NFL Power Rankings: Philadelphia Eagles listed as the third worst team in the league

There's always a bit of a lull after the NFL Draft each year, so that means it's time for filler content. Sticking with that theme, a number of media outlets have already released their NFL Power Rankings for the upcoming season. Let's take a look at how the Philadelphia Eagles stack up, starting with ESPN.

22) Hey! Sam Bradford is back! Which is great, because without him they may have run out of quarterbacks. Just kidding, of course. The question now is how many members of the Philadelphia Quarterback Club hit the field this year. If it's more than two, the smart money says this ranking drops.

There is a good chance the Eagles start more than one quarterback this year. Sam Bradford, who is currently projected to be the starter, hasn't played a full 16 game season since 2012. Even if he stays healthy, it's not impossible that he could be benched for poor performance. Veteran backup Chase Daniel and franchise quarterback of the future Carson Wentz will provide stiff competition.

Quarterback isn't the only question mark for the Eagles on the offensive side of the ball. How will carries be split up at running back? Other than Jordan Matthews, who can the team count on at wide receiver? Who starts at left guard? Can rookie head coach Doug Pederson design a good offense and prove to be an effective play-caller?

While the Eagles' offense is far from a sure thing, there's reason to be excited about the defense. Jim Schwartz has a track record of being a very successful defensive coordinator. The Eagles have a very talented defensive line and arguably the best starting safety tandem in the NFL. The linebacker corps is solid. Cornerback is the biggest question mark.

Overall, I think the Eagles will be an average team at best this season, so the ranking looks fair to me. The uncertainty on offense will prevent them from being good. The defense will prevent them from being one of the worst teams.

To no surprise, ESPN ranks the Eagles at the bottom of the NFC East. The Cowboys are somehow in first at No. 11 overall.

11) The NFC East is the Charlie Sheen of the NFL. Used to be huge, hasn't done a thing lately and people remain surprisingly fascinated. So maybe Tony Romo and Dez Bryant come back healthy and Ezekiel Elliott proves worthy of the collective Hall of Fame induction that followed his selection in the draft. If not, there are surely some "Two And A Half Men" reruns on somewhere.

There's no question a healthy Tony Romo and Dez Bryant make a difference for a Cowboys team that went 4-12 last year. But I don't think Romo's health can be so easily assumed at this point. He just turned 36 and he's had some serious injury issues in recent years.

Coming in at second in the NFC East ... Washington.

16) The NFC East hasn't had a repeat champion since the Eagles in 2003-04. (Coincidentally, the first two seasons of "Two And A Half Men.") If Washington bucks that trend, Kirk Cousins will end up with a contract that makes Aaron Rodgers drool and Howie Roseman go out and get three more quarterbacks next offseason.

Here's a fun fact for you: Kirk Cousins have never beaten a team that finished with a winning record.

Kirk Cousins’ starting QB record = 11-14

Cousins’ record against teams that finished with 9+ wins = 0-6

8+ wins = 1-8

— Brandon Lee Gowton (@BrandonGowton) May 10, 2016

Washington had the benefit of playing a fourth place schedule last season. Now they'll have to play a first place schedule. Good luck, Kurt.

By process of elimination, you've now figured out that ESPN ranks the New York Giants in third place.

18) This team has a franchise quarterback who has never been hurt and has won two Super Bowls. They killed it in free agency, and their draft has been well reviewed. So why only 18th? Because they haven't finished .500 since Obama's first term and they no longer get (or deserve) the benefit of the doubt.

The Giants' defense was horrific last year. New York spent a lot of money and draft resources trying to fix it. We'll see how that goes. In the meantime, retaining Steve Spagnuolo as defensive coordinator doesn't seem very inspiring. It also remains to be seen if Ben McAdoo can be a good head coach.

...

ESPN isn't the outlet to think lowly of the Eagles. NFL.com and CBS have the Birds even lower at 25th. If you think that's bad, USA Today ranks Philadelphia all the way at 30. Ouch.

30) Welcome to Philadelphia, where the QB succession plan for Carson Wentz has already riled up Sam Bradford. Eagles fans better settle in for Year 1 of the Doug Pederson era.

In non-power-rankings rankings, the Eagles are tied for the 19th best 2017 Super Bowl odds. Football Outsiders projects the Eagles to finish with the sixth worst record in 2016.

So ... who's excited for football season?