Insider shares how Eagles coaches responded to 2023 collapse

How the Philadelphia Eagles respond to their 2023 late-season collapse will remain one of the most fascinating storylines of the 2024 campaign through at least Christmastime.

For a piece published Tuesday, NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated detailed how head coach Nick Sirianni and others within the Eagles have worked to get the organization back on track this summer.

"No one said this to me explicitly, but it’s very clear that after the way last year ended, the Eagles' staff started looking for ways to recapture the special mix that existed between the coaches and players and within the group of players themselves during the 2022 Super Bowl run," Breer explained. "And through a whole bunch of team-building, there’s been progress—to the point that last Wednesday, the day before [the preseason game at the New England Patriots], coach Nick Sirianni addressed the team on the topic, saying how happy he is with where the group is collectively."

Much has changed for the Eagles since their Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in February 2023. Coordinators Shane Steichen and Jonathan Gannon left Philadelphia to accept head-coaching jobs elsewhere that winter. Brian Johnson and Sean Desai entered last September as the replacements for Steichen and Gannon, but neither is with the club today.

Multiple reports published this summer touched upon alleged issues between Sirianni and quarterback Jalen Hurts that impacted the 2023 Eagles as they fell from 10-1 to 11-6 before they suffered a blowout wild-card playoff loss at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Earlier this month, former NFL head coach and current ESPN analyst Rex Ryan said he felt Philadelphia players "showed that they hated their coaches" with their performances from Week 13 through the Tampa Bay contest.

The Eagles are hoping the offseason signing of star running back Saquon Barkley will bolster their offense and also help fill the leadership void created by the retirements of center Jason Kelce and defensive tackle Fletcher Cox. Breer mentioned how Barkley "volunteering to take part in a tackling drill" that "wouldn’t do much for him but helped his defensive teammates" last week showed what the former New York Giants captain is already offering his current club.

Such stories won't stop the Eagles from constantly being linked in rumors with former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick as Belichick prepares to search for his next coaching gig come January. Truth be told, Sirianni may be facing a Super-Bowl-or-bust situation considering the signing of Barkley was a massive win-now move.

As of Tuesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Eagles third among the betting favorites at +600 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX.