They are always subjective but each sports magazine wants theirs to be taken seriously. I have seen other rankings that show Chiefs above Browns and Bills, but it was the bottom of the rankings that most surprised me. Rebuilding year or not, the Eagles should not be that bad, nor should the Falcons.
I think the effects of the reduced salary cap make the upcoming season one of the most difficult to predict in years
The Eagles were the 6th worst last year despite being in the worst division.
Since then they've traded their franchise QB and confirmed they are going with the kid who had the worst completion % in the NFL last year. Hurts' game is more about his legs, but you do need to at least be a servicable passer.
They have binned their SB winning Head Coach to try and salvage their QB who still wanted out and replaced him with a kid that comes over like a cross between an enthusiastic puppy amd Screach from Saved by the Bell, who uses High School phrases all the time like 'the guy loves ball', I hope I'm wrong but i can't see him carrying a veteran locker room
Their oline should be fit and when it is it's a Top 10 unit, but they are old which is why they get injured a lot, so no guarantees there.
In FA they gained and lost a safety so probably a small upgrade, whilst the teams in their division have all notably improved 2 (on paper) with acquisitions the other with getting their QB back
They have no cap space and $40m in dead money and have traded their best chance of drafting a difference maker like Chase and Pitts away
2022 looks healthier, Wentz completely of their books and likely 3 1st round picks. They probably won't be the second worst team, but with the likes of the Jags and Jets about to Draft the best 2 QB's I can see why they'd rank there.