With the trade deadline out of the way and the season already off the rails, the Eagles are headed into their bye week with a different kind of checklist. They’ll return on Nov. 22 with eight games left, but the bigger assignment now is less about salvaging wins and more about sorting through the younger players who are supposed to shape what comes next.
That task got even more important after the recent trades of Cam Jurgens and Jordan Davis, moves that took away some veteran production while adding more future draft capital. And with Jalen Hurts likely done for the year, the offense struggling under new coordinator Sean Mannion, and the defense under Vic Fangio still uneven, the final stretch is shaping up as an extended evaluation period. The Eagles have dropped seven straight since starting 2-0, so the real value of these games may be in the tape.
The 2026 class is already in the spotlight, and first-round receiver Makai Lemon has become the most obvious immediate contributor. The USC product started slowly, but lately he’s been the most dependable option while DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks have been out. Lemon has posted back-to-back games with six or more catches and at least 50 yards, scored his first NFL touchdown against Dallas, and led the team in targets and receiving yards in recent losses to the Commanders and Giants.
There’s still some rough edges there - the concentration drops have been an issue - but Lemon has also shown the traits the Eagles were after when they traded up: reliable hands, route-running, and the slot ability to fit what they wanted. The production hasn’t been explosive in terms of yards per catch, yet in an offense that has to find answers after A.J.
Brown, he’s giving them something useful. The rest of the season will show whether he can keep building once Smith and Wicks are back in the mix, and whether Mannion keeps him involved.
Second-round tight end Eli Stowers has had a much slower path because injuries landed him on injured reserve to open the season. Still, the Vanderbilt product has flashed enough to make you see the upside.
He caught three passes for 53 yards against Washington, including a 34-yard grab, even if that came in garbage time. The athletic former college quarterback has enough juice to stress linebackers, and that alone matters.
Stowers isn’t pushing Dallas Goedert out of the way anytime soon, but the long-term plan is obvious. More work in 12 personnel or as a flex option will tell the staff how quickly he can be trusted with a real role.
Third-round tackle Markel Bell has already been forced into a major test. With Lane Johnson retired, the Miami lineman was thrown into the fire at right tackle.
At 6-foot-9 and 345 pounds, Bell had a rough first outing, but he has settled down some since then. He’s still very much a work in progress, with pressures and penalties remaining part of the picture, yet the size is obvious and the processing is improving.
That makes the rest of his season a long audition. The Eagles need to know whether Bell can grow into a long-term starter or settle in as a swing tackle.
The 2025 class is supposed to be further along, which is why the focus there is on getting more reps for Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba. Campbell, the first-round linebacker from Alabama, had a solid rookie season and drew All-Rookie consideration after being productive when he started.
He was lined up for a full-time weakside role next to Zack Baun after Nakobe Dean left in free agency, but year 2 has been interrupted by lingering hamstring and quad issues. When he’s healthy, the question is whether his instincts catch up to his athletic tools.
Mukuba, the second-round safety from Texas, is already a key part of the secondary, but the results have been uneven. Missed tackles and coverage lapses have shown up, even though Fangio has spoken positively about his trajectory. The rest of his snaps will help determine how much trust he earns in a back end that needs more steadiness.
Fourth-round defensive tackle Ty Robinson has been buried behind Jalen Carter, Davis, Moro Ojomo and Byron Young, but that picture changes now that Davis is gone. In a defensive line room that just lost one of its top pieces, Robinson should get a chance to join the rotation, and every snap from here matters for his chances of sticking around in 2027.
Howie Roseman has always leaned on the draft to build this roster, and with more premium picks coming in 2027 and beyond, the next eight weeks are a chance to separate the players who fit the future from the ones who don’t. The Eagles may not win much more this season, but they can still come out of it with something valuable: clarity.
In Other News...
Eagles Mock Draft Signals A Bigger Reset Than Fans Expected
The Eagles have given themselves a lot more flexibility for the next few drafts after moving Jordan Davis to Jacksonville, and that kind of draft capital tends to change the way a team thinks about everything. A recent mock draft leaned into that reality, using Philadelphias current positions to map out a broader roster reset, with the usual blend of trade scenarios and best-player-available logic that comes when a front office suddenly has room to maneuver.
What makes the exercise more intriguing is how closely it ties the future of the roster to the bigger questions already hanging over the team. The projections are built around the idea that Philadelphia may need to address premium spots early and often, while also acknowledging the uncertainty around Jalen Hurts and the long-term shape of the offense. It is speculative by nature, but it does underscore how quickly the Eagles could be entering a new phase. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Trade Partner Is Now Apologizing After Deadline Deal Fell Apart
The Bengals were looking for edge-rushing help after placing rookie Cashius Howell on injured reserve, and the deadline buzz briefly pointed them toward Philadelphia and Arnold Ebiketie. But the proposed deal never got over the finish line, leaving the Eagles with a trade partner that backed away once the full cost became clear.
Zac Taylor later apologized on behalf of Bengals executive Duke Tobin, saying the unexpected price tag was the reason the move fell apart and adding that Philadelphia had been a good trade partner. For the Eagles, it was a reminder that even when there is interest in moving a player, the final terms can shift quickly enough to stop a deadline deal in its tracks. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Bye Week Has Put Nick Sirianni Under Real Pressure
The bye week has arrived at a rough moment for Nick Sirianni, with the Eagles mired in a seven-game losing streak and the noise around his future growing louder by the day. It is the kind of stretch that invites hard questions in Philadelphia, even for a coach who has already guided the team to multiple playoff trips and a Super Bowl title.
Still, a midseason move would run against both Siriannis track record and the way the organization has typically handled coaching decisions. The injuries have complicated an already ugly season, and while the pressure is real, the more likely outcome is that the Eagles let the situation breathe a little longer before making any drastic call. [Read more 🡒]