5 fixes the Eagles need to make in the offseason, including a fall guy on the coaching staff

There is so much that went wrong for the Eagles this season, whether it was injuries that decimated position groups (again!), poor quarterback play, bad coaching decisions or a poorly assembled roster.

All of it has led the Eagles to a 4-10-1 record, mercifully eliminated from playoff contention and facing an offseason with so many questions.

It wasn't supposed to be this way.

Remember last spring, when the Eagles were the only team in the NFC East with a returning head coach? That was supposed to give the Eagles a huge advantage during the coronavirus pandemic. The other three teams mostly had to learn new systems remotely, with no spring practices, a delayed start to training camp and no preseason games.

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"Listen, we had a lot of expectations going into the year," Eagles coach Doug Pederson said. "But then things began to slowly unravel with the injuries and things of that nature, all things that as a sport are out of your control.

"What’s unfortunate is where we are. We didn’t make the most of our opportunities when we had them."

Here, then, are five things the Eagles have to fix during an offseason that will begin next week:

1. Who's the quarterback?

Carson Wentz was a disaster before getting benched in the second half of the Eagles' loss to Green Bay on Dec. 6. He hasn't played since. In his three starts, Jalen Hurts has completed only 54.9% of his passes, which is lower than Wentz's 57.4%.

But Hurts has thrown five TD passes against two interceptions, compared with Wentz's 16 and 15, respectively. Hurts' passer rating is 86.4 compared with Wentz's 72.8. Hurts also has 238 yards rushing.

It's assumed that both players will compete for the job in the spring.

But the Eagles might try to trade Wentz and his massive contract, and thus move forward with Hurts. Or the Eagles might use their draft pick, which could be as high as No. 3 or as low as No. 10, and draft their future QB.

"Obviously, I can’t answer (that)," Pederson said about the quarterback going forward. "We’re not there yet as far as answering all those questions. Things can obviously change."

Things already have changed.

Before the season, there was no question that Wentz was the franchise quarterback, at least for the next few years. Now, everything is up in the air. 

2. Offensive line in flux

The Eagles set a record they could have never imagined, using 13 different offensive line combinations.

They might use No. 14 on Sunday if left tackle Jordan Mailata doesn't recover from his concussion in time. Mailata's replacement would either be Brett Toth, with 28 career snaps, or rookie Prince Tega Wanogho, who has spent the entire season on the practice squad.

Pederson says the return to health of mainstays will solve the problem. Left tackle Andre Dillard, the Eagles' first-round pick in 2019, and three-time Pro Bowl right guard Brandon Brooks missed the entire season.

In addition, right tackle Lane Johnson, left guard Isaac Seumalo and left tackle/right guard Jason Peters will have missed at least seven games each.

Center Jason Kelce is the only starting offensive lineman to play in every game this season. Yet he, Brooks and Johnson are all over 30 years of age. 

Still, if the unit returns to health, then Mailata, rookie Jack Driscoll and Nate Herbig would provide for quality depth. 

3. Forever plagued at wide receiver?

At least, it seems that way.

In 2019, the Eagles drafted J.J. Arcega-Whiteside in the second round, passing on DK Metcalf and Terry McLaurin among others. Arcega-Whiteside has been a healthy scratch in four games.

Then last spring, the Eagles selected Jalen Reagor in the first round. One pick later, Justin Jefferson went to the Vikings. Jefferson broke the Vikings' record for receiving yards by a rookie wide receiver, set by Randy Moss. Jefferson has 1,267 yards.

Reagor missed five games with an injury and has 381 yards receiving. Reagor can still be a good receiver, but Jefferson seemingly will be among the best for many years to come.

But the Eagles also relied on veterans Alshon Jeffery and DeSean Jackson. They each missed at least half the season with injuries. And Marquise Goodwin opted out of the season. 

It would be hard for the Eagles to spend for a marquee free agent since they're projected to be about $70 million over the salary cap. They might have to use another first-round pick on either Alabama's DeVonta Smith or LSU's Ja'Marr Chase.

4. Cornerback conundrum

The Cowboys exploited undrafted free agent Michael Jacquet by throwing to whomever he was covering while staying away from Darius Slay. Michael Gallup and Amari Cooper each had 121 yards receiving before safety Jalen Mills moved to corner and Jacquet was benched.

But even before that debacle, the Eagles did not have a suitable cornerback situation. Avonte Maddox is probably best in the nickel role but ended up starting on the outside until a knee injury ended his season. 

Nickell Robey-Coleman struggled both in nickel and when he played outside.

If Slay is considered a lockdown cornerback – and for the most part he was – then the Eagles need to improve the other side.  

5. Coaching changes coming?

Even if Pederson does return, there will likely be some changes on his staff, and that could begin with defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.

It's not that Schwartz did a terrible job, although back-to-back games allowing more than 500 yards certainly doesn't help.

It's just that the Eagles might need to hear a new voice on defense. And when a team is 4-10-1, someone has to take the fall.

"It sucks that we didn’t get it done for him this year," defensive end Brandon Graham said when asked about Schwartz. "And I know things always move around (with changes). That’s above me.

"I just know that while he’s here, he’s been a great coach, somebody that I’ve learned from, somebody that always helped ... put us in the right positions."

Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@delawareonline.com. Follow on Twitter @Mfranknfl.