5 Ways the Philadelphia Eagles Can Get Their Season Back on Track

Following double-digit losses to the Washington Football Team and Los Angeles Rams, the Philadelphia Eagles needed a "get-right" performance at home against the Cincinnati Bengals. While they avoided an 0-3 start, the game ended in a 23-23 tie. 

The Eagles offense still looks out of sync. Bengals' rookie quarterback Joe Burrow had a more impressive outing than Carson Wentz, who misfired terribly on multiple passes and threw two interceptions—one on his first drive. 

In overtime, Philadelphia had a critical mental error. As a result, head coach Doug Pederson opted to settle for a punt and a tie rather than give the special teams unit a crack at a long field goal. It seems as though his confidence in the team has waned given the uninspiring play through three weeks.

Nonetheless, we haven't gone through a quarter of the 2020 season yet. In a division with the leaders tied at 1-2, Philadelphia can still make some changes and push for the top spot in a short window.

What can the Eagles do to hit their stride after a rough start?

We haven't seen the same Carson Wentz from the past four seasons. Most notably, his accuracy has dipped with inconsistent ball placement.

Secondly, Wentz's pass-catching group has been ravaged by injuries. Jalen Reagor will miss multiple weeks with a torn UCL in his thumb. Alshon Jeffery practiced Thursday, but he's yet to return from offseason Lisfranc surgery.

In Week 1, DeSean Jackson only played 54 percent of the offensive snaps and barely saw the field in the second half of Sunday's game because of a hamstring injury. In Week 3, tight end Dallas Goedert exited the first quarter with an ankle ailment. 

Wentz managed to lead the Eagles to the playoffs with minimal available talent at wide receiver last season. Greg Ward, who converted from a collegiate quarterback to a wideout, started in the last three weeks of the 2019 campaign and recorded 17 receptions for 175 yards and a touchdown during that stretch. 

However, Wentz doesn't have the same touch in the pocket this year. As a result, head coach Doug Pederson must adjust the game plan and feature running back Miles Sanders. 

Last season, Sanders caught 50 passes for 509 yards and three touchdowns. In two outings this year, he's averaging five yards per carry. Though he missed the first game because of a hamstring injury, the Penn State product should carry a bigger workload until Wentz finds his rhythm.

The Eagles missed out on an opportunity to take advantage of the Cincinnati Bengals run defense, which ranked 30th going into Sunday's game. Sanders should've recorded 25 or more carries. He finished with 18.

If Pederson wants to keep the ball in Wentz's hands, he should dial up the short passing game for arguably his best (healthy) pass-catcher not named Zach Ertz.

Teams will release kickers after a crucial missed field goal or players who commit costly penalties. The Eagles don't have to cut guard Matt Pryor, but they should perhaps re-evaluate the position.

Pryor's false start on 4th-and-7 on the Cincinnati Bengals' 41-yard line with 19 seconds left in overtime potentially cost Philadelphia the game. Jake Elliott didn't have an opportunity to attempt a 59-yard kick after he drilled a 54-yarder during the third quarter.

The Eagles selected Pryor in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. He's a backup offensive lineman who took on a big role over the last two weeks. Brandon Brooks, the starter at the position, tore his Achilles tendon during the offseason. He's on season-ending injured reserve. 

Weeks ago, Philadelphia signed Jamon Brown off the Chicago Bears' practice squad. In Week 3, he was listed as a healthy scratch. The sixth-year veteran has started 47 games at guard—mostly on the right side. He's a potential upgrade over Pryor.

If the Eagles don't feel comfortable with Brown in a full-time starting role, they should call Ronald Leary, who's a free agent. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, he visited the Cleveland Browns in August. The 31-year-old also worked out with the Dallas Cowboys last week, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. 

Perhaps a veteran presence at guard would save the Eagles from basic mistakes in their execution. Secondly, an upgrade on the interior would bode well for a game plan that features Sanders on the ground.

In Sunday's game against Cincinnati, Jalen Hurts made his first impactful play as a pro, moving the chains on a first-down run for eight yards. He logged two carries, though he fumbled one but recovered the ball.

Let's not stir up a quarterback controversy amid Carson Wentz's struggles in the pocket, though head coach Doug Pederson should consider more designed plays for Hurts, who adds another dimension to the offense.

The Eagles' coaching staff likely held its collective breath on the fumble, but Hurts can help the offense while it's in a rut. As a collegian, he logged 614 rush attempts for 3,274 yards and 43 touchdowns at Alabama and Oklahoma. 

Wentz recorded nine carries for 65 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's outing. Although he scored on a critical late fourth-quarter drive, the 27-year-old should log fewer rush attempts given his injury history, which has seen him miss eight regular-season games and five playoff contests since 2017.

The Eagles selected Hurts with a second-round pick in April's draft. Clearly, they have plans for him—just probably not to replace Wentz, who signed a four-year, $128 million extension during the 2019 offseason. Still, the two quarterbacks can co-exist with the rookie taking snaps on designed runs and RPOs.

Philadelphia went into Sunday's game with the 26th-ranked scoring defense, and the unit has still forced only one takeaway.

Yet Josh Sweat has been one of the few bright spots on defense. His snaps dipped from 70 to 57 percent between Weeks 1 and 2, but he's made notable contributions off the edge, logging two sacks and eight tackles through three games. 

Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett took advantage of the Cincinnati Bengals' subpar offensive line, recording two sacks apiece Sunday. Nonetheless, defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz should keep Sweat on the field for two-thirds of the defensive snaps. 

Philadelphia would have a stronger rotation featuring Graham, Barnett and Sweat on the end to compensate for the lack of takeaways. Eventually, relentless pressure would force quarterbacks to make mistakes, which would allow the Eagles defensive backs to pounce on some ill-advised throws.

In Week 3, safety Jalen Mills had some flashes, logging five tackles, 1.5 sacks and a tackle for loss at his new position. On the flip side, he's struggled in coverage.

Mills had a misstep on a play-action design, missed a tackle and drew a defensive pass interference penalty, all within the same drive Sunday. He's going to go through rough patches while learning the position, but the Eagles may want to rethink this experiment with an 0-2-1 record and a two-game road trip against playoff-caliber squads (the San Francisco 49ers and Pittsburgh Steelers) coming up.

Safety Will Parks is eligible to return from injured reserve (thigh) next week, but he's started just 15 games through four campaigns. Philadelphia should instead sign a natural first-team safety to shore up the secondary. 

In 2019, Eric Reid started all 16 games for the Carolina Panthers and listed second on the team in tackles (130) with six pass breakups and four sacks. Tony Jefferson has some injury concerns following a term shortened by a torn ACL. However, if he looks good during a workout, the former Baltimore Raven seems like a potential fit.

Both free agents are just 28 years old.