The 2024 Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl partly because they got breakout performances from a number of their young players, like Zack Baun, Nolan Smith, Nakobe Dean, Cam Jurgens, and even some of their rookies, like Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean.
Since the Birds will have their first full-team practice of 2025 on Tuesday, let's name five potential breakout players for this coming season. (We will not be including rookies here, so you won't be seeing guys like Jihaad Campbell or Andrew Mukuba.)
EDGE Jalyx Hunt
Hunt was viewed as something of a developmental prospect with a high ceiling when the Eagles selected him out of Houston Christian in the third round of the 2024 draft. For the first 10 games of his rookie season, Hunt played a grand total of 42 snaps, all of which came in garbage time blowouts.
But when Bryce Huff went on IR with a wrist injury, Hunt got an opportunity to play meaningful snaps, and he never looked lost. When Huff returned from IR, Vic Fangio had seen enough good things from Hunt that he remained in the edge rusher rotation, while Huff rode the bench.
Over the final 10 games of the season (playoffs included), Hunt played 279 snaps, or just under 28 per game. In those 10 games, he had 31 tackles, three sacks, and two forced fumbles.
We already knew Hunt was an athlete. I mean, he's a former safety turned edge rusher. But what we learned last season is that he's smart, he takes pride in playing the run, he has a great motor, and he got after the quarterback quite a bit in the playoffs. (Video via @JakeRabadiNFL):
Heading into Year 2, Hunt is well ahead of schedule, as he is the clear favorite to start on the edge opposite Nolan Smith.
iDL Moro Ojomo
Ojomo was a regular part of the Eagles' D-line rotation, and actually got more playing time than Jordan Davis. Fangio said that he liked what he saw from Ojomo last season, both as a pass rusher and run defender. (Fangio doesn't offer up false praise, like most coaches.)
During the regular season, Ojomo had 20 tackles and no sacks, but he got his first career sack during the playoffs against the Rams.
Ojomo is already a three-down lineman, but he will almost certainly see his role grow just in terms of pure volume of snaps with the departure of Milton Williams in free agency.
iDL Jordan Davis
During the 2024 season (playoffs included), Davis played just 445 snaps, or 21.2 per game. That was the fourth-most snaps among the Eagles' interior defensive linemen. That is obviously not what the Eagles were hoping for when they made him the 13th overall pick in the 2022 Draft.
During the regular season, Davis was a good against the run, but he only had 27 tackles, one sack, and two batted passes during the regular season. However, he came alive as a pass rusher in the playoffs, collecting a sack in the NFC Championship Game against the Commanders, as well as in the Super Bowl against the Chiefs. His NFCCG sack:
And his Super Bowl sack:
It's not uncommon for interior defensive linemen to take a few years to get their NFL sea legs. This excuse isn't as compelling for Davis as it was a year or two ago, but there are certainly some good NFL defensive linemen who didn't impress much until their fourth seasons in the league. Guys who really popped in their fourth seasons include Dexter Lawrence, Zach Allen, Nnamdi Madubuike, and Vita Vea, though certainly, they all showed more in their first three seasons than Davis has through his.
Though Davis hasn't popped yet, he did show something in the playoffs, and he remains one of the most physically gifted players in the NFL:
Earlier this month, the Eagles exercised Davis' fifth-year option in 2026 for roughly $13 million. They certainly didn't make that decision on past production. They did it on the belief that Davis will have a breakout season in 2025.
While I do not agree with committing $13 million to a player who plays one-third of the snaps and hasn't made much of an impact when he has been on the field, the Eagles have probably earned the benefit of the doubt, at least to the degree that we can include Davis once again as a perennial breakout candidate.
CB Kelee Ringo
Ringo hasn't played much in the regular defense his first two seasons in the NFL, but in the limited chances he has gotten — as shown in film breakdowns from his 2023 season here and his 2024 season here — he hasn't been perfect, but has shown promise in coverage.
Ringo, still only 22, is very young for a third-year pro. He has all the physical tools (6'2, 207, 4.36 speed) to be a starting cornerback in the NFL, and he has had two years to get his NFL sea legs.
Ringo will have to win a training camp battle over Adoree' Jackson to earn the Eagles' CB3 job, but I would consider him the favorite heading into spring practices.
RB Will Shipley
Like with Ringo above, we reviewed Shipley's rookie season in 2024, and I came away encouraged by what the film showed. He has some home-run explosiveness, he has good contact balance, and he can be an asset in the passing game, at least as a receiver. To be determined what he'll look like in pass protection. I believe that Shipley is the clear RB2 heading into this offseason, ahead of free agent acquisition A.J. Dillon.
Saquon Barkley had a whopping 482 touches in 2024. That is not sustainable year after year, so the Eagles' RB2 should see more action in 2025.
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