It's finally here! See who the Eagles will be matching up against each week throughout the 2016 season...
Week 1: September 11, at home against Joe Thomas and the Browns
Week 2: September 19, in Chicago against Jay Cutler and the Bears for Monday Night Football
Week 3: September 25, at home against Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers
Week 5: October 9, in Detroit against Ziggy Ansah and the Lions
Week 6: October 16, in Washington against DeSean Jackson and the Redskins
Week 7: October 23, at home against Teddy Bridgewater and the Vikings
Week 8: October 30, in Dallas against Tony Romo and the Cowboys
Week 9: November 6, in New York against Eli Manning and the Giants
Week 10: November 13, at home against Devonta Freeman and the Falcons
Week 11: November 20, in Seattle against Russell Wilson and the Seahawks
Week 12: November 28, at home against Aaron Rodgers and the Packers for Monday Night Football
Week 13: December 4, in Cincinnati against A.J. Green and the Bengals
Week 14: December 11, at home against Ryan Kerrigan and the Redskins
Week 15: December 18, in Baltimore against Joe Flacco and the Ravens
Week 16: December 22, at home against Odell Beckham and the Giants for Thursday Night Football
Week 17: January 1, at home against Dez Bryant and the Cowboys
Doug Pederson's tenure as head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles begins at home against the Cleveland Browns, who have once again hit the reset button with hopes of ending a streak of 13 straight seasons without a playoff appearance.
Mike Pettine was fired after going 10-22 in two seasons as the Browns' head coach. Cleveland tapped into one of its AFC North rivals and hired former Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson to take over the reins. While this is Pederson's first stint as a head coach, Jackson held that role for one season with the Oakland Raiders and went 8-8 in 2011.
The Browns' front office was also revamped as former baseball executive Paul DePodesta was named the team's chief strategy officer. DePodesta is implementing an approach to scouting and player evaluation that relies heavily on analytics. The initial assessment of the roster was that there were not a lot of pieces worth keeping around. Four starters who hit the open market in free agency all signed with new teams - wide receiver Travis Benjamin, safety Tashaun Gipson, center Alex Mack and tackle Mitchell Schwartz.
Who will be the starting quarterback for the Browns when these two teams meet on September 11? The Browns signed former No. 2 overall pick Robert Griffin III, who the Eagles know well from his time in Washington. Last year's starter, Josh McCown, posted some decent numbers, but could not stay healthy and ended the season on Injured Reserve with a broken collarbone. And everyone knows the story with Johnny Manziel, who was released in March.
The Browns had the opportunity to select their quarterback of the future with the No. 2 overall pick in this year's draft, but dealt the selection to the Eagles. Cleveland traded down again in the first round and did not make a pick until wide receiver Corey Coleman was chosen with the 15th overall pick. In all, the Browns acquired 14 new players in the draft in an effort to infuse young talent for a squad that ranked 30th in the league in points scored and 29th in points allowed in 2015.
| Cleveland Browns | |
|---|---|
| Key Additions | Key Losses |
| Head coach Hue Jackson | CB Johnson Bademosi |
| WR Corey Coleman | WR Travis Benjamin |
| LB Demario Davis | WR Dwayne Bowe |
| QB Robert Griffin III | LB Karlos Dansby |
| FS Rahim Moore | TE Jim Dray |
| CB Jamar Taylor | FS Tashaun Gipson |
| LB Justin Tuggle | WR Brian Hartline |
| C Alex Mack | |
| QB Johnny Manziel | |
| LB Craig Robertson | |
| T Mitchell Schwartz | |
