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5 NFL teams that made the leap to contenders after the 2022 NFL Draft

By Sayre Bedinger

2022 NFL Draft; Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, head coach Ron Rivera and Co-CEO Tanya Snyder pose with the team helmet at Inova Sports Performance Center Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: John McCreary-USA TODAY Sports
2022 NFL Draft; Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, head coach Ron Rivera and Co-CEO Tanya Snyder pose with the team helmet at Inova Sports Performance Center Auditorium. Mandatory Credit: John McCreary-USA TODAY Sports /
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2022 NFL Draft
PHILADELPHIA, PA – MAY 03: A.J. Brown #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles smiles prior to the game between the Texas Rangers and Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on May 3, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Rangers defeated the Phillies 6-4. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Post-2022 NFL Draft contender no. 2: Philadelphia Eagles

Do the Philadelphia Eagles really count for this list since they were in the playoffs a season ago?

It’s my list, so they’re going on it.

During the 2021 NFL season, it became clear that the Philadelphia Eagles were a year ahead of schedule. It wasn’t exactly the same by any means, but the progression of Jalen Hurts as the starting quarterback seemingly accelerated the timeline for the Eagles overall and put this team in a position to at least get its feet wet in the postseason last year.

Following the 2022 NFL Draft, it’s clear that the Eagles intend on pushing their contender status even further up the chain.

The Eagles made one of the best moves of any team in the entire 2022 NFL Draft when they sent a first-round pick to the Tennessee Titans along with a compensatory third-round selection for wide receiver AJ Brown.

Brown, one of the best receivers in the game and certainly one of the best at creating yardage after the catch, now becomes one of the focal points of this Eagles offense along with DeVonta Smith.

Defensively, it’s impossible to say the Eagles didn’t get better in 2022.

They added big Jordan Davis, one of the craziest athletes of this year’s rookie class, to the defensive line.

They brought in pass rusher Haason Reddick as their top free agency prize and got a much-needed double-digit sack type of edge player.

The linebacker room got an upgrade with the additions of veteran Kyzir White in free agency as well as Georgia linebacker Nakobe Dean in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Dean, whose health is somewhat of a question mark, could wind up being the steal of the draft.

Philadelphia didn’t have enough assets to really add big pieces to the secondary, but after the 2022 NFL Draft, this team is certainly more of a contender this season than they were a season ago.

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