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The Eagles don't have a ton of great offensive talent. Philadelphia finished 18th in points per play, 23rd in yards per play, and 26th overall in offensive DVOA last season. The bad news is that the Eagles don't have a lot of proven skill players to help turn this poor offensive performance around. The good news, if you're an optimist, is that the Eagles might have players with potential to develop into good starters.
According to an NFL age study by Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice, the Eagles have the league's second youngest group of skill position players. Kempski compared the ages of every team's quarterback, running back, tight end, and first three wide receivers. Note that, for the sake of his study, Kempski considers Wentz as Philadelphia's starting quarterback since he's bound to be the team's long-term answer at the position. Sam Bradford is only a one-year placeholder.
| POSITION | PLAYER | AGE | RANK |
|---|---|---|---|
| QB | Carson Wentz | 23 | 5th youngest |
| RB | Ryan Mathews | 28 | 25th youngest |
| WR | Nelson Agholor | 23 | 17th youngest |
| WR | Jordan Matthews | 23 | 27th youngest |
| WR | Rueben Randle | 25 | 39th youngest |
| TE | Zach Ertz | 25 | 6th youngest |
Not unlike Bradford, Ryan Mathews very much seems like a placeholder at running back. The veteran is always injured and the team can easily move on from his next year. The Eagles drafted Wendell Smallwood in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL Draft so it's possible the West Virginia alumnus could take over in a bigger role next season. If that's the case, the Eagles would have a 23-year-old starter. Or maybe their starting running back will come from the 2017 NFL Draft and potentially be even younger.
But while the running back position has the potential to get younger, the wide receiver position might get older beyond the rate of natural age. The Eagles could look to rely upon a veteran in the future if Agholor continues to prove unreliable. Not to mention that Randle is only playing on a one-year deal.
Having a lot of youth isn't necessarily a great thing for the Eagles. There's no guarantee these young players live up to the expectations of being good contributors. But it would be awfully convenient for the Birds if Wentz and his core group of skill position players can grow together as the team aims to contend for championships in the future.