The Eagles may be 2-0 and alone atop the NFC East, but that record is doing a lot of heavy lifting right now. Through two weeks, there are already enough cracks showing to make it clear this team has real issues to sort out if it wants to stay on a Super Bowl track and keep Jalen Hurts upright.
The biggest one starts up front. Philadelphia is planning to stay with Cam Jurgens at left guard, but the move of a Pro Bowl center to a spot he has never played has not gone smoothly.
Jurgens had a rough afternoon against Jeffery Simmons on Sunday, and the Eagles didn’t do him or the left side of the line any favors by pairing him with Drew Kendall at center. That shuffle also had an effect on Jordan Mailata, especially in pass protection.
Kendall should settle in, and Jurgens should improve, but both need to get there fast.
Safety is another problem that showed up in Week 2. The Eagles are spending just over $8 million at the position, the lowest total in the NFL, and the results have been shaky.
Marcus Epps had a tough Sunday after a solid Week 1, while Andrew Mukuba also had some missed chances against the run. The Eagles still don’t have the playmaker they need there, and Mukuba hasn’t provided it yet.
Epps probably won’t either, which is why Michael Carter could be next in line for a bigger role. This is also the kind of issue Philadelphia could revisit at the trade deadline, especially with cap space available.
Tight end has turned into a mess, too, and Dallas Goedert’s knee injury only made it worse. Goedert is expected to miss a few weeks, but the problem existed before he got hurt.
The Eagles signed Zach Ertz to help ease the situation, and he immediately becomes the TE1, at least on paper. Before that move, Johnny Mundt was the top tight end and E.J.
Jenkins was behind him, and that could still be the setup in Week 3 if Ertz isn’t ready. Even with the signing, this may still be the worst tight end group in the league until Goedert returns.
Once Goedert is back, though, the combination of Goedert and Ertz gives Philadelphia a much better look.
Without Saquon Barkley, the offense loses its best playmaker and a major part of what makes the passing game work. Even with Barkley off to a slow start, his presence matters because defenses have to respect him and crowd the box.
Tank Bigsby and Will Shipley combined for 20 carries and 57 yards, a 2.9-yard average, with a long run of just 9 yards. Bigsby’s 0.5 yards before contact pointed back to the offensive line more than to him.
If the line gets cleaned up, the run game should follow. If not, Bigsby and Shipley are going to keep having a hard time carrying the load.
The pass rush has been uneven through two games as well. Nolan Smith is the only edge rusher with a sack, while Jalen Carter also has one and it came at a key moment.
Still, this group hasn’t consistently gotten after the quarterback. Jalyx Hunt had a strong Week 2 and Smith was good in Week 1, but the reserve edge rushers haven’t done much.
The Eagles need Jonathan Greenard back soon, and there is at least some good news there since he should return shortly. The defensive tackle rotation looks fine, though Jordan Davis may need a bigger workload going forward.
And then there’s Lemon, who needs time to develop. The Eagles are playing him because he’s a first-round pick, not because he has earned the job over Darius Cooper or Hollywood Brown.
Philadelphia needs to put its best players on the field and make the most of the limited offense it has right now. With so many other issues already in the mix, adding another one by forcing Lemon’s development into the lineup doesn’t make sense.
He can help later, but not early in 2026.
Time to put away the status relationship. Play the best players.
In Other News...
Sean Mannion Is Changing Jalen Hurts' Offense In One Noticeable Way
The Eagles have opened the season with a noticeably different look, and it starts with how often they are lining up in shotgun. Through two weeks, Sean Mannion has leaned on that formation more than many expected, and the results have shown up in the passing game. Philadelphias attack has looked more efficient in that setup, with Jalen Hurts finding a rhythm that has helped the offense move more cleanly than it did at points in previous seasons.
Philadelphia now ranks sixth in the NFL in plays from shotgun, a sign that the change is not just cosmetic. Hurts has completed 70.3% of his throws from the formation, though the sample is still small and only covers two games. Even so, it is a meaningful early wrinkle for an offense still settling in, and it will be worth watching whether this heavier shotgun usage becomes a lasting feature or just a strong September trend. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Run Game Concern Now Falls On The Entire Offense
The Eagles ground game has become a bigger talking point through the first two games of the 2026 season, and Nick Sirianni made clear Tuesday that he views it as more than an issue for the running backs alone. He framed it as a team problem involving coaches and players, while pointing to the learning curve for Cam Jurgens as he settles in at left guard and giving Tank Bigsby credit for the work he has put in, along with the touchdown he recently scored.
What makes the picture messier is how many small setbacks are feeding into the larger issue. Sirianni noted the damage done by negative plays, including sacks, penalties and runs that go backward, all of which stall offensive progress and make it harder to build rhythm. For a team that wants balance, fixing the run game now looks like something that has to happen across the entire offense, not just in one room. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles May Be Holding Back What Makai Lemon Does Best
Makai Lemons first two games have been more about usage than impact, and that has made his early-season line look quieter than expected. The rookie wide receiver has been asked to operate in a game plan heavy on screens and jet sweeps, a setup that has not given him many chances to show the full range that made him such an intriguing addition. With Sean Mannion steering the offense, the Eagles have leaned into a safer, more controlled way of getting Lemon involved, even as the raw production has stayed limited.
Hollywood Browns role offers a useful comparison, because it helps show how Philadelphia is choosing to deploy its receivers right now. The bigger question is whether the Eagles are simply easing Lemon in or holding back the part of his game that can do the most damage, with the early returns leaving plenty of room for debate about how long this approach should last. [Read more 🡒]