Eagles Expected to Remain Contenders by Betting Markets

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The early opening win total for the reigning NFC Champions was set at 10.5

There has been significant change since the Eagles’ heartbreaking 38-35 Super Bowl LVII loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Philadelphia has lost seven starters in free agency, five on defense (Javon Hargrave, T.J. Edwards, Kyzir White, C.J. Gardner-Johnson, Marcus Epps), two on offense (Miles Sanders, Issac Seumalo), and 10 total contributors (key reserves Gardner Minshew, Zach Pascal, Andre Dillard).

The reigning NFC champions also lost both coordinators to head-coaching jobs – Shane Steichen to Indianapolis and Jonathan Gannon to Arizona -  and a few assistant coaches (Nick Rallis, Dennard Wilson, Joe Kasper) have moved on from Nick Sirianni’s staff.

The roster additions have been of the low-cost variety to both make sure four potential 2024 compensatory draft picks are in play and the organization is in the position to pull the trigger on the looming Jalen Hurts extension.

Despite the attrition, however, the betting markets still expect big things for the Eagles, with the team’s opening-win total placed at 10.5 by BetOnline.

Last season, Philadelphia came in with a win total set at just 8.5 in front of what turned out to be a franchise-record 14-win season, something that was further extended to 16 in the postseason before the razor-thin Super Bowl loss to the Chiefs.

Only Kansas City (11 ½), Cincinnati (11.5), and San Francisco (11) come into the process this time with higher over/under win totals than the Eagles. Buffalo is tied with Philadelphia at 10.5.

The 49ers are the only NFC team ahead of the Eagles and Philadelphia beat San Francisco in last season’s NFC Championship Game.

The larger theme is that the Eagles are still expected to be a significant contender in 2023 despite the changes.

-John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's Eagles Today and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John, alongside legendary sports-talk host Jody McDonald every morning from 8-10 on ‘Birds 365,” streaming live on YouTube. John is also the host of his own show "Football 24/7 and a daily contributor to ESPN South Jersey. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen