The Philadelphia Eagles entered ESPN’s top 100 player rankings for the 2026 season with the kind of roster strength that usually shows up all over a list like this. It did, and then some. Philadelphia finished with eight players included, the most in the league and one more than the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers, who each landed six.
At the other end of the spectrum sat the New York Jets, the only team that failed to place a single player on the list.
Those two numbers tell the story of two franchises heading into the season from completely different places. One is being recognized for the kind of depth that can carry a team deep into January. The other is staring at a blank spot where leaguewide respect should be.
Philadelphia’s showing marks the second straight year it has led the NFL in top-100 selections, which says plenty about the way ESPN views the roster. A team can build a plan to slow down one elite receiver or one game-wrecking defender. It gets a lot tougher when high-end talent is spread across the lineup.
Among the Eagles’ names was quarterback Jalen Hurts, though his placement is the part that jumps off the page. Hurts slid from No. 38 last year to No. 97 after what ESPN described as an uneven 2025 season.
Even so, the outlet pointed out that he has gone 57-25 as a starter and trails only Josh Allen in total touchdowns since 2022. Philadelphia will also be asking him to run a new offense under coordinator Sean Mannion.
DeVonta Smith also made the cut at No. 93, and his role is about to change. With A.J.
Brown gone, Smith is set to step in as the Eagles’ clear No. 1 receiver. ESPN projected him for 91 catches, 1,130 yards and six touchdowns.
For the Jets, the absence was stark. The franchise at least has a potential building block in No. 2 overall pick David Bailey, the Texas Tech edge rusher taken in the 2026 NFL Draft. Sports Illustrated also listed Bailey among the league’s 10 young breakout candidates after a strong training camp.
Of course, rankings don’t settle anything once the games begin. The Jets can still outperform what looks like a bleak preseason outlook. But every other team managed to get somebody on ESPN’s list, and New York did not.
That leaves the Eagles with another clear signal that a deep playoff push should be the baseline, while the Jets are left with a very blunt reminder of how much talent still needs to emerge before the league starts viewing them the same way.
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For New York, the move is less about plugging in an immediate answer and more about trying to shape a talent that has not fully come together yet. Wallace arrives needing real development and coaching after struggling with technique in Carolina, and the Jets are clearly hoping they can turn a former high draft choice into a useful depth piece rather than another early-career disappointment. [Read more 🡒]