spot via hiring one of the vital revered younger defensive coaches within the duel in Sean Desai.

On manage of all that, there were refuse early indicators of a Tremendous Bowl hangover. Because of the steely management of Hurts, they continue to be as centered as they had been after they destitute camp extreme 12 months.

“He’s got one of the most incredible mindsets, work ethics,” mentioned tight finish Dallas Goedert. “You know, right after the Super Bowl, he flushed that. He was ready to get to this season.”

“Attitude reflects leadership,” Hurts added. “I am always aware of the role that I play in that.”

So are the Eagles, who practice alongside in the similar calm, motivated style. There are not any proclamations of them being a “Dream Team” like their ill-fated predecessors again in 2011. They’re now not boasting of a protection that may rival that of the 1985 Bears, as Untouched York Jets protection D.J. Reed did extreme pace. They aren’t spending a bundle of era residing on how superior they had been and the way similar they got here extreme season. Sirianni even insisted he didn’t plan in order up the Tremendous Bowl loss a lot in any respect.

In reality, days later the loss, when Sirianni mentioned how hungry he used to be to get again once more, he opposed himself and mentioned “that’s about the last time you’ll hear me say ‘get back’ because what you’re going to hear me say is we’re going to do it one day at a time. Because that’s the right mindset.”

That doesn’t cruel that extreme 12 months doesn’t nonetheless encourage them. 

“That doesn’t stop you from when you see the red and yellow confetti fall or you have a piece of it stuck on your shirt, that you don’t think to yourself, ‘I have to do everything I can to help our guys get back to this moment.'” Sirianni mentioned.

Perhaps they gained’t get the similar breaks they were given extreme season. Perhaps their shock success gained’t reserve out. They may also have hassle navigating what looks as if a more difficult time table. And perhaps the contest from Dallas, San Francisco or elsewhere can be a slight fiercer than it used to be.

However the Eagles no less than finished the primary a part of their undertaking. This offseason they did the entirety they may be able to do to aid their guys get again to the Tremendous Bowl. They’re now not the similar workforce, however they could be a greater workforce. They’re simply as centered, however they’re additionally extra ambitious than they’ve ever been prior to.

Perhaps sooner or later presen and the wage cap and wicked success are moving to meet up with the Eagles. However no less than they’ve prepared themselves up for any other run at a championship.

And this era they gained’t fall shorten.

Ralph Vacchiano is the NFC East reporter for FOX Sports activities, protecting the Washington Commanders, Philadelphia Eagles and Untouched York Giants. He spent the former six years protecting the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in Untouched York, and prior to that, 16 years protecting the Giants and the NFL for the Untouched York Day-to-day Information. Practice him Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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