{"numbering":"no_numbering","slides":[{"title":"10 Eagles who disappointed the most in 2020","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Carson2020dis.jpg","credit":"Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Images","published":1609954913,"caption":"

The hardest thing about putting together a list of the 10 most disappointing Eagles of 2020 was narrowing it down from about 70. OK, at least 20.

We took into account each player’s performance in relation to expectations and salary without holding injuries against players, although some of the biggest disappointments did wind up getting hurt.

Several notable candidates didn’t make the cut, such as Will Parks, released after just six games; Nickell Robey-Coleman, who struggled in the slot; Nate Gerry, who took a big step backward given a starting job after playing OK last year; and DeSean Jackson and Alshon Jeffery, who were only healthy briefly.

Here’s our list of the 10 most disappointing Eagles of 2020.

"},{"title":"10. Matt Pryor","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Pryor2020.jpg","credit":"Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Images","published":1609956799,"caption":"

Pryor played well enough last year in a couple emergency situations both at guard and tackle that the expectation was he could come in this year and be at worst a versatile and functional backup across the board. Kind of a la Big V. Instead, Pryor struggled wherever the Eagles put him. As the injuries on the O-line piled up, the increasingly desperate Eagles had no choice but to play Pryor, and it was ugly.

To say he regressed from last year would be an understatement. He struggled badly in pass protection, committed a team-high nine penalties and by the end of the year was only playing because the Eagles simply didn't have anybody else.

"},{"title":"9. Avonte Maddox","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Avonte2020.jpg","credit":"Dan Powers/USA Today Network-Wisconsin via USA Today Images","published":1609956703,"caption":"

Maddox hasn’t been able to build on his promising rookie season of 2018 the last two years, and the Eagles’ experiment to make him a starting outside cornerback just didn’t work out. Maddox has always been at his best in the slot, and he struggled in his new role in the 10 games he was healthy enough to play. Teams naturally threw away from Darius Slay, and that put a lot of pressure on Maddox, who at 5-foot-9 is a tough matchup for the monster receivers the Eagles see every week.

Maddox has a chance to be a decent slot, but he's just not a full-time outside cornerback.

"},{"title":"8. J.J. Arcega-Whiteside","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/JJAW2020.jpg","credit":"Geoff Burke/USA Today Images","published":1609956514,"caption":"

Why put JJAW on this list after such a disappointing rookie year? Because he was even more disappointing this year. Coaches always talk about that big jump players make from Year 1 to Year 2 and that just didn’t happen. If anything, JJAW regressed and couldn’t even get on the field the second half of the year.

Arcega-Whiteside’s 254 receiving yards ranks 148th out of 183 wide receivers taken in the second round over the last 50 years. JJAW caught only four passes this year, two in the season finale against Washington when the Eagles had nothing to play for. Sum total for his first two seasons: 14 catches.

"},{"title":"7. Jake Elliott","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/JakeElliott2020.jpg","credit":"Reinhold Matay/USA Today Images","published":1609956440,"caption":"

Elliott made just 14 of 19 field goals this year, and his 73.7 percent accuracy ranked 29th out of 34 qualifying kickers and was the lowest by an Eagles kicker in 15 years. Over the last three years, Elliott has made just 81.6 percent of his kicks, which ranks 20th out of 31 kickers who’ve attempted at least 50 field goals during that span. His 22-yard miss against the Saints was the shortest miss by an Eagles kicker in 27 years.

The Eagles likely can’t move on from Elliott, who would count $2 million more against the 2021 cap if they cut him than if they keep him.

"},{"title":"6. Jalen Reagor","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Reagor2020.jpg","credit":"Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com via USA Today Images","published":1609956244,"caption":"

You always want to give rookies the benefit of the doubt, but these days expectations of rookie first-round receivers are high, and Reagor managed only 31 catches for 396 yards and one TD in 11 games. Some 12 rookies had more yards, eight of them drafted after him and one undrafted.

Injuries may have slowed Reagor down, but even when he was healthy, he struggled tracking the football, didn’t show great instincts when he did have the ball in his hands and didn’t seem to improve as the year went on.

Way too early to give up on him, but Justin Jefferson’s success has set the bar very high.

"},{"title":"5. Derek Barnett","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/DerekBarnett.jpg","credit":"Kyle Terada/USA Today Images","published":1609956183,"caption":"

Every year is supposed to be the year Barnett busts out, but once again the former 14th pick in the draft underachieved. Barnett followed his career-high 6½ sacks last year with just 5½ this year in 13 games — 51st-most in the league — and he continued to be injury prone, missing three more games. He’s now missed 16 games in four seasons.

Barnett has 19½ sacks since he entered the league in 2017. Some 58 players have more. Barnett’s future is up in the air, as his rookie deal expires and the Eagles aren’t likely to pay the $10 million one-year tender.

"},{"title":"4. Malik Jackson","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/MalikJackson2020.jpg","credit":"Kyle Terada/USA Today Images","published":1609955955,"caption":"

Jackson started out OK the first month of the season and showed a few eye-opening flashes here and there, but he quickly came back down to earth and never looked like the consistently dominating complement to Fletcher Cox that the Eagles envisioned when they signed him to a three-year, $30 million contract two years ago.

Jackson had just one sack, four tackles for loss and nine tackles the last 10 games of the season. Jackson, who missed almost all of last season, had his contract reworked by the Eagles after the season and is expected to be released. A ballyhooed signing two years ago that never panned out.

"},{"title":"3. Zach Ertz","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/Ertz2020.jpg","credit":"Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Images","published":1609955604,"caption":"

Ertz just never looked like his usual self this year. The season started off with Ertz expressing his frustration with contract talks, then he struggled clicking with Carson Wentz, then he got hurt and missed five games, and he finished with a career-low 335 yards and one TD after averaging 82 catches for nearly 900 yards the previous six seasons.

Ertz actually dropped from 10th in NFL history to 12th in career receptions by tight ends this year. And now he faces an uncertain future as the Eagles look to get younger and shed cap.

"},{"title":"2. Jason Peters","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/JasonPeters2020.jpg","credit":"Eric Hartline/USA Today Images","published":1609955321,"caption":"

Nobody expected Peters to come in and return to his All-Pro form at 38 years old, but at the very least we expected a functional veteran, whether he was lining up at right guard or left tackle. Instead, we got a lumbering, slow-footed, overmatched liability.

It was sad to see a likely Hall of Famer and one of the greatest offensive linemen of our generation presumably finish his career getting beat by average players who he would have dominated in his prime. The contract power play didn’t help either. All in all, a miserable final season for the nine-time Pro Bowler.

"},{"title":"1. Carson Wentz","image":"https://www.nbcsports.com/sites/rsnunited/files/slide/image/2020Wentz.jpg","credit":"Mark J. Rebilas/USA Today Images","published":1609955863,"caption":"

The most disappointing season ever for an Eagles quarterback based on expectations and prior performance. Wentz became the first former Pro Bowl quarterback in his 20s in 25 years with a passer rating under 75, and his regression from his 2017 through 2019 body of work until now is virtually unprecedented in NFL history.

Of 30 quarterbacks who threw at least 300 passes this year, Wentz finished 29th in passer rating, INT ratio, completion percentage and yards per attempt before getting benched. He became only the third QB in the last 15 years to complete less than 58 percent of his passes, throw 15 interceptions and average less than 6.0 yards per attempt.

"}]}

The 10 Eagles who were the biggest disappointments in the 2020 season