Seven months of offseason noise gave way to Week 1, and for the Eagles, the real question now is which pieces came out of that stretch better than before. Philadelphia is through the drama, through the roster churn, and into a regular season opener against the Washington Commanders. That makes it a good time to sort the winners from the losers.
Sean Mannion sits near the top of the winner list. After only two years as an NFL assistant, he landed the Eagles offensive coordinator job and now gets his first shot at calling plays.
He walks into a loaded offensive room, which makes his offseason look like a major step forward. Of course, the same kind of spotlight can turn fast, and Kevin Patullo’s difficult 2025 experience is the warning sign hanging over it all.
DeVonta Smith also belongs in the win column. With A.J.
Brown gone, there’s no more sharing the stage. Smith has posted three 1,000-yard seasons over the last five years, but he finished as the team’s leader only once during Brown’s four seasons, and that came last year.
Now he is the clear centerpiece of the passing game, and as the new team captain, the expectation is that he’ll handle that role.
The Eagles’ defensive tackles had a huge offseason too. Jordan Davis and Jalen Carter both got paid, and the team handed out record-breaking extensions to each of them. Moro Ojomo could end up being the odd man out, but even he has a path to a major payday next offseason from another team.
Howie Roseman, as usual, comes out looking sharp. The big contracts are one thing, but even the one-year deals he handed out to free agents are showing early signs of working. He locked in a lot of the important pieces for the long haul, and the numbers are already making his moves look cleaner.
The 2025 draft class also made a strong case for itself. Jihaad Campbell and Andrew Mukuba are full-time starters on defense, while Ty Robinson, Smael Mondon Jr., and Drew Kendall all took meaningful steps in training camp. Another year of growth could make this group look a lot deeper than it did after a quiet 2025 season.
Not everyone left the offseason in good shape. Jonathan Greenard’s first stretch with the team hasn’t gone smoothly.
He missed all of training camp with a pectoral injury, and his Week 1 status against the Washington Commanders is now in doubt. The financial side may have worked out, but the on-field debut did not go well.
Makai Lemon also lands among the losers. He missed part of OTAs with an injury, then missed time again in training camp.
When he has been available, he has flashed, but the injuries are starting to raise real concerns. If he wants to live up to his first-round pick status, he has to stay on the field.
The cornerback group beyond the starters is another problem area. Quinyon Mitchell, Cooper DeJean, and Riq Woolen had solid summers, but the depth behind them remains unsettled.
Kelee Ringo and Mac McWilliams had rough preseason showings, while Jonathan Jones missed a lot of games with an injury, making it hard to get a read on what he can provide. The Eagles need answers there quickly, especially if one of the starters goes down.
In Other News...
Eagles Still Have One Unsettled Decision Behind Jalen Hurts
The Eagles have a small but notable question lingering behind Jalen Hurts as the 2026 regular season approaches: who is the No. 2 quarterback? On the unofficial depth chart, Andy Dalton and Tanner McKee are listed side by side, while rookie Cole Payton gives Philadelphia four passers on the 53-man roster and another layer of insurance if the room is ever tested.
Nick Sirianni has said the backup job is still a competition between Dalton and McKee, which keeps the situation very much alive even with the opener drawing closer. For a team built around Hurts, it is the kind of behind-the-scenes decision that can fade into the background until it suddenly matters, and Philadelphia still appears to be sorting out which veteran or developmental option it trusts most if the starter ever has to miss time. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Just Got A Brutal Warning About Paying Their Young Corners
Christian Gonzalezs new deal with New England has changed the top of the cornerback market in a way the Eagles cant ignore. The Patriots locked up their young star on a four-year, $135 million extension, and with that, the price of elite coverage talent just jumped again at exactly the kind of position Philadelphia has invested in heavily over the last two seasons.
For the Eagles, the timing matters almost as much as the dollar figure. Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean are both trending toward major contracts of their own in the not-too-distant future, and the front office now has a fresh reminder of how expensive it can be to keep young corners together once they start stacking strong seasons. Managing those decisions while keeping the rest of the roster intact is going to be one of the tougher cap balancing acts ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Eagles Have Early Chance To Prove This Roster Hype Is Real
The Eagles head into Week 1 against the Commanders with the kind of roster buzz that only really means something once the games start counting. Nick Sirianni has already shown he can get his team ready for openers, and this one will offer an early chance to see whether the optimism around the offense matches the reality on the field. With playmakers like Miles Sanders, DeVonta Smith and A.J. Brown expected to factor heavily, Philadelphia has a chance to show its depth and its ceiling right away.
Saquon Barkley looms as one of the biggest reasons for that optimism, since the Eagles view this as the healthiest he and the offensive line have been all year. Smith also has a chance to take on a larger role as a No. 1 receiver, with Rasul Douglas and Mike Sainristil likely to be the first Commanders defenders asked to slow him down. How those matchups play out should say plenty about whether this roster hype is real or just summer noise. [Read more 🡒]