That Right Tackle — one Lane Johnson — wouldn’t become just another great Eagles Offensive Lineman; he would become one of its greatest.
This week, Johnson announced that he will be returning for his fourteenth NFL season , where he will once again anchor a line allowing Jalen Hurts another shot at pocket perfection in 2026.
And that is where we have another piece of really good news for the Eagles.
Landon Dickerson
Although Johnson missed the last seven games of the season and an NFC Wildcard Game with an ankle injury — teammate Landon Dickerson, despite a myriad of injuries — will also be returning next season. It also means that the 2025 Eagles Offensive Line could potentially return intact, including Jordan Mailata, Tyler Steen, and Cam Jurgens.
Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Even so , the man who brought Johnson his first Super Bowl Ring — Doug Pederson may never again have to pay for a meal or a drink in Philadelphia — but he will not be his new Offensive Coordinator. There will not be a reunion with the man who stands with quarterback Nick Foles in the bronze statue that resides outside of Lincoln Financial Field, capturing one of the best moments in franchise history, nor with the same man who drafted Jalen Hurts and won a Super Bowl with Brandon Graham, Jason Kelce, and Jake Elliott — alongside Johnson.
Lane Johnson’s presence is more than just helpful. The Eagles are 120–62–1 with him in the lineup — including nine playoff appearances, three NFC Championships, and two Lombardi Trophies.
Since arriving in 2021 after being drafted from Alabama — Landon Dickerson has helped the Eagles to two Super Bowl appearances, three NFC East Titles — and one championship last season in 2025.
It means that Philadelphia can count on two of the most important pieces of its offensive line.
With the announcement that the Eagles would need to be in search of a new Offensive Line Coach. Panic began to set in. Not only would a new offensive coordinator be taking over for the 5th consecutive year. But a vacancy was suddenly open that hasn’t been available since 2013.
The Eagles had kept the doors to Stoutland University open for 13 seasons. With players including Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Brandon Brooks having come and gone through the Eagles doors. While the legacy will live on as long as Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson and Lane Johnson continue to play for the city of Philadelphia.
Kuper’s 2025
Chris Kuper spent the last 4 years as the Minnesota Vikings offensive line coach. With Mannion having spent time in 2023 with the Vikings, another familiar face to his new staff makes sense.
Could a resume stack up against Jeff Stoutland’s tenure? Unlikely. But the Vikings were building towards something that ultimately didn’t work out in 2025.
When it was all said and done. The Vikings tied 2nd for most sacks given up with a total of 60. Tied with the Chargers and Jets. Only the Raiders gave up more with a total of 64.
Minnesota also saw three different Quarterbacks across the 17 game season. With starts from J.J. McCarthy to Max Brosmer and Carson Wentz. Injured QBs were the least of the Vikings concern.
Injuries, Injuries, Injuries
Last offseason, the Vikings signed Ryan Kelly and Will Fries to play Center & Right Guard. Slotting in with Christian Darrisaw and Brian O’Niell returning from previous seasons. The Vikings also added Donovan Jackson with the 24th overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Things started slow for the Vikings as Darrisaw didn’t play until Week 3 and only started 10 games.
Ryan Kelly only saw action in 8 games throughout the season, being placed in concussion protocol weeks 2, 4 and 16.
While both Jackson & O’Neill finished the season with 14 games. The Vikings OL was constantly rotating out players and rarely saw consistent starting lineups.
With tattered and bruised players, even the Eagles offensive line struggled only missing Lane Johnson for 7 games and Landon Dickerson for 2.
If given a healthy season, there’s opportunity for Kuper to cement himself in a new era of Eagles football. One that might find itself in need of new cornerstone pieces to the offensive line.
With the draft coming in April, are you expecting the Eagles to draft OL in the first round?
The NFL season is over, and everything is worse now. We just saw the Seattle Seahawks soundly defeat the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 60, meaning the Eagles’ title of defending champions is over.
We now enter the dark day,s also known as the offseason.
Football-less weekends are upon us.
How you spend these next few months is up to you, but here’s where I’m starting.
We do know that Jordan Love has played well under Mannion, Baker has become the franchise guy in Tampa under Grizzard, and the Vikings’ rushing game was surprisingly competent despite the revolving door of starter quarterbacks. I’ll also be looking at players who may join or leave the team next year.
A.J. Brown
Brings us to crazy trade scenarios. Is AJ Brown actually going to force a trade out of Philadelphia? Personally, I want to keep AJ despite his antics from the last two years. Most reports show Brown’s value around a second-round pick, which doesn’t justify it to me. Sure, a second-round pick could be any caliber of player; it could even be an AJ Brown-type player. Then again, Howie has shown he’d rather pull the plug early than late.
Maxx Crosby
Is Howie going to pull a masterclass and try to get Maxx Crosby? While I would love to see a player like him added to the team, I think it only really happens if the Raiders are desperate to move him.
He has a massive contract signed last year, and the Eagles need more help on the offensive line than on the defensive line. They’ll likely try to build through the draft.
2026 NFL Draft
Speaking of, you can also start prepping for the draft. My early draft prep is to take an o-line or player from either the college playoffs or the SEC. I think the biggest difference for the Eagles from 2024 to 2025 was their running game.
Hand up, I’m not much of a college football fan, so specifics will come later as we get closer to the draft. I do know that we can’t judge their past season of play until we see how well they exercise before the draft. More to come later, but we have our last idea.
Landon Dickerson
Doom scroll about the team. Not recommended, and actually, I’m going to try to talk you down on the big ones. Landon Dickerson might retire due to a knee injury that has reportedly plagued his 2025 season and was an issue when he was first drafted. It may surprise you, but I’m not secretly a doctor with a great knowledge of players’ knees.
As a sports watcher, I can say we’ve seen a lot of players with leg injuries heal faster and return to 100% as of late. There are ACLs like Jayson Tatum or even Joel Embiid who got knee surgery and have been playing like they did when they won the MVP.
Lane Johnson
Lane Johnson also underwent surgery, and as the Eagles’ longest-tenured player (assuming Brandon Graham re-retires), there are questions about his future. I don’t actually expect him to retire unless his healing goes worse than expected.
What I do expect is that this is his last year, so the Eagles better take one of those guys I haven’t researched yet.
Vic Fangio
Vic Fangio also flirted with retirement but has told the team he’d remain for at least another year. While this would be bad for obvious reasons, there’s always the chance that these were just rumors and a return to winning would cure his issues. There’s also our old pal Jim Schwartz, who is taking a year off from football after not being picked as the Browns’ head coach.
Would he be willing to take another defensive coordinator position? Who knows, but I can tell you he’d get more national coverage with the Eagles than the Browns.
Those are a few things I’ll be doing.
I’ll also be writing for all you fine readers.
Hello, I’m a greater Philadelphia native writing mostly about the Eagles and the rest of the NFL. Articles aren’t … More about Kyle Lavin
We’re a few days from finding out the winner of Super Bowl LX and the Eagles have already begun preparations to fill out position coaches while simultaneously opening up more availabilities. Making the offseason checklist a little bit longer.
The Good, The Bad, The Ugly
Kevin Patullo
It didn’t take very long after the wildcard round for Howie Roseman to confirm the Eagles would be looking for their 5th Offensive Coordinator during the 6-year Nick Sirianni tenure. Moving on from Patullo was the right decision, as the Eagles struggled 18+ weeks and seemingly burned some extra bridges as things went on. With an Eagles offense that had 10/11 returning offensive starters, (Mekhi Becton – Tyler Steen) the Eagles went from a powerhouse ranking 5th in PPG (29.0) during the 2024 campaign into 19th with only 22.1 PPG.
Chopping off an entire touchdown from the Eagles scoring would’ve been enough points for them to finish the year 14-3. Alas, safe & turnover free football ended their season over a month ago.
Sean Mannion
Since retiring in 2023 Mannion has been involved with the Green Bay Packers as both Offensive Assitant and Quarterbacks Coach. Getting to work alongside Matt LaFleur, viewed as an elite coach around the league. And working with the development of Jordan Love the past few seasons has primed Mannion for a promotion heading into the 2026 season.
Was he the Eagles first option? Probably not. But as Mike McDaniel, Brian Daboll and other top OC/HC options came off the board the Eagles had to strike for their guy. Giving Mannion autonomy with the offense opened the door for creativity and the ability to bring in guys he wanted.
Yesterday, the Eagles hired Ryan Mahaffey as the Run Game Coordinator and Tight Ends Coach. Filling out roles previously filled by Jeff Stoutland and Jason Michael.
Mahaffey was previously in Green Bay with Mannion as the wide receivers coach and Assistant offensive line coach.
So far the Eagles new hires are proving that Mannion will get to bring in his own staff. But pushing out tenured coaches like Jeff Stoutland who helped develop elite players from Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, to turning a rugby player into an All-Pro in Jordan Mailata.
There’s also no current answer whether the team will retain Scot Loeffler who might have been the mastermind behind getting Dallas Goedert 11 touchdowns in 2025. While it seems coaches like Aaron Moorehead who has hung onto his job as wide receiver coach for the last 6 years as the Eagles have struggled to develop a single receiver outside of DeVonta Smith. Who, let’s be real. Wasn’t turned into the player he is today from the help of Moorehead.
There’s still a long offseason to go with plenty of roster and coaching changes along the way. Who’s on your list for the Eagles next move?
It’s all a super fine line to walk, one that is obviously the ultimate luxury to because it meant winning the Super Bowl, but also one that comes with shifted and far greater expectations, especially in this town.
It comes with the weight of a “new norm,” of going from the goal of winning just one Super Bowl, which is lofty enough alone, to multiple, and of keeping that contending window open for as long as sustainably possible.
The Eagles of the Pederson-Wentz era ultimately couldn’t do it. They’re immortal for doing the once thought impossible with Nick Foles miraculously leading the charge, but they crumbled trying to push forward in maintaining that.
Now the Eagles of the Hurts-Sirianni era are standing at the windowsill trying to keep themselves in annual contention.
But if they’re not careful over these next few months, they might just end up slamming it all down on their figurative hand.
The Philadelphia Eagles should have some reinforcements on the way, as star RT Lane Johnson and iDL Jalen Carter are poised to return from their injuries Week 17 against the Bills, according to a report from ESPN.
Lane Johnson
In the Eagles’ Week 11 win over the Lions, Lane Johnson suffered a Lisfranc (foot) injury, and missed the next five games, a span during which the team went 2-3. Fred Johnson filled in and played reasonably well in his absence.
After the injury, the Eagles opted not to place Johnson on injured reserve, which would have required him to sit out at least four games. The Eagles left open the possibility that he could return to the field sooner, but he did not.
Johnson didn’t practice at all in advance of the Eagles’ Saturday win over the Commanders, and he was ruled out on Thursday. He did warm up with the team prior to kickoff on Saturday evening.
Jalen Carter
Carter underwent a procedure on both of his shoulders following the Eagles’ loss to the Bears Week 13. He did not play well in that game, and his shoulders were cited as a reason why. He missed three games, against the Chargers, Raiders, and Commanders.
Carter had a breakout season in 2024, despite facing constant double teams. He made his first Pro Bowl and earned his first All-Pro nod after his regular season performance, and made arguably the two biggest plays of the season in the Divisional Round against the Rams, when he sacked Matthew Stafford on a late third down and forced a quick, off-target throw on fourth down, saving the Eagles’ season.
There were concerns about Carter’s conditioning heading into the 2024 season, but he put those to bed. However, the newer concern heading into 2025 was that overuse could compromise his effectiveness, especially after missing most of training camp with a shoulder injury.
Carter has not had a good 2025 season, at least relative to expectations. He was ejected from the Eagles’ Week 1 game against Dallas before ever playing a snap because he spit on Dak Prescott. His production has also taken a hit, as he has 20 tackles, 2 sacks, and no forced fumbles through the Eagles’ first 15 games of the season.
Moro Ojomo, Jordan Davis, Byron Young, and Brandon Graham have picked up the slack, and then some. Those four guys have combined for 39 tackles, 8 sacks, 9 TFLs, and 10 QB hits during Carter’s three-game absence.
If Carter is now healthy, he will have an opportunity to join a defensive front that is already playing very well without him. And if he can play anywhere near the level that he did in 2024, the Eagles’ defense could be downright scary heading into the playoffs.
Should Johnson and Carter even play in these final two regular season games?
The Eagles will very likely be the 3 seed heading into the playoffs. They do still have a reasonable chance at jumping to the 2 seed, and there are highly unlikely scenarios in which they can rise to the 1 seed or fall to the 4 seed. Deniz Selman has you covered on those scenarios here:
Inpredictable has the Eagles’ chances at getting the 2 seed at 18 percent.
The 2 seed is valuable. It would guarantee that the Eagles would play home games in the playoffs until at least the NFC Championship Game. The 3 seed would only guarantee one home game in the Wild Card Round. The 2 seed is worth chasing.
But also, the Eagles can see how Week 17 plays out, and if they’re locked into the 3 seed at that time, they can rest starters ahead of the playoffs. It wouldn’t be the worst thing to allow Johnson and Carter to get their sea legs back Week 17 in Buffalo, assuming they are not at risk of tweaking their respective injuries.
The Philly Specials won’t record new holiday tunes this year, but the trio of current and former Eagles linemen is keeping their charitable Christmas spirit alive with a spinoff endeavor.
Jason Kelce, Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are selling gifts this year, including plush toys of their likenesses, greeting cards and box sets of the Philly Specials’ previously released albums. The proceeds benefit Philadelphia-area charities. Since 2022, sales of the albums and money earned from streaming has raised more than $10 million, which as been donated to over 75 charities in the region, including Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and Children’s Crisis Treatment Center.
The plushies depict Kelce, Mailata and Johnson each wearing a green Christmas sweater with his jersey number on the front and last name embroidered on the back. They are sold in sets of three for $49. The box set with vinyl and CD copies of all three holiday albums along with Christmas magnets is $99.
The stuffed players sets are available for pre-sale and are expected to ship out Thanksgiving week. Other items can be purchased now on the Philly Specials website.
The Philly Specials have released three albums: “A Philly Special Christmas” in 2022, “A Philly Special Christmas Special” in 2023 and “A Philly Special Christmas Party” in 2024.
“Making music with my friends and donating to organizations committed to making the lives of Philadelphia families and students brighter during the holidays has been a highlight of the past three years,” Mailata said in a statement. “We are looking forward to bringing the joy back again this year with proceeds from the new plushies and a few other surprises.”
The trio became an unlikely music sensation during recent holiday seasons, and music legends like Stevie Nicks, Bon Jovi and Patti LaBelle have contributed to their Billboard-topping albums. They released their third and final album in November 2024.
On Thursday, the Philly Specials posted the first video of what will be a weekly Instagram series that reflects on their journey to musical stardom. It all began with a locker room conversation between Kelce and another former Eagles player, Connor Barwin, now the team’s head of football development and strategy, they say.
“We were just hoping to raise some money,” Kelce says in the video. “We had no idea what the expectation was. We just wanted to have fun.”
If your holiday shopping list includes an Eagles fan — or if you’re an Eagles fan yourself — this one is for you.
Football’s favorite festive trio, former Eagle Jason Kelce, and current Eagles linemen Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, better known as The Philly Specials, are back to spread holiday cheer with their annual charitable initiative, Operation Snowball.
Starting November 7, at 9 a.m. ET, The Philly Specials, in partnership with Just Play, will open pre-orders for The Holiday Huddle, a collectible set of plushies in the likeness of the players dressed in festive midnight green sweaters embroidered with their names and numbers.
Sized between 8.5 and 9.25 inches, organizers said this 3-pack of ultra-life-like collectible plushies comes ready to squish and makes the perfect gift.
Bre Furlong
Bre Furlong
Pre-orders for the $49.99 plushie set can be made by visiting The Philly Specials’ official website. Orders are expected to ship the week of Thanksgiving.
“Making music with my friends and donating to organizations committed to making the lives of Philadelphia families and students brighter during the holidays has been a highlight of the past three years,” Jordan Mailata said in a news release. “We are looking forward to bringing the joy back again this year with proceeds from the new plushies, and a few other surprises.”
“When we released the first album, A Philly Special Christmas, we had no idea how impactful it would be – for both the organizations we supported and the joy we were able to spread throughout the city. Last year our efforts culminated with a citywide initiative that provided a gift for every student in the School District of Philadelphia,” said Vera Y Records and Operation Snowball executive producer Connor Barwin. “We are excited to continue the tradition of giving and fun with new surprises for a fourth holiday season this year.”
What’s wrong with the Philadelphia Eagles? The alarm has sounded after Thursday night’s collapse against the Giants in an eye-opening 34-17 loss that marked the second defeat in a four-day span for the defending Super Bowl champions, who had won 20 of their past 21 games prior to last Sunday’s loss to the Broncos.
Surely, the lopsided defeat to a one-win Giants team was a wake-up call for a team that had skated by over the first four weeks and had covered up some glaring deficiencies.
The Eagles’ problem isn’t talent. They have plenty of blue-chippers and nobody would argue their roster is worse – 17 points worse, especially – than a Giants team that didn’t even have its best offensive playmaker.
But the Birds are in a rut. They’re going through some unexpected issues and having problems finding the right answers for those questions. Many of their offensive issues – blocking, passing, coaching – are all intertwined as we’ll point out below in our diagnosis of what’s wrong with the Eagles, who suddenly don’t look like the best team in the NFC:
The offensive line isn’t the same
Chief among all Eagles problems is the offensive line. The entire design and structure of the offense is predicated on the line being dominant. It’s been far from that. Cam Jurgens post-back surgery isn’t the athletic, fluid mover the way Cam Jurgens pre-back surgery was. Landon Dickerson, who’s had two knee surgeries since the Super Bowl, has looked like a shell of himself. His replacement, Brett Toth, is nowhere near the level of past Eagles interior line backups. Left tackle Jordan Mailata has missed some blocks at key moments that aren’t necessarily rare but stand out more when things aren’t going well, and right tackle Lane Johnson has dealt with a neck injury. Tyler Steen is fine, but he’s not the same people-mover at right gaurd that Mekhi Becton was last year. Steen doesn’t naturally create wide-open run lanes the way Becton did by just being more massive.
Despite this, pass protection has actually been pretty good. Jalen Hurts has had time to throw. What has held the offense back is the overall inability of this group to reset the line of scrimmage in the run game against teams that, on early downs especially, are getting downhill quickly. The Eagles have to hope that Jurgens eventually gets back to his 2024 form as the distance grows from his offseason surgery and that Dickerson can get right.
Saquon Barkley hasn’t been a game changer
Because the o-line hasn’t been as dominant, Barkley hasn’t had as many opportunities to break long runs. People might forget, but the biggest difference between the 2023 and 2024 offenses wasn’t anything in the pass game, it was the changeover from a good running back like D’Andre Swift to a transformational one like Barkley. The Eagles can’t be the same offense if they’re not running the ball effectively, and getting the home runs from Barkley that boosted them so many times last season. Even in the pass game, outside of his wheel route touchdown against the Broncos, Barkley has mainly just caught a bunch of short dump-offs that leave with him little space to maneuver.
Even in his Giants days, Barkley was always known for his unusual running style that would net him several runs of 3-to-5 yards and then a few of 20-plus and 40-plus that would change a game’s momentum and inflate his total yards and average yards per carry. But those haven’t happened yet. You can blame the play caller, quarterback, and anyone else you want for the offense’s shortcomings, but until the Eagles start running the ball with explosion, they can’t get back to being an elite team.
The pass game has little rhythm
The modest run game has forced Jalen Hurts and the pass offense into less advantageous down-and-distance scenarios. Effective offensive concepts for the Eagles, like RPOs and play action, aren’t as easily executable on second-and-medium or second-and-long, and third downs over the past few weeks have been disastrous as teams are mixing up man and zone coverage – and changing the picture presnap to post snap – to switch up what Hurts is seeing. Even when the Eagles do appear to move the ball well – Dallas Goedert has been an effective weapon over the middle – they haven’t been able to sustain those drives and marry the short pass game with the deep strike. Right now, the Eagles are a shot-play offense, and even some of Hurts’ signature deep balls haven’t been connected. They’ve got to stay ahead the of the sticks, which goes back to the run game, but Hurts has also been a staple of the run game and lately hasn’t been able find enough lanes to keep defenses honest. The result is a lack of sequencing in play calling, where one play can set up another, and then set up the next.
Kevin Patullo is learning on the fly
People already want Nick Sirianni to fire first-year offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo, which is ridiculous. The Eagles are 4-2, not reverse, and we’re six weeks into his first season as the play caller. The idea that Sirianni must always hire an experienced play caller is a fun, low-hanging fruit argument but not grounded in reality. Head coaches are at the mercy of who’s available. Sirianni was fortunate last offseason that a proven play in Kellen Moore became available because the Chargers had cleaned house. Who else should Sirianni have pursued – Chip Kelly? Doug Pederson? Press Taylor? Remember this: the Eagles offense conceptually is the same as it’s been for the past few years. Nobody was singing Moore’s praises last year after six weeks, when the Eagles scored 21 points Week 2 against the Falcons, 15 in Week 3 vs. the Saints, 16 in Week 4 against the Bucs, and 20 in Week 5 against the Browns. Folks, the Eagles have scored more points this year through six weeks than they did last season.
People tend to remember what they saw last, and the Super Bowl and NFC Championship might cloud the fact that the Eagles ranked 29th in pass offense last year and that many of the offensive concepts Moore had leaned on in his previous stops as an OC – heavy motion, going under center, passing early – were scrapped early as the Eagles’ offense went back to being conceptually what it had been during the Hurts/Sirianni era. Nobody is totally absolving Patullo of the early failures of the Eagles’ offense, and it’s fair to suggest Moore was better at dialing up the right plays at the right time from the same menu Patullo is using now, but Patullo is also working through some issues Moore didn’t have to deal with – a less-dominant offensive line and a run game that hasn’t produced enough backbreakers.
Growing pains have taken a toll on the defense
For the most part, the Eagles’ defense has been fine. There’s no excuse for their lethargic effort against the Giants, even without Jalen Carter and Quinyon Mitchell, but overall, the defense isn’t problematic. One glaring absence in the two-game losing streak is the lack of a takeaway. The Eagles had at least one takeaway in each of their first four games, and those meant the difference in one-score victories. But it’s fair to note that the losses of Milton Williams and Josh Sweat have taken some sting away from the defensive front.
Carter is dealing with a shoulder – and now a heel – that has made him a tick less imposing on a snap-to-snap basis, and the overall edge group of Jalyx Hunt, Za’Darius Smith, Josh Uche and more recently Azeez Ojulari have flashed at times but have lacked the same production and dominance of last year’s group. Moro Ojomo had a great training camp but likewise has flashed more than put together a string of dominant snaps. This has forced Vic Fangio to increase his blitz rate, which has left 1-on-1s against Kelee Ringo and Adoree’ Jackson, neither of which is playing at the level Darius Slay played at last season.
If you absolutely need to finger-point, you can quibble with some of Howie Roseman’s offseason free-agent additions. The Eagles aren’t as deep up front and in the secondary as last year. But this isn’t a bad defense and it’s got plenty of talent even if it doesn’t finish No. 1.
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In their past three seasons, the Philadelphia Eagles have accumulated a 39–12 regular-season record and appeared in two Super Bowls. After narrowly falling by their hands in 2022, the Birds humiliated Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs en route to their second Lombardi Trophy win last winter.
These accomplishments alone have the Eagles on the brink of a dynasty—another title would surely put them there. Given the team’s assortment of game-breaking talent, they might be in luck.
Eagles’ Returning Game-Breakers
General manager Howie Roseman has done such an excellent job adding talent to the Eagles that it’s hard to put into words. He built what many called a “superteam” in 2022, but only improved the roster over the next couple of seasons.
But let’s stick with the players who oversaw both Super Bowls. Starting with Jalen Hurts, he’s one of the premier dual-threat quarterbacks in the NFL—immense rushing upside and one of the most efficient passers in the sport. He’s not necessarily the most gifted, but he gets high-end results. When the Eagles have needed him to perform the most, that’s often when he has shone the brightest.
Then, you have the offensive line. Landon Dickerson deserves a shootout here, but tackles Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson are definitely in that “game-breaking” tier. Recognized as two of the best exterior linemen in the sport, they make the offense’s life easier by consistently and emphatically winning their assignments.
Next, wide receivers A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith have been one of the league’s top one-two punches for a few years now. Coming up clutch in late-down situations and with huge contested-catch upside, they’ve flipped games on their head. Both have fourth-down snags to their name in the NFC Championship, leading to a momentum-altering touchdown a short while later.
Eagles’ “New” Game-Breakers
Over the past couple of seasons, the Eagles have added three game-breaking talents: Saquon Barkley, Zack Baun, and Jalen Carter. Their two recently drafted cornerbacks may get there (if they haven’t arrived already), but those are the big three who the Birds would’ve had no chance in 2024 without.
PHOTO: Eagles Nation on X
Barkley’s impact is self-explanatory. Setting the NFL record for rushing yards in a single season (2,504), he rushed about 1,000 yards over what would have been considered a huge win for the Birds. Winning games early in the season virtually by himself, and taking long-distance runs to the house in the playoffs, the MVP love he got was deserved.
Baun was a Defensive Player of the Year candidate last season. He was the nucleus of that core, preventing big rushes and forcing turnovers at the most pivotal moments. For a team that often struggled in both of those areas before his arrival, he changed the game for the Birds.
Finally, we have Carter. Already one of the most feared defensive linemen in the league, the 24-year-old should have about a decade of game-breaking football. His most influential play came on a third-down sack of Matthew Stafford in the NFC Divisional Round in January. With the Los Angeles Rams on the verge of a last-second go-ahead touchdown, the youngster saved the day and the Eagles’ season.
The Eagles have something special here. With eight game-breaking talents on the roster (if not more), their excellence can be felt every week. It’s why Philadelphia’s hopes of yet another Super Bowl title are quite realistic.
Overall, the Philadelphia Eagles have had an underwhelming start to their season. In their previous two campaigns combined, they had a 14-1 record entering their bye week. Entering their 2024 bye, they had a middling 2-2 record with a minus-10 point differential. Suffice to say, things have changed.
However, not everything has to be doom and gloom. Yes, the Eagles have played poorly. Blame it on injuries all you’d like, the team has been playing down to their competition for a long time now. That said, there’s time to turn it around in Week 6 against the 1-4 Cleveland Browns.
Eagles Have No Excuse to Lose
Simply put, the Browns have struggled to show anything resembling a competent offense. Ranked 25th in rushing expected points average per play (EPA/play) and 31st in drop-back EPA/play, there’s nothing redeeming here. Nearly six percentage points below the next-worst team (32.3 percent versus the Miami Dolphins’ 38.2 percent) in success rate on downs one through three, there couldn’t be a better unit for the Birds to face.
You’d probably think the Browns have a top-end defense, but they don’t based on the numbers. It feasted against three underwhelming offenses (Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, Las Vegas Raiders) and gave up 33 and 34 points against the legitimately good ones (Dallas Cowboys, Washington Commanders). Now, it’s the Eagles’ turn.
In terms of EPA/play, the Browns only have the 14th-best defense in the NFL. It’s a solid unit, but not one that the Birds shouldn’t be able to take advantage of when Sunday comes. If the Cowboys and Commanders could beat this team by a combined 37 points, the Eagles should be able to just win the football game. With A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson healthy, there is absolutely zero excuse not to.
This Is the Eagles’ Chance at Domination
We’ll know a lot about the Eagles after Sunday. They haven’t won a game by more than one score in nearly an entire calendar year (Oct. 22, 2023, versus Miami), perfectly exemplifying Philadelphia’s tendency to play down to teams they are clearly superior to. If they’re in a tight defensive matchup like the Jaguars, Giants, and Raiders, those teams are who the Eagles are.
If they can barely sneak out a win or lose entirely, the Eagles are a Jacksonville, New York, or Las Vegas type of team—not good. Especially since they’re at home, their patented “ugly win” is not going to cut it this time. If you plan to be competitive with the Cowboys and Commanders for NFC East supremacy, win, and win big.
It might seem a little harsh to write off a team because they won a football game but “not by enough points”, but this has been the story for an entire year now. It’s now or never; break the curse.
What a Big Win Could Do for the Eagles
Aside from being 3-2, in the race for a division title, and still possibly in the conversation for the top seed in the NFC (the 5-0 Minnesota Vikings are bound to lose at some point, right?), a big win would give the Eagles their swagger back. They haven’t had any of that since, well, they went to the Super Bowl.
The Eagles won 10 of their first 11 games last season, but they didn’t do so convincingly. In 2022, they were convincingly dominant—anyone predicting a collapse was doing so out of spite because the team plays in Philadelphia. In 2023, people predicting a collapse were watching the games. This team hasn’t had the feeling of a stress-free win in so long, and it’s time to end that.
Perhaps, a big win can bring a return to the 2022 days of this team. Maybe that’s a little too premature, but it’s worth establishing just how important a clean win would be. Most good teams do this all the time, but it’s been a struggle for Philadelphia
With all due respect, the Browns do not touch the Eagles in the talent department. Now with a healthy roster, it’s time to start having fun again. Win by a lot, and people will start to forget about your Week 2 and Week 4 collapses.
When the Philadelphia Eagles were down A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, and Lane Johnson in their Week 4 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, some were expecting a loss (atypical for a team as good as the Birds). Not only did the Eagles lose, but they did so pretty emphatically—the game was never close.
Philadelphia, looking like they were playing a completely different sport than Tampa Bay, had their biggest weakness exposed to the world. That weakness is the fact that they are utterly clueless without a drastic talent advantage over their opponent.
Eagles Crumble When There Isn’t a Talent Gap
Ordinarily, losing three top-tier players in a road matchup against a team that won a playoff game is a death sentence. But talent-wise, the Eagles were still objective neck-and-neck with Tampa Bay, if not better. People had every reason to think they’d win.
With almost even defenses in terms of expected points average per play (EPA/play), the better offensive line still objectively belonging to Philadelphia, and the top two playmakers in the game being members of the Eagles (Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts), it’s almost like those three studs weren’t needed.
But in practice, they were, because the Eagles are dependent on their talent to win football games. When two sides are more or less even, they get crushed. Last week was not the first time this happened.
Counting Theme from the 2023 Season
The best roster Philadelphia faced last season was the San Francisco 49ers, and the result was a 42-19 whooping. Without Brown in the playoffs against the Buccaneers, it was a 32-9 whooping. If an enormous talent advantage isn’t present, the Birds play like they did in Week 4 way too often.
It has been a theme both last season and this one that the Eagles get outplayed by basically everyone. Vastly superior talent has been hiding the team’s struggles for a long time now—it is finally starting to show record-wise (2-2 isn’t bad by any means, but it’s certainly a disappointment).
Now, every team needs a good core of players to win football games. It’s just not feasible to win on a week-to-week basis with zero talent. However, teams like the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Commanders, and Pittsburgh Steelers are managing just fine. Even the Green Bay Packers won two games with Malik Willis as their quarterback instead of the previously highest-paid player in NFL history, Jordan Love.
The Eagles weren’t always the way they are now, though. Between play-calling and consistently losing the turnover battle, they have severely fallen from their glory days in 2022. The good news is that all of this is fixable, at least in theory—much of the same faces are present.
But until smarter football is played, expect the same result. Confidence should be fading.
The Eagles still have the potential to be one of the best teams in the NFL. Home-field advantage in the postseason is very much in play, and a first-round bye week is also in the cards. But something has to click for this team.
The way that Philadelphia is operating now will make them lucky to see the playoffs. And that’s assuming the key players stay healthy. This team is way too good to be playing like they are—something has to change. Head coach Nick Sirianni’s seat isn’t just hot, it has gone up in flames.
After another pitiful performance in Tampa Bay, the Eagles sit tied for 2nd in the NFC East.
Hopefully the Eagles can avoid meeting the Buccaneers in the Wildcard round, again.
Moving on to the early bye week at 2-2 isn’t the end for the Eagles, but it isn’t instilling much hope.
Offensive Woes
Sure the Eagles have been without A.J. Brown for multiple weeks and spent a game and a half without Lane Johnson & DeVonta Smith. But they only average 21.5 points per game in 4 games this season, which drops to 17.3 not including the packers game.
This is also a team that has 8 turnovers on offense and 8(!) 3&Outs. What gives?
Where’s The Motion?
Last season, the Eagles ranked dead last in motion(10.9%) While the Chargers(25.9%) were ranked 8th(Kellen Moore’s last team) while having Easton Stick start multiple games at QB.
With the hire of Moore in the offseason, everyone was expecting a more competent offense. Now loaded with even more talent in the backfield and along the offensive line.
But through 4 weeks…
Motion report through 4 weeks!
First number is motion at the snap, second number is all motion.
The Eagles are in the middle of the pack. Which becomes concerning when you see NextGenStats posting the Eagles used 65.8% in their season debut.
Makes you question why there’s been such a decline in only a matter of weeks.
Why are the Eagles afraid of short yardage plays down 3 of their best players?
Down 2 of your Weapons. Why does Saquon only see the ball 10 times? No wonder the offense stalls.
After admitting to being the one to call a USELESS fake QB sneak in New Orleans. How much of the Offense does Nick Sirianni have control of?
And most importantly.
Why does this team feel so similar to last years?
The Missing Piece
Normally, when a team cleans house, they clean house. It was already questioned last year what Nick Sirianni did as Eagles head coach following last years disastrous end. Somehow, he was able to keep his job.
Brian Johnson was let go as the scape goat to the collapse of the offense compared to their Super Bowl season. But now in Washington, Jayden Daniels is thriving as the Commanders hold 1st place in the NFC East.
Dennard Wilson is now the Defensive Coordinator in Tennessee, and finding some success with a team that isn’t having a great season. After spending last season with the Ravens as a Defensive Backs Coach & Passing Game Coordinator, the same position he held in Philadelphia the 2 years prior.
There’s multiple coaches who have left the Eagles who are finding success. And yet the Eagles seem to be stagnant now 2 years after their Super Bowl appearance. Even after bringing in highly valued coordinators on both sides of the ball.
With many inconsistencies and similarities causing concern just 4 weeks into the season. A 2-2 record might not look bad, but how many head coaches can survive a 3-8 run to end and begin seasons with high expectations?
With the weakest strength of schedule in the league and 13 games still left to play. There aren’t many excuses for this Eagles team to not still be competitive and push for a top seed in the playoffs. But with the way they’ve been playing, there better be some good performances following the bye week. Otherwise the playoffs could soon be out of reach.
The Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame is an exclusive place where only the best of the best can find their names. Which current players might find themselves there, as well?
Shoo-in: Lane Johnson, Brandon Graham
PHOTO: —
Both of the players here have had incredibly long and successful careers with Philadelphia, essentially making them locks for the team’s Hall of Fame. These are two different cases, so let’s take a look.
Lane Johnson is one of the most accomplished Eagles ever, being one of the best players on the Eagles’ Super Bowl roster in 2017, plus being a five-time Pro Bowler and a two-time first-team All-Pro. He has played in 143 regular season games with the Birds from 2013 to the present, so he has seen a lot in his tenure.
Speaking of a player who has seen a lot, we get to Brandon Graham. It took him a while to spread his wings and fly, but he was one of the best Eagles at his peak—he was a key figure on the Super Bowl team and several elite defenses. Making perhaps the biggest play in team history, putting up 73 sacks in 195 games, plus receiving a Pro Bowl nod in 2020, there’s just no way that Philadelphia can leave him out.
More Likely Than Not: Jake Elliott
Jake Elliott has been at it long enough to deserve to be in the “shoo-in” territory here, but he has been an Eagle for about half the time as Johnson and Graham. Still, that doesn’t mean he is any less incredible. Yes, he is a kicker, but he has consistently been a great one.
Elliott has flourished in the clutch, which is an area where many other kickers falter. He was terrific in 2017, and from there he has really only gotten better. Over these past few seasons, he has gotten a Pro Bowl nod and been a second-team All-Pro. One of the NFL’s most accurate kickers from 2021-2023, he has seemingly already done enough to join David Akers in the Eagles Hall of Fame.
Maybe/Too Early to Tell: Jalen Hurts, DeVonta Smith, A.J. Brown, Jordan Mailata, Landon Dickerson, Jalen Carter, Rick Lovato
This is the territory where we get the most subjective. They won’t all get in, but all of these seven players at least deserve a mention.
Jalen Hurts’ case is pretty obvious. He has only completed three seasons as the Eagles’ starting quarterback thus far, but his time in Philadelphia over just the last two seasons has been sensational. He finished second in MVP voting in 2022 and was the favorite at some points during 2023, so the potential is there. The 25-year-old still has a lot to show before he can be put in the Eagles Hall of Fame with players like Randall Cunningham and Donovan McNabb, but there is definitely a world where it happens.
DeVonta Smith has even more to prove than Hurts does, but we shouldn’t put it past him to be among the Eagles’ greats. Averaging over 1,000 receiving yards across his first three seasons in the NFL, the 25-year-old is clearly pretty special. He has a ton of talent and is a big reason why Philadelphia made it to the Super Bowl in 2022, so he has that going for him. If he can win a championship or have a long tenure with the Eagles, that would be his ticket to eternal glory.
A.J. Brown is our first player here to not be drafted by the Eagles, but he is freshly 27 years of age and has put up two of the best receiving seasons in the history of the team. From 2022-2023, he has an incredible 2,952 yards and 18 touchdowns on 194 receptions. If he can keep that up for a few more years, it would be an inevitability for him to make the team Hall of Fame.
Jordan Mailata is an interesting case because he doesn’t have any accolades on his resume, but it is clear from both the eye test and the advanced stats test that he is sensational. The 27-year-old tackle is lovable and genuinely really good at what he does. He would probably need a Super Bowl win and perhaps some individual accolades to make an Eagles Hall of Fame nod happen, but it’s not like either of those are unrealistic.
Landon Dickerson is in a similar boat, but he has two Pro Bowl nods through just three seasons in the league. The Eagles projecting to be a great team both now and in the future should do wonders for his Hall of Fame case—a championship could set him over the top.
Jalen Carter, while just a sophomore in the NFL, lived up to his draft hype in his rookie campaign. Finishing second in Defensive Rookie of the Year voting in 2023, greatness could be in his future. We shouldn’t get too ahead of ourselves, but there is obvious potential here.
Rick Lovato probably deserves to be considered, but he is also a long-snapper. He has played in 118 regular season games with the Eagles, has a Super Bowl championship to his name, and made the Pro Bowl in 2019. Perhaps it’s a stretch considering the position, but maybe it’s time to give a long snapper some love. Really, there is not much else he could have accomplished at this stage, so he deserves a mention.
Seeing as the Eagles have 10 different players on their current roster who could potentially make it to the team Hall of Fame (and perhaps a few more), there’s a lot of greatness in their group. Some of them are bigger stretches than others, but there is still an immense level of talent in their 2024 roster. Can they put it all together?
After speculation that the Eagles would be paying their WR2 next after agreeing to a 3-year $66M extension with Jordan Mailata just two weeks ago. News finally broke on Monday that not only would DeVonta Smith’s 5th year be picked up, but it also came with a nifty 3-year extension.
The Eagles will now have the following players on the offense under contract through 2026:
QB Jalen Hurts
QB Kenny Pickett
WR A.J. Brown
WR DeVonta Smith
RB Saquon Barkley
LT Jordan Mailata
LG Landon Dickerson
OL Tyler Steen
RT Lane Johnson
Not a bad thing to have 8 offensive starters under contract for the next 3 seasons!
But how did the Eagles get all these top tier players under contract without being well over the cap? (like the Saints have been for years)
Ahead Of The League
This is now back to back off-seasons where Howie Roseman and co. have been able to extend franchise cornerstone players before the other 31 teams in the league came to terms with their counterparts.
QB Frenzy
Starting with Jalen Hurts on April 17th 2023. A 5 year, $255M contract was signed ahead of the following quarterbacks
Joe Burrow – 5 years, $275M signed on September 7th 2023
Justin Herbert – 5 years, $262.5M signed on July 25th 2023
Lamar Jackson – 5 years, $260M signed on April 27th 2023
Offensive Line Mania
Not only did the Eagles get away with drafting Jordan Mailata in the 7th round of the 2018 draft. They’ve now extended him. Twice! While doing so, the Eagles have gotten ahead by signing Mailata to a 3 year, $66M deal. Now under contract until 2029.
There weren’t many Offensive Tackles looking to be signed this off-season, but getting an extra 3 years from Mailata at $22M was perfect value giving some previously signed OT’s including:
Laremy Tunsil – 3 year, $75M signed on March 19th 2023
Andrew Thomas – 5 year, $117.5M signed on July 26th 2023
However, this was the perfect market to get the Left Tackle signed for those extra years. Because the following will be due for a 5th year option and probable extensions in the next year.
Penei Sewell – drafted 7th overall 2021
Rashawn Slater – drafted 11th overall 2021
Ronnie Stanley – 5 year, $98.75M signed in 2020
Setting The WR Market
And that’s exactly how the Eagles have set the WR market with DeVonta Smith’s new deal.
Had the Eagles not worked as quickly as possible on this deal. They would’ve been at risk of the following Receivers potentially getting record breaking deals done first.
Since we don’t have contract money for these other receivers, let’s keep it simple and compare Yards/TDs.
DeVonta Smith – 50GP, 3,178 Rec Yards, 19 TD. signed a 3 year, $75M deal.
Justin Jefferson – 60GP, 5,899 Rec Yards, 30 TD. On a 5th year option for $19.74M
Ja’Marr Chase – 45GP, 3,717 Rec Yards, 29 TD.
Tee Higgins – 53GP, 3,684 Rec Yards, 24TD. On a $21.8M Franchise Tag
CeeDee Lamb – 61GP, 5,145 Rec Yards, 32TD. On a 5th year option for $17.99M
With DeVonta Smith’s extension checked off the offseason to-do list. The next big milestone will be the draft. Just one week away.
With the first night of WrestleMania XL underway at Lincoln Financial Field in South Philadelphia, it was only a matter of time before some big Philly cameos.
Well, two all-time star athletes joined the fight in All-Pro offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, going after Dominik Mysterio, son of Rey Mysterio:
Kelce is going to dominate the media scene in retirement, but, hey, he’d be a superstar in the ring for WWE just as easily. The same goes for Johnson once he finally hangs up his cleats in a few years, too.
How long before we see those masks for sale at the pro shop at the Linc?
