One Analyst Just Took the Eagles Off His Super Bowl List. The Reason Might Surprise You.

Most people look at the Philadelphia Eagles and see a team that just won Super Bowl LIX. A roster still stacked with talent even after some offseason moves. An offense being handed to Sean Mannion after Kevin Patullo’s rocky year calling plays. The natural assumption is that this team is right back in the mix.

But Sports Illustrated’s Conor Orr doesn’t see it that way. He published a list of 14 teams he considers realistic Super Bowl contenders. The Eagles didn’t make the cut. And the reason isn’t about Jalen Hurts or the wide receivers or even the new offensive coordinator. It’s about the guy who builds the wall up front.

Jeff Stoutland stepped down as the Eagles offensive line coach. That’s it. That’s the whole reason.

Orr wrote that he’s knocking the Eagles down a peg because of Stoutland’s departure. He pointed out that two of the franchise’s best tackles now have to learn a brand new running scheme. He also noted that Jalen Hurts will be operating without A.J. Brown as his primary security blanket. That combination was enough for Orr to say “pass” on Philly for now.

Who Made the List Instead

Orr’s list of 14 contenders includes the obvious heavy hitters. The Los Angeles Rams. The New England Patriots. The Seattle Seahawks. Those teams are expected to be in the conversation. But then there are some head-scratchers.

The Dallas Cowboys are on there. The Los Angeles Chargers too. Even the Jacksonville Jaguars made the cut. Those three teams would love to have the Eagles recent playoff success. The Cowboys haven’t made it past the divisional round in decades. The Chargers are still figuring out how to close games. The Jaguars just fired their head coach.

Statistically speaking, Orr will probably end up being right. Only one team wins the Super Bowl every year. The odds are long for everyone. But saying the Eagles aren’t even a top 14 team in terms of realistic chances? That’s a tough argument to sell, especially when another team from the NFC East is sitting right there on the list.

Will it matter in the end? Probably not. The Eagles still have talent. They still have Hurts. They still have a front office that knows how to build a winner. But for one analyst, losing the offensive line coach was the dealbreaker. And he’s putting his reputation on the line to say so.