By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Entering the offseason, the most glaring need for the Eagles on the offensive side of the ball was, well, everything. Outside of drafting their next franchise quarterback in Carson Wentz, the Eagles didn’t have much to offer on the offensive side of the ball with inconsistent play, mistakes and injuries.
One goal in the offseason was to bolster the wide receiver and running back positions with new weapons for the Eagles second-year quarterback.
But did the work the Eagles put in this offseason provide Wentz with enough to improve the offense next season?
The Eagles made several upgrades at wide receiver, landing Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith in free agency and drafting Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson. They also drafted Donnel Pumphrey and signed Corey Clement as an undrafted free agent.
Jeffery and Smith provide Wentz with help instantly. They will be the likely starters at wide receiver with Jordan Matthews still filling the slot.
Hollins will be more of a special teams player than a receiver early, but could get the chance for a few targets from Wentz. Gibson could also serve as more of a deep threat for Wentz early on as well.
At running back, it gets more complicated. While the Eagles still consider Ryan Mathews a part of their running back group, Mathews recovery from neck surgery and his constant injury woes make his place on the team far less likely.
That leaves Wendell Smallwood to be the lead back in his second season with Pumphrey, Clement and Darren Sproles filling the remaining roles. Of the four, Smallwood is the closest thing the Eagles have to a three-down back, and even that is quite a stretch.
It remains to be seen what Pumphrey can bring to the Eagles, but if he can prove to be a solid option out of the backfield to take some pressure off of Smallwood and keep Sproles healthier and fresher as the season wears on, the Eagles may have made enough improvements on paper to show improvement on the field.
That’s a big if though, which is why running back is already drawing focus when discussing next year’s draft. It certainly wouldn’t be surprising if the Eagles emphasized taking a running back early in next year’s draft to fill the void of a true three-down back.
In the short-term though, the Eagles did get better on paper, notably at wide receiver, but there is still a lot of work to be done in the future. For now, Wentz has a few more receivers to work with and showcase his own skill set in his second season as the starter.
