By John Sarianides

It is year two of the Doug Petersen regime in Philadelphia and the expectations are high in the city of brotherly love. 

The most passionate fan base in the NFL has high hopes for quarterback Carson Wentz and this team. General Manager Howie Roseman infused the roster with some talent this off-season adding veterans Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith and LeGarrette Blount. Jeffery and Smith are both proven targets who should help improve a struggling passing game. 

The addition of Blount gives the Eagles a big physical, downhill back who can run the ball inside the tackles and push the pile. Blount will take pressure off of Wentz and the passing game.

Defensively, the Eagles boast one of the best front sevens in all of football. That front seven will need to pressure the quarterback on a consistent basis because if they don’t, a suspect secondary will give up a lot of big plays.

Here are three keys for the Eagles in 2017. 

1. Secondary Must Develop: The Eagles secondary needs to develop this season and pull their weight. The additions of Sidney Jones and Ronald Darby help but the Eagles back seven must show improvement in 2017 if the Eagles are going to contend for a playoff spot. 

2. Wentz Must Become Elite: Wentz is on the cusp of being a top 15 quarterback in the NFL. He needs to take the next step in his development this season and play better. If Wentz ends up having a sophomore slump, the Eagles are in trouble. 

3. Win on the Road: The Eagles need to win away from the Linc if they want to seriously contend for a playoff spot. They are seemingly a different team on the road. 

In the End: The Eagles are an intriguing team. I do think they will stay in the playoff hunt into December but they will need their secondary to play better and Wentz cannot take a step back.