The Eagles finished 4-11-1 last season. They changed coaches and traded their starting quarterback.
Only five teams have worse Super Bowl LVI odds.
Still, Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson likes his team’s chances.
“Yeah, or well I think with what we have, you know, it’s easy to find motivation,” Johnson told SiriusXM NFL Radio. “4-11-1 or 4-12, whatever we were last year is not acceptable. So, you know, we’re going to come out swinging. Expectations are low. You know, we’re not expected to do much, so I feel like it’s a lot easier to play when you have that card in your hand, so that’s where we’re at and, really, I think that’s for a lot of teams in the NFC East. So, here we come.”
The NFC East, like last season, appears wide open.
The Eagles’ 2021 season rides on the right shoulder of Jalen Hurts. Center Jason Kelce said Wednesday he is excited to see what Hurts will do this season, and Johnson agrees.
“He’s got that confidence to him,” Johnson said. “The way he carries himself -- he carries himself like a veteran -- and things he can do on the field, you know, he can scramble outside the pocket. And when that happens, man, it makes it a little bit easier for the offensive line whenever you have a mobile quarterback back there. The pass rushers approach the pass rush a little bit differently. So instead of maybe running the hoop, they’re told not to break contain because if they do, he can scramble for 10 or 15 and get a quick first down, but really, you know, he’s taking command in OTAs.
“We have Joe Flacco there as our backup. He’s tremendous, too, who’s pushing him. So, really, he’s put his foot on the gas pedal, and everybody’s not satisfied with what we did last year. It left a bitter taste in our mouth, so we have a lot to prove. We know where we’re at and everybody’s champing at the bit to get back.”