Philadelphia Eagles: 2017 Schedule Released

The Philadelphia Eagles 2017 NFL schedule release is here.

The 2016 NFL season was a big one for the Philadelphia Eagles. They decided that it was time to focus on the future of their franchise and made a move reflecting this decision. Philadelphia made a huge trade to acquire the No. 2 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. With that pick, the Eagles found their franchise quarterback, North Dakota State product, Carson Wentz.

Drafting Wentz meant that the Eagles were ready to build around a young quarterback and help progress him to the unlimited potential many see in his game. First-year head coach Doug Pederson said Wentz was not the starter for 2016, well, until he traded quarterback Sam Bradford to the Minnesota Vikings for a first and a fourth round pick.

That solidified the Eagles decision to build for the future, and they handed the keys to the franchise to their rookie signal-caller. Like many rookie quarterbacks, Wentz had some ups and downs in 2016. However, he also had flashes of greatness, which you can’t always say for young quarterbacks.

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Philadelphia ended the year 7-9, losing a ton of close games. Their offense struggled mightily, and not because of a rookie quarterback behind center. Wentz did not have a legitimate No. 1 wide receiver to throw the ball to, and he needed one. The Eagles entire wide receiver core underachieved and did not help their young gunslinger.

Although, wide receiver wasn’t the only hole for the Eagles. They lacked a real every down running back in 2016, once again, hindering the ability of their quarterback. Their defense also did not play well enough, with a huge hole at cornerback that teams exploited the entire season.

They hope to change all of that and take steps forward, though. Here’s what they’ll have to go through to do that as the Philadelphia Eagles schedule for 2017 is here:

Luckily for the Eagles, they head into the 2017 NFL season with more hope than they have had in years. They addressed their No. 1 wide receiver problem, signing former Chicago Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery. Along with Jeffery, the Eagles added deep-threat Torrey Smith to the mix at receiver. Philly still has holes at cornerback and running back, but the 2017 NFL Draft will almost certainly address those needs.

Next: Eagles: 7-Round Mock Draft With Trades

The second-year quarterback heads into his sophomore campaign with 16 starts under his belt and the trust of an entire city. He also heads into his second season with the same core coaches: Pederson, offensive coordinator Frank Reich, and quarterbacks coachJohn DeFilippo.

If second-year defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz can get the Eagles defense to play better than last year, and Wentz can take an important step in his progression; the Eagles could be a sneaky team to watch out for in 2017.