For the second time in four years, the Philadelphia Eagles are starting over.
A new head coach has been hired, and the franchise that has not won a playoff game since 2008 continues to look for the right path to get themselves back among the NFL's elite.
The situation that Doug Pederson walks into is a very different one from what Chip Kelly inherited in 2013.
In some ways, Pederson's Eagles are already ahead of what Kelly's were. In others areas, the franchise still has a lot of work to do.
Advantages
Identifying A Franchise Quarterback
One of the greatest failures of Kelly was his inability to identify a franchise quarterback. Kelly had three different opening day starters in each of his three seasons. He tried to revive the careers of failed top draft picks in Michael Vick, Mark Sanchez and Sam Bradford.
Kelly's only draft pick at the quarterback position was a wasted fourth-rounder on Matt Barkley.
Pederson on the other hand made it clear from the start that it was his priority to find a legitimate future starter at the position, and was able to land Carson Wentz at the top of this year's draft.
With Wentz, the Eagles have a young guy to commit to, develop, and build around in future years. The position is no longer a game of musical chairs as it was under Kelly. The most important position in the sport now has a guy that the franchise has every reason to believe is the legitimate answer.
A Competent Defensive Coordinator
Billy Davis was one of the single worst elements of the Kelly era.
Davis, whose lack of creativity in scheme led to one of the most vanilla defenses that the franchise has ever seen, has been sent packing in favor of proven defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz.
Schwartz runs a scheme that best suits the defensive talent that the Birds have on the roster. He also won't shy away from being aggressive, and he'll construct gameplans that take advantage of the talent of his players.
Disadvantages
Lack of Talent at Skill Positions
When Kelly began his tenure in Philadelphia, Andy Reid had left the offensive cupboard stocked and overflowing with offensive talent and firepower.
The core of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy were all in place for Kelly, and all three fit his offense perfectly. The team also had Jason Peters and Evan Mathis in their primes on the offensive line, and also had just added Zach Ertz through the draft. Kelly even had a handful of productive and reliable role players to turn to in Jason Avant, Brent Celek, Bryce Brown and Chris Polk.
Unfortunately, Kelly chose to run almost all of those players out of town, leaving Pederson with the likes of inconsistent and unproven draft picks at wide receiver, including Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor and Josh Huff, along with veteran retreads Chris Givens and Rueben Randle. The running backs are in even worse shape, with injury-prone Ryan Mathews, aging Darren Sproles, and fifth-rounder Wendell Smallwood.
Lack of Future Draft Picks
While the drafting of Wentz represents one of Pederson's greatest advantages, it also came at quite a cost.
The Eagles will be limited on how much they'll be able improve through the draft over the next few seasons. The lack of a first-rounder in next year's draft will be a particularly tough blow, as the team is likely to land somewhere within the top-15 selections once again.
Denny Basens is a staff writer for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @DennyBasens.
