3 Unexpected Players That Will Have Biggest Impact for Eagles This Season

After failing to defend their Super Bowl title in 2018, the Philadelphia Eagles have made it their mission this offseason to get back to the big game. Their success this season will depend mostly on franchise QB Carson Wentz, and he'll have a lot of help around him to take the Eagles back to the promised land. Alshon Jeffery and Zach Ertz along with newcomers Jordan Howard and DeSean Jackson will play a big hand in the team's success, but there's bound to be a few players who outperform and end up having a huge impact for the Birds this season.

Here are three players that could surprise a lot of people in 2019.

3. TE Dallas Goedert

We all know who how much Carson Wentz loves throwing to his tight ends, with Zach Ertz easily being his favorite target. But Dallas Geodert showed some great upside toward the end of last season. Standing at 6-foot-5, Goedert is a big and talented tight end who should be one of Wentz's primary targets in the red zone. Head coach Doug Pederson also loves to spread the ball around in his offense and he always gets creative with his play designs. The Birds should be in a lot of two tight end sets this year, so Goedert should see the field quite a bit. He finished his rookie campaign with 33 receptions for 334 yards and 4 touchdowns. Expect those numbers to increase in year two for Goedert.

2. CB Avonte Maddox

The cornerback group for the Eagles is a huge question mark heading into 2019. Both of the starters on the outside from last year, Jalen Mills and Ronald Darby, are still nursing their injuries that they sustained last season. In their absence, Avonte Maddox stepped up and provided stability for the Birds' injury-riddled secondary. Even if Darby and Mills are healthy for training camp, their subpar play the past two seasons could lead to Maddox getting the starting spot. He showed a ton of potential his rookie season and figures to improve in Year 2.

1. RB Miles Sanders

After GM Howie Roseman was able to trade for former Chicago Bears RB Jordan Howard earlier this offseason, many fans thought the Birds were done adding talent in the backfield. But the team drafted Penn State RB Miles Sanders in the second round. While he's missed practice time due to injury, he can be a versatile wepaon. At PSU, James Franklin frequently lined Sanders up in the slot to run routes and he was used heavily in the Nittany Lions' screen game. Throwing to halfbacks is a staple of any West Coast offense, and Pederson's version is no different. Over the past two seasons, Eagles backs have accounted for 108 total receptions. Don't be surprised if Sanders leads the Birds' RBs in receptions as a rookie.