The Philadelphia Eagles are about 24 hours from opening their 2020 season on the road against the Washington Football Team. Even though it’s the season opener for both teams, there’s so much at stake, including the Eagles season-opening dominance over the past four years.

With the Washington Football Team undergoing so many changes, we sat down with site editor, Zachary Neel to discuss Ron Rivera, Dwayne Haskins, Chase Young, and much more.

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1. With Ron Rivera now in the fold, has there been a true shift in the culture for a once-proud franchise looking to regain past glory?

Well, if you were to answer this question based on the happenings of the Washington Football Team alone this summer, then obviously there has not been enough of a culture shift. However, I do think that Rivera is the right man for the job, and he is in the midst of a shift that could bring the team back to success in the next few years, or so. What’s important to note is that this isn’t a sort of thing that happens overnight; it’s going to take a lot of time, and there’s going to be some growing pains. We saw that this past summer, with all of the turmoil that has surrounded the franchise both with legal issues and drama surrounding Dan Snyder. Anyone who is asked to clean up that mess is not in an enviable position.
So, long story short, yes, the culture is in the process of being shifted to something respectable. It’s not there yet, and won’t be for some time, but you have to start somewhere.

2. You guys moved on from Adrian Peterson in a somewhat shocking move. What is it in the young running backs (especially Antonio Gibson) that has fans and team brass so excited?

I think what is so enthralling about the new backs in the backfield is the scheme that they will be asked to run. With new offensive coordinator Scott Turner calling plays, the expectation is that not only Gibson, but also J.D. McKissic, Peyton Barber, and Bryce Love will be flying throughout the backfield and working to get into open space and go to work. That’s not something that you could do with AP, who represents the old type of NFL player who will bruise you between the tackles, but little else.

A lot of the excitement for the new guys is based on the fact that fans don’t know what to expect, but hopes are that it will be high-flying and resemble some of what Carolina did in the running game last year. It’s always tough to lose a teammate like Peterson, but the NFL is a business first and foremost.

3. Chase Young has looked scary good from the onset and how do you see him matching up against the Eagles stars at the tackle position, Jason Peters and Lane Johnson?

It’s hard to predict exactly what someone is going to be able to do in their first career NFL game, but judging by what Young has been able to accomplish so far in training camp, I think he will absolutely have an impact on defense. The better question, for me, is how will the Eagles’ offensive line be able to stack up against the rest of the Washington defensive front? Taking out Young is only a small part of the equation, and even if they are able to neutralize him with a single player, be it Peters or Johnson (if he plays), they still have three other high-level players to worry about in Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, and Jonathan Allen — not to mention the rotation guys like Matt Ioannidis and Ryan Kerrigan.

Washington knows that if they want any chance of beating Philly, they will have to do it with their defense, and that starts up front. I expect a nice opening day for Young, which will kick off his career on a high-note.

4. Terry McLaurin is a star and all 30 of the other NFL teams (Eagles included) are kicking themselves for not seeing the potential in the former Buckeyes star. What makes him great? And can his presence allow Dwyane Haskins to take the next step as a quarterback and passer?

We saw in 2019 that McLaurin has the abilities to be one of the best receivers in the NFL, but what is going to be critical in his development is not whether he can help Haskins take the next step, but rather if Haskins will allow McLaurin to take the next step. Seeing as Terry put on such a show with insufficient quarterback play during his rookie season, it will be incredible to see what he can do with even a little bit of consistency at that position. However, now that the league knows who he is, and has more of an idea as to how to slow him down, life is about to get tougher for McLaurin.

The tape shows that his route-running is crisp, and he has incredibly strong hands for someone of his size. Flying under the radar in his rookie season allowed McLaurin to put up surprisingly big numbers, but he won’t be able to rely on that anonymity this year around. In order for Terry to become one of the upper-echelon receivers in the league, he’s going to need his former college teammate to take that next step with him, and they can hopefully become a formidable duo in the NFL. We’ve seen glimpses of that relationship budding in training camp, but it’s definitely something that every Washington fan is eager to watch going forward.

5. You have a former Eagle at cornerback in Ronald Darby. How has he looked this summer and what’s your overall takeaway from the Washington secondary as a whole?

I think that a lot of Eagles fans can agree that Darby was a solid player when healthy, but it was his inability to stay on the field that put a damper on his time in Philly. That being said, he’s remained healthy thus far throughout training camp — *knock on wood* — and he’s quickly become one of the best cornerbacks in the secondary. Unfortunately for Washington, the other CB that they signed this offseason, Kendall Fuller, has been dealing with a knee issue and is doubtful to play vs. Philly. Overall, the secondary is absolutely better than a year ago, though that’s a low bar to clear. They’re far from the top of the league, but it’s not crazy to think that they can be middle of the pack.

6. Can Dwayne Haskins be this team’s quarterback of the present and future? And if so, what is his greatest skill set?

I’m not going to go as far as to say that Haskins is the next great quarterback in Washington, but he showed near the end of last season and throughout this offseason that he has a chance to be a solid QB who can win a lot of games over the next several years, hopefully leading this team on a few trips to the playoffs if all breaks the right way. While he is still prone to rookie mistakes here and there, Haskins has a rocket of an arm, and he is more mobile than people give him credit for. Where he can improve the most this year is gaining a better understanding of the offense, and letting the game come to him a bit more, rather than trying too hard to make things happen. An improved set of skill-position players around him should help with this, and a coaching staff that is dedicated to his improvement is never a bad thing to have.

7. Score prediction and why?

I so badly want to pick Washington in an upset here to start off the 2020 season, but I can’t in all good conscious say that. Instead, I’m going to predict that the Burgundy & Gold keep this tighter than most expect, and they cover the spread at the very least. The defense will be a problem for Carson Wentz and the Philly offense, and it could negate the run-game entirely for the Eagles, especially if Miles Sanders is forced to sit. In the end, I see Philly making enough plays down the stretch to win a close one. Eagles 17, Washington 13.