The 2023 season was supposed to be the "revenge tour" for the City of Brotherly Love. After a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs, Howie Roseman didn't just sit on his hands. He went to work. But if you look back at the eagles depth chart 2023, it tells a story of two different seasons: a dominant start and a confusing, stumbling finish that left everyone scratching their heads.
Honestly, the roster looked like a "Madden" dream team on paper. You had a franchise QB in Jalen Hurts who just got paid, the best offensive line in football, and a defensive front that looked like the University of Georgia’s alumni association.
The Offensive Engine: Hurts and the Big Men Up Front
Everything in Philly starts and ends with Jalen Hurts. Heading into 2023, the depth chart at quarterback was pretty straightforward. Hurts was the undisputed alpha. Behind him, the Eagles brought in Marcus Mariota to be the veteran safety net, while rookie Tanner McKee from Stanford impressed enough in preseason to stick around as the third string.
But the real magic of the eagles depth chart 2023 was the offensive line. It’s rare to see a unit this stable.
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You had Jordan Mailata at left tackle, a literal mountain of a man. Next to him, Landon Dickerson. In the middle? The legendary Jason Kelce, playing what would ultimately be his final season. The right side featured Cam Jurgens (moving from center to guard to replace Isaac Seumalo) and the brick wall known as Lane Johnson.
When those five were healthy, the "Tush Push" (or Brotherly Shove, depending on who you ask) was basically unstoppable. It wasn't just a play; it was a statistical inevitability.
Wide Receivers and the Barkley Rumors (That Weren't True Yet)
A lot of people get confused and think Saquon Barkley was on the 2023 team. He wasn't. That was a 2024 move. In 2023, the backfield was a bit of a committee after Miles Sanders left for Carolina. Howie traded for D'Andre Swift, who ended up being a Pro Bowler.
- D'Andre Swift: The lightning-fast lead back.
- Kenneth Gainwell: The reliable third-down option.
- Boston Scott: The "Giant Killer" who always seemed to score against New York.
- Rashaad Penny: A low-risk signing that, unfortunately, never really got off the ground.
Out wide, it was the A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith show. Brown is a physical freak who catches everything, and Smith is the "Slim Reaper" with some of the best footwork in the league. The third receiver spot was a bit of a revolving door, though. Quez Watkins and Olamide Zaccheaus shared those snaps, and later in the year, they even added the veteran Julio Jones for some red-zone gravity.
The Defensive Shift: Why the eagles depth chart 2023 Struggled
If the offense was a well-oiled machine, the defense was a bit of a science experiment. Following the departure of Jonathan Gannon, the Eagles turned to Sean Desai and later Matt Patricia.
The defensive line was still terrifying. You had Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham providing the veteran leadership, while the "Georgia Boys"—Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, and Nolan Smith—were supposed to be the future. Carter, specifically, looked like a Defensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner for the first ten weeks.
The Linebacker and Secondary Headache
This is where things got dicey. The Eagles have historically devalued the linebacker position in their roster building, and 2023 might have been the breaking point.
The initial depth chart featured Nakobe Dean as the "green dot" wearer, but injuries sidelined him for most of the year. This forced the team to rely on Nicholas Morrow and mid-season veteran additions like Zach Cunningham and Shaq Leonard.
The secondary was even more chaotic. Darius Slay and James Bradberry were the veteran corners, but they both struggled with the new scheme. Injuries to Avonte Maddox meant the nickel corner spot was a disaster for months.
- Slay and Bradberry: The aging outside duo.
- Reed Blankenship: The undrafted safety who became a tackling machine.
- Kevin Byard: A massive mid-season trade acquisition from Tennessee that never quite found his rhythm in Philly.
- Sydney Brown: The rookie safety with high-octane energy who unfortunately tore his ACL late in the year.
Key Takeaways from the 2023 Roster
The eagles depth chart 2023 proved that talent isn't everything. You can have All-Pros at almost every position, but if the coaching isn't aligned and the depth at key spots like linebacker and safety is thin, the NFL will find those cracks.
Philly started 10-1. They finished 11-6.
That collapse wasn't because Jalen Hurts forgot how to play or because Jason Kelce lost his strength. It was a combination of defensive scheme failure and a lack of secondary depth that could hold up against elite passing attacks.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Analysts
If you're looking back at this roster to understand the current Eagles, here is what you need to remember:
- Roster construction matters: Howie Roseman learned that you can't ignore the secondary. That's why he went heavy on DBs in the following draft.
- Transitioning legends: 2023 was the end of an era for Fletcher Cox and Jason Kelce. Replacing that leadership is harder than replacing the stats.
- Health is a skill: The 2022 team was incredibly healthy. The 2023 team was not. Depth at the bottom of the roster is often more important than the stars at the top during a long December stretch.
If you want to dive deeper into the specific stats of that season, I recommend checking out the official NFL GSIS game books. They provide a play-by-play breakdown of exactly who was on the field during those crucial late-season losses. Understanding who was "in the room" helps explain why certain coverages blew up or why the run game stalled.
Go Birds.
Next Steps for You: You can compare these 2023 numbers to the 2024 roster to see exactly how much Howie Roseman overhauled the defense after the "Tampa Collapse." Focus specifically on the snap counts for the young cornerbacks to see the shift in philosophy.