Loaded Eagles:
The defending Super Bowl champions are among the best at many positional groups.
The NFL’s best are recognized annually when Pro Bowl ballots are collected and all-pro votes tabulated.
But if you had to build an ideal roster by cherry-picking the best positional groups by team from throughout the league, how would a super team look?
Quarterbacks — Eagles: Carson Wentz almost surely would have been league MVP in 2017 had he avoided a late-season knee injury. Nick Foles didn’t miss a beat, winning Super Bowl MVP honors. Even third-stringer Nate Sudfeld seems to have a promising future.
Running backs — Saints: Last season, Pro Bowlers Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram became the first teammates to surpass 1,500 yards from scrimmage in the same season. Kamara is known for his receiving prowess yet led the NFL with 6.1 yards per carry in 2017. Ingram has been the Saints’ leading rusher in each of the past four years but doesn’t get enough credit for his hands.
Wide receivers/tight ends — Chiefs: In terms of pure depth, the Eagles have a strong case. But when it comes to a top-end trio, no team has a better chance of producing three 1,000yard pass catchers than the Chiefs’ combo of Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins.
Offensive line — Eagles: Jason Peters is coming back from a major knee injury but remains one of the premier left tackles. Mobile C Jason Kelce and mauling RT Lane Johnson earned all-pro honors while G Brandon Brooks emerged as a Pro Bowler. Stefen Wisniewski can play guard or center, while Chance Warmack and Isaac Seumalo bolster interior depth. And let’s not forget Halapoulivaati “Big V” Vaitai, who capably protected Wentz and Foles last season after Peters went down.
Defensive line — Jaguars: The Eagles were loaded before adding Michael Bennett and Haloti Ngata. But the Jaguars’ front produced 47 of the team’s 55 sacks in 2017. Calais Campbell and Malik Jackson can cause havoc from inside and out. Rookie first-rounder Taven Bryan should thrive under their tutelage. Yannick Ngakoue is a rising star as a pass rusher with 20 sacks over his first two seasons. Former all-pro Marcell Dareus has been unable to dislodge tackle Abry Jones from the starting lineup. Though Dante Fowler has been a disappointment, he can bring a fastball off the edge in sub packages.
Linebackers — Broncos: Denver’s Von Miller is the league’s pre-eminent edge rusher. Yet the Broncos are more than a one-man band. Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray can cause havoc outside; even so, both are going to lose snaps to first-round pick Bradley Chubb. Brandon Marshall and Todd Davis are more than solid inside but could be pushed themselves by rookie Josey Jewell.
Secondary — Rams: The Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye are the top corner tandem, and it’s tough to find a better safety combo than Minnesota’s Harrison Smith and Andrew Sendejo. But for the complete package, it’s tough to beat the Rams. Pro Bowl corners Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters are new to the program, which already had a solid nickel in Nickell Robey-Coleman. The Rams think so much of Lamarcus Joyner that he got the franchise tag. He and John Johnson start at safety, but both have experience playing corner.
Special teams — Rams: KR-PR Pharoh Cooper, K Greg Zuerlein and P Johnny Hekker doubled as all-pros and Pro Bowlers in 2017. Hekker could go down as one of the best punters in history.