The 2016 season was the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The team plays its ...

' 84th in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) and their first under

head coach A head coach, senior coach, or manager is a professional responsible for training and developing athletes within a sports team. This role often has a higher public profile and salary than other coaching positions. In some sports, such as associat ...

Doug Pederson Douglas Irvin Pederson (born January 31, 1968) is an American professional football coach and former quarterback who was the head coach for the Philadelphia Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He spent most o ...

. The Eagles named 2nd overall pick

Carson Wentz Carson James Wentz (born December 30, 1992) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the North Dakota State Bison, where he won two consecutive NCAA FCS national championships as the starter. Wentz was s ...

the starting quarterback for Week 1 against the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. The Browns compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team is named after ...

. The Eagles started 3–0 including a 34–3 win over their intrastate rivals, the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...

. Following their Week 4 bye, the Eagles went 4–9, including a 2–4 record against their divisional rivals. Following a 27–26 loss to the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its home g ...

in Week 15, the Eagles were eliminated from playoff contention for the third consecutive season and the fourth time in five seasons and suffered back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

and

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

. This was the last season the Eagles missed the playoffs until

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Roster changes

Free agents

Free agent signings

Trades

* On March 9, the Eagles traded

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

Byron Maxwell Byron S. Maxwell (born February 23, 1988) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL draft, where he ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

Kiko Alonso Kristian "Kiko" Alonso (born August 14, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Oregon Ducks and was selected by the Buffalo Bills in ...

, and the 13th overall pick in the

2016 NFL draft The 2016 NFL draft was the 81st annual draft of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. As in 2015, the draft took place at the Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park in Chicago. The draft beg ...

to the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

for the 8th overall draft pick. * On March 9, the Eagles traded

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

DeMarco Murray DeMarco Murray (born February 12, 1988) is an American college football coach and former professional player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. A three-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time first-team ...

and their 4th round draft pick to the

Tennessee Titans The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee. The Titans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. They play the ...

for their 4th round draft pick. * On March 11, the Eagles traded

quarterback The quarterback (QB) is a position in gridiron football who are members of the offensive side of the ball and mostly line up directly behind the Lineman (football), offensive line. In modern American football, the quarterback is usually consider ...

Mark Sanchez Mark Travis John Sanchez (born November 11, 1986) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans ...

to the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...

for a conditional 7th round pick in

2017 NFL draft The 2017 NFL draft was the 82nd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. It was held in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art on April 27–29, returning to Philadelphia f ...

— predicated upon Sanchez making the Broncos' Week 1 roster. * On April 20, the Eagles traded their 2016 1st, 3rd, and 4th round picks, along with their 2017 1st round pick and their 2018 2nd round pick to the Cleveland Browns for the 2nd overall pick the 2016 NFL Draft. * On August 16, the Eagles traded

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive (military), type of military operation * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Fighting words, spoken words which would have a tendency to cause acts of violence by the ...

Dennis Kelly Dennis Kelly is a British writer and producer. He has worked for theatre, television, and film. His play ''DNA'', published in 2007 and first performed in 2008, became a core set-text for GCSE in 2010 and has been studied by approximately 4 ...

to the

for

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

Dorial Green-Beckham Dorial Isaiah Green-Beckham (born April 12, 1993) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2015 NFL draf ...

. * On September 4, The Eagles traded

Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL). Bradford attended Putnam City North High School, where he starred ...

to the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...

for their 2017 1st round pick and their 2018 conditional 4th round pick. * On September 7, The Eagles traded Eric Rowe to the

New England Patriots The New England Patriots are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston area. The Patriots compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The Pa ...

for their 2018 conditional 4th round pick.

Roster changes

The Eagles cut wide receiver

Riley Cooper Riley Cooper (born September 9, 1987) is an American former professional football wide receiver who played six seasons for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Florida, wh ...

on February 8, 2016. They later cut veteran linebacker DeMeco Ryans on February 24, 2016.

Draft

Notes * The Eagles traded their second-round selection, along with a

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

fourth-round selection and

Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons. A member of six teams, he achieved his greatest success wi ...

to the

St. Louis Rams The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis, Missouri, from 1995 through the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, California, where the team had played ...

in exchange for the Rams' 2015 fifth-round selection and quarterback

. * The Eagles acquired an additional third-round selection in a trade that sent their 2015 fourth-round selection to the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...

. * The Eagles conditionally acquired an additional fifth-round selection in a trade that sent

Brandon Boykin Brandon Boykin (born July 13, 1990) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft. He was also a member of the P ...

to the

; the condition could have upgraded to a fourth-rounder if Boykin played at least 60% of the snaps with the Steelers during the 2015 season, but he did not. * The Eagles conditionally acquired an additional seventh-round selection in a trade that sent quarterback

Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American professional football quarterback. He played college football for the USC Trojans, setting set the Pac-12 Conference season record for touchdown passes as a junior. Due to suffer ...

to the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

; the Eagles were to only receive this selection if Barkley was on the Cardinals' 2015 roster for at least six games, which was fulfilled on October 17, 2015.

Undrafted free agents

Staff

Final roster

Schedule

Preseason

Regular season

Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

Game summaries

Week 1: vs. Cleveland Browns

The Eagles kicked off the 2016 season against the

. 2nd Overall pick

made his debut. The Eagles started off well. Wentz threw his 1st career TD to

Jordan Matthews Jordan Armand Matthews (born July 16, 1992) is an American professional football tight end. He played college football for the Vanderbilt Commodores and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft. Matthew ...

. Caleb Sturgis missed a field goal in the 1st Quarter but did made one early in the 2nd Quarter to extend the lead to 10–0. The Browns would respond early in the 2nd quarter with an

Isaiah Crowell Isaiah Hassan Crowell ( ; born January 8, 1993) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He played college football at Georgia Bulldogs football, Georgia and Alabama State Hornets football, Alabama State. Crow ...

1 yard TD to cut the Eagles lead to 10–7. The Eagles only managed to kick another Sturgis field goal in the 2nd Quarter which resulted in a 13–7 lead at halftime. The Browns then kicked another field goal to change the score to 13–10. Midway through the 3rd Quarter, a bad snap by Browns center

Cameron Erving Cameron Drew Erving (born August 23, 1992) is an American professional American football, football offensive tackle. He was selected in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft by the Cleveland Browns. He played college football for the Florida Stat ...

went over the head of Quarterback

Robert Griffin III Robert Lee Griffin III (born February 12, 1990), nicknamed RGIII or RG3, is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons, most notably with the Washington Redskins. He ...

and into the end zone for a safety and it extended the Eagles lead to 15–10. Following that drive, Wentz and the offense went back to work. Wentz threw his 2nd TD to

Nelson Agholor Nelson Efamehule Agholor (born May 24, 1993) is a Nigerian-American professional football wide receiver. He played college football for the USC Trojans and was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2015 NFL draft. During h ...

to change the score to 22–10. The Eagles mainly burned out the clock in the 4th quarter to weaken the Browns hopes of a comeback. Ryan Mathews sealed the game with a 1-yard TD to make the final score 29–10. With the win, the Eagles opened the season 1–0.

Week 2: at Chicago Bears

Following their big win at home, the Eagles trailed to Illinois to square off

Jay Cutler Jay Christopher Cutler (born April 29, 1983) is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A member of the Chicago Bears for most of his career, he is ...

and the Bears in

Soldier Field Soldier Field is a multi-purpose stadium on the Near South Side, Chicago, Near South Side of Chicago, Illinois, United States. Opened in 1924 and reconstructed in 2003, the stadium has served as the home of the Chicago Bears from the National ...

. The Bears scored a touchdown early in the 2nd Quarter by

Jeremy Langford Jeremy Langford (born December 6, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan State Spartans, and was selected by the Chicag ...

. The Eagles only got away with 3 field goals throughout the first half, leading 9–7 at the half. However, things turned around in the 2nd half. Cutler fumbled early in the 3rd quarter, setting up a Ryan Mathews 3-yard touchdown to increase the Eagles lead to 16–7. On the Bears' next drive, Cutler threw an interception to Linebacker

Nigel Bradham Nigel Bradham (born September 4, 1989) is an American former professional football linebacker. He played college football at Florida State University. He was selected by the Buffalo Bills in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL draft, and played fo ...

to set up a touchdown from Carson Wentz to tight end

Trey Burton Lawrence Godfrey "Trey" Burton III (born October 29, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Gators and was signed by the Phi ...

to increase their lead to 22–7. (Kicker Caleb Sturgis missed the extra point.) Cutler left the game with a thumb injury. Backup

Brian Hoyer Axel Edward Brian Hoyer (born October 13, 1985) is an American professional American football, football quarterback. Since joining the NFL in 2009 as an undrafted free agent, he has started for eight different teams, the second-most in league hi ...

came to relieve him. Early in the 4th quarter, Jeremy Langford fumbled, giving the Eagles the ball at the Bears 47-yard line. The Eagles mainly burned out the clock throughout the 4th quarter. Mathews ran for another touchdown to extend their lead to 29–7.

Eddie Royal William Edward Royal (born May 21, 1986) is an American former American football, football wide receiver and Kickoff returner, return specialist. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the second round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college ...

returned a punt for a touchdown with 5 minutes to go in the 4th quarter. However, the Eagles pulled away the game to end their chances. With the win, the Eagles moved to 2–0 and tied the

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...

for first place in the NFC East.

Week 3: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

The Eagles returned home to face their long time state rivals, the

. The Eagles blocked a

Chris Boswell Christopher Lynn Boswell (born March 16, 1991) is an American professional football placekicker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Rice Owls and was signed by the Houston Texans ...

field goal to deny 3 points. The Eagles drew first blood with a Caleb Strugis field goal to make the score 3–0. Early in the 2nd quarter, Rookie Quarterback Carson Wentz threw a 12-yard touchdown to

to add to their lead. The Steelers finally got on board with a Chris Boswell field goal which turned out to be the only scoring play for the Steelers. Strugis notched another field goal to extend their lead to 13–3 at the half. Then, early in the 2nd Half, Wentz threw a 73-yard touchdown to running back

Darren Sproles Darren Lee Sproles (born June 20, 1983) is an American professional football executive and former running back. He is now a personnel consultant for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for th ...

to extend their lead to 20–3. After a Steelers 3 and out, rookie running back Wendell Smallwood scored his first career rushing touchdown and it extend to Eagles lead to 27–3. On the Steelers next drive, veteran quarterback

Ben Roethlisberger Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. ( ; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional American football, football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Ste ...

fumbled the football which the Eagles recovered. The Eagles would score a

Kenjon Barner Kenjon Fa'terrel Barner (born April 28, 1989) is an American former professional American football, football running back. He played college football for the Oregon Ducks football, Oregon Ducks, earning consensus College Football All-America Team ...

rushing touchdown to create a stunning 31 point lead. The Eagles defense shut down the Steelers offense. Roethlisberger threw an interception to

Rodney McLeod Rodney McLeod Jr. (born June 23, 1990) is an American former professional football safety who played 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). McLeod played college football at Virginia and signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted ...

late in the game as the Eagles pulled away a huge 34–3 win. With their 9th win at home against Pittsbrugh since

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

, The Eagles headed into their bye week with a commanding 3–0 record and 1st place in NFC East. (The Giants lost to the Redskins earlier in the day.)

Week 5: at Detroit Lions

Week 6: at Washington Redskins

Week 7: vs. Minnesota Vikings

This was the Eagles first blackout game of the year.

Week 8: at Dallas Cowboys

Week 9: at New York Giants

After a heartbreaking overtime loss in Dallas, the Eagles traveled to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants. The Eagles started off slow. Wentz threw 2 interceptions and the defense allowed 2 touchdowns by Eli Manning to Odell Beckham Jr and to Roger Lewis. The Eagles defense struggled all day especially

Leodis McKelvin Leodis Anquan McKelvin (born September 4, 1985) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Troy Trojans, earning first-t ...

until the 4th quarter when the Eagles intercepted Manning twice. But, they weren't able to comeback as the Eagles failed to score a touchdown. The loss dropped the Eagles to 4–4 and 4th place in the NFC East. After this loss, the Eagles would not lose to New York again until Week 10 of 2020 (November 15, 2020), after 8 consecutive wins.

Week 10: vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Eagles, with the win, stay alive in the NFC East and the wild card race as they take down the NFC South leaders and the NFL's best offense.

Week 11: at Seattle Seahawks

Week 12: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week 13: at Cincinnati Bengals

With the loss, the Eagles fell to 5–7. They also fell to 0-4-1 all time in Cincinnati.

Week 14: vs. Washington Redskins

Week 15: at Baltimore Ravens

The loss knocked the Eagles out of playoff contention for the third consecutive year. Despite a rushing touchdown by Carson Wentz in the final seconds, they failed the 2-point conversion; sealing a fifth straight loss and a playoff elimination.

Week 16: vs. New York Giants

After a heartbreaking loss that knocked the Eagles out of the playoffs, they came back home to square off the

for round 2. Prior to this game, the Eagles were 0–4 against division rivals. Playing with pride, the Eagles knocked off the Giants including a pick 6 by

Malcolm Jenkins Malcolm Jenkins (born December 20, 1987) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes, earning consensus All-Am ...

. With the win, the Eagles snapped their 5-game losing streak and won against the Giants at home for the 3rd consecutive season. The win allowed the Cowboys to clinch the NFC East. This started an 8-game winning streak for the Eagles against the Giants, ending Week 10 of 2020.

Week 17: vs. Dallas Cowboys

With the win, the Eagles finished the year at 7–9. Furthermore, they won their first game against the Cowboys at Lincoln Financial Field since 2011.

Standings

Division

Conference

References

External links

* {{2016 NFL season by team

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Philadelphia Eagles seasons